Updated on Oct. 15, 2024
Put away the knife and grab a pair of wire strippers to prepare those electrical wires for connection. Here's a collection of some of the best.
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When you’re doing electrical wiring, it’s easy to approach wire stripping as an afterthought. There’s not much to it, just removing a small length of insulation from the ends so you can make connections.
But if you’re not careful, you could cut through the actual wire and/or your fingers. Chances of mishaps increase dramatically when working with small wires for automotive systems, electronics and audio equipment.
If you think of a wire stripper as a specialty tool for electricians, you’re right. It can save hours of time during a large wiring project. It also happens to be a really useful tool for DIY wiring, and it’s not expensive.
Pro quality wire strippers that regulate the length of exposed wire, crimp wire connections, cut screws and even double as pliers can cost more than $100. But you can get a basic wire stripper for your home wiring project for less than $10.
The Jonard Adjustable Wire Stripper works for light-gauge communications, electronics and automotive wires from 18 to 28 AWG. Select the gauge setting by turning a dial. Choose a length setting on the slidable length stop, insert the wire through the front and squeeze. That’s all there is to it.
There are no handles to splay out and take up space in your toolbox, and the hardened steel cutting blade stays sharp. When doing sensitive electronics wiring, you can sterilize this tool in boiling water without damaging it to prevent contamination.
With more than 9,600 five-star reviews on Amazon, the Irwin Self-Adjusting Wire Stripper is popular for good reason. It’s a snap to use. Insert the wire through the side of the head, squeeze the handle, pull the wire out and the jacket stays behind. No adjustments needed.
This tool strips wires from 10 to 24 AWG and has an adjustable stopper to control the length of the exposed wire. You can also use it for crimping insulated and non-insulated wires.
Klein Tools is well-known for the quality of its linesman pliers, and the K12055 Wire Cutter and Wire Stripper measures up. The forged steel blades are super sharp and stay that way after repeated uses. This tool can strip 10 to 18 AWG solid wire and 12 to 20 AWG stranded wire.
The best feature? The oversized serrated tips on the ends of the blades. They make it much easier to grab, bend and twist wires than the narrow tips found on other gauged strippers.
The Eclipse Tools CP-301G Wire Stripper can strip the lightest of light-gauge wires, from 20 to 30 AWG. This gauged stripper includes a wire cutter and serrated jaws. The jaws lock to prevent damage to other tools and wires stored with it.
This is one of the few wire strippers that handles gauges finer than 28 AWG. It’s lightweight, extremely sharp and makes short work of the thin wires found in automotive systems or telephone or network jacks. And it only costs $5.
The WGGE WG-015 Wire Stripper is a gauged stripper that does pretty much everything. It strips, cuts and crimps wires from 10 to 22 AWG. The serrated tips work well as pliers.
You can use this tool to crimp insulated and non-insulated wires, and the spring-loaded jaws open automatically after every operation. Add a comfortable easy-grip handle and you’ve got a great deal for about $7.
When you’re working with Cat-5/5e/6 telephone cables to hook up your home communications network, it can be tricky to strip the jacket off the wire bundle with a knife. One false move and you’ve sliced through one or more of the wires.
The Platinum Tools Cable Jacket Stripper is made only for communications cables so it has only one gauge opening. Fit it around the cable, close the handle, twist and pull, and all the wires are exposed intact.
DIYers doing electrical repairs seldom need to strip cables larger than 8 AWG. The Klein Tools Large Cable Stripper is primarily used by electricians and home mechanics who need to strip battery cables.
It works like a pencil sharpener. You insert the cable and twist, and the blade shaves off insulation to expose the wire. It has four openings to accommodate 2/0, 3/0, 4/0 and 250 thousands of circular mils (MCM); 250 MCM is one size larger than 4/0 AWG.
The Irwin Vise-Grip Stripping Tool is another winner with Amazon reviewers. It’s a gauged stripper that handles 10 to 22 AWG wire, cuts and crimps wires and can even shear electrical bolts.
The easy-grip handle makes the tool comfortable to use. The hardened steel blades ensure accurate and quick cuts, and the gauge markings are easy to read. The $20 price tag is a little higher than some others, but it’s a quality tool that’s well worth it.
Start by considering the type and amount of wire you need to strip, and whether you’ll use your wire stripper frequently or occasionally. You should also consider whether you’ll need the tool for other chores. And, of course, think about cost.
Wire strippers don’t all work the same way. There are three main types:
Some of the features to look out for include:
