Thinkgood:
In response to your question about the purple AL/CU wire nuts: I have used them with great success.
One inspector even commented to the home owner that it was rare that an EC knew about them, much less used them.
The drawback is cost - about a dollar apiece, versus pennies. This is why most don't use these.
On a separate note, was in an attic over the weekend to fix some flying splices made 8 odd years ago by a homeowner. They had removed a wall and thrown the extra wire into the attic. The splices were twisted and bare - that's right, no wire nuts or even tape. They were all live and in use. Sorry I didn't have a camera with me.
