Too many wire nuts

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Scotch locks? Yuck!

I don't think you can apply them with a cordless.

I'm not being paid to endorse Ideal or anything, but I would suggest going with Ideal Twister because you can drive those with a 5/16" nutdriver or the attachment that Ideals makes for use with a drill. The Wing Nuts and even the old fashioned Wire Nuts can be driven with the attachment.
 
peter d said:
Scotch locks? Yuck!

I don't think you can apply them with a cordless.

I'm not being paid to endorse Ideal or anything, but I would suggest going with Ideal Twister because you can drive those with a 5/16" nutdriver or the attachment that Ideals makes for use with a drill. The Wing Nuts and even the old fashioned Wire Nuts can be driven with the attachment.
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I agree with you 100% and more. Problem is that at my day job I dont get to pick the material and the boss listen well.
 
3M used to give away Scotch lok drivers when you purchased large bags of them. For what it's worth I prefer Scotch loks for solid to solid connections.
 
Which Scotch locks are we talking about exactly? The original "soft shell" variety? I hate those.

But, now that I think about it I don't want to trash Scotch lock completely, because I do like the newer "Scotch lock R/Y+" (I think that's the part number) which is basically a red winged connector. Those are very good, IMO.
 
infinity said:
3M used to give away Scotch lok drivers when you purchased large bags of them. For what it's worth I prefer Scotch loks for solid to solid connections.
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I think that those are plastic aren't they? They don't last long.
 
peter d said:
Which Scotch locks are we talking about exactly? The original "soft shell" variety? I hate those.

But, now that I think about it I don't want to trash Scotch lock completely, because I do like the newer "Scotch lock R/Y+" (I think that's the part number) which is basically a red winged connector. Those are very good, IMO.
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I'm talking about the new yellow ones.
 
These are the "good" ones:
connectors3.gif


These are the ones I hate:
springconn.jpg



Just so we are all on the same page...which ones are you(aja21) talking about?
 
Shocked277, I have noticed alot of these stab-ins in light fixtures. They are handy but I still don't trust them. Maybe I am old school, but I still like to see the wire twisted in the cap. Maybe years down the road, after these stab-ins have been time tested while under loads, kinda like a wire nut is, I will start using them.

As far as those rubber scotchloks. I throw em away if I ever see em on my truck or in the shop. They just don't seem like they tighten up like the winged plastic ones do.
 
dduffee260 said:
As far as those rubber scotchloks. I throw em away if I ever see em on my truck or in the shop. They just don't seem like they tighten up like the winged plastic ones do.
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I agree. They don't seem to tighten up and I don't trust them at all. I worked with a guy who likes them because he says they take up less space in a box.
 
Shockedby277v said:
wago_01.jpg


No driver needed.
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I've seen these pushin connectors fail on heavy loaded circuits. I'd never use them for the nuetral connection on multi-wire circuits. Where I love them is for ballast changeouts.

Also ideal makes screwdrivers that have special slots on the handle end that fit right over their wirenuts. This allows you to really snug them up.
 
I think the original poster is talking about 3M's hard plastic type wire nut, #312 for the yellows. In reference to Scotchlocks, I believe they are great on stranded but are terrible on solid. In my opinion those 3m 312's are the best yellow on the market.
 
tmbrk said:
I agree. They don't seem to tighten up and I don't trust them at all. I worked with a guy who likes them because he says they take up less space in a box.
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Seems like alot of electricians are fighting for box room. Actually if you follow code, the box fill allowed gives you plenty of room for splices. Alot of electricians simply overfill boxes with wire and splices. I can't count how many times I have seen a home run box with 6 hots, 2 neutrals and a ground and it is a regular 4 square box. If you cut the wire as short as possible, there may be barely enough room for it to fit. We always use deep 4 squares at a minimum or a 4 11/16 usually deep. It cost a couple of bucks more but it sure does make it easy to fit the connections into.
 
mark32 said:
I think the original poster is talking about 3M's hard plastic type wire nut, #312 for the yellows. In reference to Scotchlocks, I believe they are great on stranded but are terrible on solid. In my opinion those 3m 312's are the best yellow on the market.
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These are exactly the ones i'm talking about. I have some really nice cast al drill drivers for ideal which is the only wire nut IMO but our purchacing manager found a "bargain". Would like to find something similar for these 3M 312s.
 
macmikeman said:
Use care when drill driving a tan twister with a wirenut wrench. Sometimes if overdone, a conductor will penetrate out thru the end of the cap.
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Same thing can happen with yellow ideal wing nuts. It's an art form but after double carpal tunnel release and 9 cortisone shots in the left elbow you are willing to learn.
 
Those little orange and blue soft jobbies tend to poke through the end too.
I just had to try them, but I find I prefer the hard plastic Ideal wirenuts [orange, yellow, red] best, also.
 
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