Good Automatic Wire Strippers at a Cheap Price

This week’s tool is a necessity for folks planning to do electrical work in their home. Automatic wire strippers take much of the chore out of hooking up switches, receptacles, and fixtures by quickly and easily removing the insulation from wire ends. Unlike their non-automatic counterparts that require tugging on the wire to remove the insulation, automatic strippers do everything in one motion. They’re as easy to use as a pair of pliers and help prevent nicks, cuts, and frays in wire ends.

Amazon sells several different brands of automatic wire strippers ranging in price from $10-$50. The complete list is here. Many of these brands qualify for free super-saver shipping (if you order more than $25.00 worth of items). Just make sure there’s a super-saver discount notice next to the price.

Our recommendation is the Gardner Bender SE-92. The SE-92 will handle 8-22 gauge solid or stranded wire and it’s backed by a 1 year manufacturer’s warranty. GB has a solid reputation for providing good tools for do-it-yourselfers and professionals alike. This model qualifies for super-saver shipping, and has a very appealing price tag.

If you want a professional model, Amazon also offers the Klein KLE11062. The KLE11062 will allow you to swap blades to handle a wider variety of wire gauges and will likely stand up to more use and abuse. Unfortunately, it doesn’t qualify for the free shipping discount, and comes with a “professional” price tag.

Free Shipping Note: If you’re looking for a complimentary item to get you over the $25.00 minimum, we highly recommend Stanley’s Complete Home Wiring book. You can see my brief review of it here.

Automatic Wire Strippers In Action (click to enlarge):

What do you think? Do you have automatic wire strippers? Have they proved useful on your jobs?