Knipex Multistrip 10 - An unbiased comparison to 2 contestants
Can the Knipex Multistrip10 beat the cheap Weicon #5 or it´s cheaper brother as a wire-stripper?
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Related video where the Weicon came out as a winner:: • Every maker should hav...
Availability of the Weicon No. 5 for customers outside of Germany: Our European shop: www.ak-modul-bus.de/stat/autom... or for customers outside of Europe our international shop: www.ak-modul-bus.de/cgi-bin/en...
Unedited, single-shot video of a shootout of the three without knowing the result beforehand. I really made the very first strip with the expensive Knipex in this video.
The technical description of the Mutistrip10 says: "Fully automatic adjustment to all single-, multi- and fine-stranded conductors with standard insulation throughout the entire capacity range from 0.03 to 10.0 mm²" Now 0.03 mm^2 is equivalent to a diameter of 0.2mm which is still much thinner than the cable I stripped in the video. So it clearly does not meet its specs. But a little further down on the spec-sheet it says: "Not suitable for highly-flexible or armoured insulation materials or for multi-layered insulation." But "highly felxible insulation" is just what you most often deal with in electronics. Same sentence can be found on the smaller Knipex. www.knipex.com/index.php?id=12...
Personally I like the stripping tool to leave insulation on the cable so that you can quickly twist the multi core wires with the insulation on! Making it perfect for solder applications!
Not only that, but it's easier to ensure that you haven't cut any strands, since the discard is left behind to be examined. It's also tidier, since the discard isn't just thrown down without regard. I can see that it could be a drawback if you were stripping tons of wire all at once, though.
Not pulling the wire all the way off is a feature of the 12-62-180. That way, you can create gaps in the insulation for splicing, or you can twist the insulation, as you pull it off, making for a neatly twisted wire, ready for tinning.
I really like, when they don't strip fully. In industrial environments you often have steel grating tiles as floor, where the striped part of the wire trends to drop down a few floors. Another lovely thing, you can strip all wires at once and add ferrules in the next step. Depends on the application.
Just the exact comparison I was looking for, thanks.
Having experienced similar issues with the very well-regarded Weidmüller Stripax with very thin and/or slippery wire, I can give one bit of information (which other comments have said as well): the speed at which you squeeze the handles makes a big difference. I’d be curious to see the results if you squeeze faster, as you did it slightly slowly. Also, it doesn’t help that in your ribbon cables, the wires are bent from separating them. It helps a little bit to straighten them out before stripping. (That also helps prevent nicking the conductor.) For sure, though, it looks like Knipex is erring on the side of being gentle on the conductors. 8:15 - About terminology: "braid" means “Geflecht”, and so is mostly relevant to shielding. Being one of multiple, I’d say “conductor” here. Having had to deal with this very terminology topic recently, here the correct German->English translations for the electronics context, with explanations to ensure no confusion (and educate others who might not know): Ader = conductor = a single electrical carrier (whether a wire, PCB trace, bus bar, etc.) Einzeldraht = strand = a single solid wire specifically *when describing the construction of a conductor* Draht = solid wire (1) = a single conductor composed of a single strand Litze = stranded wire (1) = a single conductor composed of multiple strands HF-Litze = litz wire = specialty stranded wire composed of many individually lacquer-insulated strands that are electrically joined to a single conductor at each end Kabel = cable = 2 or more conductors, mechanically bundled in some way (in electronics, “cable” is generally reserved to mean 2 or more conductors that are electrically insulated from each other) Isolierung = insulation = the nonconductive layer around a single conductor (2) Mantel = jacket = the additional nonconductive layer around a bundle of insulated wires, forming a cable Schirm = shield (AKA screen) = a conductive layer added around a wire or cable to provide protection against electromagnetic interference Flachbandkabel = ribbon cable = multiple individually-insulated wires joined into a cable as a flat ribbon Folienkabel = flat flex cable (AKA flexible flat cable, FFC) = a type of ribbon cable *with flat conductors* within a plastic tape Abisolieren = (wire) stripping = removing insulation from a wire Abmanteln = jacket (or cable) stripping = removing jacket from cable “Sheath” is a word that is unfortunately used variably to mean a jacket, shield, or an extra layer on a cable to provide more mechanical protection. It’s essential to investigate what is meant when you encounter it, if it’s not absolutely clear from context. The above is the most common usage. No doubt there are exceptions, of course. (1) In English, “wire” is the umbrella term for all kinds of wire, and does not suggest any specific construction. (2) In English, “isolation” has more of the connotation of the _concept_ of separation, even if just accomplished passively by keeping distance, while “insulation” means the material _added specifically_ to stop electrical, thermal, or acoustic energy from moving. So in English we can say that electrical _isolation_ can be accomplished by the use of electrical _insulators_ .
Yes, you are right. With some practice the "small" Knipex is on par with the Weicon. But I still don´t like the Multistrip 10 and only use it for very thick cables where the other 2 just fail. And as another viewer pointed out, the "small" Knipex is apparently a rebranded Jokari 20050. Just by chance the Weicon was also the "winner" in a comparison by "Stiftung Warentest" and they now print that on the packaging now :-)
@@KainkaLabs Actually, there are some differences between the Jokari 20050 and the Knipex 12 62 180. They seem very similar, but numerous small details are different. Starting with the jaws, the Joakri has has two top (inner non-movable, and outer movable, connected to the outer part of the pistol grip), and one bottom, while the Knipex has complete double jaws, the outer fixed black jaws and the inner gray jaws which are moving. The Jokari has length stop at the top of the jaws, Knipex has it at the bottom, which is unfortunate, since the inner gray jaws on Knipex move when adjusting the stop, and the length markings are on the outer black jaws. On Jokari, the length stop is mounted on the same surface as the markings, making it easier to adjust the length precisely. The black part of the jaws which holds the insulation is very similar, but not exactly the same, however the Knipex has extra 3 teeth on the inner gray jaws which hold the insulation, once the blades have bitten into it. Jokari doesn't have that. The functioning of the stripping mechanism is different: When the grip is squeezed, Jokari performs the stripping action, but does not release the cable. Instead, the jaws stay shut, until the handle has been released. This is sometimes useful, because it allows maneuvering the cable before releasing the removed insulation. Knipex, on the other hand, completely finishes the stripping action and releases the wire once the grip has been squeezed. The operation of the wire cutting blades is different: On Knipex, the blade presses onto the wire which is laying flat on a metal piece. On Jokari, the blade does not move, instead the flat metal piece presses the wire onto the blade. The opening is pointing to the top of the tool on Jokari, and to the front of the tool on Knipex. My (very recent Knipex), has one extra adjustment at the top, but I'm still not sure what it does. The Jokari doesn't have it. In any case, they are extremely similar tools, and they seem to perform similarly, but I haven't used any of them long enough to say anything about durability.
Your effort and care is abundant in this KZhead comment! Perhaps more than needed, yet delivered with pride and authority. (sadly, I was too impatient to read it all...)
Mine stopped having trouble once I started stripping the wires faster as well
There is an adjustment to set cutters. Insulation should be left on till ready to use to keep from fraying.
Weicon No. 5 is awesome! Even 30 AWG wrapping wire strips perfectly. Thanks for this test. I have tried many of these tools but this is the best I've seen so far.
Prior to watching your video I purchased the Knipex 12 62 180 and had the same experience (not good). I will now look to purchasing Weicon. Thanks
I was keen to get these... Now I think I'll go with the Knipex 12 40 200 Self-Adjusting Insulation Strippers. Thanks for the video.
One interesting note about Knipex 12 62 180 tool is that they now added an adjustment slider above the jaws of the tool. Unfortunately, there is no documentation about it on the website.
THX for the hint. That´s really new to me. Perhaps someone from Knipex saw this video :-)
Leaving the insulation on the wire is totally fine, if anything it protects the strands of the wire from fraying until you are ready to solder or crimp. It would be interesting to see which one performs better with high-performance wire (e.g. spec44 or spec55 wire).
Great video - well done!
Still very useful comparison, thank you. Just ordered Weicon5 stripper, will see how it works.
I had the smaller Knipex, but the gauge range wasn't enough, so I swapped it out for a Multistrip10. An expensive tool, but you get what you pay for.
Good job, man! I was a little hesitant to buy the cheapest real stripper. Now I ll stick to weicon.
I took this advice and bought a weicon. Only cost me 17.69 US and got here from Europe in 10 days... it really is a great tool! It just works.
I am a harness technician and I'm trying to figure out the best tool to get for the price because most of my cuts are between 3 and 5 mm millimeters. I've been trying to find a video but with no luck normally the cuts that are showing on video are like 10 mm
The Weicon No. 5 is the same tool as a Gedore 8087, i never touched that tool after i tried the Gedore 8146. strips even silicon and wires up to 16mm. i'm professionally using this tool for about 12years now, and didn't even had to replace the blades.
First Knipex was updated with version with pressure regulation slider. Second one has two brothers 12 40 200 and 12 52 195 - both also with pressure regulation wheels. Those regulators are a game changers for thin cables (electronics stuff). Im also looking for good striper for thin cables and despite that Weicon is more affordable and suitable for hobbyst as me, i would rather pay a little bit more for more flexible solution like first one with slider. But yeah, those basic one you showed should be advertised for electric use not electronic.
So will Knipex give the money back or provide updated pressure regulator part to people who bought expensive strippers? Its not good enough to say oh look we have nw upgraded and it now works! So did they not even test the previous strippers?
@@pkumar5411 Nonregulated do work on electric cables and electronic with certain thicness. Are you sure you using yours on cables with thickness mentioned on tool's box?
Yo también creo que es mejor de todos. Lo tengo hace tiempo y es impresionante lo bien 👍 que va.
I have just perchaced that blue one but it is branded as S&R, and it's a superb stripping tool and it cost me £15.00 from amazon
The Pressmaster Embla wire strippers are similar to the Knipex, but have a fine adjustment for insulation thickness.
are they available on Amazon
for instance, on that very small wire the cheapest, the smaller weicon is always going to perform better, I bet they would struggle if you tried to strip some 6mmsq?
Precistrip 16 with regulation wheel are superior. They dont have problem with tiny cables and leave insulation on cable so you can twist it if you want.
Thanks for the review Dennis, it was very useful. My elderly Radiospares strippers don’t do so well on thin wires so I ordered your winning strippers. In the U.K. they are available from Amazon and also Rapid Electronics. The cost from Amazon is about £21 including postage from Rapid, I suspect buying direct from Rapid might be cheaper.
Im looking for a wire stripper that can manage finest wires in very confined space. Does such a tool exist? A tweezer type wire stripper would be so cool
Hi there, I wonder if you can answer a question for me. Can the Weicon #5 strip dual insulation? Some cables have an outer insulation with the wires inside having their own individual insulation. Thank you in advance.
I don´t know, but I can´t imagine that any wire-stripper can do that.
I’ve experienced the same problem on the Knipex 12-42-195. Rather disappointing! Recently I’ve tried to turn the blade “upside down” (even though it look identical on both sides). This seems to have helped, but I’m still to test it out in more situations. Can anyone else confirm if this solves the problem for you?
Who cares if the jacket doesn't come out completely. As a matter of fact, I like this because I can more easily twist the wires if needed. I wouldn't consider this a con.
For a multi stranded wire, the best stripping tools are the ones that has a strength knob, always.
Really interesting to see these results. I just got a MultiStrip 10, and it perfectly stripped every wire I've tried - silicone insulated (0.14, 0.33, 0.75, 1.5, 2.5 mm2), teflon insulated (0.05, 0.15, 0.38 mm2) and PVC (0.75 mm2). Perhaps the one you got has some quality control issue? Or try switching hands? :)
I'm cutting cat5e it's also pulling out some of the copper
I got a pair of 12-62-180 Knipex wire strippers, and mine have a strength adjustment on the upper jaw. Yours seem to not have it. I'm curious if this was added along the way.
Yes, Knipex have added this feature recently. I have to try it out if it really improves stripping of thin, slippery wires.
why didn't you test them all on some larger cable diameter also? the wire is very small and the larger knipex tool is good for up to 10mmsq? In my experience with any of these cable strippers generally they work best just inside both the upper and lower limits and generally quite poorly at each limit
Because every 5$ wire stripper does a good job with large diameter wires. In electronics you mostly deal with smaller diameter wires and here the difference is substantial.
I suspect that the insulation remaining on the wire is an intentional feature of the tool.
You probably refer do the KNIPEX cutters. Could be, but it is not consistent. And even if it is a feature, the downside is that it mostly doesn´t cut thin and "slippery" insulation which the WEICON does much better.
You're right. Perhaps the failure lies in the mechanism that allows the tool to automatically adjust to different wire sizes.
The Weicon No.5 Automatic Wire Stripper does not seem to be available in the United States. At least not under that name. Does anyone know if the same tool is available to those of us in the USA perhaps under a different brand name?
Availability of the Weicon No. 5 for customers outside of Germany: Our European shop: www.ak-modul-bus.de/stat/automatik_abisolierzange_weicon_no_5.html or for customers outside of Europe our international shop: www.ak-modul-bus.de/cgi-bin/eng/iboshop.cgi?showd1010!15,376848189978378,ZANGE4
Erik Burman it is definitely available in the US...mine was branded as Titan ...ordered from amazon...but available in a lot of place...it is the model Titan 11479.... hope that helps!
KainkaLabs can you ship it to Russia?
Capri also makes some dead on the weicon ones. On Amazon. My pops has them and been happy. I have the first knipex ones in the video and have no complaints.
Thanks for the video. It looks like the "slippery' wire has PTFE (Teflon) insulation and it is coating the jaws of the wire stripper, hurting performance on subsequent tests...
No, it´s definitely not PTFE insulation. It´s an ordinary flat-cable.
Coating the jaws - lol - u dont know what u r talking about - theorist
@@mcqcjc8409 Happens all the time dumbass.
You have to be carefull not get cutted isolation material stuck in front of the bottom blade slider, otherwise the to blades are not centered and you won´t get a good cut. It is really hard to see on the video if there is something stuck, but that could caused the problem on the expensive knipex.
No. I know of this problem. The blades were absolutely free.
I have experience with both Knipex wirestrippers. They are both no good. After some time they won't apply enought pressure. Everyone in the company I work for is avoiding the Knipex. The Jokari Super 4 plus is good for bigger wires ( >= 0,5mm²), there it does a decent job. For smaller diameter I use those Jokari Micro-strippers. My best experience is with Weidmüller automatic wirestrippers. I have one of my own and it is doing great work for over 15 years now.
Which Jokari? There are a bunch. From crap to great - if you’re an electrician. They all suck for small applications 24 AWG and down).
You were setting the wire further in with the cheaper Knipex.
In the mean time I have found a trick to get also very thin and slippery wires stripped with both of the Knipex tools. You have to insert/strip a not too short and not too long piece of wire The large one (Multistrip 10) with that trick is in fact really the best one.
can you do an example on how small you can get the cut in millimeters?
What do you mean by "how small..."?
If I am stripping a large number of wires from ribbon cable I find the cheaper knipex leaving a sleeve of insulation on the wires useful. I strip all the wires first and then pull off the insulation just prior to fitting and soldering each wire. Less messy. Thanks for the usual quality video BTW.
Some automatic strippers have a setting to deliberately leave the insulation stub on. I'm with you, I like leaving them on to bulk strip. Here's how partial stripping works on the Weidmüller Stripax: kzhead.info/sun/fcWeccyLeKGhZY0/bejne.html
Availability of the Weicon No. 5 for customers outside of Germany: Our European shop: www.ak-modul-bus.de/stat/automatik_abisolierzange_weicon_no_5.html or for customers outside of Europe our international shop: www.ak-modul-bus.de/cgi-bin/eng/iboshop.cgi?showd1010!15,376848189978378,ZANGE4 Further supply sources down in the comments
The cutter on the new weicon is not on the safe side for live works. If you are cutting live wire, i prefer the cutter to be on top side so that it wont fall on to your hands after cutting. perhaps Weicon should come up with less plastics at jaw of this tool.
Por qué no has probado con cables más gruesos? Al menos el knipex llega hasta 10mm², me gustaría ver a los 3 con cables de 10mm².
I bought the Weicon No.5 based on this review and have to say that it is the nicest wire stripper that I have ever used. Even though it is only rated down to 28AWG, it strips 30AWG with no visible damage to the copper. Cutting the insulation on 4 sides makes for an excellent and low effort tool. Would 100% recommend!
The bigger ones just seam like the jaws don't close enough for small wires. If there isn't any adjustment to increase the pressure or close them more it just might not be designed for it.
The expensive Knipex also doesn’t look very ergonomic to hold/use compared to the Weicon.
@Leif Automatic strippers seem to be about evenly split between the pistol grip like the Weicon and the one Knipex, vs. the pliers grip of the expensive Knipex (and the arguably best automatic one on the market, the Weidmüller Stripax). Honestly, both styles work very well.
Thanks to You I saved a lot of money. I was going to buy this crap..
I like how the blue ones look the best out of them all anyways.
i have both knipex strippers and they do not work on fine wires. I also have Knipex 12 40 299 which is more suited for fine wires as the jaw can be adjusted.
Hi Dennis, I bought a Knipex 12 42 195 recently, and i was rather disapointed ☹️ I had the same kind of problems you are showing in your video. In my opinion, the cutter lacks an "insulation thickness" adjustement, like on other similar stripping pliers... I did not expect this from Knipex, wich has a top quality tools collection. This one is an exception. Thanks for sharing, Eddy.
whit the most expensive knipex stripper you need to release the handle faster but i don't recomand it its too expensive fore personal use i have it fore work.
👍
Exactly my personal experience!You think Knipex is the best,but no!
Cuanto cuesta en el salvador
Shipping to El Salvador is 20 Euros. All prices in our shop are 19% lower without VAT for overseas.
So Have you've changed your mind about KNIPEX? you used to think KNIPEX is superior than Weicon no5 ?
No, I didn´t. The Weicon also came out as the "winner" in the first "shootout"! But Knipex has now updated their mid-range stripping tool (shown in the middle of the photograph) with an adjustable tension for thin cables. I will try that one out in the future.
Always heard good things about knipex products but since I don't use wire cutters in a professional setting my cheap strippers will have to do, would be nice to win the lottery and have some of the tools this channel demonstrates.
I just noticed this was posted on April fool's... Was this a joke?
No.
I am quite sure I did everything right. The red thingy is the adjustable end stop for the wire to strip it to a defined length. That´s why it´s mandatory (and intended) to push the wire up to this end. All wire strippers have this feature (the Weicon as well as the smaller Knipex alos). Perhaps we are talking about 2 different things? Any way another viewer commented that the Multistrip 10 is really bad at stripping small diameter wires. I later took a look a the homepage of Knipex and there they also mention somewhat hidden that both of the tested models are somewhat problematic in stripping thin PVC-isolated wires.
KainkaLabs oh ok , I use cheap cutters so I never handled these ones demonstrated, I apologise and will edit my previous comment
Products they actually make as in their pliers which are hands down the best in the industry. However these are more than likely rebranded from knipex so not actually made by knipex. This is the world we live in now. Even the pro tools are rebranding secondary products.
70€? 130€ here on Finland...
Knipex 😍😍😍😍😍
A third rate sleight of hand but seems to fool some
IN-sulation, not I-solation
Learn german first, then complain about his english. Then you also might understand that the same thing can be called differently around the world Aluminium - aluminum
@@Slovenec5 When I speak in a second language I insist that native speakers correct my mistakes as they occur in order to improve. I was simply extending Roger that same courtesy. No need to infer malice.
@@Slovenec5 Things may be called different things in different _languages,_ but the word used in one language doesn't mean that word is suddenly OK in another. In English, insulation and isolation are different things, even if they are conceptually closely related. Besides, how do you know Hermiel _doesn't_ speak German?
@@tookitogo I assumed he didn't because people who know more than one language are mostly aware you can accidentally use words from one in another because they're so close
@@Slovenec5 Yes, we polyglots know that. But it does not follow that this knowledge should prevent us from helping someone else improve their second (or further) language. Heck, we polyglots understand that it's _helpful_ when people let us know what we got wrong.
I've got the Knipex 12 62 180, and it's no good... Just doesn't work more than half of the time... I would recommend the Jokari Super 4 Plus instead, also it's about half the price, just €14 on Amazon. I've got the adjustable 12 62 180, it has a slide to adjust the thickness of the wire, your model doesn't have that I see. (not that it matters, this doesn't work either)
Knipex made this new version of the 12 62 180 with the adjustable tension or pressure without notice and without changing the model-number about a year ago. I have one lying here around untested. That would be bad news if the adjustable tension/pressure is no imrpovement at all :-(
@@KainkaLabs Sadly, it isn't... Knipex is my favorite brand, but they f'd up with this one... The Jokari Super4Plus is working good!
Crazy price for so much plastic. But then we are used to Chinese crap with no research and development premium because they can just copy
Great video and that's my point, these companies inflate the price and they assume that consumers are stupid enough to buy these expensive cable strippers, no point investing in expensive tools which to ne honest in the modern world and high quality engineering you can do the same with reasonably priced cheaper tools. What a joke from Knipex!
objective real-life test, no brand loyalty, "proof is in the pudding" 👍
Is because your Left Handed?
As long as I don´t have 2 left hands... :-)
Have you tried the newer Knipex stripper with the adjustment, at the pivot point? I’m trying to strip 22 AWG Stranded wire. Very often the fine wire comes off with insulation.