Appreciation post: A customer in Tempe showed me my wire stripping method was costing me time

Ngl, I was stripping low voltage wire for a panel install the same way for years. I'd score the jacket with my knife, twist it off, then strip each individual conductor. I thought it was the careful way. Last month, a homeowner in Tempe was watching me and said, 'My old electrician uncle just used his strippers on the whole bundle at once.' I tried it on the next run. Honestly, I was stripping a 4-conductor cable in maybe 15 seconds instead of a minute. It felt wrong, like I was being lazy, but the connections were just as clean. I've probably wasted hundreds of hours over the years doing it the slow way. Has anyone else had a simple tip from a customer completely change a basic task you do every day?

3 comments

3 Comments

shanewells3d ago

Honestly, that "lazy" method sounds like a great way to nick the insulation on the inner conductors. Maybe it works on fresh, perfect cable, but on anything older or with a tight bundle, you're asking for a hidden fault. That careful way you were doing it might have been slower, but it gave you a chance to actually inspect each wire as you stripped it. Speed isn't everything if it risks a call back later. That homeowner's uncle probably left a few mystery problems behind him.

linda_bennett443d agoMost Upvoted

Totally agree with you. Rushing just sets you up for problems down the road. That extra minute to check things over is always worth it.

black.beth3d ago

Sometimes you gotta move fast to get the job done.