I Bought 19 Wire Strippers So You Don't Have To

This is a wire stripper review to find the best wire strippers for any situation. We cover the Knipex forged wire stripper, the Klein tools wire stripper, and many other forms of wire strippers that can be very useful. A wire stripper is one of the most used electricians tools so it's important that you have the right one. We will also show you just how each one works.

My Favorite Electrical Tools:

Knipex Wire Strippers

Wera Screwdriver Set

Veto Pro Pac Tool Pouch

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[shawncriner]

I have everything i need, but now I'm back in the tool buying rabbit hole...thanks bro..

[eggsaladactyl]

The 9in 7-1 Milwaukee wire strippers are hands down my favorite. Sharp and long cutters for MC or larger gauge wire. 18--8 solid, 20-10 strnd. Has a wide nose to it which is great for twisting wires so you dont need to use your linemans anymore. If you're working in a confined space they might be a bit bulky but otherwise they are amazing.

[SparkyLife]

Thanks for the info and your take. I’m in my 33rd year of playing electrician. It’s interesting how strippers have evolved in my time. The ergonomic handles have really helped our trade in respect to carpal tunnel. You all know our hands are where we “make our hay”. Everyone stay safe. Work smart not hard.😬

[nurab-sal]

For most of the medium sized wires, the Knipex Ergostrip is the nicest. Your hand is actually in front of the wire instead of next to it with the standard style of there "hole strippers", which makes it much better. Also, it is suitable for unsheathing the rubber of a big (3x 2.5mm² or so) cable.

[Fabian-rprm]

It's a shame you didn't include the Klein Tools 11048 Yellow Strippers. Maybe an unpopular opinion, but favorite wire strippers without a doubt. So simple, so basic, yet so perfect. Comfortable handles and sharp. Small and springy. I always get these. I find bigger strippers a little clumsy

[Blizzard]

You have to try the weidmüller stripax, it's by far my favorite, it's similar to the fela but better and the cutter is butter smooth and requires no effort.

[lucasaubin]

I wire automation panels for a living and on an average day I strip 300-400 wire ends. I’ve tried 4-5 different strippers and the ones I always come back to are the Klein with the blue handles. Always a clean strip, precise, no damage to the strands and I prefer squeezing over pulling

[dilldowschwagginz]

Ive been running the Klein K1412 strippers. Being able to quickly, cleanly and easily strip the jacket on a 12/2 or 14/2 is pure love

[dillonrandall]

SouthWire S816SOL are the best wire strippers for residential electrical. I wire probably 50+ houses a year and this is hands down the best with all that I have tried.

I also love the romex stripping variation (SNM1214) because it strips the sheathing of 14-2 and 12-2 while also having a 14 and 12 AWG wire stripper.

Both designs feel great in the hand, are very rigid and durable, have 6-32 and 8-32 bolt cutters, and with the shape of them the loop hole in the frame makes an absolute perfect device loop.

[richardcranium]

Carlyle 6 3/4 wire stripper and crimper are the best I’ve ever used

[GailsonPvPwtf]

One method I learned to strip 4/0 out of necessity. I used to do wire pulls all the time. 1-3 wire pulls for townhome building a week. I was burning through utility blades. They're cheap when bought in bulk so price wasn't a problem. But the real issue is when I have to use that same utility knife for ripping out wires and the blade is just destroyed. So I got a pair of klein loppers with the curved blades, like the Klein 63050. Try biting the tip of the cable and spinning like you would strip wire with side cutters. Just until you feel the conductor. Now take your non-dominant thumb and place it on the back of the of plier and you'll notice the curved top of the pliers are also bladed. Use this to cut down the center of the insulation to the tip, once you get here, wedge the blade in the cut and you can flick the insulation right off.

[tinshum]

I purchased my first "Commercial Electric" wire stripper few years ago and I finished several jobs with it.
Last year I picked up a Pittsburgh version of Klein stripper from Harbor Freight, with a nice red grip.
They are not recommended by Pros.
I agreed, they did their job nicely, just as other pro tools did.

[Max_Marz]

As a genral mechanical technician, I bought the knipex strix because ultimate versatility is really important to me and they can handle stripping very small wires pretty well.
I only wanna carry one small bag of tools around and that bag is supposed to save me the most trips back to a toolbox as possible. I also carry that older style of knipex scissor/shear combo as my main pair of scissors in that bag.

[ZackMeetsWorld]

The "grabber" part of the knipex combination pliers are really good for "crimping" big stranded cable back together if a strand gets lose. Just slowly spin while crimping and the cable will be good as new. I call it the kcm killer.

[greapsoho]

At work we have to use the Ideal Stripmaster with the Mil-spec dies. If we use anything else we would get in trouble. Crazy expensive, but insane quality control and precision. If you have a knicked wire you can call Ideal and give them the individual blades serial number and they trace what happened.

[paulhunt]

I like the Klein cheap version. Small, inexpensive, durable, sharp and I constantly use the solid wire bending hole to form wire for termination. The needle nose is just the right size for the final squeeze around the termination screw. I like the compact nose with the stripper near the nose for close quarters work. I don't understand why some manufacturers still put the stripper function between the handles. This really frustrates confined working space.
I tried the auto strip style about 40 years ago and found that was difficult to ensure that the conductor was in the correct slot and the tool had no close lock feature. It simply couldn't be stowed in a tool pouch. My Ideal version is still in virtually brand new condition.
My Paladin "spin stripper" seemed ideal, but setting blade depth was too finiky. Mine has a blade rotate feature that turns the cutter 90 degrees for the lateral slit. It sort of worked, but it tended to slip to the bottom of my pouch and I went back to the razor blade knife using care and experience to control cut depth. Lenox used to make my favorite style that also had no tool blade change function. I own several and nurse them into geriatric age since no one offers a similar option today. The knife was simple, fat and ergonomic. I am retired and don't do much wireman work anymore. The Knipex forged strippers might still motivate me to think that I need another upgrade.
A lot of folks like the oversized comfort grips. I prefer the thin dipped grips. I reserved my insulated tools for only live work. I think NFPA 70E still mandates keeping those functions separate. The insulated tools are awkward for my hand and since I don't like comfort grips pliers tools, I have double reason to avoid using insulated tools.
The Klein forged strippers needle nose is too long for my liking on a stripper. I did mostly industrial work, so I limited NM experience. I own several pairs of the Klein NM strippers, but I seldom remember to get them and still strip NM with.y razor knife.

Does anyone have a stripping solution for UF cable? I was introduced to UF in 1974. I still can't strip that stuff and avoid using it for only that reason.

[mgebay]

Greenlee PA1161 for ultra-confined spaces.
Jonard Tools CST-1900 or CST-1140 for cable jackets or very large wire
Ideal Stripmaster, best version (mil-aero grade) of Klein at 7:23

[PaulSteMarie]

The cutter on the Klein Catapult is really great when working with finely stranded machine tool wire. It leaves a nice square end to insert in a crimp terminal or a ferrule. This was 12 AWG and 10 AWG with over thirty strands.

[shockernot]

You should try some self sizing catapult strippers. I've had both self adjusting and predetermined size ones and can confirm they are a much better tool in all regards. They can easily strips just about any cable up to #10 awg. They can go even larger If you use the cutters on them to score the insulation first, I've stripped #6 awg no problem with that method. And on top of that they can even be used to strip the outer jacket on LV cable. One of the best tools I own tbh.

[jumbjuice]

As a primarily residential guy, the rack-a-tiers crocs are my go to. With the 14/2 nmd cutter, shear, bolt cutter, and wire stripper all in one