The old way of stripping coax vs. the new way... which is actually faster?

I used to strip coax with a knife and my teeth for years. It got the job done but I always had some nicks or jacket damage. Then about 2 years ago a buddy in Phoenix told me to try the Klein coaxial cable stripper. It cut my prep time from around 45 seconds per end down to like 10 seconds. But I still wonder if the manual method gives you better feel for the cable condition. Has anyone else had trouble with the stripper blades getting dull after 50 or so ends?

2 comments

2 Comments

emery_hall17h ago

Have you ever gotten so used to doing something the hard way that you just assumed everyone else was being lazy? That was me with coax stripping for years. I was all about the knife and teeth method, thinking it gave me more control and a better feel for the cable. Then I finally tried one of those Klein strippers after a buddy insisted, and I felt pretty foolish. It's not just faster, it's more consistent and I actually get fewer bad ends now than I did by hand. The blades do seem to dull after maybe 70 or 80 ends in my experience, but the time and frustration it saves is worth swapping a blade every so often. I still check the cable by hand sometimes, but I sure won't go back to the old way.

harper_owens16h ago

Man I feel this in my BONES. I did the same thing with a completely different tool on the job site and just assumed everyone cutting corners was being lazy. Finally tried the proper way after a coworker basically forced me and I wanted to kick myself for all the time I wasted. Your point about blade dulling is dead on too - I found that keeping a couple spare blades in my pouch makes it easy to swap out mid job without losing momentum. The consistency thing is what got me too, because doing it by hand always had some random off day where I'd nick the conductor and then have to redo the whole damn end. Now I barely even think about it and my quality is just way more steady.