I was always a strip the sheath first kind of guy. Once you get used to it, it's not hard to make sure you've got enough sheath in the box. Never liked to see my guys use Stanley knives to strip the sheath either. Spent my share of time fixing "accidents" that occured when they did it. I was always partial to the cable ripper. Saftey first, then neatness (yes, neatness does count). Oh yeah, twist first; grounds down...