Tool for stripping wire and cable insulation. New tools for removing insulation

Doing small things repair work in the house, you often have to deal not only with wires, but also with cables. This raises the question: how to properly strip the insulation from a wire? There are differences between a wire and a cable, for example, a wire is one conductor, which may not even provide for the possibility of removing the insulation (bare wire), while a cable is a whole network of non-contacting current carriers, covered with a common layer - an insulating sheath. Essentially, there are always several wires inside the cable. Stripping sometimes requires both individual conductors and all conductors in a cable. Often you have to remove a long piece of the top shell (insulation). That's why you can't do it with your hands alone.

The types and arrangement of wires and cables have already been repeatedly discussed in articles devoted to this topic. For example: "", "", "", etc.
Typically, a wire is a conductor (rigid or flexible) coated with PVC (polyvinyl chloride) or rubber insulation. There can be one layer of insulation, or maybe several. Sometimes silk braiding acts as additional insulation, sometimes the conductor part is coated with insulating varnish.
How the cable works is already written a little higher. What is technically considered a cable is often colloquially referred to as a wire, and a stranded wire may be called a cable. Polyvinyl chloride, rubber and other non-flammable dielectrics are used as insulation for wires and cables. They protect wires from short circuits, human contact, and fire.
Sometimes guides stranded wire are enveloped in a rather dense layer of insulation, which can cause difficulties when stripping.
According to the type of conductor cross-section, wires are divided into two types:

1. Single-wire (rigid). They are a conductor consisting of one solid conductor.
2. Stranded (flexible). They consist of several very thin wires intertwined with each other.

To successfully remove insulation, you must use quality tool and follow the rules and sequence of work, otherwise the wiring will quickly fail.

Tools needed to strip wires

To properly and safely strip the insulation from the live part of the wire, the following tools may be useful:

• Side cutters.
• Assembly, construction, stationery or household knife.
• Electric burner.
• Pliers.
• Special cutters for thick cables or metal scissors.
• Vise or other fixing device.

Stripper: its purpose and model variations

A stripper is a special device for stripping wires. Simple models The operating principle of this tool is similar to conventional side cutters. The blades are equipped with recesses of different radii, designed for conductors of different sections.
The semi-automatic manual stripper is equipped with two pairs of jaws with blades. When using it, the end of the cable must be placed in work area, close the blade handles and cut the insulation. The sponges remove it from the vein. A stripper of this model is equipped with an adjustable stop, which allows you to precisely adjust the section of the placed wire. In Russia this tool is called KSI (insulation stripping pliers).


Some types of strippers perform several functions simultaneously:

• Trimmed
• Cleaning up
• The veins are twisted

A twisted pair stripper is a clip with a built-in blade that looks like the blade of a utility knife.

After equipment repair or electrical network, make sure that there is no bare area left.

Company "Knipex"

The tool for stripping and cutting wires must be of high quality, in accordance with the requirements of state standards. The German company Knipex produces time-tested, reliable tools designed for stripping wires. Some of them are tested at 10,000 volts at +70 and -25 degrees. Therefore, there is no doubt about the reliability of this company’s products. Among other tools used to cut wires, the main ones can be identified:

• Combination pliers
• Knitting pliers
• Clamping pliers
• Wire cutters
• Tweezers
• Forceps
• Cable knives

Founded back in 1882, Knipex is today one of the most famous manufacturers electrical installation tool. Every day 45 thousand units of this company's products are sold. About a hundred countries around the world cooperate with it. And in our region, getting a Knipex tool will not be difficult.

The process of stripping a wire or cable

Most often, wire stripping is done using side cutters. Sometimes cutting wires is accompanied by improper use of side cutters, which complicates the work and leads to damage to the live part of the wire. To remove insulation, it is important that the cutting parts are directed in the direction opposite to the movement of the tool. This way the knives will be able to cut into the insulation even with slight pressure.

If you don’t have side cutters or other special devices at hand, you can take a knife, lightly press the cutting part of the knife onto the wire insulation and draw it in a circle. Repeat if necessary until protective layer the insulation will not cut through and the tip will not reach the core. You can make the cut not across. and along the wire, then stretch the edges to the sides and cut off the sheath. This method is even considered by many to be better and safer.


When cutting, you can easily cut your hands, so be extremely careful.

How to Cut External Insulation Using a Heel Knife Video

Deleting outer layer insulation, try not to cut it with forward movements (resembling sawing). You just need to press it with the sharp side of the knife and turn it slowly. You shouldn't use force. When the work is completed, inspect the stripped ends of the conductor. There may be cuts or breaks in the live part of the wire. This end of the wire is not suitable for further use. It needs to be cut off and the work done again. If this is not given due importance, a dangerous situation may develop over time. As a rule, the damaged part of the wire strand breaks off later during operation. In the future, you will need to look for the place where the cable is damaged, and this place, as a rule, will be hidden with insulating tape.
Sometimes it is not clear how to strip the wire, especially when it is too thin and multi-core. There is one trick.

1. Take an old razor blade.
2. We break it and take one half of the blade.
3. We fix the wire using a vice or clamps. You can use the clamp of a table lamp.
4. We cut the insulation along the conductor.
5. We make neat cuts across the section, trying not to touch the conductor with the blade.
6. Bend the cable so that the cut edges move slightly apart.
7. We grab the cut with our fingernail and pull the insulation off the core.

Stripping wires is a painstaking job that requires patience.
Errors often occur when stripping wires. Typical errors in stripped wires are visible in the figure:

Thin wires break very easily. Therefore, you need to strip the insulation from them very carefully.

Stripping the insulation of thin or winding wires

With a conductor thickness of 0.2 mm, in the best possible way stripping, there will be mechanical option. To do this we need a knife or sandpaper, preferably a fine grain.
The paper needs to be bent inward with the abrasive and insert the wire into the bent sheet, lightly pulling it and pressing it with your fingers. The procedure must be repeated until the enamel is completely cleaned off.
When using a knife, you need to place part of the cable on a hard surface and scrape off the varnish by turning the wire in a circle until the enamel is scraped off the conductor. So, cutting a wire is not a complicated process and does not require an electrician’s diploma.
If the cross-section is thinner than 0.2 mm, another method will be required, since the mechanical method will not give results and will only damage the wire. In this case, it is worth mastering the thermochemical stripping method. We will need a soldering iron and vinyl chloride insulation.
Place vinyl chloride on the table and heat the soldering iron. When hot, we run it over the insulation. When heated, chlorine will be produced, separating the enamel.
To tin a wire during thermochemical treatment, you can take an aspirin tablet, lay the wire on it and run a soldering iron over it in the same way.
In addition to the fact that the cross-section of the wire is so thin, inside it there are many cores twisted into one conductor. Therefore use this method requires precision and skill.

Stripping power cable insulation

Power cables are used mainly for laying conductors to powerful equipment and distribution panels. How to remove the outer layer of cable insulation?

1. Slowly cut the insulating layer from the end along the cable, but not very deeply.
2. Using pliers, pull out one core at a time located inside.
3. Cut off the remaining piece from the outer insulation.
4. We cut the wires.

Before you begin this work, carefully consider how much insulation you will need to remove. It is better to cut with a small margin. If you expose a piece that is too long, you can always cut off the excess. Use a cambric to better position the cable inside the device.

When working with electricity, never neglect to exercise caution. Even if you have stripped the wires many times, remember that any cut in the insulating layer is a potential threat to the cable and wire.

And finally. Various instrument for stripping wire insulation and how to use it video.

In production and at home, questions often arise about how to strip a wire. Unfortunately, many craftsmen, when performing this work, allow a number of technical errors, which further worsens the operation of electrical systems.

Stripping wires is needed in a variety of cases:

• if necessary, connect the wires to increase the length of the conductor;
• when performing wiring inside a residential building or any other building;
• when connecting lighting devices;
• when connecting equipment that uses electrical devices(machines, stands, conveyors, tools and other equipment);
• when installing switches and sockets;
• when installing special control and regulatory equipment in distribution boards, etc.

Before you start stripping wires, you need to know the features of their structure and insulation. Then it will become clear what to do in each specific case.

Attention! All work on electricity and networks should only be carried out when the power is turned off. Warning signs are posted at disconnection points prohibiting the power from being turned on independently.

Features of the structure of electrical wires

Electrical wires are manufactured in two versions:

• single-core - have the only vein, enclosed in isolation;
• stranded are twisted strands enclosed in a common insulation.

For single-core wires, the cross-section is formed by only one core. is a characteristic in square millimeters that is used when choosing depending on the current value. In multi-core wires, the cross-sectional area is determined by the total set of all available cross-sections of the cores. For elasticity, nylon thread is often added inside - this small addition improves operational properties cable.

Insulation can be single or double. It is made from various insulating materials:

• plastic masses – polymer materials on the base organic compounds, thermoplastics are more often used - softening when heated. They can mix with each other, combining into a single whole. These plastics support combustion, releasing various toxic gases;
• Plastics that harden when heated are called thermosets. Insulation is made from them only for special applications, when increased demands are placed on it;
• various types of natural or artificial rubber (rubber), hardening when heated, and also supporting combustion;
• fabric-based insulation, some types of fabric can withstand fairly high heat (up to 400 ° C), maintaining insulating properties;
• shielding braiding, which serves to protect wires from electromagnetic influences; it does not insulate, but creates additional mechanical protection from damage;
• “armoring” braid is used to protect cables from damage.

Depending on the type of insulation used, we remove it using different tools.

How to properly strip wires of insulation

Wire stripping requirements:

• the stripped (bare) part must be completely hidden inside the connection;
• Insulation must be removed from all sides from the surface of the core.

Mistakes made by DIYers:

• DIYers often leave exposed wires exposed. If accidentally touched, a person can short-circuit these places and receive an electric shock;
• If fragments of insulation remain on the cores, then compressing it inside may not be sufficient for reliable fastening. When there is vibration, for example, electrical wiring in a car, the connection will loosen, the wire will come out of the terminals of the device, and a short circuit to ground will occur. The vehicle may catch fire.

Cutting insulation from wires with a knife

The knife is the most common tool, so it is used most often. It is necessary to expose not only individual conductors, but also cables that contain several wires. Therefore, at the first stage, the cable is cut along its length, the wires are routed in different directions, and then the outer sheath is cut across. If necessary, this operation is repeated.

To strip a wire of insulation, you need to set the blade almost parallel to the core, and then cut off a thin layer of insulation. Subsequently, turning the conductor slightly, cut off the remaining thin layers. By turning completely 360°, complete cutting of the coating is achieved. These steps are easy to perform if you need to strip fairly thick wires.

When stripping thin wires with a knife, you only need to cut through the insulation layer.

Attention! You cannot leave a mark from the blade on the surface of the conductor, since this is where the critical zone will appear. The conductor is susceptible to breaking if bent.

After circular cutting to a shallow depth, it is easy to strip the wires of insulation; it is removed from the surface in the form of a tube.

Thick cable cores for high power supply are cleaned by cutting the plastic across and then along. Then the protective shell can be easily removed.

Removing insulation with special devices

Professionals have a fairly extensive range of auxiliary devices for removing insulation. The principle of their operation is as follows:

1. A suitable stream is selected on the tool to expose the desired conductor.
2. The wire is installed in this stream.
3. Squeeze the handles.
4. First, the wire is crimped, and then the scraper removes the insulating layer.

The entire procedure takes no more than one second of time. But such devices have a fairly high price, so they are purchased by professionals who have to perform a large amount of such work during a work shift.

For more information about insulation stripping tools (strippers), see this video:

Some home craftsmen solve the question of how to remove insulation from a wire by making a simple device on their own. To do this, use a strip of metal (preferably a piece of blade from a hacksaw). An angular slot is made on it to suit the size of the wire. The inside surface of this slot is ground to produce sharp edges.

To learn how to make a device for stripping wires, watch this video:

If it is necessary to remove the insulation from the wires, each conductor is clamped in the corner slot to the required amount, and then pulled out with force. As a result, the plastic can be easily removed from the metal.

On sale you can sometimes find special pliers that have similar slots. There are usually several of them to strip insulation from wires of different diameters. To perform the operation, the conductor is clamped in the stream, and then simply pulled in the desired direction.

There are special combs for single- and double-sided removal of insulation. They are inexpensive, take up little space, and cut off the insulation quite easily.

Some craftsmen use side cutters. They also crimp the conductor on both sides. By pulling the wire through, you can quickly remove the plastic insulation.

Attention! When using side cutters, do not squeeze the handles too hard. You can easily cut the core itself. You need to get used to the compression force.

Complex insulation removal options

Certain difficulties arise when removing fabric insulation. The thread is wound quite tightly, making it difficult to cut it with a knife. Here they do things differently. By using sandpaper clean the desired area on one side. The rest of the thread can be easily removed.

Radio amateurs often use PELSHO wires. They use thread winding. So they remove it using fine-grain sandpaper. The conductor is placed on wooden support, and then with several movements, pressing the abrasive against the support, they destroy the thread on one side. Then it is easy to remove.

If it is necessary to expose the shielded wire, cut through the outer sheath and then remove it. Next, the shielding braid is unraveled, releasing the insulation in the required place. Only then is the insulation removed from the middle conductor.

In some cases, it is possible to remove plastic from metal using heated surfaces. This is what radio amateurs sometimes do to remove the protection with a soldering iron.

Attention! When removing the coating with a soldering iron, harmful gases are released. This operation should be carried out in the presence of ventilation or outside the room.

Sometimes the coating is removed by burning it over a fire. This method is extremely dangerous. It is prohibited to use it. Harmful gases are released, the insulating coating is removed unevenly, and some of it does not perform its functions after overheating.

Anyone can strip the insulation from a wire. House master using a sharp knife. It is not difficult to make the simplest devices for this work. Purchased accessories will allow you to do this work quickly and efficiently.

There is a protective layer on all wires and cables. Called insulation, it separates conductors from the surfaces they come into contact with, as well as from each other.

If you need to connect or install equipment, you need to strip the wires of insulation in certain areas so that contact groups ensure good contact.

How to perform stripping so as not to damage the current-carrying conductors, we will consider in this article.

When choosing a method for removing the insulating coating, it is necessary to take into account its features. Insulation can be single plastic or multilayer. Resins, fabrics, and non-flammable dielectrics are used as the latter.

The procedure involves the use of sharp instruments. They can damage the wire, damage the insulation where it is not needed, and narrow the cross-section. If you use a tool ineptly, you cannot avoid injury.

The most weakness wiring - the end of the cable, stripped of insulation. If the core becomes less strong or its cross-section decreases, its original characteristics will deteriorate.

To reduce all risks to a minimum, we have developed special tools, methods of working with them.

Difference between wire and cable

When describing electrical wiring, the term “wire” or “cable” is often used as a conductor of current. To a person uninitiated in the intricacies of electrics, it may seem that this is one product. In fact, they are different.

A wire in the traditional sense is a cord with a small cross-section. Such a conductor can be single or multi-core. It may not have insulation at all, or if it does, it is light in the form of a tube. Removing it is not difficult at all.

The cable consists of a certain number of current carriers. They are connected into one whole, but do not touch each other and are enclosed in a shell of special material.

For a single-core wire, the cross-sectional area is determined by one core; for a multi-core wire, the cross-sectional area is determined by the sum of the cross-sections of all cores. To improve the performance properties of the cable, a nylon thread is introduced into the middle.

Any conductor should be handled with care, especially aluminum conductors. Compared to copper, they are more fragile. Bending loads reduce the already small margin of safety of aluminum cores.

Some characteristics for comparison:

• density of aluminum - 2.7, copper - 8.9 t/mᶾ;
• multi-wire design is excluded for aluminum, but possible for copper;
• resistivity of aluminum is 0.0294, copper - 0.0175 Ohm x mm²/m.

Damage during stripping of aluminum cores further reduces their performance.

You can read more about the types of cables and wires in.

Types of insulating materials

There are single and double insulation.

For its production, various insulating materials are used:

1. Plastics based on organic compounds. These are mainly thermal plastics that soften when heated. When burned, these plastic masses are ejected into environment various toxins.
2. Thermosetting plastics. They become harder when heated. Insulation made from them is used only in special cases when the requirements for it are increased.
3. Natural or artificial rubber of different types. It hardens when heated and supports combustion.
4. Fabric based insulation. Withstands quite high degree heating (maximum 400⁰) while maintaining insulating properties.
5. Shielding braid. This is not insulation in the literal sense, since the braid does not act as insulation, but it provides protection against mechanical damage.
6. Armor braid. Also serves as protection against damage

The choice of tools for removing insulation depends on the material from which it is made.

How to strip wires correctly?

There are some nuances in this process, without knowing which you can make mistakes with irreversible consequences.

The stripped area should not protrude beyond the joint. If a bare wire is left exposed, a person may accidentally touch it and suffer an electrical shock.

The insulation from the core must be removed from all sides. Compressing the remaining insulation will reduce the reliability of the fastening.

When an error is made in the wiring vehicle, then under the influence of vibration, as a result of loosening of the fastening, the wire will fall out of the connection

Improper stripping will result in short circuits and even fire.

Popular methods of removing insulation

Practical skills play a big role in the process of stripping wire insulation. The main difficulties arise when working with thin wires, when every movement matters. Optimal pressure can only be achieved through practice.

Most frequently used in the following ways removal of insulation:

• using a knife;
• through side cutters;
• under the influence of high temperature;
• using a stripper.

Each option is preferable in specific circumstances.

Option No. 1 - using a knife to cut insulation

At home, a knife is most often used. When using this simple tool, it is important to choose the correct angle of the blade. The biggest mistake is cutting in a circle while holding the cutting part in a perpendicular position. In this case, it is difficult to avoid notching the core or breaking the secondary insulation.

The correct position of the knife is when the tool and the wire axis are in the same plane. First, cut the braid along the conductor. Next, separate the insulation, take it to the side and finally cut it off at the base.

Best used for removing hard insulation from wires special knife electrician with a straight or curved blade. The main thing is that there are no jagged or burrs on it. If the knife is folding, it must be equipped with a lock so that it does not fold spontaneously.

A good blade has a double-sided sharpening at a slight angle and an internal rounding of the cutting edge. Some options for mechanic's knives have special design blade - it is short and rounded inward, and there is a “heel” at the end. It limits the depth of cut, which is important if it is necessary to remove the top layer of insulation without damaging the sheath of individual cores.

Option No. 2 - side cutters for stripping insulation

Side cutters are a convenient and safe tool, but only if correct application. What you need to pay attention to is the direction of the cutting edges and the force applied.

The tool is used in two ways:

1. The shell is cut with different sides, and then removed from the conductor. This method is suitable for working with wires with a large cross-section.
2. The braid is fixed and cut through with the cutting edges of a side cutter, and then pulled to the side, making axial movements.

In any case, you need to act extremely carefully, otherwise the conductor will be either damaged or bitten off.

When working with a side cutter, you need to take into account that the sharpened side of the tool jaws must be oriented in the direction opposite to the vector of tightening of the braid

They also produce side cutters with notches for conductors of a certain diameter. This simplifies the use of the tool at home.

Option No. 3 - thermochemical method of removal

With very thin conductors, with a cross-section of less than 0.2 mm, removing the insulation from an enamel wire or a wire with PVC insulation mechanically is a big risk. The thermochemical method is more suitable here.

In the first case, the technology is as follows:

1. The wire is conveniently laid on a flat surface. Vinyl chloride insulation is placed under it.
2. Heat up the soldering iron tip and carefully move it along the shell. When heated, it will disappear under the influence of the released chlorine.

There is another option for removing the enamel insulation from the cable. An aspirin tablet is placed on the wire, heated with a soldering iron and distributed along the entire length. Not only will the insulation be removed, but the wire will also be tinned.

Removing the braid by reflowing ensures the integrity of the conductor. The method works well on old wiring, since the winding here is hard and brittle.

Stripping the insulation of a thin enameled conductor can be done using fine sandpaper. Before removing the insulation layer from the wire, the sheet is bent in half so that the sandpaper is inside. Place the wire in the middle, lightly press it with your fingers and pull. Repeat the action until the enamel is completely cleansed.

Option No. 4 – stripping with a stripper

If the insulation stripping methods under consideration are manual, then some types of strippers allow this work to be partially mechanized. The tool most often consists of special pliers that work with a certain size of wires and cables.

Conventionally, strippers are divided into categories:

• miniature handheld;
• large rack;
• lever

The first ones look like clothespins. It has holes in the spring-loaded jaws - one or more. There are small multifunctional strippers in a case-like form. The drop-down body has holes with knives for different sections of wires.

In addition, the device has a knife that cuts the braid longitudinally, a knife that works in the transverse direction or cuts circularly. They are also equipped with a retractable knife for stripping wires.

The next design is a stripper with levers. Visually, the tool is similar to scissors and includes:

• Knives with a wedge-shaped cut;
• Adjusting screw, with its help you set the desired cross-section.

The cable is secured with clamps, then the levers are pulled together and the insulation is removed instantly. The removal length is set manually. The main disadvantage is the need for adjustment when removing insulation from wires of different sections.

If you mistakenly insert a thick wire when setting the jaws to a smaller cross-section, the conductor will be damaged.

In addition to the main functions, most of these hand tools are used for crimping the ends of stranded wires, cutting wires, and cutting bolts. Sometimes they are used like simple pliers.

A tool with sockets in the blades, like the previous one, is universal. When working with it, you must not relax your attention so as not to place the current conductor in a hole that does not correspond to its cross-section.

These disadvantages are not typical for automatic lever strippers. The wire size is set automatically here. The spring-loaded working element begins to operate when the handles are compressed. You can remove not only the insulation from the core, but also the outer braiding from a round or flat wire.

Many models are equipped with a length limiter that allows you to remove the braid to a set length. The required limit is set once, and further withdrawals occur based on the set limit.

Automatic models, like manual ones, may have additional functionality - crimping tips, cutting, etc.

When choosing a stripper model, you need to proceed from where you plan to use it. For normal work at home, a simple hand tool.

There is a special stripper designed to remove insulation from a television cable. Its peculiarity is the presence of two cutting edges located at a certain distance. This ensures convenient installation of the F-connector later

When working with a lot of wires and cables, it is better to arm yourself with a semi-automatic or automatic device. This tool is essential for professional electrical installers.

There is an article on our website where we talked in detail about strippers for stripping insulation from wires. Click here to view the material.

New tools for removing insulation

More recently, four new products have been added to the range:

• plow knife for removing hard insulation;
• stripper for cutting insulation 2.9 – 6.6 mm² in the longitudinal direction;
• tool for working with wire insulation 0.05 – 2.5 mm²;
• tool for cutting wire insulation 0.25 – 6 mm².

All of them are produced by the US company Jonard Tools.

The new case-type stripper is equipped with five grooves with a diameter of 2.9 - 6.8 mm. There are blades on both the top and bottom. Cuts lengthwise wires, optical modules, protective tubes.

A plow knife is used when it is necessary to remove the cable sheath made of rubber, PVC, PE. A knife with a double-sided blade makes longitudinal and transverse cuts up to 5 mm deep

The stripper for removing the PVC insulating layer from cables with a diameter of 0.05 - 2.5 mm² is automatically adjusted to the required cross-section. When pressure is applied to the handle, the conductor is grabbed, the blades enter the insulation and tighten it.

The latest model is similar to the previous one, but works with wires of other sections.

There are non-standard situations from which it is difficult even for a specialist to get out. In this case, you have to make creative decisions and use the tools at hand. Let's look at a couple of examples.

Example No. 1 - damage to the wires leading to the plug

The method is used if visual inspection it was found that charger The thin wires leading to the plug are faulty. The main difficulty of the situation is not only the small cross-section, but also the multi-core cable. Another problematic point is that the wires are enclosed in a continuous braid, so the insulation serves not just as protection, but as a two or three-chamber collector.

To quickly remove the insulation in this case, experts use a thin blade taken from a razor cassette. The cable is secured using a clamp from a table lamp or a vice. The cable is divided into cores, and a blade is used to carefully make an incision in the right place, not too deep. Next, part of the layer is pryed off with a fingernail and carefully removed.

The protective layer can be in the form of rigid outer insulation, an internal filler layer, fabric insulation impregnated with resins, or individual insulation for each core

First, using a tool, the outer sheath is removed by cutting it along the cable. Then, using pliers, the cores are removed one by one. The remaining insulating layer is simply cut off.

Work related to electric shock, not easy. Therefore, even if you have certain knowledge, you must not forget that the damaged core will eventually fail.

For safety reasons, when removing insulation that is slightly longer than required, the excess must be cut off. Exposed veins are too dangerous.

It is not advisable for a home handyman to purchase expensive tools in order to use them several times while removing insulation. In most cases, simple means at hand are quite suitable.

It is not always advisable to remove the insulation if the cable consists of thin wires. It is possible, without removing the insulating layer, to separate the wires and use a special clamp with teeth to create contact

Contact when installing a piercing clamp will ensure the insulation is pierced. Sometimes that's enough.

Conclusions and useful video on the topic

Review of stripping tools - from cheapest to most expensive:

Whatever method you use to strip the insulation, you must remember that this work is dangerous. A careful and competent attitude to the tool used will help you avoid problems. Each product must be used in accordance with its intended purpose, with the utmost care.

What method do you use to strip insulation from wires? Please share own experience with people who were faced with such a task for the first time. Leave your comments, share your experience, ask questions in the block below the article.

I quite often use different terminals, although I usually solder wires to them, but they suggested that I try more handy tool for this. And not only the tool itself, but a set for working with wires and terminals, I decided to try to see if it was really convenient.

In my opinion, the set is interesting precisely because it is a set, i.e. The kit includes everything you need for work, and in addition, all this is also packed in a handbag.

It is sold without any additional packaging, just a bag with a sticker code.

There is a loop on one side; it will hardly be convenient to carry it around, but hanging it somewhere is fine.
The bag closes with a zipper; when closed, the slider is located on the side opposite the loop.

The bag is quite comfortable and seems quite durable.

But I still discovered one drawback: when opening, the slider must be brought to the very beginning of the “zipper”, this is not very convenient, because when the bag is fully opened, it “reaches” there due to the opening itself.

Everything in the bag is secured. For additional matrices there are separate pockets closed with Velcro.

The stripper is secured at the top with a fairly tight rubber band, and at the bottom there is a Velcro strip. to the right of the stripper there is space for another tool, but it is empty.
During operation, I noticed that removing the stripper is not very convenient. It has sharp elements and can catch on the elastic band that holds it in place.

Basic delivery set:
1. Stripper (stripping)
2. Crimper (crimp)
3. Double-sided screwdriver
4. Set of four matrices.

Also included in the kit:
5. Bag
6. Four spare screws.

The whole instrument is done in a black and yellow style, very similar to Stanley in my opinion, but the yellow is brighter.

The blade of the screwdriver is double-sided, on one side there is a “cross”, on the other (or rather, everything else) a hexagon.
Theoretically, a Phillips screwdriver can be useful only in one case; the crimper has a small screw.
But a hexagon may be needed quite often; it is used when replacing dies. The sting is difficult to remove, I was able to do this only with the help of pliers, but I think it’s a matter of time, it will work out.

I will begin my inspection of the instrument with the stripper; I have known this instrument for a long time, although in a slightly different form.
This tool is used to strip insulation from wires. In principle, this can be done with a knife, side cutters or any sharp object. But the stripper provides a more stable result, especially if the insulation is thick and the conductors are thin. It is more suitable for working with multi-core wires, although it also copes with mono-core wires.

In addition to the actual removal of insulation, this tool can work as a simple replacement for a crimper, but it is quite simple, since the result will be worse, and it is inconvenient to work.
There is also a knife for cutting the wire just above, it works, but the blade is one piece with the handles, so if it gets dull, it won’t be possible to change it.

This tool is clearly more complex than a knife or side cutters.
The photo shows a small adjustment screw; it allows you to change the clamping force of the jaws, but to be honest, I didn’t feel much difference; it has the greatest effect when working with thin wires up to 0.75mm.
When rotating to the right, the clamping force increases and the tool better removes insulation from thin wires.
If, along with the insulation, the tool also cuts off several wires, then by rotating to the left it is necessary to reduce the clamping force.

The reverse part is covered with plastic covers.

The work process is standard for this class of tool and includes the following sequence of operations.
1. Open, handles in free position.
2. Clamping the wire and cutting the insulation
3. Pulling the insulation from the wire
4. Open, handles in compressed position, stripped wire can be removed.

In addition to adjusting the clamping force, there is another feature: the jaws that hold the wire have different notches, in addition, thinner wires are laid deeper, thicker ones closer to the edge.

Examples of working with wires of different sections, from the description in the store, in my opinion, are shown quite clearly.

By the way, about the section. I think many people know that, along with the usual mm, they also use the AWG system, where, unlike our standard, the larger the number, the thinner the wire. This is due to the fact that AWG is the number of steps of wire pulling through a die, and is called gauge. AWG1 is 7.35mm or 42.4mm.sq. AWG0 - 8.25mm or 53.5mm.sq., but there is also, for example, AWG000 - 11.7mm or 107mm.sq.

As a reminder, I trimmed the full plate a little, since this is approximately the range the tool can operate within. The plate indicates the diameter of the core, its cross-section, resistance per 1 km of length and the maximum current at the rate of 3 A.mm (used for winding wires).

Stages of the wire stripping process using the example of a wire with a cross section of 2.5 mm2.

Above you saw that I rested the wire against the stripping length limiter, but the tool allows you to strip the wire anywhere; to do this, the limiter should be turned as shown in the third photo.

Almost at the very beginning, I wrote that I have been using a similar tool for many years. Yes, I have a domestic version of the stripper, and although it has a completely different design, it is functionally the same.

In a proper stripper, the key is consistency of process and releasing the wire at the end of the operation. Here a spring mechanism and such an automatic switch are responsible for this. True, there is a nuance: if the wire is thin, it does not always work.

Unlike the reviewed version, a knife with pre-formed diameters is used here.

But the stripping process itself looks almost the same.
1. Cutting through insulation
2. Clamping the rest of the wire.
3. Removal of insulation.
4. Let go of the wire, that's it.

Before I show it in work, I’ll digress; on one of the sides the wire sections are marked.
Not all of them are visible, and the location is far from logical, but in theory the places correspond to:
1. 6mm
2. 4mm
3. 1.5-2.5mm
4. 0.75-1mm

In fact, in the test I inserted a 2.5mm wire into a hole for a 4mm wire, because if you insert it into a 1.5-2.5 hole, the tool slightly cuts the wire strands.
Also with the reviewed option, you can describe the process many times, but in practice you will understand faster.

At work.

Result. Old stripper at the top, new one at the bottom. The photo shows the difference in the principle of cutting insulation; in our version the cutting is more even, in the one we are reviewing it is slightly similar to the letter U.

Now I’ll move on to the crimper. In general, I have several creepers in my household, a couple for RJ connectors and one for BNC. The middle one turned out to be the most convenient for me, although it looks simpler than the others.

When I saw this instrument, the first association was Tyrannosaurus :)

There is a ratchet (ratchet mechanism) that fixes the mechanism in intermediate positions; when the tool is pressed to the end, it snaps off and it opens again. To put the tool into a “traveling” state, you just need to not click all the way to the extreme position.

The mechanism is completely metal, and the metal itself is quite thick.
One of the matrices is installed initially, the other three are in pockets. The upper half of the matrix is ​​inserted easily, but the lower half has a lot of interference.
The only thing I didn’t really like was the plastic cover on the top end; I have a feeling that it might just fly off and get lost someday.

The teeth of the ratchet mechanism of the crimper are what form the “steps” when the handles are compressed.

During work, a situation is possible when you will not be able to bring the handles to the “cut-off” point and the tool will jam. In such a situation, you need to use something (for example a screwdriver) to press the tab in the direction indicated by the arrow; after a click, the mechanism will unlock.

The crimper kit consists of the tool itself, four dies and six screws. One of the matrices, as well as two screws, are already installed, the rest is in the pockets of the bag.

I’ll try to describe the purpose of the matrices in my own words, but since I haven’t worked much with such a tool, I might make a mistake somewhere.
For starters, 1601-1.

Used when working with insulated tips, for example (marked NVI), as shown in the photo. I originally thought the colors matched the contact size, but based on the photo, that doesn't seem to be the case. The matrix has the most big size- blue, and in the photo of the terminals - yellow.

Matrix JX 1601-06.

For me, it will most likely be one of the most frequently used, used for terminating multi-core wires using such tips, they are called NShVI.

As auxiliary information, a plate indicating the correspondence between the caliber of the wire being crimped and the diameter of the tip.

In general, in my opinion, for such tips it is more correct to use another type of crimper, but it is less universal, so here you need to choose what will be used in your work.

Matrix JX 1601-08

This matrix is ​​designed to work with flat or small terminals of this type.
As for the second option (photos 3 and 4), I am not entirely sure, since some sources indicate using the JX 1601-08 matrix, others - JX 2546.

Well, the fourth type, in my case, will most likely be used least often.
Matrix JX 2546

This type of matrix is ​​intended for “tubular” contacts. For example, similar contacts are used in the power connectors of “old” type hard drives, commonly called Molex, although Molex is the name of the manufacturer.
For example, the type of connectors in the photo is NLSG-T and NLSW-T

The store page also has a fairly convenient and clear picture of what needs to be used and why. In general, the description of the tool was a pleasant surprise, for this a small plus.

Of course, a little experimentation. To do this, I collected a small pile of various things, although I also have terminals with plastic insulation at home, as I showed in the examples for the first matrix, but apparently I hid them well.

It's difficult with the smallest terminals. Firstly, they are short and it’s simply inconvenient to crimp them, and the result is not always predictable, sometimes it’s normal, sometimes the wire clamp bends somehow wrong. I think in this case the problem is more in the lack of practice, but perhaps the tool itself is not very suitable.

After switching to larger terminals, everything became much more beautiful, at least I like it. True, you still need to get used to crimping, I first pressed the terminal a little, then inserted the wire and pressed it.

Well, such tips generally go with a bang, clearly, quickly, firmly.

I couldn’t find a 4mm cable at home right away, so I experimented with a 6mm cable, but cut out a few “extra” cores, and also tried crimping two 1.5mm.
For the second case, there are special terminals, double ones, but I don’t have them.

Another example of crimping tips.

In the process I even got a little carried away, only the smallest terminals were frustrating, the rest were much more interesting.

That's all, I'll give a brief summary.
Advantages.
Availability of bag included
Many options for crimp terminals.
Sturdy construction.

Flaws
Difficulties with crimping small terminals
It's not very convenient to take the stripper out of the bag, the elastic band is tight.

My opinion. Overall I liked the tool, there are some minor nuances such as a tight rubber band and problems with crimping small terminals. Well, perhaps I didn’t really like the fact that one of the matrices (the bottom one) fits in quite tightly, but perhaps that’s how it was intended.
On the plus side, I would like to note the really great functionality of the kit, as well as the fact that the kit comes with a bag and all this will not hang around in the tool box.

The manager for the review gave me a coupon HXFMTT4 with the price being $28.99, which in my personal opinion is quite adequate for this kit.

That's all, I hope the review was useful.

The product was provided for writing a review by the store. The review was published in accordance with clause 18 of the Site Rules.