PSA: I used to think those $30 wire strippers from the truck were a waste of money, but after one saved me from a huge mistake on a panel swap in Cincinnati last week, I'm a convert.

I was about to cut into what I thought was a dead leg, but the built-in voltage tester on the stripper gave a faint beep, making me double-check and find a backfed circuit the old owner never labeled.

3 comments

3 Comments

the_daniel2mo ago

Wait, it gave a faint beep? That's wild. I would have probably ignored a faint sound and kept going. You must have really good hearing or just be more careful than me. Those testers can be finicky sometimes, so trusting a weak signal takes guts. Honestly, that's a scary close call.

butler.mark2mo ago

Yeah, "trusting a weak signal" is the whole thing. I mean, that faint beep is basically the only warning you get.

susan_ward15d ago

@butler.mark is right but that beep was probably real. I'd trust a faint beep over nothing.