Push in wire connectors

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I have used the WAGO ones... prefer the lever action 222 and The other, think it is 221... but have seen some destruction tests online and they lasted as long as the wire did...
 
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I like those for changing out old ballasts in fixtures other than that it's twist and wirenut for me.
 
hate them. fine for dead ends and fixtures but i never use them on home runs at the first j-box. or anywhere. sure they are quicker... but good connections is what separates use from fly by night handy men. oh.. and they take up a crap load of c.i. in boxes and are horrible behind devices.

just to explain, at home run boxes I've seen them fail and float a neutral just from touching them. I know, no live work is allowed anymore... but ya still need it on for trouble shooting sooner or later..

p.s.... i forgot! the big issue is jack holes who re-use them! someone pulls out the blue because it needed to be the black... too lazy to climb down the ladder then we get a fun problem! never, never do this. used ones are easy to spot because you can see the arc!
 
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Fmkehoe said:
Anyway ...I asked because I've used them a few times and they seem too easy to be good, but they hold tight
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I prefer not to use them for two reasons.

First. On hot, humid days my sweaty, greasy hands can't grip the wire jacket firmly enough for me to feel the wire bottoming in the "wago". I can't "feel" if my hand is slipping because of lack of grip or because I'm bottomed. If I'm on a service call for a recess can ballast in a hot soffit, I want a good connection so no return trip.

I definitely can "feel" when wirenuts bite into the copper. They make wagos clear to verify the connection. Its hard to see the wire bottomed in the translucent wago in the recess can make-up box from outside the hardlid on a sunny day.

Two. I saw a wago failure in a (television display) plugmold endfeed. What a mess. Could not handle 20 amps or however many TV's they had.

For dead ending wires they're OK. For fixture connects, I'm cool with the apprentices using them. But I don't carry any on the service truck.
 
infinity said:
Try this, find a photo on a website, right click on the photo and select "copy image location". In the forum reply box type
I]
.

Wago-221-Series-Lever-Wire-Connectors.jpg
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Ok. That’s my first problem. I do everything on my phone. I haven’t used a computer in a while, only because I’m always on the run.
But thanx.
 
infinity said:
I like those for changing out old ballasts in fixtures other than that it's twist and wirenut for me.
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Same here, I can't bring myself to use them for anything else. If I was wiring a lot of new houses and didn't care, I would more than likely use them for everything, including pigtailing the grounds.
 
Fmkehoe said:
Ok. That’s my first problem. I do everything on my phone. I haven’t used a computer in a while, only because I’m always on the run.
But thanx.
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Phone here too. Sometimes I can't upload a picture and then usually when I can it comes out sideways.

Iphone 5ish
 
sameguy said:
Almost like back stabbing a, never mind.
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Key word is almost. They are much better at assuring contact than the backstab connections on switches/receptacles, plus you are not straining said connection like you do when you push a backstabbed device into the box. How well will they handle a 15-20 amp load for extended time, IDK. Would suspect they can't be any worse than a cheap grade switch/receptacle's ability to handle the same load though.

jeremysterling said:
I prefer not to use them for two reasons.

First. On hot, humid days my sweaty, greasy hands can't grip the wire jacket firmly enough for me to feel the wire bottoming in the "wago". I can't "feel" if my hand is slipping because of lack of grip or because I'm bottomed. If I'm on a service call for a recess can ballast in a hot soffit, I want a good connection so no return trip.

I definitely can "feel" when wirenuts bite into the copper. They make wagos clear to verify the connection. Its hard to see the wire bottomed in the translucent wago in the recess can make-up box from outside the hardlid on a sunny day.

Two. I saw a wago failure in a (television display) plugmold endfeed. What a mess. Could not handle 20 amps or however many TV's they had.

For dead ending wires they're OK. For fixture connects, I'm cool with the apprentices using them. But I don't carry any on the service truck.
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First - strip conductor proper length, if bare conductor is still exposed you haven't pushed it in far enough.

Two - Failed display - do you know if the conductor was properly inserted in the connector? If not might be more installers fault than the connector.
 
Been using them for years with no problem. When I first started using them I had a few arcing problems but soon discovered it was "operator error". You have to make sure they bottom out in the connector.
Having said that, I usually only use them in multigang switch boxes for pigtails and tying the neutrals together. Occasionally I will use them on receptacles. But if it is a large load or a hard to get to box I will use wirenuts.

If you stick with name brands such as Wago, Ideal, GB, etc. you shouldn't have any problems providing you make sure they are inserted fully.
 
kwired said:
Key word is almost. They are much better at assuring contact than the backstab connections on switches/receptacles, plus you are not straining said connection like you do when you push a backstabbed device into the box. How well will they handle a 15-20 amp load for extended time, IDK. Would suspect they can't be any worse than a cheap grade switch/receptacle's ability to handle the same load though.
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I agree they are higher quality than "backstabs". That being said, at the end of the day, push-in connectors are still just a piece of spring steel making an electrical connection. There is nothing that will convince me that is on par with plain old copper to copper contact with a wirenut hold it together. When properly installed, a wirenut splice is a bulletproof connection. A piece of spring steel on the other hand is future failure point in my opinion.
 
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