Need Small Gauge Wire Stripper

[HRTKD]

I bought some LED strip lights that have very small wires. None of my existing wire strippers are working. The Klein stripper isn't rated for wire that small and my Weidmuller Stripax is ineffective. I'm guessing that the wires are 24 gauge or smaller. I've never worked with wires that small. Trying to strip the wire with a utility knife ends up cutting some of the strands.

Can anyone recommend a quality wire stripper for wires that small?

 

[400bird]

Is it weird that these are just sitting here at my desk with me? They go down to 30 awg

 

[OzSolar]

Can anyone recommend a quality wire stripper for wires that small?

When it's just a few I pinch the wire between my thumbnail and index finger. YMMV depending on a lot of factors, it certainly does with me. I've got numerous strippers, some have a dedicated AWG sized notches while others have a wheel you set with a stop by each gauge. None of them are great every time.

What's normally in my service bag is the Ideal 45-125.

 

[Brett V]

Hit it quick with a Bic lighter and pull the insulation off.

 

[fatjay]

I use my finger nail and tug. Comes right off.

 

[HRTKD]

What's normally in my service bag is the Ideal 45-125.

That's similar to my third stripper, but mine doesn't go down that small. I think the smallest it does is 22 awg and the wire I have just slips right through the tool. I'll have to keep an eye out for one like that. I didn't see that model at the local hardware store, nor anything that went smaller than 24 awg.

 

[Supervstech]

I bought some LED strip lights that have very small wires. None of my existing wire strippers are working. The Klein stripper isn't rated for wire that small and my Weidmuller Stripax is ineffective. I'm guessing that the wires are 24 gauge or smaller. I've never worked with wires that small. Trying to strip the wire with a utility knife ends up cutting some of the strands.

Can anyone recommend a quality wire stripper for wires that small?

Well… if all else fails, there is always knipex…

Amazon.com

 

[AntronX]

There ya go

 

[HRTKD]

Well… if all else fails, there is always knipex…

Amazon.com

That tool functions very similarly to my Stripax. Unfortunately, the Stripax was bought so long ago that I have no idea what it was actually rated for. The latest Stripax datasheet says it will work for 28 awg. Mine worked great on 18 awg wire I was working with today, but didn't work at all on the smaller wire. I've tried adjusting it but that didn't help.

The Amazon page for the LED Lights says that the wire is 22 awg. Call me cynical but I have to wonder if it's smaller than that.

This is the latest version of the Stripax. Mine is similar. At least the wire stripping part is. The wire cutter is different.

 

[bolhuijo]

Adam Savage defends his favorite $95 Knipex strippers:

 

[HRTKD]

Well there you go. Thanks for posting a link that goes right to the section where he talks about it. Interesting that he explicitly raves about how well it does for small gauge wires.

I had forgotten that I had a set of Weidmuller Stripax. For about a decade. They kind of got stored out of the way and I didn't remember I had them until I was looking for something for smaller gauge wires while I was at the local hardware store. I just couldn't bring myself to spend $50 on yet another wire stripper. Then I remembered the Stripax and went home.

I'm going to inspect my Stripax tomorrow to see if I missed something. Maybe there's some debris jammed into the works or I missed an adjustment.

 

[JWLV]

Sometimes I use a lighter to burn off the insulation in thin wires.