Side by Side Comparison of: Capri Tools vs Irwin Tools

Good good good at least for around the house. I am not an electrician, but my sister is, and she coaches me through my home projects. "Now, there are two ways to do this, Billy -- do you want to turn the power off, or leave it on? If you leave it on, you have to be sure not to touch the ..."They've worked great for my light use, installing a few outlets and lights, and I think they'd be good for heavier use too.

Surprisingly high quality for the price. Strips, clips, pulls. Great for home/hobby use. I don't know enough about professional needs, but it seems like it would hold up to quite a bit of use.

Best wire strippers I've used so far. I bought my dad another brand from here but I like these better

I've used this in a few projects already and I love it. It's solidly built but still light in the hand and the cutting edges are sharp and precise.

These are my everyday wirestrippers at work and I like them better than the Kleins I had before. The cutting edge has really lasted (cutting stranded copper awg 10, 8, and 6 every day) and the strippers do their job. I've been waiting for this "cheap" tool to fall apart or get dull, but they just keep trucking. Biggest problem is the handle retention isn't super strong on the straight handle, but it hasn't been much of an issue.

This worked well on solid and stranded wires! The cutters cut well, and I love the plier tip to grab and bend wires.Only thing I couldn't figure out was how to cut wires that come in a bundle. Tried to strip some thermostat wire and this tool could not properly strip it (without cutting into the wire) since the wire bundle was not round. So yes this tool has its limitations but over all great quality and cheapest priced item (for Prime).

I have an automatic wire stripper and I can't stand when any wire strands get broken, so I went back to the gold standard: this Irwin wire stripper/multi-tool. It might take a few seconds longer to strip wires, but it's worth it to get it done right the first time. I'm in love!

These are great wire strippers, but they sent me some junk chinese made crap that didn't even look like these so i thought i never got them. The one i got was crap and didn';t even close all the way, had to grind surface down to get it to strip 18 ga. Amazon took care of me so all was good.

I purchased this tool for a motorcycle wiring project I undertook and I could not be happier with this tool. The wire strippers work amazingly and came razor sharp out of box. The crimper section works well and does not require extreme strength to crimp properly, I purchased the 8-inch model. The handle material is high quality and does not bother my hands while I use the tool.

This is truly a must have for any wiring project that requires crimping, wire striping, or needle nose pliers. If you are trying to get by using needle nose pliers and a wire cutter you truly need to purchase this tool. It saved me a large amount of time and frustration while working on various wiring projects. This tool is high quality and will last a lifetime if treated properly.

I have been replacing various electrical outlets and light fixtures lately and it seems for most of them I end up needing to clip the cable and strip a new section. I had been doing this with a Leatherman and some patience but figured with a good number more to go this would be a good idea (plus it was on sale so...).

Being a DIY-er I didn't (and still don't) need much more than the ability to clip standard sized wires, strip the plastic from the outside, and create the hook for the terminals (and manipulate it enough to get on if for some reason I don't do it with my hands).

I bought this tool because:1) I was looking for a crimping tool2) I did not have a good set of wire strippers3) A reviewer indicated that the wire strippers were awesome4) I thought the price was excellent.In using this tool as a crimper, I discovered that I have a tendency to "over crimp" the connectors. I don't see this as a failing of the tool...I see it as a failing of the user. I just don't have 'the touch' down yet. However, I was blown away by how well this tool strips wires.Pros1) Great price2) The gauge guides for wire stripping appear to be right on the money (just as another reviewer noted). When I line up the wire in the correct hole and press the handle, I get this satisfying little "pop" that I feel when a wire stripper exactly cuts the insulation but does not touch the wire underneath. The gauge is that good.3) It works flawlessly as a wire-cutter. It makes nice clean cuts.4) It can be used to make crimps if you have the experience and a good feel for it. Given my limitations with crimping, it will be my backup crimper.Cons1) This is not a con of the product...but I don't make very good crimps with this tool. I blame me and not the tool. It is a solid tool, and I'm sure I could get really good at it with practice, but I wimped out and picked up a ratcheting crimper as well (in particular, I picked up S&G Tool Aid 18900 Professional Ratcheting Terminal Crimper).I personally recommend the tool as a great wire stripper/cutter. As far as a crimper goes, your personal skill at crimping connectors will determine its usefulness. For my part, I like the stripping/cutting ability so much, along with the price point, that I intend to keep it for that purpose alone. The fact that it can serve as a back up crimping tool is a bonus.

Need a tougher clamp at the end. After a week of moderate use, the sides started to twist.

This product is very easy to use and is an excellent value for the money.

So, I've had these for a few weeks and they are pretty awesome. No dulling yet, the handles haven't come off, and they are pretty comfy. Yes I've used these a fair amount on SO cord and AWG 10 and 12.

great tool for the price, strips well, well built, recommend

I do a lot of modifications on amplifiers and crossovers, these can do a better job than the automatic unit I use but the gauges can be off.

Bought these in a pinch because I couldn't find my Kline strippers and that model wasn't available on Amazon. Comfortable and easy on the hand working with them daily. My Kline strippers suddenly reappeared in my tool pouch, seems someone had used them and did not return the right away. These will back a great back up and may even replace the Kline's if they don't loosen up and dull out.

Well made tool. Great for wire stripping/cutting and small screw cutting. However, I recommend a ratcheting crimper for crimping insulated connectors. Not a criticism of this tool, a ratcheting crimper is just better then crimpers of this type.

Functionally everything works. I took off one star because the surface coating gets stripped/scraped off very easily. The environment you usually use this tool is usually one with wires and metal around - obviously. So, all that bumping and scraping around has turned my tool into looking like a battle-scarred weapon.

If I had bought a $40 wire stripper from a brand name hardware store the surface coating might be more durable. But when you compare $15 vs $40 you have to cut corners somewhere.

This is a basic vise-grip with stripper/wire cutter. It works as intended for typical uses around the home. Professional technicians would likely find shortcomings but works for my needs.

For typical hobbyist use it's perfectly fine and price is as expected for a basic tool. I used it to prepare some speaker wire and some computer components.

My complaints are that the finish is not consistent and appears to have a slight rusting/roughness on one portion of one side. Everywhere else on the metal is shiny except for that portion. A spring-assist would also be nice to have. It's not so much for minimizing hand fatigue but that it's less cumbersome when working with smaller parts.

Summary: Well made, but design slightly awkward

I love the small size and well-made craftsmanship of this tool. The markings on the blades are easy to see and understand. I had a couple of dollar store crimper/cutter/strippers, and they don't work anything as good as this one does. However: the only problem is the placement of the stripper notches, below the pivot point of the cutters. This means you have to put the handle up and over the wire to get the blades in position to strip the insulation. This can be an awkward or self-limiting attempt, especially if you're trying to strip an in-place wire that you can't easily separate from a bundle or move into an easily accessible position. If not for that design limitation, these would be perfect.

Quality of Materials:
* Excellent, appears very durable.

Quality of Fabrication:
* Looks like a quality piece of gear; tool operates well.

Ease of Installation:
* As I noted, stripper blades make usage sometimes awkward.

Suitability for Purpose:
* My previous strippers don't hold a candle to this pair.

Packaging/Delivery:
* As usual, Prime delivers fast and delivers well. Package was brand new

A good stripper but the part I needed was the "crimper". Not sure why big name companies haven't figured out leverage yet...these like so many have the "crimp" part that requires "force" next to the handle, take a closer look. I also bought a "Rigid" brand that did the same thing. I probably spent almost $40 bucks just trying to replace a pair of multi-strippers/crimpers that I bought 12 years ago for peanuts, cheap and did the job. I finally found what may be the same as I had, some OEM name brand but oh yeah, they "crimp"!!!! I gave the rigids to a co-worker, how many pairs does one person need. Just make em right! These are also tight, at least the Rigid have a spring, not the best but they do strip, you'll just need a gorilla to "crimp". While I was at the no name store purchasing the no name OEM stripper/criimper I picked up also a cheap pair of crimper onlys as well...wasted so much money all ready, better just in case. Their ok for 10 or bigger but like the all in ones much better, why do I want to bring a pocket full of tools, got tons already on each job. HVAC mechanic.

Overall it's a great tool, very durable however the grip slides off after some use.

Adequate at best.

Good wire stripped, don't try to use the end to crimp connections.. You'll just about break it and your connection.

A useful tool, it does not cut evenly most of the time.

average but a good price

These are the best crimpers I have ever owned. The strippers, however are not very good for heavy guage stranded speaker wire. The are marked on the tool that striiper is from solid wire so one star off for that but otgherwise well built.

OK for 18/20 gauge wire. I still haven't found anything that works well stripping that small of wire.

This is a nice tool to have...It strips wire easily and cleanly. It cuts screws easily but not as cleanly as I had hoped; it cuts slightly uneven. This is fine to cut excess off a protruding screw but, an unused screw may need a quick filing to be easily threaded.

I bought this to replace my aging Craftsman stripper tool but, although a bit sharper being new, it isn't a marked improvement. Also, my old Craftsman is heavier. This may be a good thing for longevity but this lighter Irwin tool is easier to handle.

Okay, this may be a 4 star tool for a first time user. I give it 3 stars since it works okay, is easy to use and convenient to have available.

I have lots of cheaper strippers. I was doing some wiring and decided to get this "higher' quality device.

It is sharp, and does size, strip, crimp wires a little better than my cheaper ones.

It is a simple device, and I'm not certain if it is that much better than my cheaper ones, but for what it does, it works, is ok.

Feels awkward in the hand with the big plastic handles. It is too big and I have a fairly big hand. Lots of functions on this tool, but makes it very large and hard to maneuver when dealing with short wires in an outlet box when remodeling. I bought these on sale and thought I'd like them, but I prefer my old smaller wire strippers that just strip wire and that is it.

Just my preference, quality seems good, but after using it I would rather have a separate crimper and separate stripper tool that do their jobs easier

I am an electrician so I need wire strippers that get heavy use. On day one it became clear these wire strippers were inadequate for the task. The joint becomes loose very quickly which causes the strippers to cross rather than bite down evenly. After using them for a week I've bought another set of wire strippers of higher quality and these from Capri Tools are now a backup pair.

The wire strippers don't work very well. The cutter is sharp. I used it to cut a screw which you aren't supposed to do. It put a knick in the blade but cut the screw.

Every time I strip a wire the handle sleeves comes out. gave it 2 instead 1 star since it's able to strip a wire for the most part.

Strips wire nicely, comfortable but grips slipped off first day. Would not recommend for work on live circuits. Maybe decent if you glue grips to pliers. Not bad for $10 though I guess.

Used the product a couple times and it's already started to get dull

Did not strip insulation from 20 gauge wire very well. The stripping jaws did not align and sheared the wire more than cleanly cutting the insulation. When pulling to strip the insulation the small wires were torn away. When back to using a utility knife to cut and strip the insulation.;

I am not very impressed by this multi tool. It's cheap and light but its big and awkward to use it does not fit the hand well it does not feel right. The shape and grip material makes it easy for the hand to slip forward and contact the bare metal. You may say that it's not for use in live circuits but with loaded neutrals etc it often happens. I had recently become a user of Irwin told and their N.W.S. rebadged pliers are good but this pressed steel multi tool it's cheap and nasty. Spend a little extra and buy the Knippex or Kline versions

It's cheap but the tool can't handle hard use. I bought them on sale now u wish I would have just saved my money.

This stripper/crimper device was difficult for me to use. I felt like I was going to hit someone in the face stripping the wires or fling the tool across the room. Also, I only got one successful crimp before either my hands got tired and I couldn't squeeze the tool hard enough for the next crimp or maybe the tool is already bent out of shape. Either way, I have used tools like this before and this specific IRWIN tool was difficult for me to use and get a good grip on, maybe a longer handle with more torquing power would be better suited for my needs.

I purchased this stripper based on so many good reviews. Upon using the tool, I found that it doesn't work as well as advertised. When you strip a stranded wire, it somehow slightly kinks the wire and cuts some of the copper strands along with the rubber insulation. Therefore, you effectively end up having a smaller wire due to the loss of the conductors. I ended up leaving this stripper on the shelf and using my old Klein Tools stripper, which can strip the same wires without cutting the stranded conductors.

Soft steel. Stripped immediately.

Worthless. Couldn't strip the insulation without damaging the wires. It literally has one job, and all it did was destroy expensive wires.

Too big I try to return it but their policy suck so I have no choice but to keep it ..

The 8-inch one does not have the spring between handles, function wise, it's a great tool but it is painfully to work with.
If you just want a simple cutting/stripping tool, get the 7", which is even cheaper.

It does not have a coil between the handles, you need to open and close it so if you are a pro and want it for everyday use do not buy it.

This tool strips the sheath along with the copper underneath. Took way too long to strip some cables for a car stereo install. Does not work with stranded cables.

Ordered these cutters/crumpers/strippers for an electrical circuit class. Specifically needed a tool for 22 & 24 AWG. The discrption said 10- 24 AWG. Tool only goes to 20 AWG.