Marine wire stripper ripoff

Yes I was silly - I was in a marina, needed a wire stripper urgently and paid the stupid price as it was the only one they had. I decided it was good, and wanted one at home as well as on the boat, and had the wit to hunt down a cheaper one. I had no doubt that I was being ripped off!
 
I'm very wary of buying anything prefixed with the word "Marine". I wonder whether there is any difference between Cetol for outdoor furniture and "Marine Cetol"?
 
Amulet said:
Yes I was silly - I was in a marina, needed a wire stripper urgently and paid the stupid price as it was the only one they had.
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Ah - distress purchase is different.

I've paid similar silly prices for basic stuff from Maplin, because real suppliers usually aren't open at weekends.

Pete
 
Amulet said:
Really, I find these work perfectly for my needs. What do they do wrong for professionals?
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They can often strip a few strands away with the insulation if not carefully adjusted, though for general use they are perfectly adequate, problem is most of the things are designed for solid cores. As are screw pressure terminals, not good for multi stranded conductors unless you add bootlaces.

These are better suited to multi strand http://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/cable-strippers/5401515/
 
Last edited:
David2452 said:
They can often strip a few strands away with the insulation if not carefully adjusted, though for general use they are perfectly adequate, problem is most of the things are designed for solid cores. As are screw pressure terminals, not good for multi stranded conductors unless you add bootlaces.

These are better suited to multi strand http://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/cable-strippers/5401515/
Click to expand...

Plus almost guaranteed RSI after a week or so.

Edit add:
for domestic use it is extremely hard to beat a Mk1 pen knife.
 
I can do it with a pen knife too. It takes a a minute or so and often goes wrong. With a stripper, in my experience, it takes 2 sec and never goes wrong. For me doing a wiring job that involves a dozen wires requires a stripper, and if you have one, the ease and precision of use will make you reach for it for even the smallest job. I never notice any stripped strands with the model I indicated, and indeed it seems to be able to strip the outer sheath of thin multicore cable without damaging the underlying insulation. The more common type of stripper - available from Homebase etc. Like this botches it up all the time, and falls apart in your hand after a few weeks.
 
Gladys said:
For alarm and data cable the gap between my front teeth is perfect... :D
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I used to do that all the time as a child. I was surprisingly old (as in, owned my own house) before it occurred to me that wire-strippers really aren't expensive :)

I'm slightly baffled by all the people who prefer to use a knife, though. For nicking the outer sheath of mains cable before peeling it off (especially twin-and-earth), fine. But for anything smaller it's time-consuming and prone to cutting the wire along with the insulation.

Pete
 
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