Personally I like the stripping tool to leave insulation on the cable so that you can quickly twist the multi core wires with the insulation on! Making it perfect for solder applications!

I really like, when they don't strip fully. In industrial environments you often have steel grating tiles as floor, where the striped part of the wire trends to drop down a few floors. Another lovely thing, you can strip all wires at once and add ferrules in the next step. Depends on the application.

Not pulling the wire all the way off is a feature of the 12-62-180. That way, you can create gaps in the insulation for splicing, or you can twist the insulation, as you pull it off, making for a neatly twisted wire, ready for tinning.

Just the exact comparison I was looking for, thanks.

There is an adjustment to set cutters. Insulation should be left on till ready to use to keep from fraying.

Weicon No. 5 is awesome! Even 30 AWG wrapping wire strips perfectly. Thanks for this test. I have tried many of these tools but this is the best I've seen so far.

Prior to watching your video I purchased the Knipex 12 62 180 and had the same experience (not good). I will now look to purchasing Weicon. Thanks

Leaving the insulation on the wire is totally fine, if anything it protects the strands of the wire from fraying until you are ready to solder or crimp. It would be interesting to see which one performs better with high-performance wire (e.g. spec44 or spec55 wire).

Having experienced similar issues with the very well-regarded Weidmüller Stripax with very thin and/or slippery wire, I can give one bit of information (which other comments have said as well): the speed at which you squeeze the handles makes a big difference. I’d be curious to see the results if you squeeze faster, as you did it slightly slowly. Also, it doesn’t help that in your ribbon cables, the wires are bent from separating them. It helps a little bit to straighten them out before stripping. (That also helps prevent nicking the conductor.) For sure, though, it looks like Knipex is erring on the side of being gentle on the conductors. 8:15 - About terminology: "braid" means “Geflecht”, and so is mostly relevant to shielding. Being one of multiple, I’d say “conductor” here. Having had to deal with this very terminology topic recently, here the correct German->English translations for the electronics context, with explanations to ensure no confusion (and educate others who might not know): Ader = conductor = a single electrical carrier (whether a wire, PCB trace, bus bar, etc.) Einzeldraht = strand = a single solid wire specifically *when describing the construction of a conductor* Draht = solid wire (1) = a single conductor composed of a single strand Litze = stranded wire (1) = a single conductor composed of multiple strands HF-Litze = litz wire = specialty stranded wire composed of many individually lacquer-insulated strands that are electrically joined to a single conductor at each end Kabel = cable = 2 or more conductors, mechanically bundled in some way (in electronics, “cable” is generally reserved to mean 2 or more conductors that are electrically insulated from each other) Isolierung = insulation = the nonconductive layer around a single conductor (2) Mantel = jacket = the additional nonconductive layer around a bundle of insulated wires, forming a cable Schirm = shield (AKA screen) = a conductive layer added around a wire or cable to provide protection against electromagnetic interference Flachbandkabel = ribbon cable = multiple individually-insulated wires joined into a cable as a flat ribbon Folienkabel = flat flex cable (AKA flexible flat cable, FFC) = a type of ribbon cable *with flat conductors* within a plastic tape Abisolieren = (wire) stripping = removing insulation from a wire Abmanteln = jacket (or cable) stripping = removing jacket from cable “Sheath” is a word that is unfortunately used variably to mean a jacket, shield, or an extra layer on a cable to provide more mechanical protection. It’s essential to investigate what is meant when you encounter it, if it’s not absolutely clear from context. The above is the most common usage. No doubt there are exceptions, of course. (1) In English, “wire” is the umbrella term for all kinds of wire, and does not suggest any specific construction. (2) In English, “isolation” has more of the connotation of the _concept_ of separation, even if just accomplished passively by keeping distance, while “insulation” means the material _added specifically_ to stop electrical, thermal, or acoustic energy from moving. So in English we can say that electrical _isolation_ can be accomplished by the use of electrical _insulators_ .

I was keen to get these... Now I think I'll go with the Knipex 12 40 200 Self-Adjusting Insulation Strippers. Thanks for the video.

Still very useful comparison, thank you. Just ordered Weicon5 stripper, will see how it works.

One interesting note about Knipex 12 62 180 tool is that they now added an adjustment slider above the jaws of the tool. Unfortunately, there is no documentation about it on the website.

I am a harness technician and I'm trying to figure out the best tool to get for the price because most of my cuts are between 3 and 5 mm millimeters. I've been trying to find a video but with no luck normally the cuts that are showing on video are like 10 mm

Great video - well done!

I had the smaller Knipex, but the gauge range wasn't enough, so I swapped it out for a Multistrip10. An expensive tool, but you get what you pay for.

The Weicon No. 5 is the same tool as a Gedore 8087, i never touched that tool after i tried the Gedore 8146. strips even silicon and wires up to 16mm. i'm professionally using this tool for about 12years now, and didn't even had to replace the blades.

I took this advice and bought a weicon. Only cost me 17.69 US and got here from Europe in 10 days... it really is a great tool! It just works.

Im looking for a wire stripper that can manage finest wires in very confined space. Does such a tool exist? A tweezer type wire stripper would be so cool

Good job, man! I was a little hesitant to buy the cheapest real stripper. Now I ll stick to weicon.

Really interesting to see these results. I just got a MultiStrip 10, and it perfectly stripped every wire I've tried - silicone insulated (0.14, 0.33, 0.75, 1.5, 2.5 mm2), teflon insulated (0.05, 0.15, 0.38 mm2) and PVC (0.75 mm2). Perhaps the one you got has some quality control issue? Or try switching hands? :)

for instance, on that very small wire the cheapest, the smaller weicon is always going to perform better, I bet they would struggle if you tried to strip some 6mmsq?

I’ve experienced the same problem on the Knipex 12-42-195. Rather disappointing! Recently I’ve tried to turn the blade “upside down” (even though it look identical on both sides). This seems to have helped, but I’m still to test it out in more situations. Can anyone else confirm if this solves the problem for you?

Yo también creo que es mejor de todos. Lo tengo hace tiempo y es impresionante lo bien 👍 que va.

The Pressmaster Embla wire strippers are similar to the Knipex, but have a fine adjustment for insulation thickness.

I have just perchaced that blue one but it is branded as S&R, and it's a superb stripping tool and it cost me £15.00 from amazon

Precistrip 16 with regulation wheel are superior. They dont have problem with tiny cables and leave insulation on cable so you can twist it if you want.

Por qué no has probado con cables más gruesos? Al menos el knipex llega hasta 10mm², me gustaría ver a los 3 con cables de 10mm².

Hi there, I wonder if you can answer a question for me. Can the Weicon #5 strip dual insulation? Some cables have an outer insulation with the wires inside having their own individual insulation. Thank you in advance.

First Knipex was updated with version with pressure regulation slider. Second one has two brothers 12 40 200 and 12 52 195 - both also with pressure regulation wheels. Those regulators are a game changers for thin cables (electronics stuff). Im also looking for good striper for thin cables and despite that Weicon is more affordable and suitable for hobbyst as me, i would rather pay a little bit more for more flexible solution like first one with slider. But yeah, those basic one you showed should be advertised for electric use not electronic.

Thanks for the review Dennis, it was very useful. My elderly Radiospares strippers don’t do so well on thin wires so I ordered your winning strippers. In the U.K. they are available from Amazon and also Rapid Electronics. The cost from Amazon is about £21 including postage from Rapid, I suspect buying direct from Rapid might be cheaper.

I got a pair of 12-62-180 Knipex wire strippers, and mine have a strength adjustment on the upper jaw. Yours seem to not have it. I'm curious if this was added along the way.

I'm cutting cat5e it's also pulling out some of the copper

For a multi stranded wire, the best stripping tools are the ones that has a strength knob, always.

why didn't you test them all on some larger cable diameter also? the wire is very small and the larger knipex tool is good for up to 10mmsq? In my experience with any of these cable strippers generally they work best just inside both the upper and lower limits and generally quite poorly at each limit

Thanks for the video. It looks like the "slippery' wire has PTFE (Teflon) insulation and it is coating the jaws of the wire stripper, hurting performance on subsequent tests...

The cutter on the new weicon is not on the safe side for live works. If you are cutting live wire, i prefer the cutter to be on top side so that it wont fall on to your hands after cutting. perhaps Weicon should come up with less plastics at jaw of this tool.

You have to be carefull not get cutted isolation material stuck in front of the bottom blade slider, otherwise the to blades are not centered and you won´t get a good cut. It is really hard to see on the video if there is something stuck, but that could caused the problem on the expensive knipex.

can you do an example on how small you can get the cut in millimeters?

I have experience with both Knipex wirestrippers. They are both no good. After some time they won't apply enought pressure. Everyone in the company I work for is avoiding the Knipex. The Jokari Super 4 plus is good for bigger wires ( >= 0,5mm²), there it does a decent job. For smaller diameter I use those Jokari Micro-strippers. My best experience is with Weidmüller automatic wirestrippers. I have one of my own and it is doing great work for over 15 years now.

I suspect that the insulation remaining on the wire is an intentional feature of the tool.

If I am stripping a large number of wires from ribbon cable I find the cheaper knipex leaving a sleeve of insulation on the wires useful. I strip all the wires first and then pull off the insulation just prior to fitting and soldering each wire. Less messy. Thanks for the usual quality video BTW.

Who cares if the jacket doesn't come out completely. As a matter of fact, I like this because I can more easily twist the wires if needed. I wouldn't consider this a con.

The Weicon No.5 Automatic Wire Stripper does not seem to be available in the United States. At least not under that name. Does anyone know if the same tool is available to those of us in the USA perhaps under a different brand name?

Availability of the Weicon No. 5 for customers outside of Germany: Our European shop: www.ak-modul-bus.de/stat/automatik_abisolierzange_weicon_no_5.html or for customers outside of Europe our international shop: www.ak-modul-bus.de/cgi-bin/eng/iboshop.cgi?showd1010!15,376848189978378,ZANGE4 Further supply sources down in the comments

I bought the Weicon No.5 based on this review and have to say that it is the nicest wire stripper that I have ever used. Even though it is only rated down to 28AWG, it strips 30AWG with no visible damage to the copper. Cutting the insulation on 4 sides makes for an excellent and low effort tool. Would 100% recommend!

You were setting the wire further in with the cheaper Knipex.

The bigger ones just seam like the jaws don't close enough for small wires. If there isn't any adjustment to increase the pressure or close them more it just might not be designed for it.

Hi Dennis, I bought a Knipex 12 42 195 recently, and i was rather disapointed ☹️ I had the same kind of problems you are showing in your video. In my opinion, the cutter lacks an "insulation thickness" adjustement, like on other similar stripping pliers... I did not expect this from Knipex, wich has a top quality tools collection. This one is an exception. Thanks for sharing, Eddy.

👍

whit the most expensive knipex stripper you need to release the handle faster but i don't recomand it its too expensive fore personal use i have it fore work.

i have both knipex strippers and they do not work on fine wires. I also have Knipex 12 40 299 which is more suited for fine wires as the jaw can be adjusted.

I like how the blue ones look the best out of them all anyways.

The expensive Knipex also doesn’t look very ergonomic to hold/use compared to the Weicon.

Cuanto cuesta en el salvador

Thanks to You I saved a lot of money. I was going to buy this crap..

70€? 130€ here on Finland...

Knipex 😍😍😍😍😍

Exactly my personal experience!You think Knipex is the best,but no!

So Have you've changed your mind about KNIPEX? you used to think KNIPEX is superior than Weicon no5 ?

Always heard good things about knipex products but since I don't use wire cutters in a professional setting my cheap strippers will have to do, would be nice to win the lottery and have some of the tools this channel demonstrates.

A third rate sleight of hand but seems to fool some

IN-sulation, not I-solation

I've got the Knipex 12 62 180, and it's no good... Just doesn't work more than half of the time... I would recommend the Jokari Super 4 Plus instead, also it's about half the price, just €14 on Amazon. I've got the adjustable 12 62 180, it has a slide to adjust the thickness of the wire, your model doesn't have that I see. (not that it matters, this doesn't work either)

objective real-life test, no brand loyalty, "proof is in the pudding" 👍

Great video and that's my point, these companies inflate the price and they assume that consumers are stupid enough to buy these expensive cable strippers, no point investing in expensive tools which to ne honest in the modern world and high quality engineering you can do the same with reasonably priced cheaper tools. What a joke from Knipex!

Is because your Left Handed?

Crazy price for so much plastic. But then we are used to Chinese crap with no research and development premium because they can just copy