In uk.d-i-y, Dave Liquorice wrote:
On Fri, 18 Jan 2008 08:56:00 +0000, Mike Barnes wrote:
One of these has been my firm favourite over the last 40 years or so...

http://www.maplin.co.uk/module.aspx?ModuleNo=45237

Does it only work with the sizes quoted?

No, intermediate sizes work fine, I just guess (erring on the side of
caution obviously) and move to a smaller slot if necessary. But with
surprisingly little practice you get to know which slot to use.

How well does it deal with really
fine wires

I don't know how fine you mean but the inners of phone cable and alarm
cable are no problem at all, and some of the wires I've stripped are
noticeably thinner than that.

Having said that my range of sizes isn't the same as Maplin's. Peering
through the grime I see:

Mine: 0.6 1.2 1.8 2.0
Maplin: 0.51 1.2 1.6 2.0 2.6 3.2

Presumably there's a choice of sizes of cutters depending on which
supplier you go to. The Maplin offering looks mechanically *identical*
to my 1960s tool, so I suspect they're all the same, with a wide range
of (interchangeable) cutter sizes manufactured, but a limited range from
any one supplier.

By positioning the wire on the shoulder beside the largest slot, I can
cut right through it instead of stripping it (occasionally saving me the
trouble of reaching for another tool), but there might not be space for
that on a six-slot model.

the only problem being that it's a bit awkward to squeeze the head
into very tight spots

I might add that in an awkward spot, once you *have* got it in position,
it strips without any (further) pulling on the wire.

--
Mike Barnes