WAGO 221 Lever Nuts: Testing the Most Common Negative Feedback

I wanted to share some testing on WAGO 221 lever nuts to see if there is truly a design flaw, as pointed out by my audience, or just something to be aware of when using lever nuts.

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[FredrickII]

I concur with another commenter that wrapping electrical tape around the closed Wago nut would offer the best protection (and peace of mind). It’s still better than the standard wire connector, which in my experience is more likely to fail than even a partly open Wago nut.

[okienative]

If you're using more than 20lbf in an electrical box. There's a problem much more concerning than the Wago.

[derekgalier]

20lbs of force is a ridiculously high amount for the force experienced in an electrical box.

[ljones]

I used wagos for the first time when I replaced my porch lights. Usually I would of had to have someone to hold the light while I made the connections, but did not have to using wagos. Made the job much easier.

[JustBrickinAround]

Great test, thanks for the info. This is why I still use black electrical tape around the wago’s to keep the levers from accidentally opening.

[billalexander]

Thanks for the comparison. I have read to wrap electrical tap across the leavers for a 2nd protection.

[mikestafford]

Yes, the design needs to be improved to add a positive lock.

However, until then, I still prefer them over wire nuts, and solve this issue by simply taping over the wago.

I have gotten into the habit of having black tape, white tape, and green tape on my tool belt. It only takes a few extra seconds, and it makes me feel better.

[Eclipse_Co]

There's 2 types of people for these, those who've used them and those who are stuck in the past.

[curtisgray]

I used WAGO 221's this weekend for the first time when changing a number of light fixtures in a house we bought and I have to say, these things are awesome. I felt much more confident in the connections when connecting solid wire to the stranded wire in the fixtures.

[mikemireles]

I’ve always thought about this possible flaw when I first started using these and use tape every time to be safe.

[ascienceguy-]

Great! It is alway good to test potential flaws. I agree with others that 20 lb of pull force limit is more than good enough. It would be interesting to learn the pull force limit of stranded and solid wires connected with a wire nut.

[johnlcallaway]

Thanks for the test, it was interesting. I've noticed this myself when I've been folding wires back into the box. But I've had a different issue, the lever caught on a wire and came completely open.

I'm a lot more careful now to visually check when using them. I tend to only use them when I'm mixing stranded and solid because I think they do a better job. I've never had any issues with wire nuts on solid wires, but I always cut long, pretwist and then nip them to length. It doesn't take that long. And it's a proven technique over time.

To me it's not a one or the other, it's using the proper tool for the job. If I've got all solid wires and a lot of room, I'll use the cheaper and to me more reliable wire nuts with a pretwist. But when I do prewired lighting fixtures with stranded wire, I'll pull out the wago. Or if I'm dancing on a ladder I'll preinstall a wago on the fixture wires to make it easier.

[jake]

The issue of the lever backing off unexpectedly can be mitigated cheaply by wrapping the Wago in electrical tape or even a small zip tie.

[insider]

If you're only connecting Solid Wires, you should use the Wago 2273 instead. Wago also sells connectors and accessories for nearly every other use case you could imagine.

[EasyOgre]

A resistance test between one of the unused terminals an the end of the wire seems like it would have been more electrically important. A difference in resistance is where you would get heat and possibly fire.

[jimsjacob]

Encountered this very condition this week. Installed new hardwired smoke/carbon detectors and went with the WAGO connectors and noted this condition while stuffing everything into the box. I did make a concerted effort to make sure the levers were in the locked position, but with three 3 pole connectors in there, it’s possible that the first one in got a lever or two moved out…. Doubtful 20lb of pull will ever be applied to them, but you never know. Still like them for the ease of use and the smaller footprint. In some applications, they are hard to beat.

[hassanbazzi]

You are amazing. You have been prompting the product for some time and you listen to your viewers and conducted the test. This speaks volumes for honesty. Great testing. Thank you for sharing

[MrAluntus]

Electrical tape for tight situations. I love Wago nuts - I just installed a new ceiling fan and wow, did these make life easy joining braded with solid.

[jwolf]

I've been using them for the past 2 years and love them, I noticed the lever popping up sometimes but when completing my connection and pushing into the box, I make sure the lever is down. Not comfortable leaving them up half way!

[narlycharley]

I've rewired an entire home with lever nuts and have NEVER had any of these issues.