Ideal Industries Best Price Square Stripper, Wire, Capacity 22AWG 45-417 by

First let me just say these are great strippers. I love ideal. Make sure you read the title and not just look at the picture of them. Thought I was getting larger gauge strippers and these are just for control wire.

There are plenty of wire strippers for 14 gauge and higher wires out there that are great but there really aren’t that many for stripping smaller gauge wire. I have a set of these from 20 years ago and wanted to get another just in case I lost those as they are my favorite. These are the same and just as good in every way except the handles are yellow instead of the red like my original pair. I prefer the Ideal over the Klein or any other brand I’ve ever seen. These are excellent tools that I expect will last me as long as the originals or more and now I have a spare!

For such a fine machined tool, the jaws open too wide for fine (small gauge) wires. They open wide enough to cut 00 gauge wire with the cutters. Very sharp blades for cutting the smaller gauge wire though. Good I have large hands, if you don't you will struggle to close the handles. No stop, so they sit taking up 3* the space they should for storage.

The strippers slots were not in order. I'm an electrical contractor and that bothered me

Electrician by trade, I like the curve handle makes easier to hold and strip. I go thru about 3 pair a year due to cutting the steel pull cable in belden. Copper cutter not steel but easier to just use these and replace as needed.