ive had the irwin pair for almost 20 years, it has stripped 100s of 1000s of wires. its great, it works fine for box work, just stick it in the box and squeeze, done. it sucks on teflon shethed wires, but everything does for the most part.
I have used the blue handle Klein version for years and it has been the best automatic self adjusting I've used. And I've bought way too many. These Milwaukee's look identical just like alot of new milwaukee tools are klein clones. I think that you are studdering your squeeze and that's the problem with the blue wire. Try it as fast and smooth and complete squeeze as u possibly can. Same with the sheathing. Also after you remove the sheathing put all three wires in at the same time and it should stripp the hot an neutral at the same time withought damaging the ground. Interested to hear how it works out for you?
Heh. I picked up some Klien's that look identical to these Milw. this past year and once I got them setup/adjusted properly, they are great. Both brands look like they are using the same mfg. for the base tool. I do quite a bit of small-medium size projectes on old buildings, and having one of these on the belt is pretty sweet. Especially for a geezer with arthritis.
I think there are several versions of this type. I will use them as my Romex Strippers from now on… but my coil pack wire I’ll just keep using my Regular style strippers.
Great video. I have never been a fan of the automatic strippers. However, if I had a pair, I could see myself stripping the outside sheathing on Romex. As you said, if you have a panel and you are stripping a lot of Romex, that could make it a lot easier and you are not accidentally cutting into your wire. Thanks again for putting these together. I appreciate your time!
Yeah I haven’t ever found a pair I loved enough to replace my hand style… but I saw these stripped Romex sheathing and thought I’d give them a shot since I haven’t cared for the Handheld Kleins lately. Appreciate it 👍
When I used to wire up electrical panels at an extrusion plant I used to LOVE the Craftsman version of these I bought 20 or so years ago - they're really nice if you're working with 16, 14, and 12ga wire - and having to cut, strip, and land a LOT of them.
@@MORGANSMaintenance That's how I used to use them - they live on my pegboard now. For HVAC Service my 'Go-To' the the Klein 'All Purpose' needlenose plier with the stripper and crimper.
I use my klien version of these for stripping just about anything that will fit in the jaws when I would usually have to strip it with a knife, stuff like SO cord and UF cable. It also works really good on solid wire that has "melted" slightly to the copper inside.
All the wires I’ve tried it on, if they don’t have that extra layer works great. If it has that… they still will work, it just takes some extra time. Thanks for sharing 👍
When you have difficulty to strip certain type of wire, pull the wire up ! It will lock the wire in position in the stripper !!! Have been working with the Irwin model since begin in the trade !!!
I will give that a try on that THHN Blue Wire… people have also been mentioning that you can strip multiple wires at once… I’m going to try that tomorrow too 👍
I have a few different pairs of these. Irwin, Klein, and Jobsmart. I work on HD diesel so it's mostly 12-16 stranded wire. They work great in areas where there's room to fit them
I have Klein's version of these. They're awesome, particularly for working with NM-B, but yeah - they do struggle with that double-insulated stranded 12awg THHN wire too. Quick/aggressive squeeze seems to do the trick most of the time.
My buddy picked up the Kleins when he went to get a pair of these and they were out of stock. He let me give them a try, they are very much identical tools. 👍👍
I have the Klein Tools 11061 looks very similar to this they can be a bit finicky at times. They shine when you have a bunch of pig tails to do you can set watch TV and get them knocked out in no time. It's a repetitive stripper queen.
For me, doing industrial electrical maintenance, the only thing I like strippers for is to watch them when I’m drinking beers 😂 no, just kidding, I’ve only like them for doing control wiring.
Used for home and auto for 20-30 years. Great for tight areas where you need to strip. Can cut off cheap Chinese small gauge wires but just needs the right touch. Don't know what brand I had.
👍👍.. yeah I’m not sure the brand matters on this tool. I think they are all made in the same place. It’s like Walmart brand and Peter Pan peanut butter, made in the same place with a different label 😂
I've got an almost identical pair made by Vice-Grip that i've had for about 10 years. They strip any wire down to like 6 gauge and will take just the sheath off of 12/2 or 12/3 Romex on the first pull, then strip all the conductors on the second pull.
If I wired a bunch of new houses I can see how this tool would be useful but honestly I'm still good using my utility knife to peel back the sheathing and the Klein 9" hybrid pliers serves me well stripping conductors, splicing, and I can use it as a hammer too. So with that said, I'll be sticking with the same ol same ol for the foreseeable future.
I hate those yellow Kleins. Mine self lock. Someone told me that's a feature not a bug. I forgot the reason why. I have the Knipex forged which are the best wire strippers I have ever used. Still looking for auto's that work so I am going to pay attention to rest of the video. The problem you had with the blue wire is the exact problem I have with auto's. Southwire especially has some kind of coating they use.
Yeah the way these pull the insulation it’s just a bad set-up for that wire… I’ve also been looking as these Knipex amzn.to/41LRau6 The video reviews look nice, but several reviews act like the longevity of the cutter isn’t great. I’m hoping I can catch them on a deal one day. The Forged Wire Strippers are the best all around strippers I’ve ever used 👍
Great video, this kind of tools are available everywhere here in Europe. But I like the knipex precistrip 16. Weicon also makes great wire strippers, ones for solar panels. But I like the knipex forged wire stripper. But this one is great for romex.
👍👍 The Forged Wire Stripper is usually what I use, that or their Electrical Installation Pliers. I got this mostly for that NM cable I show. I don’t deal with it often, but I do every now and then.
That's my bread and butter tool for stripping wires. We use mostly Romex-like cables. I use Stanley and that Milwaukee looks like its rip-off. Even with exactly the same shitty cutter, that is simply not working. And the stop-block is the first thing you brake or loose without even using it once. My Stanley works like a charm and I cannot imagine any other tool for stripping cables. It's perfect for striping the outer layer first and then all three wires at once. It's a real time-saver. It's so convenient that I often use it to make temporary marking tubes for wires. I just strip the outer layer of Romex insulation, then cut that insulation to sections no longer than 3/4", mark them and slide them on the cables. Cheap, fast, easy and always available. The only downside is that I need to use separate wire cutters, but it's still faster than any other method.
Another person mentioned stripping the wires all together after the sheathing. I didn’t even think to try that. I’m going to give it a go tomorrow. I like these for sheathing over my other pair. No chance at damaging the wire. I always carry diagonals on me anyway. I’ve thought about getting the Knipex 12 64 180. The videos are great, but the reviews mention them dulling quickly. I’ve got them in my list waiting for a deal.
@@MORGANSMaintenance Remember that there are two types of those Knipex: 12 74 180 are for round cables and 12 64 180 are for Romex (flat) cables. What I didn't like about those Knipex was the necessity to pass the cable through them.While in Stanley/Milwaukee you just put them sideways. It's the same difference as with end cutters and side cutters. To avoid using those Stanley in tight spots (Knipex works better then), I just strip the wires before putting them into electrical boxes of all sorts. On Monday I'll make a short video to demonstrate how well fairly used Stanley strippers work. I've found a good video. It's in Polish, but you'll manage :) ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-NXpWMLYh_oU.html
automatics are ok if you are doing a lot of the same size maybe. I've had some Thomas & Betts with the many fine "teeth" does not last that long and requires some adjustment sometimes for vastly different types of insulation/gauges
My Irwins look and operate almost exactly like those, including the inefficient stripping off both layers, but I do use my Irwins for everything else I can think of, including solar. I use my Wiha's when I am running conduit. I'm about to run 6ga in conduit, so I'm not sure what will work yet, guessing the Wihas.
I generally stick to Knipex for automatic wire strippers, but they tend to have different strippers for different functions, so you end up with multiple types. If you get experienced enough, you can strip pretty much all of our cable types in the UK with just a pair of cable shears.
I have the Irwin and I have the same problem with the double-sheathed wire; it bites the clear layer and doesn't usually bite the whole thing properly, even with the set screw all the way tightened.
Southwire has a pair of pliers that look more heavy duty that i biught off amazon that work pretty well. They seem to work better than the klein romex specific strippers. As far as automatic strippers the only ones i like are the knipex auto stripper but i only use it for small gauge wire when when dealing with lighting. Otherwise the knipex forged wire strippers are all purpose enough and work better than anything else ive found. The klein katapaults are garbage. Thanks for all you do, you and doc from last best tool are my tool go to guys now, your findings seem to match what i find when i out my hands on tools.
Appreciate the confidence 👍 I have been looking at these Knipex strippers for some time. amzn.to/3H96IP7 The videos look like they work really well, but there are several reviews on how they dull pretty quick. I’ve been waiting to catch them on deal. I’ll look into the Southwire 👍
I have the Klein tools one, 11061. Same mechanism, did Klein make these for Milwaukee? I've also seen the Irwin one, difference is the Irwin adjustable stopper looks fragile. Klein make these for them the same way Mechanix makes gloves for Klein? These strippers work great, even for removing outer protective layers without damaging the inner wires.
Yeah I picked up the Klein pair too… well my buddy did because the Milwaukees were sold out and I traded him. They do look identical. I really like them for removing sheathing
Different types of THHN/THWN will always have different coating per manufacture, that blue wire is only what we can use, we never use solid wire, again in Chicago we cannot use non metallic sheathed cable/Romex so I’ve never had good luck with these over the years.
Yeah. These are great if they work on the wire you use a lot, and horrible if it doesn’t. These will become my new Romex Strippers… especially since I think you can strip all the wires at once after you remove the sheathing. It seems like you can with the other Brands, I’m going to check these tomorrow. These would definitely not do you any good.
@@MORGANSMaintenance Actually, I was thinking that mine were defective, but seeing as the Milwaukees behave the same way, I'm gonna blame the wire. Makes me feel better about the Irwins anyway. :-)
Klein made strippers just like thoes years before that and they work a little better than that and goes on sale from 16 to 18 bucks often (klein tools 11061) I have had issue like you have with that second coating romex but if I line the klein ones up just right you can strip both wires after the jacket at once. I have tried the Irwin and found them to be inferior to the kleins and keep the kleins in my bag simply to strip romex outer sheathing. The sad truth none of them are perfect but less effort than the old utilty knife. I'd you want good automatic stripper that don't disappoint abiet one wire at a time felo dragon automatic wire stripper (made in Germany). There's a ton of rebrands out there never tried them but I presume there rhe same factory
That’s what these will be for me… basically sheathing strippers. I’ve wanted to try one in the style of the Felo. Knipex also has a set that you can put the wire through and strip sheathing… but the reviews are mixed on how long they last amzn.to/41LRau6
My felo ones are 4 years old and work fine used often. The knipex heap ones ($50haha) I was told to skip by my coworkers and to step up to the $100+pair... maybe one day my budget will let me or kc tool will have a too good to pass up but not for something that is a luxury not a nessary all the time
@MattHmm-rq6dn that’s how I’ve been on these Knipex.. I’ve got them in my list… if the price becomes right I will try them. I have heard the same thing about the cheaper Knipex versions.
Kaiweets sent me a couple pair of wire stripers like these. I need to test them more, gave one away. I want the Knipex automatic wire stripper 12-62-180. Good video!
I’m am going to test these some more tomorrow. Many comments are showing the other brands of this type with strip the Romex Sheathing, but then also all three wires at once. I didn’t even think to try that. I’ve been looking at the 12-64-180, but I’m waiting hoping to catch them on deal. They dropped to $60 once and I’m mad at myself for not getting them then.
I tried it every which way… I had it pretty tight when I was doing it in the video. The problem is that wire has two coatings… the blue insulation, and a clear film… so it grips the clear film and pulls on it.
Thanks for the suggestion 👍 I did… not in the video, but I tried it every which way before filming and it was still doing it no matter how I had it. I followed a couple other suggestions in Part 2 and a couple of those led to a little better success with it.
@@jimrodriguez8047 no not really. I had it turned all the way up. There are a few tips people give in the comments that help some, I made a part 2 video that shows those tips in action
No, but several people from that area have been commenting that they love these style. They haven’t used the Milwaukee, but ones just like it. I think for most wired they are going to work great… just a few that it won’t.
Those are knock off of the klein. They are complete garbadge. You will find when using the length limit stopper, the locking screw will come loose all the time. I have the same and used it this last summer to wire a car. They strip well but a complete disappointment as I needed precise length and the stop gate was always flopping down. Save your money people.
Milwaukee doesn't make these. they are made by some Taiwanese companies and rebranded under every brand you can think of. i've seen these sold as klein, crescent, irwin, every god damn brand on the planet is selling these. there are 10 different chinese brands also selling these on amazon and aliexpress. i personally have the klein branded version because it was on sale for $7 on amazon at one point.
@5.56 time. With that THNN wire not stripping, I’ve had the same issue with a stripper like this I bought 20 years ago. I will get the wire just ready to strip and push down on the two PAWS at the top, this forces more of a bite on them. Give this a try.
I will try that… I also had a suggestion to pull the wire up on the edge of the jaw and it seemed to help a lot. I show that in Part 2. Thanks for the tip 👍👍
@@wurlabyscott I got the Klein one too, my Milwaukee pair seemed to be the exact same to me. You never know, sometimes you can get a lemon with anything. Appreciate the feedback 👍
John Wooden has some great quotes.. at the bottom of all my work emails… “If you don’t have time to do it right… when will you have time to do it over?”
I have a few different pairs of these. Irwin, Klein, and Jobsmart. I work on HD diesel so it's mostly 12-16 stranded wire. They work great in areas where there's room to fit them
👍👍… I think if they work on the wire you use often, they are definitely worth having. That and I’m learning more about them from the comments to make them more useful.
I have a few different pairs of these. Irwin, Klein, and Jobsmart. I work on HD diesel so it's mostly 12-16 stranded wire. They work great in areas where there's room to fit them
