The Best Outlets And Switches For Your DIY Needs 

I'm doing great how are you? Yes they are a pretty cool new device and I think they're going to be popular. Take care my friend.

I never had a problem with the last generation of outlets.

Faster and easier.

@@Zanderthelab lots of people didn’t have problems with horses and carriages either… If your not improving your falling behind.

@@NickSteffen just another way for people to make more money. That’s all life is about these days.

I get that for sure. But if you buy a box of 10 the price goes down to $2.50 each.

The push-ins are garbage. wabo's otoh are just fine. I have not tried these Levitron's yet but do have some of their sweet switches and will keep these in mind for when I have significant new work.

Check out the Hubbell Edge Connect. I have some videos coming on those and you can get one for free to sample. Next week.

@@BackyardMaine - $13 each?

@@seasidescott $2.50 each..

They are pretty cool.

Hi Ed.. Yes they are a pretty nice design. I hope they hold up well. Hubbell makes a similar design as well. The Hubbell Edge Connect. They reached out to me so I'm planning a youtube short and TikTok video on them as well.

Tough finding products not made in China... Eaton, Leviton, even Hubbell has manufacturing facilities in China..

wago's rock . and when connecting LED lights with those tiny stranded sets to full-on 12 gauge they're flat out indispensable.

Glad this helped.. 👍

lol... Yes but that hammer can be used for other electrical tasks as well. Same as my flat head chisel.

I think they will as well. I would expect Leviton to expand these connections to their non decora devices as well and maybe to their 20A devices at some point.

@@BackyardMaine I like that they give you the option to convert them to a switched outlet by popping out those white plugs.

5 times faster if your a rookie, not if your a trained professional.

@@thomasjeffersoncry *you're *you're Grammar school English, man; get with it.

Be easy on him, he’s just upset that anyone can do his job.

Yes, that connection is a bit different than this design but similar. Stereo speakers carry very little current and at a low voltage so the connection doesn't need to be as secure as the ones on electrical devices.

Thank you and welcome to the channel

Thank you so much. A standard GFCI cover will fit the DECORA design. They don't yet make the GFCI in this design (yet) but you can connect it to an existing GFCI protected circuit like the load side of another GFCI or if it's an a GFCI breaker.

Z​@@BackyardMaine

I have a video on stripping wires.. Check it out. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-sLkZWObclF0.html

These are a great option for DIYers. My channel is all about people like you trying to save some money by doing it themselves but they want to do it right.

Daddy always said, "If you can't find the time to do it right, how are you going to find the time to do it over!'

They are currently only available in 15A receptacles, single pole switches and 3-way switches but only in decora. I expect them to expand the offering though.

Thanks for info 😊👍

They do that for when a box is cut out to too much. They are scored so they snap off easily.

Yes for sure but I don't know what the plans are for expansion of the product line. Right now it's quite limited.

The big difference is that the Wago connecters actually press the side of the wire against a large, flat piece of copper providing a large contact area, whereas the older style just digs into the wire at a single point.

My pleasure.. Thanks for watching!

I like the standard look better as well. And of course these are decora style devices and will need decora style cover plates nut you will need a oversized plate if you leave the tabs connected..

Be tough to get a listing with that option.

I made a video on the Hubbell Edge Connect which is similar but better. They also start out at commercial grade.

It's hard to do. Eaton makes some of their product in the USA but you cannot tell which ones. I would guess that over half of your possessions are made in china. I do my best to support made in the USA but it's hard.

I had to buy them online. The store showed they had them but no one knew what I was talking about. lol.

My pleasure. They seem like a well made device.

I do.. Check out this video. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-K3RIjUnrNTQ.html

I never thought of that..

I really don’t know what their plans are for the product line. Hubbell has a version similar which starts at commercial grade and they have a full line of device and styles. I made a video on the a few weeks ago.

I find the connections to be quite good and much better than the backstab design. I just bought an IR camera and will be doing some testing on video soon.

Next time!

Since you have already finished, maybe it's a good thing, because if you did a good job and used spec grade receptacles in your shop, you would have created a more durable electrical system.

garage/shop code requires 20 amp receptacles and not these 15 amp. Also circuits need GFCI protection.

If you try to break it at the seam like I did in the video it will snap right off easily. You may be using pliers with a pointy nose. Keep the longer flatter part of your pliers on the seem. Also Home Depot and Lowes sell oversized covers if you want that option.

My pleasure.

I tend to agree but I think because they are limited to 15A devices and only DECORA right now that will certainly limit the ability to use these throughout a new home.

My pleasure

You would need to cut it and strip each end.

What's a battery power tool. lol

I'll stick to the screw terminals and wire nuts as well but these may be a good option for the DIYer.

I know right. Probably a great option for DIYers.

@@BackyardMaine I would the perfect solution for everyone 👍🏻

@@OrangeismyNewGreen I like the new logo my friend.

@@BackyardMaine Thanks 👍🏻

Not yet but I won’t be surprised if the expand the line soon.

Interesting. Thanks for sharing

@@BackyardMaine Are outlets with switches available in the USA? I find outlets without switches so odd.

@@johnburns4017 You can get them "kind of". It's like a duplex receptacle yoke but instead of two receptacles you have one and then a switch. The switch can be used to control the receptacle or it can be used to something else like a light. I'll do a video on them at some point.

Leviton is a worldwide company and makes most of their products for the entire world, except for Japan for some some of their lighting controls. They even make 347VAC products for Cananda, but a lot of their products are are rate 50/60 Hz 120-277VAC with UL and CE certification, which pretty much covers most of the world.

You may want to watch again. The wires were pre stripped in both tests. I did however have to bend the hooks on the first test so it was a fair test.

Sounds like you have your work cut out for you. It is code compliant thought to wire directly into a some light fixtures like the ones with tube lamps. A romex connector is used to connect directly to the fixture can and the fixture is rated to be a JB.

@@BackyardMaine Thanks...I feel a little better that the inspector was a totally worthless inspector. About 10 years ago my friend (a 25 year master electrician at the time) helped me with some wiring in another house. The attic space was very tight, and I'm 6'3", so the only way to part of the attic was to crawl over the air handling unit in the ceiling. On the way back I was starting to crawl over the unit and my hand hit a copper pipe leaving the AC unit, and it shocked me. He asked what happened and I told him I got shocked when I touched the copper pipe. He explained there isn't any power on that copper pipe and it's just a drain, and then he touched it without getting shocked. I explained I had a degree in computer electronics, and I understand circuit paths and I know what electricity feels like. Then I explained the fact that my sweaty body was laying across a bit metal AC unit when my hand touched the copper pipe, where he was on two wooden joists, and maybe wearing shoes between himself and the wood, so his resistance was much greater, thus he wasn't shocked. He put one hand on the AC unit and reached towards the copper pipe while saying, "See Troy, I'm telling you there's now power on this, " ZAAPPPP!!!, explicatives flowed from his mount, and I could not help but laugh because he was so cock sure of himself. He was pretty pissed, so I didn't point out how stupid it was to listen to me tell him I have a degree in electronics and listen to me explain why I got shocked, and he did not, and then totally ignore my statements and shock himself. That was really stupid on his part, especially with the location. If his heart had stopped since the current went from one hand to the other which means across his heart, that would be a nasty place to do CPR and try to drag him across the AC unit and get him out of the attic and to the floor. It just goes to show you that no matter how much experience you have, you can never be too safe. It ended up being the outside condenser unit had worn and was shorted to the unit and why the power was on the copper pipe. That's one of those times a home warranty really paid off. They had to replace the entire unit (the tech told them there was a hole in the condenser to help), but for $60, they came out, troubleshot, reported the issue, came back and replaced the unit, recharged it, and carted the old one away.

Yes they still need to be installed in a box. They make old work boxes and can be cut into existing drywall. That may be your best bet.

Thank you

Check them out sometime. The levers take a lot of force to move.

I actually showed and talked about that while snapping them off. You must have missed that part.

@@BackyardMaine 2:30 thanks

Home Depot sells them but they are brand new so they can be tough to find them in stores but they have them online

@@BackyardMaine I tried Amazon, Lowes and Google with no luck. After reading your comment I checked Home Depot and there it was. Shame on me as Home Depot is my favorite store but figured if the others didn’t have it why bother to check HD. Thank you for the video and for replying back. Cheers 🍻

@@pnv8477 My pleasure. I'm glad you found them.

I don't remember talking about commercial spaces and I never recommend using tape on devices.

@@BackyardMaine Every JW I worked with during my apprenticeship had me put tape around the receptacle. I do mostly commercial and Industrial work and when replacing old for new almost always have tape on them. What is reasoning for not putting tape on them?

If you like to use tape that's just fine. I'm retired now but I spent 38 years in the trades with my last 10 years working as an electrical engineer for Texas Instruments. All of my time was on the industrial side with exception of the houses I wire on the side. For me tape just makes it difficult for the next guy. It get hard over the years and usually needs to be cut off leaving the wire sticky. If we install the device correctly, the connections are good and we work with the power off, then I don't see the need for it. The only time I would use tape was with metal old work boxes with the metal hold-it clips. These can come so close to the terminals that over time they can make contact. I saw that happen a few times with 277v light switches. Just my 2 cents. @@robbyrne6968

You can’t say black because red and blue are also used with 120v circuits. White is always neutral on a receptacle and requires marking if use as a switch loop for a light switch. Green or bare are always ground. I hope this helps you understand why the manufacturers label that way.

My pleasure. Thanks for the great comment.

I cut one open before doing the video. I think these are a good option for the DIYer. I'll still use the screws myself.

Check out the Hubbell Edge Connect. I made a video about them as well.

This type of connection has been available here in the US for decades on terminal strips for control panels, and other equipment used for industrial controls. This is new to electrical devices like outlets and switches though although you are correct they have had them over seas for years.

Yup they look like it but are actually a completely different connotation.

@@BackyardMaine Thanks for your response. I think I'll go buy one of these new devices and dissect it.

Yes they are quite switches. I’m guessing that was intentional although I too prefer the click.

It became a short circuit or ground fault or even a shock risk.

@@BackyardMaine I see! I think the previous owners clipped it to much. Can I just wrap electrical tape around it ?

Sadly most of these products are these days.

Yes similar products have been available in Europe for a long time. The difference is there outlets and switches are 220v. These connections have not been as reliable at 120v here in the USA. I do like this design though and I think they will hold up well on their 15A circuit design.

I was surprised by the price as well

Yes. 20A pass through rated.