Electrician tools: how to strip, crimp ferrules, and what VDE means

Good devices in the board fail if the conductor is nicked or the ferrule is not set. This guide is which tool does what and how to read Ø / mm² on the card. Grid-operator practice often requires ferrules on stranded conductors — published ferrule SKUs are scarce here, but the crimpers exist.

No live work. VDE 1000 V is the tool’s insulation class against accidental contact, not a licence to work on a live circuit. LBN 261-15 p.55. Terminals: terminals and busbars.

Knipex ErgoStrip 16 95 01 SB — round / damp-proof installation cables, e.g. NYM 3×1.5 mm² to 5×2.5 mm², plus data and coax (example from the Knipex card; we do not sell NYM). Knipex 16 85 125 SB and 16 80 125 SB — Ø 8.0–13.0 mm. Set Ø to the outer diameter, not the mm² on the print. Wiha / Weicon No. 5 — wire stripper; range not numeric on this card.

Knipex 11 01 160 — plastic/rubber insulation up to Ø 5.0 mm or 10 mm², AWG 8. One core after the jacket is off. A 10 mm² setting on 1.5 mm² copper cuts the conductor.

Knipex 97 72 180 — ferrules DIN 46228-1 and -4, 0.25–16 mm², half-round dies; “also as VDE version” on the card — check VDE on this SKU. Pro'sKit CP-462G 0.08–10 mm². Wiha Duo-Crimp Weicon No. 300 — mm² not on this card. Ferrule = core mm²; crimp to the stop. WAGO 222-500 is a DIN carrier for 222, not a tool.

Pro'sKit PD-V003A VDE 1000 V straight cable knife 54×186 mm. Wiha Industrial electric 3-piece pliers. Insulation is accidental-contact protection. It is not LBN permission to work live and not an LBN 53.4 instrument — acceptance tests.

Electrician tools. After installation: cable marking.

Sources: LBN 261-15 p.55 (18.10.2026); Ø, mm², DIN 46228, VDE 1000 V from the cited cards (19.10.2026); ferrules on stranded conductors — DSO practice (recommendation).