Purchasing Resources for Wire Stripper

Wire Stripper Key Terms

Wire stripper key terms help make the various types recognizable and easy to use
By Heidi Crossman Some people had an upbringing that taught them what wire strippers are and how to recognize different tools before they were strong enough to even use them. The rest of the world's handymen, electricians, cord pullers and do-it-yourselfers benefit from a little coaching on the tool. These wire stripper key terms provide a start to understanding the specifics of the tool and the main aspects of the different types of wire strippers available. One of the benefits of this information is coming to know the best application for each type of wire stripper.

Thermal wire stripper

A thermal wire stripper uses heat to score and separate the insulation from the wire. The heat ensures a clean cut of the plastic outer coating.
Try:  Coastel Cable Tools not only explains what a thermal wire stripper is, but it also shows photo examples of the tool.

Terminal crimping

Some wire strippers come with a terminal crimping feature. Crimping takes the wire and attaches it to necessary connectors at a terminal site.
Try:  At CableWholesale.com, you can see a wire stripper with terminal crimping included. To learn more about crimping, visit Molex.

Electric wire stripper

The electric wire stripper is a portable, electric device that quickly and effortlessly removes the casing from the wire.
Try:  Major Electronix describes the electric wire stripper and has an online video demonstration of the product.

Self-adjusting wire stripper

The self-adjusting wire stripper quickly removes the insulation from wire by adapting to the size of the wire that the head closes around instead of the operator having to line up the wire with the appropriately sized hole as with traditional wire strippers.
Try:  WebWorld explains the self-adjusting wire stripper and even includes video and photo tutorials of the product.

Coaxial wire stripper

Coaxial wire strippers can strip television, cable and telephone wires.
Try:  Lashen Electronics tells about the coaxial wire stripper. TechTarget shows the makeup of a coaxial wire and the parts that the stripper can remove.

American Wire Gauge, AWG, Brown and Sharpe, BS

Wire strippers reference the American Wire Gauge, or AWG, system. Also known as Brown and Sharpe (BS) wire gauge, this system tells the thickness of wire.
Try:  CableOrganizer.com tells about the American Wire Gauge system. Popular Mechanics details the use of wire strippers in correlation with the AWG.

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