CK Automatic or Irwin Vise Grip Wire Strippers?

[123]

The CK ones can't do 1.25mm flex. I have them and this set from Amazon which can handl1 1.5mm flex.

I don't use them for T&E - they make a nice tidy job, but the little time saved I find is lost as the earth sleeving likes to fall off the clean cut. Find them great for stripping the outer sheath off flexes

 

[GBDamo]

I use the CK ones pretty much every day and they'll strip the sheath off any T&E up to 6mm, 1mm 3core flex and such like. They'll go straight from that to stripping the cores of alarm cable with no adjustment.

When stripping T&E sheath it is very rare that the unwanted sheath does not pull off easily, even when stripping 18" for CU termination.

I can prep over 70 cores varying from alarm cable to T&E to flex for termination in under 5 minutes. Pull all the cables in to a pre-populated and glanded adaptable box and five minutes of stripping frenzy.

Would not be without them unless I could find a set that will do a 2.5 TQ flex then all my stripping needs would be covered by one tool.

So far the CKs have lasted for two years of daily use and show no signs of failing..

 

[midiman]

See my post, number 30, first line.

What tool were you talking about again?

I thought that it might be possible to do more than one cut to get the extra length. I just need to try one out and if all else fails I can buy a knife lol.

Maybe both have a place in the tool box.

 

[Dozer 73]

Think these tools are good if you Are panel wiring etc with fine stranded wire, with many multi core cables to strip , they make a perfect strip and never cut into cores , not that you should if you are a skilled electrician
But for everyday sparking a bit OTT in my opinion , but each to their own and why not use them

 

[Dozer 73]

Think these tools are good if you Are panel wiring etc with fine stranded wire, with many multi core cables to strip , they make a perfect strip and never cut into cores , not that you should if you are a skilled electrician
But for everyday sparking a bit OTT in my opinion , but each to their own and why not use them

Oh and I have the klein ones ( courstesy of company) which I rarely use , but they do a good job when I do venture in a panel with hundreds of cores facing me

 

[Dozer 73]

Think these tools are good if you Are panel wiring etc with fine stranded wire, with many multi core cables to strip , they make a perfect strip and never cut into cores , not that you should if you are a skilled electrician
But for everyday sparking a bit OTT in my opinion , but each to their own and why not use them

I prefer to use not snips/side cutters but what we call crops or shears think the trade name is , the ones with the curved cutting edges , can’t beat them in my personal opinion

 

[Deleted member 26818]

Think these tools are good if you Are panel wiring etc with fine stranded wire, with many multi core cables to strip , they make a perfect strip and never cut into cores , not that you should if you are a skilled electrician
But for everyday sparking a bit OTT in my opinion , but each to their own and why not use them

I found them to be no use for fine stranded wire.
Squashed the insulation and cut into the cores.

 

[rsgaz]

What tool were you talking about again?

The Irwin ones.

 

[midiman]

Hi I went out and took a gamble on the CK Automatic Strippers because they were going for £15.45 at my local Toolstation.

They cut the sheathing off 2.5T&E without any issues and I can do whatever length I like if I remove the stop guide.

I have to say that I am impressed and they will save me a lot of time and protect me from gouging my hands.

The only downside is that the cutter is not too great and they tend to leave jaw marks on the cable.

I'm not a professional sparky so this tool is a god send when it comes to removing cable insulation and getting up to speed.

They will certainly do for now.

Here are some pics.

Jaw marks on the cables.

 

[telectrix]

these style of strippers will always leave jaw marks. as long as the don't cause any damage or compromise the integrity of the sheath, no problem.

 

[midiman]

these style of strippers will always leave jaw marks. as long as the don't cause any damage or compromise the integrity of the sheath, no problem.

That's what I was thinking.

They leave 4 teeth marks on the cable but I don't think that they are deep enough to compromise its integrity.

It just looks less attractive than not using one if you see what I mean. ​

 

[telectrix]

much neater than a ragged end of the sheath after the tug the cpc and carve the sheath method though.

 

[123]

much neater than a ragged end of the sheath after the tug the cpc and carve the sheath method though.

I agree...but with the tug the cpc method 2mm bore earth sleeving is easy to put on and it stays on as it has sheath to hold it in place. With the wire strippers I found it to always be falling off

 

[I2C]

I personally recommend the CK strippers. They are great quality and very reliable, working from 6mm CSA down to 1mm CSA perfectly.

 

[Spunkywads26]

I picked up a pair of Kew Technik strippers from Yesss for £2.50

If they last a few months they will be worth the money

 

[telectrix]

have both the CK and the Klein. not that much in them but Klein just have the edge .only gripe with both is that silly strip gauge. gets in the way. best ripped out.

 

[Simonslimline]

Side cutters and a decent knife for me. Also the jokari tool is s godsend for some cable types.

 

[Pete999]

Much, much less time than using a knife. And zero chance of nicking the insulation.

Depends entirely on what sort of knife you use, I would agree with you if you used a Stanley type blade, but I have been using a folding knife since day one of my electrician life, and apart from the odd mistake when I was an Apprentice, I have had no slip ups, but what ever rocks your boat.

 

[123]

While I agree there is no chance of nicking the insulation with the automatic strippers, with certain T&E it can not only strip the outer sheath but take the insulation off the inner cores at the same time

 

[camerabloke]

Depends entirely on what sort of knife you use, I would agree with you if you used a Stanley type blade, but I have been using a folding knife since day one of my electrician life, and apart from the odd mistake when I was an Apprentice, I have had no slip ups, but what ever rocks your boat.

Why the dumb?

 

[Dozer 73]

Stanley knives have now been banned at our company , same as national grid , We also wouldn’t be able to use a knife of any sort
But a joiner can use wood chisels etc ????
Yes I agree a silly rule and makes our job hard , or we are forced to hide out Stanley knives , because the replacement tools provided are not really good to use
Oh the joys of health and safety gone mad !!!!!!

 

[123]

I think a spark can easily work without a stanley knife.
A joiner without chisels? Hardly the same thing at all.

 

[Dozer 73]

I think a spark can easily work without a stanley knife.
A joiner without chisels? Hardly the same thing at all.

They have banned Stanley knives after being risk assessed
Should they also ban all tools electricians use that are sharp or can cause injury ????

 

[Pete E]

Do it the proper way:with a decent folding knife or an Electricians knife

Is there a reason you recommend an electricians/folding knife over a Stanley knife.

I use a Stanley and it seems ok for the task so just wonder what I am missing? I of course not being a Spark, I don't get involved with anything like SWA ect just 1.5mm and 2.5mm T&E and/or flex....

 

[Pete E]

Hi I went out and took a gamble on the CK Automatic Strippers because they were going for £15.45 at my local Toolstation.

They cut the sheathing off 2.5T&E without any issues and I can do whatever length I like if I remove the stop guide.

I have to say that I am impressed and they will save me a lot of time and protect me from gouging my hands.

The only downside is that the cutter is not too great and they tend to leave jaw marks on the cable.

I'm not a professional sparky so this tool is a god send when it comes to removing cable insulation and getting up to speed.

They will certainly do for now.

Here are some pics.

View attachment 39500

View attachment 39501

Jaw marks on the cables.

Any idea if this style stripper would work on coax such as the old 75Ohm TV coax or the newer "shotgun" style WF65 twin sky+/HD coaxial cable???

 

[Pete999]

Is there a reason you recommend an electricians/folding knife over a Stanley knife.

I use a Stanley and it seems ok for the task so just wonder what I am missing? I of course not being a Spark, I don't get involved with anything like SWA ect just 1.5mm and 2.5mm T&E and/or flex....

Yes Pete, I feel the Stanley type blade is too thin for stripping cables, with a folding/pen knife the thicker no sharp side tend to keep the slice open a bit more, importantly as well I think a folder is safer all round any way, I have a Stanley type for other jobs just not for stripping cables.

 

[Pete E]

Yes Pete, I feel the Stanley type blade is too thin for stripping cables, with a folding/pen knife the thicker no sharp side tend to keep the slice open a bit more, importantly as well I think a folder is safer all round any way, I have a Stanley type for other jobs just not for stripping cables.

Thanks...Will have to give a folder a try next time I need to strip some T&E...

To be honest though, I think T&E is about the easiest thing in the world to strip. My pet hate is removing a socket faceplate and seeing the outer sheathing of the T&E left all ragged after its been split by pulling on the earth and snipped off using cutters; it just looks rough...

As an apprentice, we were always taught to leave a nice even/tidy cut to the sheathing of what ever cable you were stripping which after a while becomes second nature and a source of pride...

Its the same with slotted faceplate screws in that the slots always had to be left aligned to the vertical and I still do it to this day... lol