Wire Stripper

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What Does Wire Stripper Mean?

A wire stripper is a portable handheld tool used by workers, especially electricians, for removing the protective coating of an electric wire in order to replace or repair the wire. It is also capable of stripping the end portions of an electric wire in order to connect them to other wires or to terminals. A wire stripper is often considered an important tool for professional electricians and other related personnel.

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Techopedia Explains Wire Stripper

Wire strippers can be categorized into two types: manual wire strippers and automatic wire strippers. A manual wire stripper is considered the most versatile; to use it, the user needs to manually rotate it while applying pressure around the insulation in order to cut or adjust the wires. In the case of an automatic wire stripper, one side is held tight and, simultaneously, the other side is cut and removed. An automatic wire stripper can help even a novice cut and strip most wires quickly. However, it only works for certain size ranges of wires. It could break small wires, and large wires may not fit into its jaws.

Wire strippers are available in various shapes and sizes and are usually made of steel. They usually have serrated teeth, which comes handy while stripping wires. The handles can be either straight or curved and, in most cases, are covered with rubber coating to provide a secure grip. Wire strippers often have a wire cutter as well.

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Margaret Rouse
Technology Expert
Margaret Rouse
Technology Expert

Margaret is an award-winning technical writer and teacher known for her ability to explain complex technical subjects to a non-technical business audience. Over the past twenty years, her IT definitions have been published by Que in an encyclopedia of technology terms and cited in articles by the New York Times, Time Magazine, USA Today, ZDNet, PC Magazine, and Discovery Magazine. She joined Techopedia in 2011. Margaret's idea of a fun day is helping IT and business professionals learn to speak each other’s highly specialized languages.