Removing insulation from solid or stranded wire with the least amount of damage to the conductor, easily, with repeatability and control is a science (Yes, this post is about wire strippers.  What were you thinking?).

“Times they are a-changing.”

The same day my father caught me stripping bell wire with my teeth (he wouldn’t allow me to have a “real tool” as seven years old was “too young”) we went to the hardware store and he bought me my first pair of wire strippers.   At the time, I thought they were very expensive ($.49).  I remember the feeling that I could make anything happen as long as I had those wire strippers. That was 1960; the year that NASA successfully Echo 1A, a 100-foot inflatable precursor to Telstar and the beginning of John Kennedy‘s presidential campaign.  Funny thing about history; you never think about it until later.

Things are a lot easier today as both materials technology and design science have continued to evolve past sharp teeth, your mom’s scissors, or a sharp rock.

I’m putting three of my favorite wire strippers out for review.  The basic, cheesy, stamped handled set were the genesis of it all.  I kind of hate them, especially for what they cost today.

I don’t know where to buy the simple blue handled adjustable strippers.  If you find them please post or send me a note.  I think I bought those in Eastern Europe during an exhibition.   Due to the cutting tooth geometry and adjustable screw, they work great on just about any wire diameter, solid or stranded.

The red-handled black “automatic” wire strippers are good on larger diameter wires – especially #12, 14, 16 solid.  You can get a lot done with these and I have used them extensively over the years.  I put some “white out”  on the business side of the tool that “remains” (the other side pulls insulation off).  I’ve replacing the pair in the picture with one made by Irwin Tools (Vice-Grips).  Like a lot of things in life, there isn’t much point in using second best if you don’t have to.  But I’ve used these older ones in more countries so I am kind of attached to them.

I’ve always had a close relationship to the tools which I use.  Chances are you will save money in the long run by not having to purchase replacements of something which you rely upon to help make your thoughts a reality.  Buy right the first time if at all possible.

The yellow handled ones are AMAZING-BEST-GREAT for fine wire.  To use them you dial in the mm size of the wire, adjust the stop (inside the handle) to control how long of a piece of insulation you want to remove, put the wire in the opening,  squeeze the handles like a bicycle grip, and pull.  If you have set the cutting depth correctly the wire will slide right off.

Some things you may want to keep in mind are that if you use solid core wire, and nick the conductor at the same spot where you have removed the insulation, you may not realize that you had done this – until you are debugging your circuit wondering why something isn’t working when it looks like it should.