ECN Forum Forums General Topics of the Trade General Discussion Area Klein-Kurve™ Romex® Strippers

Ryan,

I was thinking exactly that.

I can usually strip an NM in about 5 seconds, maybe as little as 3, with my side cutters. Not that it's a competition but how fast are those things?

Thanks for the replies guys. I normally strip my romex with a dull utility knife as mentioned. I have seen the Romex cable ripper, but had no idea a tool like the KK 14-12 stripper existed. The thrust of my question was whether I could remove 6-8 inches of the sheath easier and quicker than with my knife and without damaging the conductors.

CTwireman... I take it you had exp. with both Ideal and Klein brand? If the Ideals are much better, I will give them a shot.

Its always nice to find an easier/better/quicker way to do a job.

I use the Klein tool and it works like a charm.
The sheath is removed prior to inserting the cable into the boxes.
BTW,
I don't want to start anything, but I believe the proper way to rough-in NM jobs is to remove the jacket before first.
That's the way it was done in the "old days", before production-line housing, and the tools that are designed and engineered to remove the sheath without damaging the insulation require it be done that way.
I regularly see insulation damaged by the practice of sticking the cable into the box first and then reaching in with a utility knife to score it. It's difficult to control the depth of the knife to insure that the insulation isn't slit, and very hard to examine the insulation to check it.

Craftsman makes an identical stripper to the Klein, for 14-2 and 12-2. They are so close, I believe that Klein makes them for Sears.

In my experience, the jacket stripper works quite well, and then there are the individual holes for the 12 and 14 single conductors. They also have a cutter.

Utility knives used carefully are fine, but I believe in the concept of specific tools for specific tasks, like using a screwdriver to turn screws, not for prying or chiseling. Etc.

I believe the Romex/NM strippers work well.

Sandro,


Yes, I owned two pairs of the Kleins and while they were good, I was not thrilled with them. So I tried out the Ideal and I think it's superior.

I have always found Ideal strippers (of all types) to be the best on the market by far.

Buy a couple pair... I LOVE mine. much better IMHO than cable rippers or knives. I didn't like the lock on the handle, though, so I removed mine. I'm able to prep 3-5 cables in the same amount of time as someone with a cable ripper.

I think they are great, I don't know what I did with out them. Especially if you are in an attic and want to cut into a hot circuit but know what cirauit it is. I use the strippers to score it then pull on both sides of the sheath and then you can cut one wire at a time

AinSophAur,


It sounds like you have a death wish.

Peter D.

I have a pair of these. If you're doing remodel beware of using these on old NM such as Anaconda "dutrax" vintage 1960.
If you're not careful they will go through the inner insulation because it is the thicker TW. Even if you get it right it's still hard to pull off the sheath because of the old filler.
Don't even try using them on the old cloth impregnated stuff.

AinSophAur,

quote:
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Especially if you are in an attic and want to cut into a hot circuit but know what cirauit it is.
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YIKES!
Do yourself a favor and get one of these!
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