Side by Side Comparison of: Neiko vs Klein Tools

Came across a YouTube video where this was used and decided I had to try it for my future pinball machine repairs. It arrived without any instructions so I 'searched' n YouTube and their were a few videos that showed exactly how to use it! This tool is smooth and does the perfect cut and strip. It works great on single strand, lamp cord or Romex. I wish I had this tool when I installed 20 new outlets.I highly recommend this quality made (Taiwan) tool.

I was originally looking at Chinese strippers but these Taiwanese strippers are worth the extra couple of dollars. Someone snagged my USA self adjusting strippers I've had for years. These are as good if not better.

This Neiko works by pulling the insulation off, stretching it until it snaps so the cut insulation ends are a bit jagged, and is most noticeable as insulation get thicker but importantly, its very unlikely to cut any of the wires while stripping. I found that thicker insulation requires just a touch longer length to strip as the insulation stretches a bit more before it snaps off; also the adjustable wire grip compensates for wire thickness to allow more grip or as the jaw wear with age.Before this was invented, best strippers had a fixed set of sharp AWG sized openings. You needed several strippers for different AWG wires. Those strippers worked well and fast, one squeeze they nicked the insulation just so deep and the other end pulled the ends off the insulation out. Another popular stripper has a profile of a T.Rex: you fed wire into the mouth; its front teeth gripped one end and pulled it off, and could take a wider set of AWG wires than the bladed version. The bladed version got dull with age, and if you chose the wrong slot, it could cut off a few strands of wire. The T Rex stripper does not strip a wide range of AWG like this Neiko can strip so you tend to need at least two or three T Rex types.ProsHeavy duty steel constructionWorks as described, strips insulation by pulling it apart until it snaps off so unlikely will cut wiresMade in Taiwan, the quality of finish, construction is highCan strip multiple wired cables like Romex!Extremely wide range of stripping, I've tried it from 26 -12 AWG flawlessly, its rated for 30-8 AWGAdjustable wire grip for slippery wires or jaw wear with ageConsLarger and heavier than most strippersNotes:There are many "copies" of this stripper design. All legitimate ones are from the OEM Taiwanese company KYP Tools and who invented the design in 1984. If you have a KYP, Neiko, and Irwin version side by side, they are identical except for the overmolded handles, color, lack of brand name on the OEM while the KYP has its logo in on the back of the head. KYP has at least 3 patented versions of this stripper as well as variations within each version. The Neiko model is KY665. FWIW I could not find the patent number for its claimed US patents. There are "non-KYP copies" that look similar but not identical, likely because KYP claims its patented in China. The true models are all KYP made.The enclosed photos compare a non-KYP version, Irwin, and KYP versions. You can notice similarities and differences.

I haven't bought a new wire stripper in a decade and I am glad it is this one. It's pretty amazing but you might need to fiddle with its tension settings a bit. I bought it for USB wires and other finer type. Bought it through this seller because the fellow who does the youtube vids had some great information up about arduinos. It helps him out. He shows this unit doing multiple conductors at one time. It does that & that is why I am giving it 5 stars. Amazing! ( I hope it can keep that up. ) it seems sturdily made, better than most things these days and has multipivot point articulations which could easily suffer if they quality were not top notch. I would NOT throw this tool around in your toolbox as it could suffer and not work 100% next time you want it to function like before.The odd/neat thing is that this pulls the insulation about 1/2 inch over which for me takes a bit getting used to. But I saw a guy use this to his advantage doing it regularly along a length of wire and then soldering to that open space(a strip of LEDS in this case). Seems to be an advantage if you know how to use it this way.

UPDATE(12/17/15): I still have this and I still use it when needed.UPDATE(03/08/15): Great tool.UPDATE(02/10/14): After using this auto-magical tool a bit, I love it even more, though the single point crimper takes a bit of squeezing effort. For "once-in-a-while" crimping it's ok, however, a ratcheting crimper would be much better. I may get a multi-point ratcheting crimper for easy crimping especially in cramped spaces.You might think to yourself: "Self, I won't use this tool very much. I'll just continue using my normal stripping knife." Then immediately qualify that thought by thinking, "And a box of band-aids and tube of antibiotic ointment are certainly much cheaper than buying this wire stripper." LOL.REVIEW 12-05-13:Adjust the red plastic wire-stop piece for the length of insulation to remove, insert wire(s), squeeze and your done. The wire is stripped. You're done. Done!I've tried different gauge wire (10AWG - 22AWG) and the stripper worked 99% of the time in one squeeze. The tool works well for multi-strand wires too (outside insulation then the individual strands). Once in a while the insulation that is removed gets stuck in the tool but that's really not a big deal to clear it. The single point crimper works well enough when you need it. And the wire cutter comes in handy now and then; the stripping action activates first before the wire is cut so you need to keep squeezing to overcome that action before you get a cut wire.It's neat that you can strip a middle section of wire (rotate the red wire stop piece out of the way and move the tool to the middle of the wire).The tool seems sturdy and has some weight to it.If you strip enough wires to warrant getting a wire stripping tool, do yourself a favor and go for an automatic tool such as this one.No more cringing when it's time to strip wires. ;-)

I have been involved in electronics all my life, and I'm an electronics engineer. Wire stripping has always been somewhat problematic, the non-automatic strippers tends to nick the wire or break a strand, while the automatic ones usually have a blade that has half a dozen or so holes you have to select from depending on the wire size which is annoying, and sometimes the hole you want isn't there. This tool has a universal blade that will cut all common sizes 10 to 24 AWG and even smaller, it doesn't nick the wire or break strands, its easy to use and will even strip two wires at a time. I was embarrassed when an amateur brought this tool over one day; where has it been all my life? It is the best stripper you will ever acquire.

Strips almost any wire, including both strands of audio cable or lamp extension cords. The only reason I knocked off a star is the crimper section is right where my thumb ends up and it bit me. My mistake, but sharp and easy to slip into.

Love it. Doesn't always work perfect but maybe 9 out of 10 times it will. Anything to help with wiring on old trucks is a must have.

Pretty darn good wire stripper. It has replaced my old wire stripper (the type that has springs and such and requires you to get the wire in the right groove). I would have given it a 5 star rating, but the plastic handles feel sort of cheap, but then again... this is a pretty inexpensive item.

One of those things where you have to go in with the understanding that it's not flawless, but will make your life easier 95% of the time. I use it for general electronics work (mostly auto and small circuits) and I am very pleased. Most of the time it just works. The only recurring issue is that with shorter sections of small solid core wire, (20awg or smaller) it will often tend to slide the copper inside the insulation a bit and you have to push it back with pliers. There is probably an adjustment I could make, but it doesn't bother me enough to go changing stuff.

Downgraded to 4 stars after some use. The wire cutters on these things are pretty bad, bordering on unusable. The cutters are a blunt wedge and anvil style, and separates wires (cut is not the right word) by brute smashing force. It tends to mangle mangle wire and insulation on both ends of the cut requiring me to use a real cutter to trim off the damaged ends. I have to carry an extra cutting tool when using these, and usually just use it in the first place to avoid the hassle. Knowing this I probably would have spent just a little more and bought a more known brand with a decent cutter.

I bought these stripper/cutters about a year ago and have used it enough I think it's time to write a product review. For the cost I was surpised how well it performed and how durable it's proven to be. It works exactly has promised with one caveat -- stranded wire. Until you get a feel for the tool stranded wire such as speaker wire will lose some of its strands when you strip off it's casing. This proved most problematic when I was dealing with EL wire since it has only 2 stands (corona wires) needed to carry the current to make it glow. If you cut through them accidentally your only choice is to cut off the bad section and strip it again. When I 1st got these strippers I was restripping the same wire a lot, with practice I developed a feel for the tool and now it's a rare occurence. They work well on small (I've used them on as small as AWG 22) wires and large. I'd strongly reccomend them.

I found this tool would fail to strip on the first attempt about 1 out of 5 attempts. When it worked it was great. The wire needed exact placement to strip the proper amount. Multiple attempts required returning to the pliers for completion. I purchased this tool to simplify and speed up this task. It did not accomplish that reliably.

Does the job if you are careful. Doesn't work with small wires, just cuts them.

I do a lot of stripping while working on different projects. After having nicked some 18 ga solid recently with standard style strippers I decided there had to be a better way - which lead me to these. I also wanted more consistency in the length of the stripped portion.

Pro: Product delivers well on both these points

Con: Don't like where the crimper portion is located. When working in tight locations nose of tool may bump into obstacle before you can get around terminal to crimp. So I still carry the "old" style with me and use it to do all the crimping.

I bought this, Hoping they would be better than the Radio Shack strippers. They turn out to be identical to them. The adjustable tension knob won't stay in place and needs tightened after 2-3 uses every time. Then the spring that's mounted just above the main pivot point, broke into two pieces. launching one end at my face, but thankfully the only injuries were to my sunglasses. ($50 glasses is cheaper than a trip to the ER).
So now I am back to my Radio Shack wire strippers and hunting for another set.
Note: to anyone who has never used these type of wire strippers, They are wonderful! They are faster, better, easier to use than the standard plyer type tool. So if you just need a hobby tool, then this would be fine. If you find a PRO grade tool, please share your Intel with me!

After using a manual wire stripper for years and having the scars on my fingers to prove it, I bought this self-adjusting wire stripper. I found there was a slight learning curve in how to position the wire for correct exposed wire. The installed gauge was hard for me to use properly.

Although the tool was new, it did not flawlessly strip the dozen or so wires I stripped for wall outlets. When I was finished with my wiring upgrade, I was not sorry that I bought this tool but it was much more difficult to use than I had anticipated.

It was much easier on my fingers than my old manual tool. I had the bad habit of jabbing the hand holding the manual stripper with previously stripped ends. No doubt operator error.

If someone was to ask me whether or not to spend the money on this tool, I would be neutral. Works 'good enough' to justify the lower price, but a pro would probably want to spend the extra dollars for a top quality tool.

This is a bad copy of a good design. There were not instructions and it required extensive research to find out how to use this design. The item I received did not work well and I returned it without any proble

It has trouble stripping thicker gauge wire. The left jaw that grips the wire won't hold tight enough. Tried 12 gauge and it rarely stripped unless I squeezed the left jaw onto the wire. 14 gauge worked well most of the time. I haven't tried anything smaller though, but it appears to work well with smaller diameter wire.

Don't buy this for jobs that require 12 gauge or thicker!

Quick, simple, easy to use for stripping wires. Well constructed with a "stop" to make consistent exposed wire ends.
UPDATE - After using off and on for a year and a half, the clamping part of the unit fails to grasp the wire insulation about half the time, requiring manual intervention... reduced to two stars - barely adequate.

Purchased a little over a year ago. DIY / homeowner use only. Initially it worked well and stripped wire fine. Gradually over the time I've had it it the grip on the wire has weakened and now it no longer strips at all.

There are no instructions with it and I can't find any information to potentially make an adjustment to fix this.

I checked with the seller I bought it from via Amazon who replied, "Neiko which is the factory does not offer warranty on the items."

So all in all, disappointing, and I would not recommend this tool. Judging from numerous other positive reviews, maybe mine is just a dud, or maybe people wrote reviews only after a short time, when the tool was still working correctly. (?)

I have a pair of wire strippers that I have used for a while now. But when it came to the 24 AWG CAT5 ethernet, my old ones didn't have a cutout small enough. I bought these to replace my old strippers and then some. However, the thicker the wire, the worse these things do. When stripping ethernet, I have had a 100% success rate. However, getting up to 14-12 AWG, the success rate dwindles to 25% or lower. I have found that it is much less frustrating to just use my old strippers for the larger wires. For small stuff, they do really well. For big stuff, forget it.

Foreign made piece of garbage! Isn't big enough to go around a piece of romex. If it were I expect it still couldn't cut it! Giant disappointment!!

Doesn't function well.......would recommend buying the Klein strippers

You get what you pay for and this pair of wire strippers is a prime example of this phrase.
I bought these in mid December and hadn't used them until today (out of return date naturally) They failed after 5 or 6 strips. They stopped holding the wire while attempting to strip the insulation.
I was able to get them to work for a few more strips by tightening the adjusting + - screw, but the screw backs out again and again. The package is marked "Heavy Duty" Yea right!!!
Made in Taiwan

I often see low ratings on products that work well for me. I gambled that this would be true again and ordered one of these wire strippers. It was a mistake. This tool just stretches the insulation. Sometimes it would break where desired, but more often than not, the insulation was just stretched and torn. I used it on 10 gauge solid wire with soft insulation. Maybe it works well on other wire, but that doesn't help me at all. If you use other wire, you can gamble on it too! Good luck.

Tried to strip some 14-2 standard wire and it couldn't get the job done, it only stretched the cover in a few places. After multiple attempts it seemed to get the job done but not clean or fast. I can do it the old school way faster.

My hope is that I received a defective product because if you can find one of these tools that does the job...what a time saver.