****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
Firstly this is not a fully automatic wire stripper per se. It is semi-automatic, as one has to line up your size of wire in the correct slot.That said, this Katapult by Klein Tools is a tool great for stripping all kinds of cable. It has a compound action pivots, leaving it easy to use with less effort. I used with 10 AWG stranded THHN and it stripped without effort. THHN (thermoplastic high-heat nylon) has a thermal sleeve on the outside. It can strip from 22 AWG up to 8 AWG (0.5mm2 to 8mm2).Fully automatic strippers are unable to to remove the insulation on THHN cable consistently because they 'grab' only two sides of the insulation. Katapults slice right around the insulation and severs the thermal out layer, thus leaving it easy to remove.Overall this is the best Katapult type stripper I have owned. It seems to be well made, and the parts well machines.Just a DIY'er who started to work on a few jobs around house here and there replacing light fixtures, adding some new junctions and boxes, etc. I used to use the cheaper wire strippers where you have to clamp down on a sleeved wire and then twist/pull, other times I even resorted to just using whatever knife was available to cut and strip wires. The first time I stripped stranded 12AWG with this thing was like an instant revelation - just one squeeze of the tool and instant clean-cut stripped wire!The one downside would be cleanup - the jacket just falls to the floor. You also can't use the jacket to "twist' stranded cable as you pull it off. Those are minor complaints though and the second thing is a complete non-factor if you are stripped solid core wire.I’ve been struggling with wire strippers all my life; none of the strippers I’ve used worked very well. I’ve got around 10 different pair. For the last 20 years I resorted to using a sharp utility knife and pulling off the insulation with my fingers. That does score solid wire, though, and sometimes you lose some of the strands. Now, finally, I found a set of wire strippers the work well and are more efficient than a knife. This is the only strippers I would recommend.So I do a lot of electrical work on small spaces, up in ladders, and with older cables. Can tell you right now, sometimes I don’t feel comfortable pulling out my handy dandy pliers and tugging to strip some insulation out of some cables high up on a ladder, and forget about space existing in crawl spaces. Katapult does a fantastic job at not damaging cables and straightening out older cables (I.E. 22 AWG alarm wire). My only advice would be putting the cable in the right slot and either bending the end down or up depending if stranded wire or not to get that perfect strip. If I lost these things, I would 100% buy another.This set of wire strippers works great. I bought them to replace a set of generic strippers which was worn out. These strippers peel away the insulation without breaking any of the wires and the built in wire cutter works good too. I would buy these again, but they're built solidly and I doubt I'll ever need a new set. These cutters would make a perfect gift for someone doing electrical work around the house, or as a hobby.This Klein auto-stripping tool is a MUST HAVE for any electrical tradesperson, DIY guy or gal, as well as anyone who works on solar or automotive / motorcycle / boat electrical systems.I just converted my nine 8’ florescent fixtures to LED’s and had to rewire each fixture. This Klein tool saved me hours of work stripping wires.I’ll never go back to pliers-like wire strippers again.5-star tool!The wire cutter is only good if you can thread the wire through the whole in the middle. If you need to cute a wire without access to the ends, this won’t work. Even when you do have access to the ends, threading twisted wire through the cutter can be difficult because it will get caught on all the machinery inside.The wire stripping functionality is top tier. Doesn’t rip wire, does it cleanly, does it efficiently and repeatably.I was happy to see Klein Tools had this. I highly recommend this for anyone working with wireNo brainer product, not sure why i hadn't bought it sooner. Strips perfectly in one quick squeeze.I guess some downsides..Handles have a long throw on them which gives you a chance of misplacing the wire whilst you're strippingThe cutter, I can take it or leave it, I'm not entirely sure why it's not bigger, or isn't designed to cut without threading it through the hole, but still. It's there, it does it's job.Well worth picking up though, miles better than alternatives.These cutter are well built and great for larger size wire guage but it struggles with smaller guages.I love these strippers, not the most expensive or the cheapest but do a great job. I’d definitely recommend themWell Designed & well made, easy to use & dose the job very wellGreat bit of kit! Took me back to my RAF days. Good quality.
