# what klein wire strippers to get?



## B-Nabs (Jun 4, 2014)

These are the ones I have and I love them. I think I'm on my third pair and I just keep getting them, they're very comfortable, the wire range is good, and they have the screw shears which I use often and could not go without. For residential there is also these which strip NM jackets on 14/2 and 12/2 cables. I had a pair once and they were great but I lost them and I don't do residential anymore so they weren't worth buying again.


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## NDC (Jan 12, 2016)

I prefer these http://www.tequipment.net/Ideal45-915.asp Especially because stripping live wires is inevitable sometimes.


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## MTW (Aug 28, 2013)

I also like the Klein Kurve. I have the 11054 with the high viz handles. Just don't cut coax cable because you will notch the blades. I found out the hard way.


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## backstay (Feb 3, 2011)

I switched to Crocs.


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## daveEM (Nov 18, 2012)

Make sure you don't get the Milwaukee ones. Cutter is garbage so when you work hard like me changing a ballast it's a pain. Took them back.


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## ponyboy (Nov 18, 2012)

Klein 1011 all day everyday for everything 










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## Ty the electric guy (Feb 16, 2014)

backstay said:


> I switched to Crocs.




I tried the crocs and thought they felt clumsy. The awg sizes didn't seem perfect either. The ideal reflex is the best wire stripper I've used. 


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## 3D Electric (Mar 24, 2013)

Ty the electric guy said:


> I tried the crocs and thought they felt clumsy. The awg sizes didn't seem perfect either. The ideal reflex is the best wire stripper I've used.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Ideal reflex t. Best wire stripper ever.


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## 3D Electric (Mar 24, 2013)

These


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## MTW (Aug 28, 2013)

3D Electric said:


> Ideal reflex t. Best wire stripper ever.



I agree, those are still one of my favorites and I used them for over 15 years now. I switched to the Kleins because they have the screw cutter which comes in handy occasionally.


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## MTW (Aug 28, 2013)

Biscuits said:


> Klein 1011 all day everyday for everything


Curious why you like those? I used the 1011's when I was wiring machines because they stripped small gauge wire that I encountered constantly and were lightweight.


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## Going_Commando (Oct 1, 2011)

3D Electric said:


> These


Yuuuup. Throw the spring away. They don't strip t-stat wire well, but if you are doing SO cord stuff they will strip up to #8 if you don't pinch too hard.


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## danhasenauer (Jun 10, 2009)

Two pairs of Klein-Kurves here. 11055 and 11057 covers everything I do, down to 32AWG.


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## nbb (Jul 12, 2014)

The ones that say Ideal on them.










I like the arrangement of the strip holes on the 45-618, and I actually like the spring in there, although many don't. This is my second pair of Ideal, and the first ones held up much better than the four pairs of Klein I have had, including two Klein curve. I have had 2 Greenlee's before the Ideal's and even those are better than the Klein in my opinion.

Mine are probably not the best for residential though, more for handling lots of #12. Do NOT get the Klein Romex strippers. The pair I tried had misaligned jaws, and tightening the fulcrum screw would only alleviate the problem for a short time, and that was on the third one I settled on, after returning and getting replacements twice. I just use a razor knife on the little bit of Romex I do now.


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## 3D Electric (Mar 24, 2013)

MTW said:


> I agree, those are still one of my favorites and I used them for over 15 years now. I switched to the Kleins because they have the screw cutter which comes in handy occasionally.


The reflex t has screw cutter for 8-32 and 6-32.


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## MTW (Aug 28, 2013)

3D Electric said:


> The reflex t has screw cutter for 8-32 and 6-32.


Yes, the premium version does. I have the basic Reflex strippers. I picked up about a dozen of them when they went on clearance for $5 at HD years ago. I still have about 6 or 7 brand new ones left. :thumbup:


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## Going_Commando (Oct 1, 2011)

nbb said:


> The ones that say Ideal on them.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


The Ideal Reflex T's definitely last waay longer than Klein curvy ones. My Reflex Ts are 3ish years old and still strip like a champ, when I was burning through Kleins every 6 months or so.


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## MTW (Aug 28, 2013)

Going_Commando said:


> The Ideal Reflex T's definitely last waay longer than Klein curvy ones. My Reflex Ts are 3ish years old and still strip like a champ, when I was burning through Kleins every 6 months or so.


I finally threw out a set of Reflex T's that were well over 6 years old. They still stripped fine but they kept seizing up at the locknut and I was sick of adjusting it and putting WD-40 on them. I'll see how long the Klein Kurve last.


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## GMD (Feb 1, 2015)

backstay said:


> I switched to Crocs.


I switched also, best strippers i have used, i also dont usually carry needlenose pliers anymore because they are almost as good. Only bad thing i can say is they dont lock closed very well.


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## zac (May 11, 2009)

daveEM said:


> Make sure you don't get the Milwaukee ones. Cutter is garbage so when you work hard like me changing a ballast it's a pain. Took them back.


Are those the one's that strip the jacket off the romex? Needle nose? 

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## Majewski (Jan 8, 2016)

I mostly use my yellow handle kleins that also strip romex sleeve. I have some blue handle kleins for smaller wore too. I have about 10 diff strippers with me at any given time but those are what I actually USE. The ideal ones are awesome also. DONT buy south wire. Those friggin suck.


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## MechanicalDVR (Dec 29, 2007)

I use these most often:


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## JBC1 (Dec 4, 2010)

If you can stomach the cost, this guy will never fail you-
https://www.amazon.com/Klein-Tools-J2078CR-All-Purpose-Crimper/dp/B016XE2CHA


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## MechanicalDVR (Dec 29, 2007)

JBC1 said:


> If you can stomach the cost, this guy will never fail you-
> https://www.amazon.com/Klein-Tools-J2078CR-All-Purpose-Crimper/dp/B016XE2CHA


Had'nt seen these yet but if they feel right in the hand they aren't that expensive. $30 buy it now on ebay. 

Klein Tools J207-8CR Journyman All-Purpose Pliers with Crimper - NEW!
Quantity:

1
3 available
$30.00
+ $6.80 Shipping
Buy


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## Wirenuting (Sep 12, 2010)

I have the pair without the crimper. I'm not impressed with the wire strippers built in. 
They just don't cut cleanly thru the insulation.


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## Majewski (Jan 8, 2016)

Mine didn't last in the pouch a full day. But some folks love em!


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## JBC1 (Dec 4, 2010)

Has anyone pulled trigger on these yet? They look pretty well built

https://www.milwaukeetool.com/hand-tools/pliers/48-22-3079


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## Majewski (Jan 8, 2016)

Nah, I think I read some iffy reviews on here though.


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## zac (May 11, 2009)

JBC1 said:


> Has anyone pulled trigger on these yet? They look pretty well built
> 
> https://www.milwaukeetool.com/hand-tools/pliers/48-22-3079


I have the ones that strip the romex jacket and have the needle nose head. I do a lot of service calls and this had been a good find

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## sburton224 (Feb 28, 2013)

JBC1 said:


> Has anyone pulled trigger on these yet? They look pretty well built
> 
> https://www.milwaukeetool.com/hand-tools/pliers/48-22-3079


Yes, they are much nicer than the first gen model. The stripper holes are very precise and sharp. I've been using them for a couple weeks now and have no complaints.


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## macmikeman (Jan 23, 2007)




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## Brownsfan (Jun 15, 2015)

These are my favorite. http://www.kleintools.com/catalog/k...e-wire-strippercutter-solid-and-stranded-wire


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## nbb (Jul 12, 2014)

macmikeman said:


>


These were my first strippers when I got into the trade. I had two pair, and removed the spring from them to compensate for no lock. When they got dull extremely fast, I thought it was just necessary to buy sharp strippers every 6 months. The Greenlee's I bought after them were very sharp until the day I lost them, at least 10 months. The Ideals after those lasted almost 2 years before I replaced hem with another set of Ideals.


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## navistar (Dec 27, 2009)

Another vote for ideal reflex, I'm an Electrician and I've been using then everyday for years


m04$Q3ZYOc1Fkt4


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## daveEM (Nov 18, 2012)

zac said:


> Are those the one's that strip the jacket off the romex? Needle nose?


Those are the first gen ones from a couple of years back, but yes the needle nose ones and NOT the ones that strip off romex.

They apparently have a 2nd gen out that does that or an other 2nd gen one similar to the ones I posted with the cutting part redesigned.

I'm going to look into them. Someone posted a link in this thread on the new ones.


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## yamatitan (Sep 4, 2010)

daveEM said:


> Those are the first gen ones from a couple of years back, but yes the needle nose ones and NOT the ones that strip off romex.
> 
> They apparently have a 2nd gen out that does that or an other 2nd gen one similar to the ones I posted with the cutting part redesigned.
> 
> I'm going to look into them. Someone posted a link in this thread on the new ones.


I have been using the new ones for a couple weeks. They strip and cut fantastic. They strip way better than the yellow/black handle journeyman needlenose/with crimper posted above which is what I came from. Im trying to stick with forged pliers since every stamped one ive tried (klein, crocs, ideals, greenlee, etc.) seem to bind up after a couple months. 

The only concern I have so far is ive rolled the edge on the cutters in a couple places. It hasnt hurt the performance yet but it looks like it should have. One time I was cutting coax which the kleins above handled just fine. Hopefully it is just a bad heat treat in the pair I have and not a widespread problem.


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## MTW (Aug 28, 2013)

Update: So the Klein 11054GLW's that I had turned out to be garbage. After only a few months of use, the shear cutters were getting dull and full of nicks in the blade and I wasn't even abusing them. I'm glad I only paid $10 for them on clearance. I switched back to my trusty Ideal Reflex T-Strippers that I've been using for the past 15+ years.

The only drawback to the Reflex strippers is that they do nick stranded wire more than I'm comfortable with. The Kleins were better in that regard since they slightly oversize the stripping holes, whereas the Ideal's are almost exactly the size of solid wire.


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## TheLivingBubba (Jul 23, 2015)

I have been doing a lot of 10 stranded so this have come out of the tool bag on to the belt. 

http://www.kleintools.com/catalog/klein-kurve/klein-kurve-wire-strippercutter-solid-stranded-wire

The 11055's were the most used before.


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## MechanicalDVR (Dec 29, 2007)

MTW said:


> Update: So the Klein 11054GLW's that I had turned out to be garbage. After only a few months of use, the shear cutters were getting dull and full of nicks in the blade and I wasn't even abusing them. I'm glad I only paid $10 for them on clearance. I switched back to my trusty Ideal Reflex T-Strippers that I've been using for the past 15+ years.
> 
> The only drawback to the Reflex strippers is that they do nick stranded wire more than I'm comfortable with. The Kleins were better in that regard since they slightly oversize the stripping holes, whereas the Ideal's are almost exactly the size of solid wire.


I'd send them back to Klein, clearance or not that's BS.


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## daveEM (Nov 18, 2012)

yamatitan said:


> I have been using the new ones for a couple weeks. They strip and cut fantastic.
> 
> The only concern I have so far is ive rolled the edge on the cutters in a couple places. It hasnt hurt the performance yet but it looks like it should have. One time I was cutting coax which the kleins above handled just fine. Hopefully it is just a bad heat treat in the pair I have and not a widespread problem.


I've also since picked up the new Milwaukee strippers. I'm thinking along your lines on the new shear. I better put them to work and test that out.

It would be a shame if they screwed up on the cutter twice in a row.


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## John Valdes (May 17, 2007)

Ideal every single time.


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## JBC1 (Dec 4, 2010)

Has anyone got these yet? Saw them at Depot for first time the other day

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Klein-Tools-Heavy-Duty-Wire-Stripper-K12055SEN/206964840


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## zac (May 11, 2009)

JBC1 said:


> Has anyone got these yet? Saw them at Depot for first time the other day
> 
> http://www.homedepot.com/p/Klein-Tools-Heavy-Duty-Wire-Stripper-K12055SEN/206964840


I did and I don't understand why except for being a combo needle nose plyers.
I want my stripers to be light.
I did buy the combo by milwaukee because they had the romex striper on them. After some use I will keep them in the van but they won't be my go 2s.

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## TGGT (Oct 28, 2012)

zac said:


> I did and I don't understand why except for being a combo needle nose plyers.
> I want my stripers to be light.
> I did buy the combo by milwaukee because they had the romex striper on them. After some use I will keep them in the van but they won't be my go 2s.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G930T using Tapatalk


I like that the nose looks robust enough to actually grab something with. I would consider picking them up. I was thinking I haven't been happy with my klein kurve strippers lately. I need to work them a bit on stranded, they don't have that satisfying "snip" when they cut through the insulation, like the holes are just a tad too large. I sometimes end up tearing the insulation off rather than sliding it off.


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## zac (May 11, 2009)

TGGT said:


> I like that the nose looks robust enough to actually grab something with. I would consider picking them up. I was thinking I haven't been happy with my klein kurve strippers lately. I need to work them a bit on stranded, they don't have that satisfying "snip" when they cut through the insulation, like the holes are just a tad too large. I sometimes end up tearing the insulation off rather than sliding it off.


yeah, I'm not a big fan of double clutching. 

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## Majewski (Jan 8, 2016)

The strippers in that link look like I'd throw them at a wall.


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## MechanicalDVR (Dec 29, 2007)

Majewski said:


> The strippers in that link look like I'd throw them at a wall.


Or through a wall!


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## Majewski (Jan 8, 2016)

Ya no kidding.


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## TGGT (Oct 28, 2012)

Ideal really the best bang for buck? I wonder if my old craftsman pro stripperd were rebranded ideals. They were perfect but the kleins went one gauge smaller and I've been doing a lot of 16 and 18 gauge lately.


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## Majewski (Jan 8, 2016)

That's why I carry the blue and yellow handle Klein strippers...


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## daks (Jan 16, 2013)

I have the 1st gen and second gen Milwaukee wire strippers, 
Had the Ideal reflex, klein curv and the straight handled ones, and Crocks. I lost the Crocks and gave the Ideals and Klein ones away. 

I like that I can combine needle nose and wire strippers, (My "General Purpose" belt is just over 20lbs now). And they seem to last and take way more of a beating than the stamped steel style strippers. I was too lazy to get my pocket pouch with the gen 1's in it but if memory serves after 2 years there are no nicks on the cutters. I just did not like the plastic lock and that little bit on the back of the cutter as shown in that picture above. Also had to glue one of the handle covers that came loose. Loved them otherwise. 

Gen 2's are great, much better lock, cutters are curved so they work better with stranded, strippers don't nick the wire (but since they are close tolerance you have to pull straight) , have the lanyard loops and seem very sturdy yet smooth at the pivot point. Not as comfortable to hold as the gen 1's or the Ideal reflex but not uncomfortable. 









Allot of crud on them so it's hard to tell, but the cutters are not rolled or nicked after 6+ months of use, I know I try not to use them to cut the aircraft cable, but I'm sure I have, at least a few times with the small diameter stuff and was surprised the cutter did not fail. 








And when you get the older wire with the insulation that seems glued to the copper, the sturdier cross section vs the stamped designs helps when pulling it off. Or the "tip grip spin and pull" on that old stuck insulation vs using your linesman's saves a couple seconds of a tool change.


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## MechanicalDVR (Dec 29, 2007)

daks said:


> I have the 1st gen and second gen Milwaukee wire strippers,
> Had the Ideal reflex, klein curv and the straight handled ones, and Crocks. I lost the Crocks and gave the Ideals and Klein ones away.
> 
> I like that I can combine needle nose and wire strippers, (My "General Purpose" belt is just over 20lbs now). And they seem to last and take way more of a beating than the stamped steel style strippers. I was too lazy to get my pocket pouch with the gen 1's in it but if memory serves after 2 years there are no nicks on the cutters. I just did not like the plastic lock and that little bit on the back of the cutter as shown in that picture above. Also had to glue one of the handle covers that came loose. Loved them otherwise.
> ...




Those look pretty good, nice review.


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## KelvinKlein (Jul 10, 2016)

That slight curve in the cutter makes it more of a shear, I bet it cuts a lot easier. 

Milwaukee seems to pay attention to complaints about their stuff and addresses it on the next generation. The first version of this product had a plastic locking mechanism which would break--now it's metal. Nice touch.


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## Majewski (Jan 8, 2016)

I grabbed a pair of those new kleins last night at hd, I promptly out them back down. Yuck lol.


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## MechanicalDVR (Dec 29, 2007)

KelvinKlein said:


> That slight curve in the cutter makes it more of a shear, I bet it cuts a lot easier.
> 
> Milwaukee seems to pay attention to complaints about their stuff and addresses it on the next generation. The first version of this product had a plastic locking mechanism which would break--now it's metal. Nice touch.


In one of threads here someone said they pulled the locking mechanism off as soon as they got it. Different strokes...


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## TGGT (Oct 28, 2012)

Picked up the ideal reflex at lowes. They work much better than the kleins but the cutting area is smaller. They're comfortable and do the job.


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