Side by Side Comparison of: Klein Tools vs Hakko

Wire strippers suck. These don't. There's a weight to these that isn't heavy but it's there and it says 'quality'. Had to rebuy this as after two years mine disappeared on a job, I think. Only know they're gone and I'm growling.For the wire sizes it handles, it's quick and painless. Solid core however can be tricky. Worst case use the tool to break the insulation, loosen the jaw slightly and pull.After using these for two years I'd rather use a razor blade to strip wire then any other stripper including those 'twisty' ones.A note, those cheap 'twisty' strippers work great but I deal with alot of wire stripping on occasion and these don't hurt the hands and wrists.The only downside of these is when there isn't enough exposed wire for the strippers to fit the out comes the razor blade and a curse word.

No more twisting a wire cutter and often cutting off the wire strands. No more tugging as hard as I could to pull the cut wire cover off the wire while teetering on top of a ladder. This sucker is amazing. Just insert the wire into the correct slot for wire size, squeeze once and voila a stripped wire. It takes much less effort and does a far better job.

These things are extremely useful for both solid core and stranded (A/D or D/C) jobs. This pair is of the best quality I've used and has a handy cutter built-in.Once you use these and use them correctly, you'll never go back to the plier-type strippers again.

Have been using this stripper for several years now and they have all head up very well. I work around moister, mud, dust and just about anything else found out of doors and this stripper just keep cutting. I have 3 maintenance vans and all tool boxes carry Klein tools plus these strippers. I keep another set in my shop where I build control panels that require dozens of wires to be stripped the same length so the stop is very handy.

I have owned similar tools as this Klein wire stripper before, but they were cheaply made and had a short useful like. This Klein stripper looks well made and I am hoping it will last. The stripper makes very clean wire strips and does not nick or scrape the copper wires. I use it primarily for AWG 10 stranded wire and it does a very good job stripping it. I wish I could strip stranded AWG 8 (it will strip solid AWG 8) and wire gauges smaller than AWG 22 with this tool, but it works for most of my wire stripping needs. The built-in wire cutter is a nice addition, but also limited to cutting just a range of wire sizes.

day 1 review:Strips #12, #14, #16, #18, #20 stranded very wellHave not tested #10Does not strip #24 (not designed to strip this size, but it is the smallest I use so I was hoping ^^)cutter works well on #12 and belowLooks like a quality build, looks like this will improve my efficiency in wire stripping.I bought these to replace a 7 year old pair of kline strippers that are the exact clone of these Irwin http://amzn.com/B000JNNWQ2I have separate crimpers, so I think this tool will be better for me.

As a model railroader I often found myself working with wire gauges above 20. After trying to strip such thin wire with a pocket knife and making a mess of it (old eyes just don't work as well as they use to), I broke down purchased this wire stripper. I'm glad I did. This tool feels solid, efficiently strips the thinnest wires I'll ever work with, and saves frustration and aggravation. Well worth the cost!

I bought this wire stripper because I was so pleased with the Hakko wire cutters that I purchased. And I can say that this stripper is equally as good. The best part is the comfort of the grip. They are very easy to hold and fit the hand really well. And the cutting edge is the best of any strippers that I have used.

Maybe I haven't tried enough wire strippers, but this is the best wire stripper I've ever used. It makes easy, accurate cuts. It locks shut. It hasn't scratched or worn after a month of heavy use. The open/close action is smooth as butter. The grips are soooo soft that I want to wear a bodysuit made out of that material.Based on my experience with the Hakko stripper, I also bought some Hakko pliers and flush cutters, and they're just as great (neither locks shut though). On top of that, they're among the *cheaper* options, but they feel super expensive. I don't know why anyone would buy a different brand. No, I'm not a shill. These are just that great.

This tool is perfect. The spring has the right tension, it has a lock to keep it closed, and most important is strips little tiny wires great.One thing I especially like about this item is that the 'bumps' between the wire grooves are rounded off instead of being pointed. This is really handy, especially with smaller wires as the rounded edges help guide the wires in instead of chopping parts of them off if your not perfectly aligned.I personally like the stamped notch labels as they will never wear out. I don't have any problems reading them but if you do you may wipe them with a bright paint marker, nail polish, or white-out to obtain more contrast.I've had these almost a year now and they are still working well. So well I just ordered another pair so I can keep one on my bench and one at my solder station.The cutter on my first pair is a little worn now because I used them to trim through hole component leads. Don't do this to yours....I found out the hard way some component leads are not soft copper and clipping them with these cutters will damage the blade. The damaged blade isn't the fault the tool, it is the product of my abuse. These are strippers, not diagonals or flush cutters so if you use them for what they are intended for they work great.If your looking for a flush cutter check out the Hakko CHP-170, they have hardened jaws that clip right through component leads with ease.The bottom line is I would (and did) buy these again and I would recommend them to a friend.

This 20 to 30 AWG strippers are every bit as good as the Greenlee I have been using the past 10 years. I get clean cuts on 30 gauge insulated wire with ease--no bending or twisting. It comes with a locking device to protect the cutting edges. I have read other reviews complaining that the embossed gauges are hard to see. I fixed that by brushing some white acrylic paint over the gauges, then immediately wiped it away with a wet paper towel. This will leave paint in the embossed markings making them simple to read.

Effortless, extremely smooth stripping, no conductor nicks, and very comfortable grip. I also have a gun style, a combo stripper-crimper, a bull nose end, and a vintage 5 inch Homart pocket stripper. By far, this is the best of the bunch.So far, I've used the Hakko CHP CSP-30-1 for both solid and stranded #22-24 (breadboard & cabling) and #30 insulated wrapping wire (perfboard-hi density circuits). Unlike other customer(s), I did not have any problems with stripping #30 size wire. The wire I was primarily using was RShack 278-501, 2, 3 (solid) with a Kynar 460 jacket. The only improvement I would suggest to an already great product would be to add white highlighting enamel in the (black on black) wire size indicator indentations.

Good quality, but arrived in ridiculous tamper-proof package which required some time to get into.

Pros:Very sturdy wire strippers.Fit my hand nicely.Cons:Not something you want for use on stranded 8 AWG wire. (Did not see that information on their web site, but it is in the manual I received with the stripper.) It will strip the wire, but it will also cut outer strands in marine Type III stranded wire.

This does not do well striping thermostat wire to expose the 8 internal wires I use in HVAC installations but it does well once you remove the outer layer it does a nice job I wish it had a 1 size fits all but you have to match the correct size wire to its own hole works well and I think I will grow to love this tool

great tool for average use love that the back gate opens first before the cutter so the twist in the wire does not get ruined

This thing works remarkably well. Can't believe how effortlessly this strips wire. I've needed this for years.I really wish they offered this tool with the optional 16-26 AWG blades or as a bundle with both blade sets. I ended up spending $45 in order to have this tool with the correct sized blades.I bought this blade set in case you're wondering.Klein Tools 11074 16-26 AWG Katapult Wire Stripper - Replacement Blade Set

I used this style on the job for several years and they are way better than the other style of wire strippers. Makes changing a light ballast a lot quicker and easier. Not a fan of serrated jaws to hold the insulation but these don't appear to cut in and deform it. The addition of the wire cutter is a solid improvement on this type of stripper. Replacement blades are readily available when you eventually dull them or get a knick. The only thing that prevents this from being a one tool for the job is the lack of being able to cut a wire mid length, you have to have an end to pass through this one to be able to cut to your needed length. So I still need to carry a set of wire cutters in addition to these. The blades are marked to tell you which hole for solid or strand but you can't see it once the blade is installed in the tool.

They work well on 30 AWG wire. I don't like that a good tool company like Hakko would use only a rivet at the hinge. That is kind of cheap and makes it hard to tighten the hinge joint.

I work with a lot of small wires and these are great for that. They're sharp and cut cleanly.

As others have stated, these are just as good as Kliens

These work great even on 30 AWG wire wrap wire! But the ones I received didn't seem to be Hakko brand.If you need to strip really thin wire like 30 AWG (or anything smaller than 24 AWG) this is the type to get. The automatic ones don't work very well on very thin wire unless you spend $50+ on one of the fancy all-metal high precision types.

Is there a Hakko plier I don't like? Not so far. This one is fantastic for stripping tiny wires. Only subpar function is the keeper/latch, which holds the pliers shut against the spring, is very, very hard to push in and out of place. I don't bother unless they're going into the toolbag for a road trip. They mostly sit on the workbench anyway, since they're pretty much constantly being used around here.

In terms of build quality, there can be no complaints about this tool - it's comfortable, and the little locking lever is great for when you want to store it compactly. However, the reason I knocked off a star is that the AWG markings are, simply put, crap. Every time you go to cut a wire, you have to squint at the tool and adjust its angle so that you can read the matte-black painted stamped metal and figure out which hole to use. I understand that these stamped markings will never wear out, but the least they could have done was fill them with a contrasting color (inferior quality tools that I possess have done as much).That said, I would still recommend this tool to anyone needing to strip small gauge wire.

Doesn't work on the 22 AWG wire we're using and the replacement blades that go down to 26 AWG (Klein Tools 11074) are universally unavailable. WTF, Klein?

good

Seems to have difficulty with 12 gauge wire. Suprisingly disappointed, given it is a Klein tool.

Doesn't always work on small wires 18 gauge and smaller.

Mu ch easier than using a knife to strip wires, but with this one, its possible for the clamp to miss the wire on a couple of the positions, and not strip it .

Just got my hands on this wire stripper a few minutes ago. We bought this with the intention of using it to strip 22 gauge stranded wire. According to everything on Amazon and the Klein website, it should be able to properly strip my wire. However when placed in the smallest hole, it does not strip it. It glides over the insulation and shaves off some of it, but its like its 1% too big of a hole. If you need this for 22 gauge wire, be aware that it may not work as advertised.I already called Klein customer service, and they recommended replacing the blades with their smaller gauge variety. http://amzn.com/B00776SKB6 is the link to what you may need. They said they would send me the replacement blades for free, which solves MY problem, but I wanted to make everyone else aware that it may not work with your particular brand of 22 gauge wire.

Not a bad product for occasional use.

strippers work well but the cutters dented on the first cut

Stripped my 30 gauge wire good but didn't cut as well as I would like so 2 stars off.

This tool is inaccurate. My needs are mostly for stripping 30 awg wire. This tool''s 30 awg setting gouges enough into the wire that the wire breaks off. However, using the 28 awg setting seems to strip 30 awg wire correctly, so the tool is still useful.

If you need to use these a lot I recommend getting something a little nicer. The steel was not uniformly coated so it has a dirty appearance. The AWG sizes are not painted in so can be hard to read. The two handles were not quite parallel. They strip pretty well but are cheap and you are reminded of this every time you pick them up.

Works okay. Can't read the gauge indicators.

the device itself sticks when in use and the blades are too shallow and just strip the plastic coating on the wires. I might have to contact customer service to get replacement blades that work.

Well constructed but does not strip 22 gauge wire.

bad quality, had to change them

Amazon ad mis-stated the wire capacity. I had to return them. If they had handled the wire sizes as advertised, they would be a great product and very fairly priced.

Slips & does not strip small size wires

... it doesn't work on 8 AWG wire. I bought this tool because I needed a wire stripper that would do 8 AWG, and this one was advertised to fit that criteria. Alas, the hole in the jaws for 8 AWG and 10 AWG is the same, and using it on 8 AWG results in a whole bunch of strands getting cut off. Maybe there was fine print somewhere (or big print; perhaps I wasn't paying attention) that states that it is not for use with stranded wire, but I didn't see it. Great for 10 AWG and smaller wire. It is quick and easy to use and appears to be made well. It just doesn't do what I need it to do.

The small plastic that holds the spring broke on the very first use. It is annoying that one has to push the handles back; its awkward to change fnger position to push it open!!

The Hakko flush cutters I purchased before seemed to be of pretty high quality. These unfortunately are not. These close too far, so instead of the openings for the conductors being round when closed, they are oblong (eye-shaped). This means that the jaws will cut into the conductors. Also, the lock mechanism is shoddy; It is difficult to operate with one hand, and it just doesn't look like it is supposed to be there.Since these are for stripping such small wires, the manufacturing quality needs to be a lot better. These kind of tolerances may be ok for a stripper that does 10-18 awg wires, but not for 30 gauge. I would pick up something of higher quality.

Feels cheap, didn't quite cut the gauge it said it would.. I had to for the end to get it to close more.. Ya get what ya pay for

Not as sharp or accurate as the old Ideal strippers I was trying to replace. Works okay for "easy" insulation. But when working on wires smaller than 26 awg, if the insulation is a bit tough, or sticky, it can be hard to strip without breaking the wire.

I've bought several NEW Hakko products from Amazon, but this purchase is suspect. First off packaging isn't normal of Hakko, seems to be rebated. And, the product seems to be used... The 2 stars are because the product is good as they are Hakk

I already have a very nice wire stripper similar to the Klein Tool 11063 8-22 AWG Katapult wire stripper found on Amazon. Part of it grips the insulation behind the stripping point while another part actually strips and removes the insulation. The problem my stripper is that it's not good for stripping wires bundled in a cable when you just want the 26 AWG wires, in this case, to be short, like about 1/4 inch.So, I purchased this Hakko stripper because it's jaws are thin and it had very good ratings and it was cheap enough. Quality was okay. Testing the stripper, I found that it did not sufficiently cut the insulation because I couldn't strip the wire by simply pulling on the stripper. Another reviewer noted this as well. In one test, pulling to get the insulation off resulted in ripping most of the strands out as well. I understand that the amount of difficulty in removing the insulation is somewhat a function of the type and thickness of the specific insulation. But, I didn't have any difficulty removing insulation with my other stripper. Maybe this stripper does a better job on larger gauge wire, but, I did not test this. Also, the blades on this stripper may not be set close enough to the wire gauge being stripped. I know there would be a concern about nicking the wire if they were set too close. But, again, I don't have any nicking problems with my older stripper.I did find that if you "rotated" the stripper back and forth a little, around the strip point, before you try to pull off the insulation it does a better job. I have to use this stripper for my current project. But, after that I'll just throw it in the toolbox and go back to using my old stripper.

Gimmicky pointless for most applications jaws tend to slip

bad

I own a set of the non-wire-cutting version of these, and they are absolutely fantastic. It is quite literally impossible to get a bad strip, and if anything the faster the better.These, despite appearing to be exactly the same but with wire cutting plates attached, are immediately obviously inferior. First of all, they rattle, whereas the old ones are rock solid. Secondly, they are not consistent, because the new mechanism is less robust and precise, and allows the handles to move relative to one another before stripping has begun, changing the relative orientation of the gripper/stripper parts.None of this would matter if they stripped reliably, but these do not. Some strips go as expected, whereas other times the gripping portion will chew all the way through the insulation. You can feel when this happens, because the mechanism inside behaves somehow differently from a proper strip.I need these for regular use in a professional environment, and this level of reliability is absolutely unacceptable. Since they still get good reviews, I will be returning these for another set, and if they are as bad as this one I will go back to the old set (without on-board wire cutting), which will become treasured as an irreplaceable tool which is simply not made anymore.

Saved a considerable amount of time retrofitting old lights with new ballasts and lamp holders (tombstones). A must have if you want to save time.