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  • Author Author: dougw
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Stripper Shootout

dougw

At most other places on the Internet "Stripper Shootout"  would have an entirely different meaning. Sunglasses

Here it is just a light blog providing members with an opportunity to post a picture of their favorite "strippers" and explain why they like them.

Below is a video of some "strippers" I have access to and a demonstration of the limits of my acting abilities .... As usual the cat steals the show....

For some reason I don't use the complex strippers I have. Maybe it is because they need to be adjusted and tested with every new wire size. That is a lot of overhead just to strip a wire. Maybe it is partly that they require a lot more physical effort to compress springs and overcome friction than is needed purely to strip insulation. This makes it difficult to feel exactly how much force is applied to squeezing the wire, cutting the insulation and pulling insulation free, and gaging the depth of cut, all of which can be important.

It is also curious to me that I don't remember where I got some of these strippers since I can remember exactly where I got virtually every other tool I own.

If you have a favorite set of strippers, feel free to post a picture or a comment below.

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  • I used to use a pair of cheap plastic automatic wire strippers but I found their cutting jaws to be slightly uneven and not much chop on larger cables.

    But over a decade ago, I discovered the Xcelite 101SNV, a decidedly manual sort of wire stripper, but one which works on stuff like mains cable down to even the finer stranded 28AWG wire. The spring loaded auto open is nice, and if you have some 'feeling' in your hands, you learn to strip wire consistently without marring the conductors. It's also near impossible to break and works as a cutter too on the flat surfaces either side of the 'wedge' cutout. Simple but effective, and almost impossible to destroy.

    https://au.element14.com/xcelite/101sv/wire-strippercutter-self-open/dp/440747

    image

  • in reply to Gough Lui

    Nice to see someone else using the same type I prefer. I have a set that is still working well after more than 40 years. I like to have total "feel" control of how deeply they cut into the insulation, because different insulation materials need different depths of cut, and some insulations cuts benefit from twisting the stripper blades in one or more axes.

  • in reply to dougw

    Indeed. I actually don't find many people who like the manual ones. People seem to gravitate to the automatic and lose control or feeling of the process. I guess it's also because I still use scissors to strip larger coaxial cables, I have always had a nice feel for doing it manually.

    I guess the "secret", if there is one, is never to just "bite down" onto the cable until it has a hard resistance as that will mar the conductor somewhat. Instead, just a little "bite" into the insulation is sometimes enough, followed by a swift flick of the wrist to "pull" it away. Silicone wire insulation is especially easy to strip this way as it literally "fractures" as you pull it away. The square cutting cross-section is okay for most smaller cables, a slight twist for the larger mains cables may be necessary. The thing I like most is the solidity of the blades which can handle any kind of twist you throw at it, and the fact they seem to stay sharp forever.

    When I was younger, I did find the cost of the Xcelite a bit high compared to the $2 cheapy plastic automatic strippers, so I shunned them. That was until I visited a lab where they were cabled up next to the wire spools on the wall to avoid theft. After trying my hands at them just a few times, I was a convert! Now, I get annoyed if I can't find them on my bench ... although I don't recall seeing many copies of this type. Maybe it's time to invest in another.

    - Gough

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  • in reply to dougw

    Indeed. I actually don't find many people who like the manual ones. People seem to gravitate to the automatic and lose control or feeling of the process. I guess it's also because I still use scissors to strip larger coaxial cables, I have always had a nice feel for doing it manually.

    I guess the "secret", if there is one, is never to just "bite down" onto the cable until it has a hard resistance as that will mar the conductor somewhat. Instead, just a little "bite" into the insulation is sometimes enough, followed by a swift flick of the wrist to "pull" it away. Silicone wire insulation is especially easy to strip this way as it literally "fractures" as you pull it away. The square cutting cross-section is okay for most smaller cables, a slight twist for the larger mains cables may be necessary. The thing I like most is the solidity of the blades which can handle any kind of twist you throw at it, and the fact they seem to stay sharp forever.

    When I was younger, I did find the cost of the Xcelite a bit high compared to the $2 cheapy plastic automatic strippers, so I shunned them. That was until I visited a lab where they were cabled up next to the wire spools on the wall to avoid theft. After trying my hands at them just a few times, I was a convert! Now, I get annoyed if I can't find them on my bench ... although I don't recall seeing many copies of this type. Maybe it's time to invest in another.

    - Gough

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