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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.

  • in reply to aspork42

    this description might be confusing... sorry!

    Yes it was confusing - but correct :). There's a video that shows what you write:

  • in reply to aspork42

    Nice! There is a compact version that is less flexible (it cannot slit lengthways), I use it for coax, Main disadvantage of the one below however is that it is screw-set, and it takes so long fine-tuning the blade setting (tens of minutes!) that it's really only for set-and-forget for one cable thickness : ( so the one below rarely gets used. There's also a Knipex ErgoStrip which is like a lower-cost version of the Greenlee one, but the Greenlee one looks to be of noticeably better quality.

    image

  • in reply to aspork42

    Cool, I've used coax strippers, but never seen multiconductor strippers.

  • If you've never used cable strippers, you don't know how much you're missing!

    We use these at work to pull the jackets off of multi-conductor cable. They are super easy to use - slip the cable into the notch, then rotate the tool around the cable. The little tiny blade cuts the jacket neatly. You can then turn the handle 90 degrees and slit the jacket lengthwise as you pull the cable out. I know that this description might be confusing... sorry! It takes only seconds to strip a multi-conductor cable. This Greenlee is pricy, but there are less expensive options out there. If you strip a lot of cable, this is something to consider.

    image

  • 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