Why does nobody talk about trimming coax with the wrong tool

I spent like 2 years using a regular utility knife on coax ends and always wondered why my connectors kept failing. Then a senior guy in Austin last week showed me he was using a $15 coax stripper from Ideal and it clicked. His connections passed signal tests every time while mine were hit or miss. Anyone else get stuck in bad habits before a pro called them out lol

2 comments

2 Comments

hall.ruby14d ago

Hold on, I'm gonna disagree hard here. A sharp utility knife is all you ever need if you know what you're doing. I've been cutting coax ends with a razor blade for like five years on a tower site with zero failures. The trick is a light touch and a steady hand, not dropping forty bucks on some specialty tool. Guys who swear by the stripper are just the ones who couldn't avoid nicking the center conductor with a blade. Skill issue, not a tool issue.

lewis.diana14d ago

I mean, hall.ruby's "skill issue not a tool issue" thing makes me laugh a little because that's exactly what I told myself for years. But I actually ruined a whole spool of LMR-400 once trying to get fancy with a utility knife. I was using some old dull blade I found in a drawer and the connector just kept slipping off. My buddy came over and watched me for like two minutes then handed me his coax stripper and my first try was perfect. It's kind of like saying you can file your nails with a pocket knife, yeah you totally can but why would you when a $3 nail clipper exists. Not saying it can't be done the other way, just that sometimes the simple tool is the one you actually reach for.