# Wire Strippers: Knipex, Wiha



## Frasbee (Apr 7, 2008)

You need to start writing "Tool Whore" instead of your name on your tools. :thumbsup:


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## The Motts (Sep 23, 2009)

I have the Ideal Stripmasters that I like to use when doing panels and troughs. They are great for stripping a lot of 12 and 10 gauge stranded.


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## BP_redbear (Jun 22, 2008)

Frasbee said:


> You need to start writing "Tool Whore" instead of your name on your tools. :thumbsup:


Is that what they taught you in TAA (Tools Anonymous), Frasbee?? :laughing:

You're no better. :no:


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## Buddha In Babylon (Mar 23, 2009)

yea i don't know.....seems to me that without a decent cutting capability on those strippers, you'd be putting them down and picking them up all the time if you were doing a lot of boxes or devices....just my opinion....
I have a pair of klein strippers that go up to #6 that i hardly ever use...but have them should the need arise. Likewise with those, they have the cutting blades. Seems like having a pair without blades adds an extra step to everything you wire. IMHO


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## mattsilkwood (Sep 21, 2008)

I still use klein strippers. I use the blue handled ones that have the screw cutters and a crimper. 

I don't think klein actually makes them, just about every tool company has a pair that are identical.


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## BP_redbear (Jun 22, 2008)

mattsilkwood said:


> I still use klein strippers. I use the blue handled ones that have the screw cutters and a crimper.
> 
> I don't think Klein actually makes them, just about every tool company has a pair that are identical.


Klein, unlike some brands, actually does own a few manufacturing plants. They may not be 'Klein, Inc.', or whatever, and they probably make tools for other brands and put the other brand name on them.
They also have many of their tools made for them by other manufacturers, just with the Klein name on them, like Craftsman tools are. There are no 'Craftsman' manufacturing plants that I am aware of :no:

...there's a crimper on the regular Klein strippers?:blink:


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## mattsilkwood (Sep 21, 2008)

http://www.restockit.com/Long-Nose-...e=froogle&Bvar5=100F1&Bvar6=100F1&Bvar7=100F1 

The crimpers suck but they will work if you only have one or two. I like the screw cutters on them, they leave the end threads in great shape. I always hated cutting screws with linemans.


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## BP_redbear (Jun 22, 2008)

mattsilkwood said:


> http://www.restockit.com/Long-Nose-Multi-Purpose-Tool-(KLE1010).html?source=froogle&Bvar5=100F1&Bvar6=100F1&Bvar7=100F1
> 
> The crimpers suck but they will work if you only have one or two. I like the screw cutters on them, they leave the end threads in great shape. I always hated cutting screws with linemans.


Oh, thems strippers. The crimper, I do see, there.

You have a good point on the screw cutting feature, which I no longer have...

 now what do I do??


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## Buddha In Babylon (Mar 23, 2009)

I have the same pair Matt, and i gotta say i love that 'bolt cutting' feature too. Make's short work of 10-32's. The crimpers leave much to be desired and only work on stacon's for smaller wire gauge's like you say, but all in all, i love those strippers....Greenlee has a pair very similar i believe.


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## mattsilkwood (Sep 21, 2008)

Yea like I was saying, I've seen craftsman, greenlee, sk, even gb all have a pair that are identical.


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## bduerler (Oct 2, 2009)

BP_redbear said:


> Klein, unlike some brands, actually does own a few manufacturing plants. They may not be 'Klein, Inc.', or whatever, and they probably make tools for other brands and put the other brand name on them.
> They also have many of their tools made for them by other manufacturers, just with the Klein name on them, like Craftsman tools are. There are no 'Craftsman' manufacturing plants that I am aware of :no:
> 
> ...there's a crimper on the regular Klein strippers?:blink:


actually BP there is a craftsman plant in colorado its called western forge and it is owned by Ideal industries so therefore Ideal makes craftsman:thumbup:


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## BP_redbear (Jun 22, 2008)

bduerler said:


> actually BP there is a craftsman plant in colorado its called western forge and it is owned by Ideal industries so therefore Ideal makes craftsman:thumbup:


cool! Hopefully U.S. manufacturing will make a strong comeback, at least for users in our own country. Ideal, Channellock, Craftsman, Buck, Case, Schrade, Occidental Leather, Klein, and many others... :thumbup:


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## electro916 (Jan 16, 2009)

mattsilkwood said:


> Yea like I was saying, I've seen craftsman, greenlee, sk, even gb all have a pair that are identical.



AMP makes them.


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## Rudeboy (Oct 6, 2009)

mattsilkwood said:


> http://www.restockit.com/Long-Nose-...e=froogle&Bvar5=100F1&Bvar6=100F1&Bvar7=100F1
> 
> The crimpers suck but they will work if you only have one or two. I like the screw cutters on them, they leave the end threads in great shape. I always hated cutting screws with linemans.


I have a pair of those my sister gave them to me for xmas a few years ago but I rarely use them. I use the very common klein flex curve strippers.

The only problem with using the screw cutters on strippers is they can f*ck up your tool pretty quick. Usually i just use my linesmen to cut screws when I need to. Also, i always have 8-32 and 6-32 of various lengths which greatly reduces the need to cut screws. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a nazi about it, I still have to cut em' sometimes.


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## Rudeboy (Oct 6, 2009)

I'm actually surprised that Knipex hasn't made strippers in the same manner as klein and Ideal... american style.
I had a pair of these but like i said in the other thread, I didn't like them because they didn't fit my hand right.


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## BP_redbear (Jun 22, 2008)

Rudeboy said:


> I'm actually surprised that Knipex hasn't made strippers in the same manner as klein and Ideal... american style.
> I had a pair of these but like i said in the other thread, I didn't like them because they didn't fit my hand right.


I just don't get the stripping hole in the center of the cutter on Klein's needle-nose cutters... Many guys have their own holes like that on their diagonal cutters!!

Or, are you referring to the Klein wire stripper/screw cutter pliers (not) being made by Knipex?

I like using the pictured wire strippers/cutters, myself. I believe it's actually a new product for Knipex, within a couple of years, anyway.


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## Rudeboy (Oct 6, 2009)

BP_redbear said:


> I just don't get the stripping hole in the center of the cutter on Klein's needle-nose cutters... Many guys have their own holes like that on their diagonal cutters!!
> 
> Or, are you referring to the Klein wire stripper/screw cutter pliers (not) being made by Knipex?
> 
> I like using the pictured wire strippers/cutters, myself. I believe it's actually a new product for Knipex, within a couple of years, anyway.


Oh no, I wasn't talking about needle nose at all. 
just the typical wire stripping tools that we are all used to. Why doesn't Knipex make a "replica" of that? I'm fairly sure they could improve on it so I wonder why it's not on the market yet.


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## BP_redbear (Jun 22, 2008)

Rudeboy said:


> Oh no, I wasn't talking about needle nose at all.
> just the typical wire stripping tools that we are all used to. Why doesn't Knipex make a "replica" of that? I'm fairly sure they could improve on it so I wonder why it's not on the market yet.


Oh, okay I guess that I 'can't comprehend a post', lol. :whistling2:

You've got a good point. Knipex only recently started to manufacture an 'American-style' lineman pliers. (Their 09 series, 9 1/4 inch/240mm). Up until then - 2008, 2009, maybe- they manufactured the 'European-style' combination pliers only. The ones that look very similar to our lineman pliers, only with a curved gripping section in the jaws. And, only at 225mm (8.5 to 9in.) at the longest model, and with a thinner profile. Not heavy enough for us, over here.

This is a nice feature on the 'combination pliers' (the curved jaw section). The drawback is that it makes the cutter section shorter. The cutters on my Knipex 'American' lineman pliers is 3/4-inch long.

Knipex 09 01 240 'American-style'









Knipex Combination pliers

















Wiha Combo pliers









Wiha doesn't currently make an 'American-style lineman pliers, either.
I had a set of these Wiha 200mm (8.5in.) Insulated pliers. They are handy, but when I got my first Kleins, the difference (in style and weight) was obvious. I sold the Wiha's on eBay.

Something makes me wonder if Knipex makes pliers for Wiha. Wiha's combination pliers, and their water pump pliers look very similar to Knipex's Cobra pliers. Of course, the Euro combo pliers design has been around so long, that there is probably no patent concerns.

Just an idea. Wiha makes a lot of different (quality) hand tools. Knipex does pliers. That's it, just pliers (and a lot of them!).

Maybe Rudeboy is prophetic, and Knipex will start to manufacture a 'American-style' wire stripper pliers. As he stated, I am also sure that they could do it well, and likely improve on the design.


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