Some mini pliers have spring-action handles, others don’t. The same goes with electrical tools. Many wire strippers, for example, have springs that help reduce the effort to open the jaws after an operation. Others, like the Klein wire stripper and crimper multi-tool we posted about yesterday, do not have springs.
A lot of the time, springs are also removable or bypassable, for users who don’t want spring-assisted spreading of the handles.
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Generally, I do like spring-action handles, at least on smaller tools, and definitely on wire strippers. I had a 2-piece set of Craftsman spring-action pliers once, and I just didn’t like them. There was no lock, and the spring spread the handles too wide for my liking.
The downside to spring-action pliers is that they need locks, otherwise they spread open in a tool pouch, bag, or drawer. Without a lock, the tools would take up more space, and could be a little harder to retrieve quickly. Locks must be opened and closed before and after using a tool, but it’s not usually a hassle.
Smaller tools seem to be exempt from this. Because of the small handle size and opening width, smaller tools don’t usually need or feature spring locks.
Except for the one Craftsman example I shared, I’ve never had a problem with springs getting in the way. All other times, I either appreciate the feature, or it blends into the background and I don’t even think about.
There’s only one tool that I take the spring out for, and that’s my Stanley pop rivet tool, and only when putting it away. Since there’s no lock on that particular tool, I take the spring out so that it takes up less space in a drawer.
How do you feel about spring-action pliers, cutters, strippers, and other such tools?
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Ken
I’m mostly neutral to them. I really dislike tools with springs that don’t have a lock though.
csroc
It depends. I definitely prefer they have a lock.
I can’t recall how much I’ve got with a spring, but both my general purpose house scissors and heavier duty scissors have springs and I love them for it.
James Madara
I bought the Milwaukee Wire strippers and they are the best I’ve ever used.
https://smile.amazon.com/Milwaukee-48-22-3079-Combination-Stripping-Electricians/dp/B005G111FQ/
Jeremiah
I totally agree,. I got some Klein curves a few years ago then got the Milwaukee strippers about a year ago. I don’t even know where the Klein’s are now.
satch
I think you mentioned the most important part; the lock. It it is effective and eady to use then itmis okay on things like strippers. I have had a few that were a pain to manipulate and you find hourdelf using them less and less.
jason gloekler
I use Greenlee strippers with a spring and they are just right. I also have Irwin strippers without a spring and like those as well. Both feel good in my hands and are ergonomic. Never really spent time thinking about it though.
Wayne R.
I really hate the spring-loaded tools that are in a tool bag sprung open. So, they not only need an effective lock, but one that’s also not a PITA to put to use, either in locking or unlocking.
The tools with a spring that can be disabled (sans lock, usually by swinging the spring into a neutral position) are pretty good too – and sometimes preferred, though they’re all too rare.
fred
I like the kind where you can fold-up the spring out of the way. I know that that sort of design cant work on all sorts of cutter and pliers – but I’m happy when they do.
I’ve posted before about one of my favorite scissors that uses this design:
https://www.amazon.com/ALLEX-Super-scissors-Stainless-Scissors/dp/B001M0E5YO/
Lots of hand pruners use a different sort of spring:
https://www.amazon.com/Felco-F-2-Classic-Manual-Pruner/dp/B00023RYS6/
I can’t imagine using a hand pruner that did not have a spring.
Farid
I wonder why volute springs seem to be exclusive to hand pruners?
fred
Thanks Farid
I had not thought about that – and your right that you see that style on most hand pruners. Maybe its just tradition – or maybe the volute ends up smaller when compressed than they would get from a coil spring. Another possibility is that a volute spring is less likely to get clogged with cut plant material. When I looked on Wikipedia just now – I learned a new word.
Here’s an excerpt from Wikipedia referring to volute springs:
” Such springs can frequently be found as a component of garden secateurs.”
Maybe my wife – a trained arborist – would have known that what I’ve been calling “hand pruners” are really “secateurs”.
Farid
“secateurs”: That’s a word I’ll never remember, and most likely never use again (:D
Alex
Funny. That’s the way we call them in french in Quebec. Would have never thought it was a word in english too 🙂
Farid
I learned something new today. it’s a french word. My french teacher would have given me a rap across the knuckles with the edge of her ruler for forgetting ! I don’t miss those days.
raoul
I’ve been familiar with them a long time as the we’re found on some old European bike tools like Var. I see they still make a spoke cutter with the volute. I always thought it was a way to get a spring sprung without popping out. They kind of form an arc and if there was a regular coil spring in place it would pop out sideways.
Farid
That is a really good point, Raoul. Thank you for clarifying.
Flaken
Knipex tools have the volute spring. Problem with the coil type spring on many tools is that they can be lost easily and replacements can be hard to find.
Chris
I like it on mini pliers. But regular size pliers I don’t find I need it
William Butler
I’m curious as to the general principal on which tools have springs and which don’t.
Hang Fire
Tools used in repetitive actions, such as an electrician performing the same strip, bend, and twist actions over and over, all day long while wiring new construction, tend to have springs to speed up the process. The momentary savings of not having to pull the pliers open with the other hands has a few second savings that repeats itself many times.
Tools that would create safety issues if opening when not desired, tools for more occasional or momentary use, usually don’t have springs.
Diamond Dave
Good comments! Pruner without a spring…yeah, that would be impossible! My sediments mirror those already stated. Nice to have a spring lock, problems fitting into a tool bag, etc. Unfortunately it is 6 one way and 1/2 dozen the other. I have wire cutters with and without and I suppose they would have to have some bracket welded to the handle for a spring lock but then many wouldn’t like the locking tab always dangling. My favorite pruners have this but it always seems to lock itself when I use it. Thought about cutting the locking tab off but then would be a pain to store the tool (and dangerous) with the blade extended in my tool box drawer.
Redcastle
No place for this type of tool in an everyday user toolkit for an electrician, maybe for electronics, I have seen this in DIY kits.
Corey
I’m an electrician and I’ve used short handled spring assisted locking strippers since I found them. Left Klein’s yellows and reds for lack of a lock and threw away my Milwaukee combo things for being so cumbersome. I’m also not a fan of the curved handles, though I gather I’m in the minority there lol I’ve still got several sets of various brands of strippers but all my regularly used sets have an easy thumb swing lock and a spring. Bluepoint PWC 6 are my favorite and almost always in my pocket.
Frank D
Not for electricians … lol …
Redcastle
The only place I have seen this type of “tool” is in those kits little corner shops sell along with two screwdrivers so people can play with their electrical installations which given that in the UK we have 240v as standard is a more dangerous game.
Before making asinine comments you might want to consider why someone has said something. For instance my father is an electrical engineer, our family business was one of the original members of the trade association for the electrical industry in the UK and was the first electrical firm to be invited to join (You used to have to be invited) the Federation of Master Builders, I wired my first house solo at fourteen, my youngest brother has been trained to the point where he would be the lead to decommision nuclear power stations, we have over the years employed hundreds of electricians and if we saw them with a tool like that they would be working elsewhere.
Now if you have a reasoned and coherent response to my comment and why you disagree with it rather than just some stupid “retort” otherwise leave comments to the grown ups.
The post asked yay or nay on this type of tool, my point was unless you are either working in electronics where dinky tools work or are playing at working in electrics then it is a non sequitur as it should not be in you toolkit.
TonyT
Well, there are plenty of electronics and low voltage / low power tool users around, so maybe these types of tools aren’t available at building trade stores, but they’re widely available at reputable stores for those of use who need them (heck, I need 30 AWG wire strippers!)
I will freely admit I stick to low voltage & low power, avoiding 3 phase 480V and such, although in the past I have used such systems, megawatt generators, 1000A breakers, etc.
My grandfather, however, did much more impressive work – he dealt with 1000’s of Amps at 220KV (he was an electrician for hydroelectric dams), wired the lights for the second Tacoma Narrows suspension bridge, and had a well earned CHK (college of hard knocks) degree.
Redcastle
Tony
Thank you for your comment which supports my contention that these tools are not for everyday electricians but for electronics, low voltage and hobbyist use when you are working with 240v and higher you want excellent insulation and quillions to stop your hand coming into contact with a power source.
I regularly get corrected on this site (usually by Fred) and it is always done with fact and humour, an empty jeer is the opposite and that is what I objected to.
TonyT
Yeah, high voltage / high power is a different world. I’ve seen someone get a 450V zap, and it wasn’t pretty (but he survived).
I normally wouldn’t strip live wires, and I’ve seen enough (and caused enough) problems working on live equipment that it’s best avoided if at all possible, even at low voltages.
BTW, what is considered low voltage varies. Last time we went through safety cert, the regulations considered <60V low, but also considered the amount of power. An earlier employee used <30V, working on anything over that live required a safety person with a rope attached to the worker so they could be yanked away if needed.
Redcastle
Tony
When they installed the supply head in my home over a hundred years ago they put in a three phase supply which means I can run 480v machinery here should I choose to do so which I do not.
I asked my brother (the one ticketed to work on nuclear power stations) what was the most frightening part of his job (he was on secondment to the grid company at the time hence power stations) and he said it was running the crews working on the underground mains supplies (electricity in London is subterranean) particularly when one of the “diggers” put the bit on his breaker gun through an HT supply and disappeared in a sheet of light.
I have had people tell me that 12v is not low voltage on the grounds that a shock from a car battery can kill you.
TonyT
What I learned was that current kills, not voltage — but of course, a higher voltage causes higher current for a given resistance.
The rule of thumb I learned:
1mA -you feel it
10mA – can’t let loose / lose motor action
100mA – dead
If you assume a wet person has 300 Ohm resistance x 100mA = 30V. Different assumptions lead to different results.
BTW, at work our original building had 480V 3 phase, but was only used for the chillers, everything else was on a transformer. New building has only 208V 3 phase, but it’s enough for us. I’ve never heard of a home having 480V; here even many commercial buildings aren’t wired for it, and I’ve heard it’s a long, painful process to get it changed.
fred
@ Redcastle
Being more of a plumber at heart than an electrician I’m not sure if European electricians take 240V more seriously than US ones take working on nominal 110V. I recall that we had some safety posters that had a slogan “Don’t take Route 110 to the grave” to warn folks about working on live circuits.
I also recall visiting a jobsite that we were working on that was next to a fenced-in switching yard. One of my guys asked if I knew what some of the “pipes” he saw up in the air in the switch yard were. I inquired of one of the Utility guys I saw and was told that they were not pipes – but bus bar – not carrying water – but electricity at 345,000 Volts. I don’t think that insulation on pliers would help you if you touched that – hence the double fence – razor wire and warning signs to stay away.
Stuart
Redcastle, about this part – “I have had people tell me that 12v is not low voltage on the grounds that a shock from a car battery can kill you.”
Yep – it’s the current that kills you. I’ve gotten zapped by extremely high voltage before, but it was such a small current that it only made me jump.
TonyT
My recollection, though, is that 12V isn’t enough to kill because the body’s resistance, even when wet, is too high. 12V could cause loss of motor control, and could cause problems via other means – I have no doubt that a shorted 12V car battery is very dangerous, and I’ve melted a multi-meter tips “using” a 24V unregulated motor power supply (I was trying to measure current and had the meter, which survived, hooked up wrong)
Redcastle
Stuart
Yes you are correct about the current v the voltage, my father had an old Megger hand wound meter which would give you a mild shock and make your hair stand on end like a Van Der Graff generator while registering huge voltages when you are seven it goes down a storm at parties.
Fred
Yes 110v with sufficient current can kill you but in Europe the 240v is married to much higher amperages, I always have to mentally adjust than people on Toolguyd start talking about special supplies and breakers tripping when they turn on a tool. Unless you are talking about industrial three phase machines (and for me that is not an issue) domestic circuits for power in the UK at least run 30 – 45 amps.
You are correct there are idiots everywhere (my post on the Makita abrasive wheel tells of one) however all things being equal you are more likely to be killed in a 240v 30 amp environment than a 110v 15 amp one.
With regard to the busbar that was the sort of power that “vanished” the person working for my brother when he hit it with the breaker bit and they run under pretty much every street in London.
Tony T
You mention at 10ma you cannot let loose power supplies over here are A.C. and from personal experience if you catch a belt as is said you will find yourself flying literally across the room.
I have when I have had to worked live and the guiding principle is the same as for porcupines when they are making love you do it carefully, that is however a young man’s game which I am not anymore so chicken that I am I have a pair of all synthetic pliers I would use if I had to it now.
I had a young man working in one of my teams when I was a banker and until I met him I had not truly understood the expression sick with worry but this was exactly what was wrong with him. I asked him the problem and he said he was concerned as he had to give evidence and he thought he might lose his job, I talked it through with him and said I am sure it will be OK but he was still upset, then I said to him I used to have a job where every day I could either kill myself or someone else if I made a mistake and that no matter what happened with the enquiry that was not going to happen to him. He came to see me the next day and said he was still worried but he could handle it and he was happy to have a job without the risks I had described.
Corey
While I get your contention with the comment, I’ll defend my point that these are more common than you seem to think within the trade. I’m an industrial electrician, and source the strippers I named from the snap-on truck for both their amazing longevity at holding an edge, and the free for life warranty they came with. They’re sized 10-24 so obviously when I’m on bigger cables I’m using the other tools I’m sure you’re familiar with, but for trim out and control stuff I also frequent, the spring and lock short handles are my favorite and are all over the mines I work, in various brands and feature sets.
Frank D
And the subject was? … spring action wire strippers and pliers, with a picture of a basic low voltage wire stripper.
The basic ones in various gauges and the different self adjusting spring ones absolutely have their place and are seen all around toolbags in the US, because they’re simple, reliable and just work.
They sure beat the various snap-off knives I saw a couple electricians use to strip wires, while growing up in Europe, when they were doing electrical work.
Vastly more trades people deal with commercial and residential low voltage and 120v – 240v installs and repairs than those employed in power generation.
Even in the European tool brands I have yet to come anything vastly different. The premium ones are insulated and thus a bit safer. Personally, I don’t think the old school industrial dual V strippers are as practical or as versatile.
So, I’m genuinely curious what would be mandated for a standard electrician these days, let alone that someone would be fired for having a basic wire stripper for a small low voltage wiring task when it comes around.
I am not talking industrial, nuclear, aviation, military or aerospace where insulated industrial grade / bespoke single task tools in a controlled environment are the norm.
Stuart
Would a different photo have made a difference?
Redcastle
Corey
My brother was the one trained to deal with power stations the family business did commercial, industrial and domestic work, the use of knives to strip cable goes back to the days when there were only pliers and it is a long time ago, as I said tools such as the ones pictured are not used in my experience by everyday users the nearest would be a crimping tool for putting lightweight lugs on the end of cables.
Redcastle
Frank D
Thank you for a more measured response to my original post.
With regards to the picture not matching the topic take a look at the debate on the Makita battery powered abrasive saw to see how descriptions are important, I am surprised Stuart did not recognise this in his response to you which was both unhelpful and unpleasant I am not being funny the commenters on this website tend to be well informed, passionate and let us be frank overly detailed so a misleading picture or words can cause a lot of unnecessary heat.
Electricians tend to be the highest paid trade on a jobsite and there is always a wannabe element one of the fastest ways to identify them is they will not have the correct tools ( correct being those considered appropriate in the location they are in) given the inherent danger in a bad electrical installation it is important they are weeded out.
Frank D
Stuart,
The photo was/is not an issue for me personally.
Somebody else may have struggled with it, expressing that no electrician should ever own such a tool, causing my off the cuff comment …
One could further inject a healthy dose of real world reality, practicality and value of non insulated tools for mainstream basic electrical tasks where there is no voltage present … in reply to notions that it is not a tool, only sold in little corner shops, industrial family accolades, etc
But suffice it to say.
Spring action hand tools, if it is an option, because things get done more efficiently with single hand operation.
I have a set of industrial double V strippers, rusting away in a drawer somewhere on a family property. Always have to check the adjustment, can’t just jump from one gauge to another because there’s no presets.
Lost my self adjusting wire strippers and have not replaced them because they struggled between different brands, gauges, …
The half dozen spring action combination ones in various gauges and shapes work a treat. No adjustments to worry about. Always ready to go.
satch
Actually, these are used daily in the electrical trades but only on unenergised conductors. I am unsure if our OSHA regs are diffefent to the UK but by 99.9% of safety rules, codes, ploicies in the States the allowable level of current flowing in any conductor or devise you are working on is zero. It does not mean every fool with hand tools does obey them.
Typically our lockout tagout procedure at work says no live or ‘hot’ work is allowable without written authorisation and at that when life or limb depended upon it. Even then, we were rquired to don ppe rated for the voltage being worked around at the time. What I mean was if you needed to rewire a disconnect switch or breakers, you suited up, verifed lack of voltage with a proper multimeter, and then proceeded to work on it. The 1000 VDE rated tools(including properly insulated models of wire strippers)were to be used in case of unexpected energising of a devise or circuit. Not as an insulator in normal circumstances of maintenance. And yes, I have worked on live 208/120 and 480/277 3 phase on more than one occasion. It was rarely absolutely necessary but occasions do arise. I think it may be a case of one type of tool being popular in one part if the world and not in another.
As an aside, I was wondering what the most popular style of wire stripper is in the UK? I have seen the Knipex models thst are made of firged steel like their other long nose pliers and has an adjustment wheel on the side of the jaws to set the cutters to orooer gauge. Are they fifpddly to set? Thanjs. Always interesting to discover methods from other regions.
satch
Goodness, fumble finger typing.
I meant to say adjuster screw for proper gauge. And are they fiddly to set. Sorry for the typos.
Redcastle
Satch
I failed to answer you question no it is not fiddly to set.
Redcastle
Satch
Knipex are probably the market leaders at this time and their tools are great as is their customer service, I was at their stand at a trade show a couple of years ago and mentioned that I had managed to break a pair of their pliers, the Knipex rep instantly telephoned my local stockist and said I would be calling in for a replacement which would be free of charge. Given that the pliers were at least five years old and I had thrown them away that was above and beyond.
As part of the old and bold conversation I had when I was learning we were always told to treat a cable as if it was live unless there was no circumstance in which it could be, lesson driven home to me when I was working in an empty property on my own to which I had the only key. I lifted some boards there was metal conduit running through, I cut through the conduit and then realised I had left my pliers downstairs, my initial thought was to cut though the cable with the hacksaw given that all the fuses had been removed from the consumer unit but then I remembered old or bold went down and got the pliers. I then cut through the cable and when my sight returned some minutes later my pliers had a melted semi circle in each half of the jaws if I had used the hacksaw or a tool like the one the subject of this post I would not be here.
It turned out that the cable I cut was run off a completely separate supply in the adjacent stable, there was no logical reason for it to be in the house and to cap it all the main fuse had been replaced with a nail.
Personally I use Knipex, Wera or WIHA anytime I am working on a cable where I cannot see both ends of the cable and that they are both disconnected. WIHA produced a series of pliers which worked at right angles rather than head on and working on the basis if they were from WIHA they would not be a gimmick I bought a couple of pairs and have been very pleased with them.
I also mentioned in another post the Hultafors electricians hammer which WIHA make an exact replica of except for the colour of the handle and that is also a very good tool (Either version) Fred posted a link under the post about Estwing hammers.
satch
Thanks Redcastle. I wondered about that.
As a confirmed Knipex fan I can report owning seven different pairs of their pliers. Combination, needlenose combination, Cobra 250mm, two small 70 series diagonal cutters, 140mm long nose, 38 series mechanics pliers(long nose w/o cutter ). I wouldn’t trade any of them away for any other.
TonyT
Looking over my tools (such as wire strippers, crimpers, and cutters), I’ll add a YES because I’m pretty happy with them and the majority have springs.
Nathan
I have some strippers that are springloaded. they are the automatic type.
I have 2 cutters that are spring loaded and they are both small wire cutters. So I think depending on the sizes it matters more. IE you cut alot of small wires so the spring is a nice relief. But it would interfer with cutting thicker cable.
MT_Noob
For electronic hobbyist use I like the spring loaded ones. I prefer the ones not with an actual spring (coil) but with the single or double leaf. I guess I can’t make a strong case one way or another other than it is just what I got used to using.
JoeM
Good question… I have so many hobbies, at so many scales, that I barely notice when a plier, crimper, or stripper tool has a spring involved. At very small scales (Like Jewellery) the spring is handy, and it is best not to have a lock swinging about while you work. Step it up a bit, using just small needle-nose pliers with a spring in them for just… grabbing at things to fix them or something… the spring is a pain, literally if you get the meat of your knuckle pinched in the spring. I think THAT is were the lock would probably do good. Scale up AGAIN to large-scale work, and I’m not sure the spring is useful at all. I have an auto-stripper or two, and THEY are spring loaded, without locks. But they’re meant to grab and pull all in one move, so I guess it’s part of how they work.
I honestly can’t say yes or no. It really, and I MEAN REALLY, depends on what scale the application is at. I’m sure they’re meant for something specific, but I can’t use the same answer for everything I do. There just isn’t a single answer across the board.
Sean Manning
First thing I do is pull the spring off.
Satch
Let’s go back to the locking mechanism for a moment.
I recently bought a pair of Southwire strippers. The new blue handled made in USA short version. The grips feel good though really too short for my large-ish mitts, they are decently sharp, and perform their function well. However, the short grips make manipulating the lock lever tedious at times.
It is quite stiff which in some respects is good. Much less likely to slip open on its own. On the other hand, it does make you futz around a bit. Again, I have large fingers and this makes it a bit less ergonomic but not horrible.
Others, like my last Ideals, had some lever issues. They would unlock on their iwn. I always tried to keep them in a tighter pocket to avoid hanging up but in a Veto bag it isn’t easy.
Jkr
Everybody deserves a spring 🙂
My favorite side cutters are the Bahco 2101 with the on/off spring. Knipex also has a similar design 74 12. I believe a spring makes things easier on the hand when doing any repetative work.
I find a spring extremely useful inn long nose pliers, were you need to retry until you catch.
In combination pliers or lineman’s it is less critical, as one mostlt use them to catch and hold
xNOOPSx
Are people really getting hung up on the fact that that specific picture shows low voltage/communications strippers? The spring is universal. When a job requires hundreds of wires stripped every day, yes, the spring is essential. A not floppy lock is also nice. Linesmen and other types of pliers commonly used in Commercial/Residential really don’t need a spring as they’re smooth enough that the weight of the tool allows gravity to open them. At least that’s how my Klein and now Irwin (NWS) work. I love my Irwins. Kinda mad that they’re discontinued. For some smaller long nosed pairs I could see it being beneficial, but not as handy as with a stripper.
Redcastle
XNOOPSx
Yes people can/will/do get hung up on the picture matching the text and the text not matching the title etc, one of the best things about this website is the opportunity to learn sometimes about quite arcane matters from people who have both knowledge and care enough to share it, this process can become derailed when the initial premise is faulty, given the tendency for tools to be called different names in different places the picture becomes definitive and therefore the picture has to match the topic exactly. A picture may be worth a thousand words but a misleading picture on Toolguyd can result in ten thousand words seeking to clarify matters.
Stuart
The photo is not misleading if you read the title or post.
Spring-action pliers, cutters, and wire strippers includes small gauge wire strippers.
Audio, video, networking, automation, signal, and sensor wires are some of the applications that make use of small wires.
Spring-action pliers can be even more specialized, and wouldn’t have helped any better.
To call spring-action tools as being solely in the realm of DIY or hobby work suggests that they’re beyond your realm of experience of familiarity, which is okay. But don’t blame that on my choice of photo to represent spring-action tools.
Redcastle
Stuart
Other posters commented on the picture not being representative I was making the point that it is important that pictures and text match I did not at any point say the photograph at the top of this particular post was inaccurate.
I said in my first post that such a tool would have no place in a toolkit for everyday electricians but electronics and hobbyist fine this was clearly stated.
I have travelled in the USA and your plugs, sockets and cabling reflect the lower voltage and amperage present in domestic, office and hotel environments and so it would appear do the tools some people use to work on it.
Anyone trying to use a tool of the type shown in your picture would if not directed to the exit be laughed offsite. Given the heavier gauge of cable and the ever tougher sheathing it would literally not cut it.
TonyT
My guess is that this whole discussion started because US/UK buildings are typically wired differently. Disclaimer: I am not an electrician, avoid the NEC (National Electric Code), UL requirements, and things like SCCR (short circuit current ratings), fuses, and circuit breakers as much as I can.
My experience has been that most houses here use 115V 15A circuits, except for a few key items such as clothes dryers and electrical heaters (which would be 208V). Even commerical buildings have a lot of lower voltage, with most outlets and lights running on 115V 15A circuits. To give an example, our old building had 480V 3 phase, but only the chillers were 480V 3 phase; the machine shop had 208V 3 phase and 240V 3 phase; everything else was 115V).
I can imagine that if 480V were much more common, fully insulated strippers would be much more common.
Redcastle
Stuart
I forgot to thank you for the lesson in where smaller gauge wires are used (I am aware of the Oscar Wilde definition) and in the toolbox which holds my telephone and IT network installation tools you will find two pairs of tools similar to the one in your photograph sans spring one of which is also a crimping tool. For co ax I use a specialist cutter from a Japanese firm because I find stripping co ax to be a cruel test. I do that sort of work for fun and relaxation so I presume that makes me a hobbyist. I suspect if my tools had springs I would prefer them not to have them.
By the way while electricians may run cable for all the aforementioned uses not all those who do so are electricians I am beginning to wonder if this is where some of the confusion is coming from.
When your bedtime reading as a young child is the Buck & Hickman catalogue and you spend most of your life around engineers of one kind or another there tends to be little in the way of tools you have not at least seen. This goes way back with us, one of my great grandfathers was a blacksmith and his father before him and my father was his favourite grandson however being the child of a daughter meant the business went to the child of a son, the business very smoothly by all accounts transitioned into a motor vehicle repair business from horse shoes to brake shoes.
Now on the topic of PB Swiss ball end hex wrenches …….
xNOOPSx
Redcastle – the picture matches the question. Those are wire strippers with a spring – am I missing something??? Do you need a picture with every possible iteration of a sprung plier? What’s the appropriate picture? What’s the expectation?
I personally dislike that style when they also include “bolt cutters” but those don’t have that flaw. The flaw is that when used as bolt cutters it borks the entire thing. I think it puts too much torque on the pivot and then cutting fine wires becomes a major chore because a gap is introduced between the blades. It’s not a big deal for solid conductors, but stranded – especially extra flexible – conductors no longer cut clean in my experience. Strippers/Cutters that can’t do their job are garbage.
In my opinion as an electrician, I want 100% of my strippers for standard #8 or smaller AWG with a spring. Smaller stuff a spring is also great, but it’s getting less common to strip that. Probably still very common stripping small control stuff, depending on the type of work you’re doing. It’s still nice to only have to squeeze and let the spring open the jaws back up though. For pliers, it’s more situational. For larger pliers, I don’t see much advantage over a springless pair that operates smoothly, but I’ve never used anything like that, so I have no personal experience on using larger, sprung pliers. I think NWS has a pistol gripped pair of linesmens. That might be interesting, but the reduced size of the jaw leads me to question the usability in twisting conductors together. It would also be weird to use such a different hand/arm motion, but that’s not really about the spring. For smaller pliers, they’re often used in more precision or close quarters situations. I can see significant benefits there as you only have to get the nose on whatever, squeeze, and pull. Or whatever movement you’re doing. I have a mini-pair of Klien needlenose with the curved handles. They tend to be sticky, probably because of a lack of use. It would be nice if they had a spring because in some situations I see, it’s hard to manipulate the jaws while attempting to snag a wire, string, or whatever. It’s often a grip/space issue. Wouldn’t need to be a massive spring, just a small, unobtrusive one.
Redcastle
XNOOPSx
As I have said elsewhere my comment regarding pictures and text matching was that it is important that be the case not in reference to this particular post.
I have two pairs of the pistol grip pliers (needle nose and normal) and find them very handy when working in wall sockets and lighting pattresses when the action is more natural than with traditional pliers however given that they are still a relatively rare sight I suspect they are not to everyone’s taste.
One of the plumbing tool producers over here produced a set of adjustable grips with a spring like mechanism, the pair I bought as an experiment did not last very long so I would be sceptical of springs on any tools heavier than those shown in the picture.
Frank D
The premise was not faulty at all.
It was a very simple, clearly stated unambiguous question accompanied by an appropriate image.
Perhaps had a premium European brand insulated wire stripper been shown, the comment regarding electricians and the tools they can/should use or not, would not have started things off …
All in all I’m rather puzzled about various negative follow up notions and curious about tangents that were expressed in an effort to further establish the primary notion, because they reach really far and wide, across trades and across the globe, …
But again, I apologize for my short off the cuff comment. No such reply will be made in the future.
Redcastle
Frank D
I did thank you for your more measured response an an earlier post you may have missed.
My point throughout has been such tools are not used by every day electricians, telephone, IT, others applications yes involving thin wires yes.
Going off at a tangent is what this website does best and that is where I generally find the most interesting information comes out.
A picture of a European pliers or side cutters (I cannot remember the US name for side cutters) would not have included a spring.
Frank D
Thank you,
So it is not a standard tool for you or a default tool in the UK. That however did not warrant several of the negative comments made. Just because it is not high voltage, does not mean it is not in the scope of electricians, who also deal with or may have specialized in datacom, environmental safety systems, alarm systems, access control, surveillance, home automation, etc. There’s a lot more going on than just 1.5 & 2.5 mm wire … and there’s more than one tool to get the job done.
Most tools may not have a spring, on some there can’t or should not be one, on tiny tasks it may not matter time wise; but when it comes to volume work … the efficiency and comfort of a curved handle spring loaded stripper cannot be beat imho.
I actually have had a European engineer compliment one time … whoa these are handy, haven’t seen those, I should get me one of those, …
Which is a diametrically opposite and positive attitude.
There’s a saying around here: don’t knock it until you try it.
Anyhow.
Here’s one mainstream US manufacturer:
https://www.kleintools.com/catalog/strippers-cutters-crimpers
WIHA USA has them too:
https://www.wihatools.com/pliers-cutters-crimpers/wire-strippers
While WIHA EU sells 4 of the traditional stripping pliers with a dial adjustment ( I have one, don’t like them ) and only two multi gauge plier ones as shown.
DC
Neutral, I’ll use either with no issues.
Bill Clay
I like the Ideal Reflex Super T, which has a spring and a lock:
http://www.idealindustries.ca/products/tools_totes/wire_strippers/reflex_super_t-stripper.php
They also have a “cheaper” one without a lock like the one you have pictured:
http://www.idealindustries.ca/products/tools_totes/wire_strippers/t-stripper.php
The latter is fine if it was just left out on a bench, but unwieldy if trying to easily fit into a bag.