Wire strippers

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Daydream believer

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I regularly have to expose the wires on very thin wires on boat parts. Typically NMEA or thinner.
I have wire strippers that will make a good job of stripping thicker wires but try as I might most of them are useless for the really small section wiring. I try stripping very short amounts of covering at a time & think that i am winning then suddenly half the wires disappear. To make it worse, if it is something like a plotter 6 core wire I have to start all over again by re trimming every piece to the same length or to a new length. This can be awkward if the wire has been pre-trimmed to a nice length.

Can anyone who has to undertake this task often, recommend a really good set of strippers that do not cost an arm & a leg that strip first time properly on thin wires please
Thanks
 
anoccasionalyachtsman said:
I normally use one of thes https://www.lawson-his.co.uk/king-dick-wsp-160-wire-stripper-industria-p48141.

But when it gets really small I find that a thumbnail against the index finger works - takes a bit of practice because you're stretching the pvc to breaking point and it may not recover to the exact point you chose.
Click to expand...

Very prone to poor adjustment.

PaulRainbow said:
These work first time, every time, even on NMEA 0183 wires or Cat 5, also really good for larger wires too.

https://www.cef.co.uk/catalogue/products/905719-automatic-wire-stripper
Click to expand...
Those are great, the adjustment is for minimum insulation thickness regardless of core diameter, so one setting is perfect for a very wide range of wires, but cant do really short tails (not often a problem), they feel like you could get a serious RSI after a day of continual use and they really like biting fingers between the arms as the wire is released at the end of the cycle.

However, to fully address the OP, if you are stripping wires all day then a good pair of cutters accurately wielded is good for all stranded cores, and pointy nose pliers for solid cores. But that is just shy of master craftsman level.
 
PaulRainbow said:
These work first time, every time, even on NMEA 0183 wires or Cat 5, also really good for larger wires too.

https://www.cef.co.uk/catalogue/products/905719-automatic-wire-stripper
Click to expand...
+1

Sold by others re-badged. I think Robert Dyas stock them. I use them on large control panel projects, and may have to trim up to 4 or 500 individual cables. A pair generally lasts me about 2 years before I have worn them out. They also have a clamp for Red / Blue / Yellow crimp terminals and fancy wire strippers for larger cable, that I have never got the hang of.
 
I bought one of these from Lidl, and they're pretty good. You'll probably find one on eBay.


It's possible to do it with ordinary side cutters with care. Carefully apply pressure so as to nip the insulation, and pull.
 
I have a favourite pair of side snips, using finger grip between to keep tension strips easily every time, the cutting edges are not as sharp as new but that make them work better. I only use this pair to strip cables as you get use to how much tension you need to use.
 
andsarkit said:
These ones from RS are good for repetitive work on small wires https://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/wire-strippers/7639800/ . Not to be confused with similar larger ones that don't work well on small wires.
These also strip cleanly but are less controllable when the insulation pulls away https://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/wire-strippers/5401509/
Agree with above that carefully wielded small precision side cutters work well but it takes practice.
Click to expand...

I found the adjusters on the first pair too easily moved and they are quite large and heavy. I took them back

And bought a pair of these which are pretty good
https://uk.rs-online.com/mobile/p/wire-strippers/3822847/

although I would have preferred to have replaced the ones I had previously which had adjustments for depth of cut and pressure before pull back like the first ones above but they are not made any more.
 
snowbird30ds said:
Teeth work well for those us that still have them (not a dig at anyone before you older folks (or dentistaphobes) bite) and you always know if the wires been damaged as you get a sore tongue from the bits of copper stuck in the gaps.
Note to self: Don't post drunk...... :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

I stripped wire with my teeth for many years, until I noticed I was wearing a grooves in my front teeth :o

So then I bought the tool!
 
Last edited:
snowbird30ds said:
Teeth work well for those us that still have them (not a dig at anyone before you older folks (or dentistaphobes) bite) and you always know if the wires been damaged as you get a sore tongue from the bits of copper stuck in the gaps.
Note to self: Don't post drunk...... :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

That's also the way I strip small wires. I just have to be careful which tooth I use due to age.
 
superheat6k said:
They are similar, but the ones I use have a small adjuster screw on the left side by the jaws to control how much pressure is applied to grip the cable.

These are only a few quid more ...

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Self-Adj...184077&hash=item5d78c099db:g:aAMAAOSwsZhcUCDg
Click to expand...
I’ve got a wire stripper by Thomas & Betts like that. Lovely quality, but not sold any more. Precision tools like this need to be well made and for £6 on EBay and with no brand at risk it is almost certain you are getting a corner cut Chinese piece of tat made out of cheese.
 
Daydream believer said:
I regularly have to expose the wires on very thin wires on boat parts. Typically NMEA or thinner.
I have wire strippers that will make a good job of stripping thicker wires but try as I might most of them are useless for the really small section wiring. I try stripping very short amounts of covering at a time & think that i am winning then suddenly half the wires disappear. To make it worse, if it is something like a plotter 6 core wire I have to start all over again by re trimming every piece to the same length or to a new length. This can be awkward if the wire has been pre-trimmed to a nice length.

Can anyone who has to undertake this task often, recommend a really good set of strippers that do not cost an arm & a leg that strip first time properly on thin wires please
Thanks
Click to expand...

I had a similar poblem with NMEA wires connecting my plotter to my VHF. Even after the difficult task of stripping the insulation was achieved the wires themselves are such small diameter that they then break. The solution was not to strip the insulation but to use jelly connecters to join the wires. The blade inside the connecters is designed to pierce the insulation without breaking the conductor.
 
Zing said:
I’ve got a wire stripper by Thomas & Betts like that. Lovely quality, but not sold any more. Precision tools like this need to be well made and for £6 on EBay and with no brand at risk it is almost certain you are getting a corner cut Chinese piece of tat made out of cheese.
Click to expand...

Or you might get the kind of tool that the Chinese use in their factories.
 
davidpbo said:
I found the adjusters on the first pair too easily moved and they are quite large and heavy. I took them back

And bought a pair of these which are pretty good
https://uk.rs-online.com/mobile/p/wire-strippers/3822847/

although I would have preferred to have replaced the ones I had previously which had adjustments for depth of cut and pressure before pull back like the first ones above but they are not made any more.
Click to expand...

The ones I linked to are some sort of plastic and only 79g so I think you must have had a different pair. I bought a dozen or so for work and found them excellent and mine are still going strong after 20 years.

Ferrules are your friend to prevent small wires breaking especially if the terminal screw doesn't have a protective leaf between the screw and the wire.
 
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