Stripping pliers comprising two hand levers (2, 3), a closing stroke of the stripping pliers comprising a) a cutting stroke during which a closing movement of at least one cutting blade (14a, 14b) directed transverse to a longitudinal axis of an accommodation for a cable to be stripped into a closed position takes place, in the closed position an insulation of a cable arranged in the accommodation being partially cut so that a sleeve-like portion of the insulation is partially separated, b) a break-away stroke during which the at least one cutting blade (14a, 14b) is moved in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the accommodation for the cable to be stripped until the sleeve-like portion has broken away, and c) a stripping stroke during which the at least one cutting blade (14a, 14b) is moved in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the accommodation for the cable to be stripped such that the previously broken away sleeve-like portion is slidingly moved along an electrical conductor of the cable, d) a spring element and/or damping element being provided which comes into effect approximately at the transition from the brake-away stroke to the stripping stroke such that the spring element and/or damping element da) does not influence the force conditions at the stripping pliers during the cutting stroke and the brake-away stroke and db) produces a spring force and/or damping force counteracting a closure of the hand levers (2, 3) during the stripping stroke, e) a drive mechanism comprising a lever, the mechanical boundary conditions of the lever changing at the transition from the cutting stroke to the brake-away stroke and f) the lever biasing the spring element and/or damping element during the stripping stroke, characterised in that g) the lever is arranged with a play to the spring element and /or damping element during the cutting stroke and the brake-away stroke, the play being removed at the transition from the brake-away stroke to the stripping stroke, h) the spring element and/or damping element being held at the movable hand lever. a) a cutting stroke during which a closing movement of at least one cutting blade (14a, 14b) directed transverse to a longitudinal axis of an accommodation for a cable to be stripped into a closed position takes place, in the closed position an insulation of a cable arranged in the accommodation being partially cut so that a sleeve-like portion of the insulation is partially separated, b) a break-away stroke during which the at least one cutting blade (14a, 14b) is moved in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the accommodation for the cable to be stripped until the sleeve-like portion has broken away, and c) a stripping stroke during which the at least one cutting blade (14a, 14b) is moved in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the accommodation for the cable to be stripped such that the previously broken away sleeve-like portion is slidingly moved along an electrical conductor of the cable, d) a spring element and/or damping element being provided which comes into effect approximately at the transition from the brake-away stroke to the stripping stroke such that the spring element and/or damping element da) does not influence the force conditions at the stripping pliers during the cutting stroke and the brake-away stroke and db) produces a spring force and/or damping force counteracting a closure of the hand levers (2, 3) during the stripping stroke, da) does not influence the force conditions at the stripping pliers during the cutting stroke and the brake-away stroke and db) produces a spring force and/or damping force counteracting a closure of the hand levers (2, 3) during the stripping stroke, e) a drive mechanism comprising a lever, the mechanical boundary conditions of the lever changing at the transition from the cutting stroke to the brake-away stroke and f) the lever biasing the spring element and/or damping element during the stripping stroke, g) the lever is arranged with a play to the spring element and /or damping element during the cutting stroke and the brake-away stroke, the play being removed at the transition from the brake-away stroke to the stripping stroke, h) the spring element and/or damping element being held at the movable hand lever.