Ideal Electrical 45-915 Kinetic Reflex T-Stripper - 10-20 AWG, Wire Stripper with Thumb Rest, Plier Nose, Slide Lock, Textured Grips

For some perspective, the handle length, from the bottom of that hinge triangle to the ends, is about 4". My palm covers almost all of the handle. But that takes my hand closer to the jaws, and therefore, more leverage when removing the insulation. It matters for me for better feel of control. It's a good brand, so I assume the plastic handle will last. I love it that the handle is protected all the way to the hinge. Other strippers that have very skimpy insulation, I am always worried about touching the metal parts when I am working on a live wire. Even on a dead wire, it's a better feel. Am not a pro. The hinge spring is very light. It keeps the jaws open but takes very little squeeze to close them. I just tested it on 12 ga wire and cutters are sharp and makes a clean cut on both insulation and wire. The stripping was one squeeze only, did not have to swivel it, and left no mark on the copper.The locking H clip is not the best. But it locks fine and doesn't feel lose. It is not a deal breaker for me.

I love the thumb placement as it gives great leverage when working with hot wires.

Electrician with 35 years of experience here. Despite the fact that I don't like dealing with the Ideal corporation, this is the best wire stripper that I have found.

Nice ergonomic handle, and good sharpness

I am a DIY. I use this stripper for electrical fitting off. I have used it mainly on 2.5mm(sq) and 1.5mm(sq) cable. At the time of writing I would have made over 250 cuts with these strippers.Using the correct guage on the pliers, they have stripped the insulation perfectly each time without nicking the copper wire and with little effort. I do a little wrist (circular) movement to make sure I have cut the circumference of the insulation. It only takes a couple of seconds. As you can see, there is no length guage on these strippers so you have to judge by eye.If you were a professional you may require something quicker and with a length guage, however for a casual user they are inexpensive and do the job without nicking the copper (which I have experienced with other strippers).

Quick and simple review. Bought these for my son to replace a standard pair of Ideal strippers, and he wished I’d done it sooner. My son strips a lot, sometimes he strips for hours; such is the life of a new, apprentice electrician. While his older Ideals worked great, the ergonomic design of these truly reduce fatigue. And they are more natural to use, and therefore more efficient; they save him time. It’s one of his go-to tools, right up there with his 11-1. Worth the money, if you make your living stripping.

If you remember the sears professional line, these are the same strippers just with a different name. My sears strippers lasted 20 years - no lie. If I can get 5 years out of these, I'll be grateful. Nothing lasts anymore.

I really like this wire strippers, I've been using the Ideal Reflex Strippers for years & when I saw these w/the soft thumb & index finger detents I couldn't wait to try them out. They work great as expected & I can position my thumb in a way, that's insulated, to slide off the conductor insulation on HOT WORK! Not that I'm condoning that, but sometimes us electricians have to do what we have to do!