Can you get Buchanan wire nuts?

tthh

Senior Member
Location
Denver
Occupation
Retired Engineer
Ideal has owned Buchanan for a long time and it seems like more things that might have been labeled Buchanan are now just labeled Ideal. Not sure if this is one of those. Pretty sure you can find these even at the big orange store.
 

Buck Parrish

Senior Member
Location
NC & IN
It seems they have changed the style a bit. I like the ones with out the big wings .
Like pictured below ;
I like the old style better. But I have been unable to find them.
 

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Little Bill

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Tennessee NEC:2017
Occupation
Semi-Retired Electrician
It seems they have changed the style a bit. I like the ones with out the big wings .
Like pictured below ;
I like the old style better. But I have been unable to find them.
I threw away a bunch of those as no one likes or uses them here. I prefer the 3M wirenuts, either the tan/red or yellow red, or Ideal tans.
 

curt swartz

Electrical Contractor - San Jose, CA
Location
San Jose, CA
Occupation
Electrical Contractor
It seems they have changed the style a bit. I like the ones with out the big wings .
Like pictured below ;
I like the old style better. But I have been unable to find them.
Your attachment is an Ideal Wingnut. Not a new design. It, the yellow, gray (no longer offered) and blue were the original wing connectors that everyone else copied. They have been around for well over 50 years. Its a standard item on my truck.

Not a fan of the Buchanan connectors but none of the wholesalers I deal with have stocked them anyway. Have only seen them on DIY work.

Zoro shows they have the Buchanan connectors if no one local has them.
 

jmellc

Senior Member
Location
Durham, NC
Occupation
Facility Maintenance Tech. Licensed Electrician
The Buchanans, B2's, were the standard red wire nut when I started in the 1970's. They were still widely used when I came back to the trade in 1995. They went through a time that their quality suffered a lot. Threads pulling out, shell cracking, etc. I talked to an Ideal rep at a supply house who said they corrected that when they bought out Buchanan. I really like the 3M's that Little Bill mentioned. High quality, easy to use. I bought them when I could afford them, bought Ideal wingnuts otherwise.

Last EC I worked for, the job superintendent was forever telling us all how stupid and incompetent we all were. He went one day for supplies and brought us back several boxes of the Ideal chunky reds, the original wire nut, 76B. I asked why he got those, that nobody used them any more. He went past a supply house and got them at Big Blue. He also bought BR breakers for work in a Siemens panel. Breakers were not multi listed. I had to remind him that the job wouldn't pass inspection that way. He grudgingly agreed. He was a real jackass.
 

Buck Parrish

Senior Member
Location
NC & IN
The Buchanans, B2's, were the standard red wire nut when I started in the 1970's. They were still widely used when I came back to the trade in 1995. They went through a time that their quality suffered a lot. Threads pulling out, shell cracking, etc. I talked to an Ideal rep at a supply house who said they corrected that when they bought out Buchanan. I really like the 3M's that Little Bill mentioned. High quality, easy to use. I bought them when I could afford them, bought Ideal wingnuts otherwise.

Last EC I worked for, the job superintendent was forever telling us all how stupid and incompetent we all were. He went one day for supplies and brought us back several boxes of the Ideal chunky reds, the original wire nut, 76B. I asked why he got those, that nobody used them any more. He went past a supply house and got them at Big Blue. He also bought BR breakers for work in a Siemens panel. Breakers were not multi listed. I had to remind him that the job wouldn't pass inspection that way. He grudgingly agreed. He was a real jackass.
I probably know the guy if that was in Durham.
 

tthh

Senior Member
Location
Denver
Occupation
Retired Engineer
Personally I like the Ideal ones better especially since you can get a better grip twisting them or use the pliers with open jaw to catch the ears and twist the last turn or two.
 

Dennis Alwon

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Chapel Hill, NC
Occupation
Retired Electrical Contractor
The Buchanans were not hard plastic but rather soft plastic. I used them for many years. I like them because they took up less space in the box. I guess the 3 of us in this thread, who like the Buch's, all used the same supply company and Buchanans were what they carried
 

Rick 0920

Senior Member
Location
Jacksonville, FL
Occupation
Electrical Instructor
Anybody remember the 3M ScotchLoks? I worked on a big hotel in Disney World in the early 80's. We would take a compressed air bottle and launch them through a stick of 1/2" EMT out into the lake. Those things would travel! :)
 

rc/retired

Senior Member
Location
Bellvue, Colorado
Occupation
Master Electrician/Inspector retired
Anybody remember the 3M ScotchLoks? I worked on a big hotel in Disney World in the early 80's. We would take a compressed air bottle and launch them through a stick of 1/2" EMT out into the lake. Those things would travel! :)
I do. We would shave the little ears off of the red ones and blow them through a 1/2" copper pipe.
Ah, back when we could have fun on a job site. 🙃

Ron
 

jmellc

Senior Member
Location
Durham, NC
Occupation
Facility Maintenance Tech. Licensed Electrician
The Buchanans were not hard plastic but rather soft plastic. I used them for many years. I like them because they took up less space in the box. I guess the 3 of us in this thread, who like the Buch's, all used the same supply company and Buchanans were what they carried
Most all suppliers sold them that I recall. In this area, Electric Supply, Mayer, Hunt, CED. Later, some started carrying the 3M skirted ones. They were superior, still are. CES carries Ideal brand and some house brand or other.
 
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