OMO: Find me a stripper!

Morning, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and all that Jazz.
I thought I'd condense the usual Oh Mighty Org into OMO so that requests like this can stand out and save wasting characters.

So, on with the question, I'm rigging up my shed with a solar panel, battery, some lights and a PIR sensor, I've put it all together yesterday and made it work but stripping the wires with a hobby knife is getting old fast. What stripper should I get?

I want one of those snazzy wire strippers that cuts the sheath and pulls it off in one go, being a tool I assume it's subject to the old "you get what you pay for" rule, so thought I'd ask what people recommend in the way of wire strippers.

TL;DR just read the bold bit.

[DarrenSV650S]

I use these. Brilliant for twin and earth and hard flex. Really saves a lot of time if you are doing a lot of connections. And they don't damage the core at all.

http://www.rapidonline.com/Tools-Equ...ource=googleps

Depends what kind of cable you are using though. If it's a softer flex like butyl they won't be much use and you'd be better just using side cutters

[tigersaw]

Originally Posted by DarrenSV650S

you'd be better just using side cutters

Agreed, but its a knack I've not completely perfected after over 30 years.

Are you trying to scrape the insulation off with the knife? Other trick is to just roll the blade around the insulation and then just pull it off the end. Works best on solid strands.

[ophic]

Teeth. HTH.

[andrewsmith]

a wad of £20 notes also works very well

If your using 4 pair alarm wire for the PIR, a standard set of network cable strippers will work. Failing that a sharp stanley knife has always worked for me.

HTH

[ophic]

More sensibly, when my teeth are worn out, I've found nail clippers to be rather better at stripping wires than I would have imagined.

I use these exact ones...http://uk.rs-online.com/mobile/p/aut...ories/0613044/

Get used a lot and I've had them over 7 years, only use them on multi strand cable or will wear the teeth out, I've got a different set for solid core cable like twin and earth.

i use a £7 from Maplins and have done for the last 3 years (same set) http://www.maplin.co.uk/2-in-1-wire-...-cutter-224895 i use these from Alarm cable to CAT 6 most days.

Cool, lots of differing suggestions but all useful, particularly like the nail clipper idea as it is so simple.

Think I'll invest in a decent pair (on expenses of course) but the nail clippers will get me sorted quickly and save my sanity with the knife. I wasn't scraping it off but rolling it wasn't working for me so I was making 3-4 cuts around it and then pulling the insulation off but it was doing my nut in. Perhaps using the sharpest blade ever might not have been the best idea as I daren't put my fingers anywhere near it, but with a normal blade you can get away with pressing your finger behind it so long as you don't slide it etc.

Anyway, enough waffle. Thanks Mighty Org!

[maviczap]

I bought something similar to Specialones from Trago Mills, Falmouth in 1989, very easy to use and still working.

A bargain, as Trago Mills are the Pound shop equivalent in Devon and are still going strong I think