Does anyone know where to buy “in line” wire strippers? I have seen them used on TV for stripping wire in the middle of a line to make a “T” connection.
Home Depot, Lowes or Sears all carry them, along with electrical supply houses you might have in town.
Gene S.
You don’t want to cheapy kind they show on TV. You can get the good ones at Home Depot or Lowes. Mine are Ideal brand and came from Home Depot. Not cheap but they are all metal, there are no plastic pieces, and they will last forever. The other brand to get would be Klein.
–Randy
Believe it or not, my Wife works at the Home Depot and they had no idea what she was talking about. I also called an Electrical Supply house that has been in business for almost 100 years and they didn’t know what I was talking about either!
Are you talking about these?
I don’t watch a whole lot of TV, so I was thinking I missed something here. Some kind of wire stripper that lets you strip other than the end of the wire to facilitate “T” splices? I have two different sized Ideal Automatic strippers to cover sizes from 30 ga (0.30 mm) up to 8 or 10 ga (3.4 mm) wire, and a couple sets of those rather more awkward stamped metal stripping plier types, and the only way I’ve ever been able to strip for a “T” splice is to use the regular stripper, making the radial cut on either side of where I want to make the splice, then carefully shave the insulation between cuts with a knife. In fact, for this kind of stripping, I often find the knife by itself is best. Otherwise, there is a short segment of loose insulation trapped on the wire lengtrh
Of all the strippers I’m familiar with, they are either the plier type where you make the radial cut then pull the cut insulation off with the device, or like on the Micro-mark type shown in the link where jaws grab the main part of the wire, then the cutter jaws make the radial cut and pull the cut segment of insulation off the end. Both types need to be used very close to the end of the wire. To make the strip anywhere other than at the wire end, they have to be used as I described in the previous paragraph.
I’d like to see a stripper that can make the longitudinal cut as well as the radial cuts. That would have often made life a lot easier for me over the last 50 or so years. That’s a new one on me.
Were they mentioned in an Informational?
I don’t recall what brand I have but here is what I use:
I sent my previous message before reading yours about making a longitudinal cut. The strippers I use don’t make such a cut. They push the insuation apart leaving a 1/4" or so of exposed wire to which I make my T connection. I’m a solder guy so the 1/4" is more than adequate. I don’t know how much room the suitcase connectors require.
That should be the type. There are several manufacturers that make a similar unit.
I typically just use T strippers and pull the insulation back manually. You could also use a razor blade to cut a piece off.
Hi!
One of the best tool investment I’ve made is a pair of Klein automatic wire strippers. I had to get them online, as neither the local HD or Lowes carries them. They were about $40 or so, but worth every cent. There are cheaper ones for about $18 or so, but if money isn’t a factor I would urge you to get the Kleins.
The particular tool I have is the Ideal Stripmaster, which is carried at Home Depot (I managed to aquire two, from two different stores - I KNOW they have it there). It works like the one from Micro-Mark but it has a die with various wire sizes to strip the insulation, and a clamp jaw ont he other side. I don’t knwo
This is the brand we use in the factory, I can vouch for these, I have a pair that is 25 years old and is used hundreds of times a day.
Yeah I goofed, bought a pair forgetting that I already had them, now I have two. But the first one will never wear out. For things I use all the time, I will always spend the money and get a top quality tool. For things I might need once and never again, that’s when I get the cheapies at Harbor Freight. Except for the multimeters. I’ve seen ones being sold for $15 or more that are exactly the same as the $2.99 Harbor Freight ones. At $2.99 it’s almost cheaper to buy a new one when the batteries wear out.
–Randy
That’s the kind I have 2 different sized pair of. The only stripper I used more often was a barrel type for wire-wrap. Just never would have been able to get away with just displacing insulation a short distance for a single or double turn, especially on the larger sized wires. Had to drive a lot of my wiring either on test tracks or over the road. No compromise allowed.
Hi again!
Forgot to mention…
When I began building my current layout, I dreaded all those inline connections needed for feeder wires. I wanted them soldered, which meant I had a ton of inline wire stripping to do. On earlier layouts I used regular wire strippers with limited success, and usually did the job with an Xacto knife.
When I went looking for a better way (using this Forum for one source), I found that the “automatic” wire strippers would do the job, and Klein makes one of the best - if not the best. They aren’t cheap, but will last “forever” if you take care of them.
Take it from a guy who has been there, done that. When you buy tools, get the best you can afford. I’m 66 and still have (and use) mechanics tools I bought when I was 17-19 years of age.
I use a Kronus wire stripper nearly identical to THIS for jobs like that. It pulls the insulation apart and leaves a 1/4" gap that’s perfect for wrapping the other wire around and soldering. Not sure how it would for connectors but the suitcase connectors I’m familiar with chop through the insulation anyway. For my money a solder joint is the way to go as there’s next to no chance that corrosion will get in there. I used suitcase connectors in the past and believe me, I never will again.