Home > HERE'S HELP, including wire color codes, telecom terms, RJ stuff, more > Is it better to STRIP or to CRUSH?

Is it better to STRIP or to CRUSH?

Is it better to STRIP or to CRUSH?
Amateur telephone guys strip insulation off wires; but real phone geeks CRUSH the insulation, and then slickly slide it off.

You, too, can crush like the pros, with our developed-for-the-Bell-System long nose crushing pliers made by the tool wizards at Jonard --  the biggest maker of telecom pliers in the US. It's a big time-saver when you're installing jacks or other hardware with screw terminals, because you don't have to stop to look for the tiny stripping hole; and there's no chance of cutting into the fragile copper. The narrow blades fit into tight spaces, but have much more strength than needle nose tools.

The gentleman in the photograph on the right is Reggie "Crusher" Lisowski, the wrestler who made Milwaukee famous. CLICK for more on Crusher and tag team partner Dick the Bruiser.

The young lady to the left of Mr. Lisowski is Sandra Church from original Broadway production of Gypsy, in 1959. (Photo from PhotoFest.)