PROS: strips wire from 20-30 AWG solid or 22-32 AWG stranded cuts copper wire loops, bends, gauges solid and stranded wire shears 6-32 and 8-32 bolts CONS: no instructions bolt shearing is not always clean enough to work in a nut stripping action not as convenient as catapult-style stripper STRIPPING WIRES The Klein 11057 is great for stripping wire up to 30 or 32 (solid or stranded). It makes a good complement for thicker-gauge strippers, such asNeiko Tools Ultimate Self-Adjusting Wire & Cable Stripper (which I own and can recommend) or theIrwin Industrial Tools 2078300 8-Inch Self-Adjusting Wire Stripper with ProTouch Grips (which I have not used, but seems comparable from reviews). The Klein 11057 requires using two hands to strip the wire. You have to hold the wire with one, the tool with the other, and pull them apart to cause the stripping action. I find this less easy and convenient than the one-hand stripping action of the Neiko approach. With the Klein, you are expected to know the gauge of the wire you are stripping: it is not self-adjusting like the Neiko or Irwin tools, probably because it is not practical in a small gauge stripper. The good news is that the gauge you choose does not matter that much. When I used a size I knew was too big, it tended to work. If it was too small, the wire was cut instead of stripped. For wires that are big enough to be stripped by my Neiko, I prefer it, but for smaller wires, it's really worth owning a Klein. Ever tried to strip wires with diagonal cutters? They may work in a pinch, but sometimes you have to make two passes, turning the wire 90 degrees for the second pass, and often not clean. The Klein cutters wrap around the wire, so one pass gives a clean cut. OTHER FUNCTIONS The card that comes with the Klein says it can be used as a wire gauge. Perhaps, but there are no instructions that tell you exactly how to do that. I note that there are small v-shaped grooves leading to the stripping holes. I suppose you lay the wire into successive grooves until it "fits". But it isn't completely obvious when I have the right one - is it this one (almost, pretty much there) or the next one (definitely there, but maybe a little wiggle room)? It has holes for bending or looping wire. I use pliers for this, and instructions or a video would help to understand why using these holes would be easier. This is the kind of knowledge that is passed on from a master to an apprentice, but I'm just a hobbyist without access to either. It has a bolt cutter. I experimented with shearing an 8-32 screw. It's easy enough to cut. The problem is that it won't fit an 8-32 nut, at least not without some filing, or working it through a die. Again, maybe there's a trick to it, and instructions would help. It has wire cutters. It does tell you not to cut any but copper wire, or you will nick the wire cutters. BOTTOM LINE It's a matter of taste, but if I am stripping wires 26 gauge and thicker (smaller numbers), I prefer the self-adjusting, one-handed Neiko or Irwin approach. But for wire gauges smaller (larger numbers) than that, too fine for the self-adjusting tools, the Klein is an indispensable tool. That's why I have both the Klein and the Neiko.
