Wire Stripper 10 AWG -20 AWG

In two words: their great! Full disclosure; I have been provided with a free sample for review purposes. I have no affiliation with Southwire and don’t know anyone that does. That being said a free wire stripper has not bought my integrity, and the following are my honest opinions. The reason that I wanted to review these wire strippers is that my current pair has become difficult to use. See the included photo of my 1975 Vaco stripping tool. After 40 years of use by this DYI guy I find myself grabbing my Uncle Henry pocket knife and going old school. These Southwire strippers easily make quick and easy work of stripping almost every wire size I come across. First the cons: Unfortunately they don’t handle 24 gauge stranded wire that on rare occasions I do come across. They also don’t have the threaded bolt cutter were as does my old Vaco tool has 6 different threaded bolt holes to handle all of the common sizes of small bolts found in home electrical work. But I have only used this function a couple of dozen times in 40 years. These also don’t have dedicated slots for crimping three different sizes of crimp-on terminals. These Southwire crimpers do have a universal crimper located on the very end. I gave them a try and sure enough they work well on the spade connectors that I have on hand. No problem just squeeze until I get the crimp I like. I’m happy with the crimp. Now for the pros. These strippers are made in the USA and appear to be of high quality. They have a removable pivot bolt which will make it much earlier to resharpen and adjust tension if they get loose or dull. This Southwire tool has a nice coil spring that provides a rather nice feel when being used. My old Vaco tool doesn’t have a return spring so I have to use the time honered index finger trick as seen in one of the included photos. Many times this has resulted in a sore index finger. This new Southwire tool has a really nice wire cutter for copper wire use. I tried them on several wires both solid and stranded and am happy with the results. They are not made with hardened steel, but neither were my old tool. Other nice features include a locking leaver and super clear wire size markings. Time will tell if the markings stand up. I highly recommend these strippers to my fellow hobbyists and DYI ers. Professional electricians already have their personal favorites.

These are not the greatest quality but they'll get the job done. These strippers are a handy size with decent, comfortable spring loaded grips. They'll handle 10-20 SOL & 12-22 STR. The blades seem sharp and it seems to cut wire fine, but there is a certain amount of play that doesn't allow it to strip wire insulation as cleanly as I would like it to. The serrated nose isn't line up all that well either. All in all, not a deal breaker but wish it locked up a little cleaner.

Spring Loaded, Comfy Grip, Easy and precise, great wire cutter as well. What more can you ask for in wire strippers. This is my first time using anything from Southwire and I am hooked, I would say their quality is top notch and I will surely be purchasing more of their products. My favorite aspect of these wire strippers would be the handles, they are grippy and extremely comfortable! They also clearly label the gauges of wire they can strip, both solid and stranded, and I found the labels to be very accurate. Another great feature is the lock on the wire strippers, I can open and close the lock with one hand yet the lock is very sturdy. Overall these are the best wire strippers I have found and I highly recommend you look into buying these and other products from Southwire!

I confess that I don't normally use, or have use for, a wire stripper; Skilled use of a pair of diagonal cutters can usually save the day without cluttering up my tool belt. Over the past month, though, I had two occasions where having this wire stripper saved my sanity. The first was in retrofitting a fluorescent light fixture to use LED bulps, bypassing the ballast. The internal wiring in the light fixture was stranded wire with stretchy insulation that sneered at my usual effort - and perched atop a ladder to reach the 10-foot ceiling, I was not able to muster the right angle or leverage, nor enough hands, to hold wire, cutters, and steady myself all at the same time. The second occasion involved replacing the input cable on a pair of headphones. This application had several small gage stranded wires that didn't allow for mistakes in removing the thin plastic jacket, and removing only enough (3/32") insulation to cover a soldered connection without risk of shorting. In both of these cases, the Southwire Wire Stripper worked with precision and ease. As a bonus, the tool has a crimping tool at the end of the cutting surfaces, and lock to keep the tool closed (which can be activated or disengaged with the thumb of the same hand holding the tool. The handles of the tool also have a bit of padding to make them more comfortable in extended use. While my uses were more brief, I have only praise for the feel and operation of the tool. My one quibble: Labeling. While I suspect some of them are the results of lawyers' involvement, the labels on this tool range mostly from the inane to the inept. On the back is stamped a warning about always using eye protection, though if I didn't put my eye out with my Red Ryder BB Gun, my odds of doing so while stripping wire seems remote. (Full disclosure, I wear glasses anyway.) "Warning: Never use on Live Circuits" is up there with the admonition to not use your toaster in the bathtub. Also printed on the front are the wire gages that correspond with each notch in the stripper -- with different values depending on whether working with solid or stranded wire. This COULD actually be helpful. Unfortunately, that text was printed about 1/8" (3mm) too far to the right, so it fell off the right side of the right jaw, and was lost to the cutting surface on the left jaw. It's the sort of thing that made me dispair of the "Made in USA" proudly printed on the tool and packaging - maybe if space permits, they can add "...by Disaffected Employees" after "USA." In short, this did a great job of stripping wires large and small and has earned a place in my tool bucket.

I saw these wire strippers and wanted to try a new pair. I struggled a lot with my old ones. I have a bucket of wire to strip from having our home rewired 5 years ago. My old pair were dull and left my hand sore and I struggled with them a lot. This Southwire brand is made in the USA and it's noticeable! They are nicely made, sharp and has a nice fit in the hand. The AWG is printed on both sides and the back side has a metric reading if that's information you need. The cutting blade is sharp and efficient. They are lightweight and easy to use. I thought the cushioned handle might start slipping but I used them for about an hour and there was no sliding or movement of the hand grips. I didn't know the lock needed to be on the bottom initially. The strippers kept locking on me but once I put the lock on the bottom, I had no further problems. The lock is a nice feature for storing in a drawer. I cut the insulation on the 14 AWG and pull it off with the 10 because I don't have the strength. I had no problems pulling with the 10 AWG. The adjustable nut is nice if it's ever needed to adjusted. Overall they are a great wire stripper and nice addition to my toolbox.

I am reviewing the Southwire compact wire stripper S1020SOL-US. This is a compact and versatile wire stripper capable of stripping solid 10 to 20 ga. wire and 12 to 22 ga. stranded wire. The tool is clearly marked making it easy to use the correct cutter. The tool is also very comfortable with a padded grip and it also has a easy to use locking mechanism. So far this tool has performed well. It is much easier to use than my larger strippers and will be my go to tool. And it is also Made in America.

I have some larger wire strippers in my collection but needed something to strip smaller wires. These handled 20 awg easily as well as 12 awg. Though these are more compact strippers, the wire cutter was able to cut through 12-2 romex rather effortlessly. These wire strippers are sturdy and well-constructed. They are a good addition to my tool set. The only complaint is the grips come off, but that is customary for most pliers or cutters.

Great product. Compact for easy handling, and can simply be used using one hand. Unlocked is almost a full 90 degrees and the spring tensioner doesn't appear to short or fall off. The hand grips are very comfortable and fit the hand well. It cuts and strips solid and stranded wire from 22 gauge to 10 gauge. Hard to find wire cutters that with that range.

Lightweight and durable wire stripper. Gauges accurately and makes a good clean cut. The spring can be removed but will not slip off on its own. The lock feature keeps it closed tight and wont disengage on itself while still being very easy to maneuver when you need to lock/unlock. I don't use wire strippers often but it made changing and splicing my stereo wire much easier. Suits its purpose well.

You can never have enough of tools . Southwire wire stripper is compact and easy to handle , doesn't take alot of space in you tool belt or tool box . Easy to lock and unlock with one hand. I do like that the pliers open up almost 90degrees compared to a different brand I used it dosent open up as much. Only thing this wire stripper doesn't have thread cutter in it. Overall feels good holding in hand. Great add to my set. I do like that it has alot as high as 22 gauge and 10 largest. My current one has 18 as the smallest. .