A friend gave me a couple of Pomona Insulation Piercing ClipsPomona Insulation Piercing Clips which I thought were pretty neat. Apparently they are quite popular with the automotive repair/test crowd.
The clips were something I had not seen before, so thought maybe it would be good to share some pics/video if anyone else has not seen these before either.
In brief, they can connect to banana plugs (there is also a version of clip compatible with multimeter test leadsversion of clip compatible with multimeter test leads) and then the other end can be hooked over an insulated wire, and by turning the red or black end of the clip, a sharp needle pierces the insulation for making contact with the conductor.
The damage is fairly minimal, and the repair depends of course on the industry/application and environment. It may need a small insulation repair, since the insulation it is compromised.
Here's a close-up showing the insulation being pierced:
They feel well-made, and I like the ergonomics too. The pointy nose is nice too for pushing into a nest of wires. I get the feeling it would be very easy to use this one-handed, by using the thumb and index finger to push back on the lever, while pushing into the wires, and hooking it on. After that, the lever can be released and then the black or red end of the clip needs screwing in (possible one-handed, but depends on if it will disturb the wire or not - you may want to do that part two-handed).
Here's a 7-minute video showing me using it with a few wires (the clip is designed for 14-22AWG wires, but it seems fine with thinner wires too).
There are versions for long-distance probing/poking 
(up to 24 inch!):
Thanks for reading!
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