Comparing The Best Wire Connectors On The Market!
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This video will compare lever nuts from 2 of the major names in electrical connectors IDEAL and WAGO. I have used WAGO 221 lever nuts for years now and often highlight them on the channel so I might be a bit biased. I do like IDEAL and think it is great to have a little competition to help drive down prices and improve features/design.
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We have used both mainly for convenience when purchasing. What we found is the Ideal brand seem to have a second locking device when pushed closed. For this reason, we use the Ideal brand most often and when available.
One thing I would recommend is taking one of the Wago's and Ideal's that was tested for maximum pull out load and re-test it to see if that pull out strength was compromised. Other than that, I do think you did a great job on your testing.👍
That's a good idea. A spring tends to lose it's strength at elevated temperatures, though i think it would have to be considerably higher than these temps seen in the testing. Its always worth testing just to be sure. On second thought, i can't think of a scenario where anyone is going to be pulling while under heavy load.
@@LBCAndrew the ladder fell and they grabbed the lever nut on the wire to keep from falling to their death. which is best to entrust our life to?
@@johnpaullogan1365 that is natural selection and not my problem.
For joining 2 wires, I favor twist on wire nuts. For 3 or more conductors, I like Wago. I like them, because in my experience, you're having to reach up to a box, you can't see very well, and it's absolutely imperative that you see the end of the wire extending beyond the bus bar in the connector. The Wago is easier to see, than the Ideal. I don't find the problem with the nut levers hooking to be much of a problem, it's easy to deal with, if you're aware. I favor the Wago, because it's more compact, making it easier to "stuff" more connections into a junction box. (I just wish they made 4-conductor versions)
Regardless of preference, wire nuts are a poor choice stranded to solid wire. But I get it if you have proper technique with solid wires to a wire nut. With good technique, wire nuts mitigate most of these connector advantages (other than time, reusability, and more compact).
Can you post a link to Knockoff #1 which you mention was based on the Ideal design but had lower resistance? I would like to see them.
I love all these comparison videos with lever nuts. Super useful (and great reassurance about using lever nuts)
I'm using the ideal. Thanx so much for the testing.
I love your testing, you are honest and fair. Keep doing what you do!
Thanks for the support 🙌
I'm actually glad I checked on these as the wire connectors that I purchased a year ago [although branded differently] fall into the same category as the inferior one.
Very High Praise! Vago as the company calls them (German) haha is Fantastic !! Built a large home dehydrator using only Wago connectors. That system had both 100 v and 12 v sistems for fans and lights. the Wago connectors worked equally well in both applications . Probably not requied, but I soldered any stranded wire (tinned actually) to make a rigid end to insert and afford a more secure connection. I am now making connections in my electric guitars . Doing this makes a Pickguard easily removable and changeable with out having to un-solder the main connections . HIGHLY HIGHLY Recommend these !! If you are not using these ....You should try a sample and see for yourself! Thanks for reading!
Very good idea for guitars …changing pick up’s etc … also for stereo work .
Thanks. Loved your thorough technical assessment. Was going to go Wago based on an earlier video, but since I’m adding a garage opener outlet, would never get close to the thermal needs and Insure’s derating is fine even for longer duration future uses. Like the strength of the Insure as well.
You always have Great and Concise information when you check out Products. We like that. Thanks again, and keep up the Great Work.
Thanks for the support!
You're Welcome. I've got a few WAGOs but haven't had the chance to us them, but I'll have to get some of those Wire to Wire extension ones. When I see how the wires are held in the WAGOs with the levers, my instinct is to, after I attach the wires, is to put electrical tape around the WAGO to cover the Levers or maybe slip a piece of Shrink Tubing of it and shrink it over the Levers to protect them from opening. I don't know why I get that feeling, but I do. Great Videos. Thanks. @@EverydayHomeRepairs
I knew you would get around to testing the Ideal vs Wago ... I'm actually good with either one ... They both work well ... Thx
Great video. I have been using Wago connectors ever since I saw them on your channel, and I love them. I am less familiar with Ideal connectors, but my understanding is that you push solid core wire directly into the Ideal connector (like the stab connection on the back of an electrical outlet) without opening the lever. That said, I am sticking with the Wago.
Also, the ideal lever will click down vs. nothing on the wago. I like the wago and the design is really cool, but I feel more confident with ideal. The ideal have been hard to get for a while but notice lowes now carries them.
Wagos don't click when you put the levers down because this motion releases the spring to allow it to clamp against the wire. The entire spring-and-busbar mechanism is independent of the plastic housing; the plastic could disappear and the connections wouldn't be broken. If the lever clicks into the down position, it implies that the plastic is responsible for clamp force. I have yet to investigate this for myself, but I would like to take apart an Ideal and see how they're made.
@@usbcd360 interesting observation - I like the extra click (or lever clamps) to keep the tabs down so they don’t float. It’s a preference for me. Have you seen the new Leviton receptacles with the built in levers? It’s an interesting design to help the DYI person honest.
@@usbcd360 I don't believe this is entirely the case. The final small click on the Ideal is not the wire clamp but simply plastic on plastic around the blue lever to keep it secure when closed.
Wago has a way larger ecosystem, from all sorts of connectors to boxes. One that I remeber now is the gel box, for weather-proofing connectors.
The ideal allows for push in without lifting the lever which is a faster install.
Oh that's a good point to realize too. I imagine that's part of the levers being the other way around, force of wire pushing in forces it open enough.
So does WAGO
@@aurvaroy6670 i learned something / thank you 🙏
Beside the fact that you can also do it (although you push a bit harder) on Wago, Wago also has special push-in connectors.
Thanks for the confirmation!! Great job.
Gray informed video. I would still use the wire not if I am running a business and only because of the price. It is great for a do it yourself repairs in your own house. I remember when I bought a business and had to change 40 ballast on all the fixtures and that can be an expense added instead of the wire nuts. Wago are more practical since they are thinner and specifically when pushing all the wires in a junction box. Thank you for sharing
I'm basically using wire nuts for solid copper connections, and lever nuts for stranded to solid connection, especially light fixtures. Although the lever nuts definitely saved me when I was trying to merge 4 wires with one of them being far too short coming out of the wall, I just could not get a twist going.
Your temperature chart shows a pretty clear advantage to wire nuts, which is expect just due to the connection cross-section. For permanent connections inside fixtures, I'd probably use UL-rated crimps with a good ratcheting crimp tool like the Greenlee/Paladin offering. For connections that need to be maintainable, wire nuts for solid wire and lever nuts for stranded. Possibly use ferrules on the stranded stuff, although that's more for machine tool internals.
When the difference is between 47% max capacity and 53% max capacity, sure there is a difference, but all it would take is a slight metallurgical change (as companies have been doing for over a century to save money) and that difference could easily disappear. There are likely even a whole slew of wire nuts that get regularly used that would have averaged out as hot or hotter, especially over longer durations. It is a slight advantage, at best. Their biggest advantage, by far, would be familiarity with their existing users; they are nowhere near as easy for a beginner or DIYer and don't handle mixed wiring as well, either. End result, wire nuts have a slight advantage in temperature handling, a roughly even ease-of-use for people who have an existing familiarity with them as well as decent tools, and a clear disadvantage for anyone learning or with an infrequent need or who is mixing wire types. Wire nuts pretty much only have even a slight advantage with existing users and asserting otherwise is just silly.
@@georgebooth586 Metallurgy changes? Wirenuts don't conduct electricity, they keep twisted wires from coming apart. You'll note i did not suggest that wirenuts be used with stranded wire under any conditions. I was mostly thinking about ballasts in fluorescent lamp fixtures when i said that, but TBH crimp connectors fine in that applications, since there's typically 6"-12" of slack quite in those and losing a 1/2” every five years due to ballast replacement is going to be fine. Oh, and when i say"fixtures" I'm talking about the internal wiring that the manufacturer supplies.
but unless you are running 100+ amps through them it's unlikely to cause a problem. admittedly i'll probably not use a wago on the electric stove circuit, etc. of course i won't normally use a wirenut there either in favor of just running wire from the box to the outlet. in 20A and under situations you'll see no real difference in your day to day from the temperature difference
Very informative. Thanks, Scott.
The temperature chart @8:56 doesn't include a "0 mins" data point for the different connectors. The temperature increase slopes are all weirdly similar and it looks like the wires started at different temperatures for the different tests.
Ah! You read my mind. Wanted to see the new ones tested!
My experience with these lever nuts, as you showed with the Wago version, is that a few times when stuffing the wires in, or pulling them out for whatever reason, the levers lift and come undone. And if a certain wire was not labeled and a few come out by chance, I'm back to square one. That being said, that has also happened with some traditional wire nuts as well, but not as often. Granted this has happened in up to a large five gang box or smaller with tons of wires going all over the place. I love the 10 gauge version. If you've ever crimped 10 gauge wires together for a wire nut the difference is night and day. Also these are great for troubleshooting.
If necessary, I will give my wagos a wrap or two of electrical tape around the levers for this specific reason. Keeps the levers from inadvertently opening up.
@@ericbaker8807 You brought electrical tape into the discussion!? EVERYBODY TO COVER! THE TAPE ENTHUSIASTS ARE COMING!
I've run into the same problem with the lever coming up. Especially when you are close to the maximum box fill. I think the design of the Ideal minimizes this problem with the lever on the other side because it follows the way I fold a wire into a box.
Thank you for another great video. Are you willing to make a video of what is in your electrical pack pit kit?
Pack out kit?
Great video Scott. (And not for mentioning the 600 series. lol) The choice between Wago and Ideal seems to be: do you want to risk snagging a lever on another wire when you put the lever nut in the electrical box, or when you take it out of the box? If you finish a wiring job and you just want to shove everything back into the box and be done with it, then Wago is better. If you are the one accountable for this wiring job, can you get the wires back in the box without accidentally knocking a lever nut handle? Then Ideal is probably fine. The only gotcha I can see for Ideal is you are applying pressure that is more likely to push a wire back out of the nut. I don't think it's a big deal but the Ideal's frosted plastic makes it harder to see if your wire slipped.
So 6 months after this video was posted, both HomeDepot and Lowes are carrying these products. HomeDepot has the Wago levernuts and Lowes has the Ideal levernuts... Although I don't know if both stores carry both brands, I cannot recall seeing both in the same location. I can tell you that the Ideal levernuts are significantly more expensive, a pack of 50 3 wire is $31.98 while the Wago is coming in at $18.52 Buying the 10 pack of each (2 wire) is going to be about the same cost ($6.97/$6.98) so this would be personal preference.
Good stuff! Thanks for sharing.
Great pull test! This makes me wonder how much force a wire nut could handle, my guess is level nuts might win that comparison
Might be the material difference of the busbar but not 100% sure.
A properly attached wire nut can handle a lot more pull force than a lever nut. But I don't see that as being much of an issue in practice. When I use wire nuts, I have an Ideal electrician's screwdriver with a wire nut driver in the handle, and if you're putting on more than 3 nuts at once, it really helps (for me, at least) prevent aching hands. I like Wago for installing lights, since that's something I occasionally undo. I've never had to replace romex running from a junction box to an outlet, so I'm fine with wire nuts for things like that.
I'd imagine a wire nut can hold a lot more than a lever nut since they bite into the wire whereas the lever nuts hold the wires. In practice there should never be strain on your wires so it shouldn't really matter. As long as the nut is holding the wires securely and doesn't loosen over time then you're all good.
Wire nuts are not without risk if they aren’t done right. If they are engineered right, this is a great option.
Wire nut connection done right will hold many times more that lever nuts. If there are just two wires coming out without a twist, you did it wrong.
Another very significant difference: WAGO provides a lot of mounting capabilities, for example a DIN-Rail universal-holder (221-500). This way you can avoid flying connections in distribution panels / din-rail-boxes. 221 is available with ex-Rating as well (221-482) Selection of other useful accessories: The Gelbox, A waterproof miniature enclosure (207-1x31) Universal strain releave and mounting adapter for the through connectors (221-2503) Surface mounting adapters with Strain releave capability (for example 221-502, 221-503, 221-505) Enclosures for building heating and building control wiring setups (207-4301) Wagobox Some third party manufacturers design enclosures and junction boxes specifically to contain wago 221 or are sipped with it, for example Merten MEG1010-9019, Spelsberg A-Box SL, Wiska-Box 85, many Shelly-Accessories provide 221 mounting capabilities. None of this is available for the ideal connectors, unlike 221 they are not designed to be mounted or fixed somewhere on a regular basis. That should be considered as well.
Good point and thanks for calling out all the additional applications. WAGO does have a WIDE variety of support parts 👍
Good to know thanks. Mechanically speaking Ideal is a better design for strength. You can see similar designs in FFC connectors, they have inherent higher pull out force is its fed through. It will be interesting to strip the plastics and see the mechanism of how they clamp. the other connector tests would be vibration/plating (wear), subsequent pull force, mate cycles and possibly oxidation/fretting.
WAGO uses a patented spring connection called the cage clamp, surrounds your wire on all four sides by metal and forms a gas tight seal by forcing the wire into a tinned copper bus bar. I do not believe Ideal has gas tight seal. No air = no corrosion.
To me, heat = resistance. So that being said, which ever connector runs coolest under load would be my choice.
Really great video content!
I like to wrap the Wagos with electrical tape to hold the tabs down
Really great studies! But you should use SI units, That would be perfect!
Thank you for indulging our whims
Hey, Scott! Thanks for the great work on testing these connectors; you are a true professional. I do have a question: on the graph at minute 8:12, you show a "baseline", which outperformed all others, including the wire nut. But I missed out on the details of this baseline connection. Where do you explain it? ~~~~Arthur Ogawa
How about a pull test on wire nuts? Also, can you do a pull/heat test with the push connector of your popular receptacle. Overall, ideal is sold at Lowe’s and a known provider in the electrical industry. Wago 10 awg connector is sweet for water heater connections.
I tried Wagos, and then discovered that Lowe's had Ideals in store, so I tried them. Wires seemed looser in Wagos and more secure in Ideal. I'm a DIYer. For my purposes, lever connectors are like an electronics breadboard--great for diagnosing and testing. They allow you to hook up a complex circuit and make sure everything works as expected. If it's 14 gauge wire, I'll then use wire nuts to finalize. If it's 12 gauge, I'll use wire nuts for up to 3 wires, the big blues or levers for 4 wires, and levers for 5. Levers really come in handy for splicing lots of ground wires in those multi-wire junction boxes.
Maybe it depends on the wire size, but if you look at the temperature test, the connection is better on Wago, as it heats up less than the Ideal one.
Nice video and presentation. The video link is an experiment for comparison with a range of connector under test, series connected. Models ranging from twist nuts through quick connect style, as a second opinion. Watch and make town conclusion. Caveat? Test at and exceed rated load of AWG 14~12 in series link.
I haven't used lever nuts. That said, I'm about ready to order a WAGO kit just to have them on hand. I do like the greater pull-out strength of the Ideal.
Nice. Once you use them, there's no going back
Really great videos!
Have you seen the new wago racks that complete the wire nut for mounting projects - innovative
I'm an electrician and I keep a few inline wagos on the truck for extremely short wires that you can't even get a wire nut on, but a properly installed wire nut makes the most solid connection.
I think the reason for the higher Temps for the leaver nuts is because of contact surface. I wonder if you reduce the wire length for the wire nut say start with 1.5 inches and work your way down to 0.5 inches if the Temps would increase.
I like the testing, the temperature data is helpful, but I would have loved to see what voltage drop was like between the connectors. What is the power loss difference was it 0.1v, 0.5v, 1v? Or was it even measurable?
im sticking with wago, my Menards has both and Wago by the 10 pack is a few dollars cheaper so for the most part Ideal doesnt give enough advantages to justify the cost on a small project
As with EVERYTHING in life it is always best to have many choices in life. These "new" connections are just another option available to you for 'problem' solving.
I have using Ideal wire nuts since the 1960's and they are tied with the Scotch wite nuts. Granted pain in the butt when you have to slice say 3 solid #12 guage eites eith 3 #12 guage stranded wires but if you strip them 7/8" then pre teist the solid conductors then wrap the stranded conductors then teist with large side cutters then trim the ends even then tighten the proper sised wire nut with side cutters you never have a problem. Still tape all of my wire nuts with made inUSA quality tape.
I use both. One of the advantages of Ideal is that you do not have to open the levers to insert the wire. I wish Wago operated this simply. I’ve had issues with Wago levers coming open just as you demonstrated. Wish Ideal ran a bit cooler and was a bit easier to see the connection.
Thanks for the feedback!
Woohoo! Thanks so much. Do you think the larger sized WAGOs heat up less (bus bar surface area differences)? Say for 12AWG and a heavy load. Obviously they're required for 10AWG.
Probably a bit lower but if I had to guess it would only lower 2-3 degrees F so not a big difference.
Thanks for sharing friend 😊
Happy to help 👍
WAGO will soon be in 2000 Home Depot stores around USA. I am already in 250!
Looking at the design of the Ideal, it seems to me that the spring being behind the bus bar is causing a less secure electrical connection. Copper is ductile, and I expect that over time the copper past the spring will flex away from the bar, resulting in even more heat generation. The Wago seems to press the wire directly into the bus bar and thus doesn’t seem to have that issue. If it’s already hotter right after connecting, what will it look like in 20 years?
Considering wirenuts are the coolest, I'm going to stick to them for 120V applications. In a niche case of installing 12V kitchen lamps, I'll give Ideal/Wago a try because there is little room available and current is much lower (hence less heat to deal with)
Sure be nice if you could get a box that had slots inside to hold these (shut no less) once you have them filled.
I'd happily use either product. Wagos if they're available to me. Ideals for the convenience of picking them up at the hardware store. If Lowes or HD started selling Wagos on shelves, I'd probably use them exclusively.
I use WAGO lever nuts for just about everything. I do have some WAGO Wall-Nuts in a 6 hole configuration for busy metal JB's with a lot of grounds. But ill be sticking with WAGO
you will love hubbell spring terminal receptacles, plugs n connectors
Just got a couple Hubbell Edge Connect receptacles and they do look pretty solid 👍
I like the 221 and use them for stranded wire connections. I also use the Wago 773 for pig-tailing outlet and switches to aluminum in-wall wiring with anti-oxidant (old house). It would be great to see the load testing of aluminum/copper connections.
due to your videos I bought the Ensure/Ideal connectors, the onlyones sold at Lowes & Home Depo! They to not have the lever at all...
The ones without the lever are push in connectors which weren’t compared in this video. I would need to see a comparison video between ideal push in connectors and ideal lever connectors to see what the differences between them are before I would make a decision.
Both Lowe's and HD now carry Ideal lever connectors and many Home Depots have Wagos in stock. 2s, 3s, 5s' and in -line 2s. Sold in either 10 packs or 50 packs. Lowe's are supposed to be carrying Wagos too soon.
Great content about these lever wire connectors. Have you seen these? JOMERON 84PCS Lever Nuts Wire Connectors kit. I'd be curious what you think about these.
Yep those are knockoffs of the older WAGO lever nut which is the WAGO 222. My initial thought is No Go for the knockoff of the WAGO 222.
@@EverydayHomeRepairs Wow. Thanks for the quick reply. I suppose that when it comes to your home, your safety and the safety of your family is at stake, so why take chances with a device that isn't UL approved? Anyway, thanks for the videos. Very helpful and informative. I've always been pretty much a wire nut guy and I have plenty of them. I will continue to use wire nuts when I have two solid core wires and plenty of space for the wire nuts. If there is a stranded wire in the mix or there is limited space, I'd use a Wago. Thanks again.
The difference in lever opening direction may be the result of design patents.
Maybe a dumb question but would a yank or quick pull test be different than a constant force test ?
Sorry I know my question is not today’s topic. But I wonder if you have a video how to replace the vent on glass block windows?
Where I live, the Wagos are actually around 30% cheaper the the ideal. Been using Wagos for years but I've just started using the Ideal and I have to say, I'm impressed. The closure is much more secure with a small second click at the end on the Ideals. Both levers will wobble a bit after closing but it is much harder to catch the Ideal tab on something. Just run you thumb over one of each and you can tell the difference. I've had several Wagos come loose while inserting receptacles in boxes when a wire catches the orange tab. Probably my fault but the Ideal tabs seem much harder to snag. You can also push fit solid wire in the Ideals without opening the tabs first. Really hard to do that on the Wagos. The extra pull out resistance an the Ideal may he because the spring clip is designed to open as the wire is inserted, unlike the Wagos. Neither seem to be a safety concern. The Ideal lever connectors I bought were made in Austria and the last box of Wagos I bought were made in Switzerland. I'll keep using both but if it's a situation where access is limited (attic or crawl space) and I don't want to worry about going back in to troubleshoot, I'm using the Ideal.
Did you try the pull out test on the amazon knock offs?
The Ideal is thicker than the current Wagos, but I suspect they are still thinner than the previous version of Wagos.
Can you use stranded wire for DC wiring with these? I'm working with 16 AWG in my truck mods.
great information in the video, however its difficult to pay attention with so much background noise buzzing.
Hmmm, I'm not hearing the same buzz. Did you hear the buzz during the whole video?
@@EverydayHomeRepairs It goes off and on, mostly the close up shots of the products. Its more like a high pitched whine kind of buzz and it goes progressively louder and higher in pitch then down again and repeats. Its really odd. It kind of reminds me of the noise that happens when we use our AUX port to listen to music wirelessly in our car while it is charging. It picks up the electricity static and broadcasts it to the car speakers. I know it isn't on my end since it doesn't happen with any other videos from other youtubers and it stops when I pause. Both my husband and I can hear it so I also know it isn't just me and my ears. we are using a laptop to watch your videos. Hope this helps.
I've also used the WAGO's and like them. Do you feel it would be OK to use them for outdoor porch lights?. I'm sure there may be more dampness than if they were used inside, but it sure would be great to be able to connect the small stranded wire on the outdoor fixture to the 12 or 14 gauge solid house wiring instead of using wire nuts. Thnks for your thoughts on this.
I am not an electrician but have used the Wagos outdoors where no direct rain can fall on the box. Theoretically, outdoor rated boxes installed correctly are waterproof. If you want to be certain , use the wire nuts with the sealant inside.
@@rzh3443 Thnks
Have never been a problem for me, when placed in a appropriate enclosure. For junction points I prefer Wiska boxes (607, etc) to keep them safe. Not a single one caused a Problem or went bad in all those years. Also, unlike some screw Terminals no rust issues with high humidity environments
I cut a narrow piece of electrical tape to wrap just enough around the levers to keep them from accidently opening up
Testing to failure would be interesting to compare.
I have seen some guys crank up 100 Amps to melt both WAGOs and the wire nuts.
I was working on a 30a 10g circuit in a RV that some bozo ran thru a couch leg. So I couldn't easily remove-replace the couch. I had some Wago 221-412's on hand so I made the splice (in a box) outside the couch leg. I realize the Wago 221-412 is not rated for 30a 10g, and I've since orderd the 221-612's. But I turned everything on in the RV and kept touching the 221-412 conectors, they never even got noticibly warm. Just my experience.
THANKS SCOTT,🤗👍💚💚💚
You bet!
Will this be better option for diy solar connector over solar fancy connectors?
wago 221 absolutely the best for me! For both types of wires!
While these lever nuts are well within a safe range of temperatures, I would like to know how much additional electricity is used to overcome that resistance.
it would be nice if you heat tested the WAGO with stranded wire. I am using all stranded wire in my shop.
How do you get wire out of the ideal in sure?
Having just discovered a weak splice made with a wire nut, I will be replacing that with a WAGO.
Smart idea 💯
What is the Max Temperature for electrical wires for a 15A outlet?
Standard maximum temperature for PVC-coated wires regardless of current is 75°C.
Any reason not to tape the wago to insure the levers won’t pop up?
I saw an electrician using the Wago's but he wrapped them in a electrical tape. I guess it was to keep the levers closed.
Tape is for hacks. It covers the visual inspection window.
Not necessarily, maybe it was a circuit from another breaker that is not obvious. Red tape around the terminal and a note on the cover helps too avoid accidents ("warning, foreign voltage! red taped Terminals are fed via F2.7!")
@@Kevin-mp5ofI guess the literal translation didn't work..... Thanks for the hint :-) I meant separate source voltage, that is called "Fremdspannung" (literally foreign or alien voltage) in German. That is an evil joke I will surely remember, thanks :-)
I think you know my preference. Like you, I prefer Wago, even if I do have to use my electric tape. I have ROLLS of it.
👊
Still no test on the Wago before vs after a "tug" on the wire... You need to compare this 🙃
Not totally sold on Wago. The old wire nut method provides a lot more contact between wires than a Wago could ever have. With less connectivity, Wago connectors tend to heat up much more than wire nuts.
I’ve been calling them way-gos not wa-gos. Since that was the name they were introduced to me by the job foreman I worked with. 😜😜😜
I’ve heard them called both “way-goes” and “wah-goes”. I guess the question is “What does the manufacturer call it?” 😉 Edit: Given that it’s a German company, the correct pronunciation is “Vah-go” 🤷
Does the Ideal have the test port?
There is a singular hole on the back for a test port. I don't know how useful a single port is and instead used a continuity test at the end of the wiring harnesses I was connecting. But it's there.
There is a test port on the front and another on the back of the Ideal.
Like you I'll stick with Wago. I have plenty of them and the added types make a difference.
Not liking the opaque housing. I'd still use a short run of electrical tape to keep the levers down, so the side it's on would still be preferred nearest the wire for me.
Couldn’t a person put a small piece, or single wrap, of electrical tape over the levers to keep them from popping up, if that’s a concern?
I wonder if that would cause more heat
Is it OK to leave an empty port in a 5 wire connector if you need to connect 4 wires?
Yes
Never been a fan of wire nuts. But, they were the only option....till Wago.
How do you deal with more than 5 wires that need to be connected? Serious question.
You use a strand to bridge two connectors.
Interesting testing. I’m still good with wire nuts. I think they win in every category - if you know how to properly use them.
Wire nuts can make higher quality connections, but you can't beat the convenience of a lever nut. Also great for mixing stranded and solid wire, where wire nuts are a bit more iffy.
Too many people use the wire nut to twist the wires together. That's bad practice. You should strip over an inch of insulation from each conductor, bundle the wires tightly with the insulation lined up - not the ends and twist clockwise using linesman pliers until you have a tight consistent spiral, but not too tight. Then trim the end on a slight angle so the bare twist is 1/2-3/4" long. The wire nut should be spun on the end and should bite on its first rotation. No bare wire should be exposed or visible below the wire nut. Stranded wire combination and you should leave the strand long by an 1/8" or so. Make a pigtail so you only have one solid conductor with stranded wire.
I like the Wago nuts.
I use Wago only.
I've seen some twist wire nuts that have come lose after a few years..even with tape. I stopped trusting those as I used to.
Excellent thank you. I think I will continue to wire nut high wattage.amperage areas and use these nuts for lower wattage applications (lights).
Maaan I should've watched this before I bought so many wire nuts.
20 minutes are way too short test. Electrical installation should keep as safe for decades, not for minutes. Also Wago does vibration tests with many different conditions. Beside 221 series, there is a 2273, which is very thin in comparison to 221. Theoretically 2273 is one time use, but practically You can remove wire multiple times. Anyway, many people complaining to them, cant read very short manual at the back and they strip wire insulation less than recommended 11 mm. Always read manuals before first use - electrical current is not a toy.
Thanks for the feedback!