Harbor Freight launched new Vanguard lever nut-style wire connectors, with the price box encouraging users to compare them to Wago’s 221 series products.
In case you’re not familiar with lever-style wiring connectors, they serve the same function as wire nuts for splicing several wires together.
Harbor Freight’s lever nuts are only available in an assortment right now, with a mix of 2-, 3-, and 5-conductor connectors.
Advertisement
Harbor Freight says their new lever nut connectors are “compatible with solid standard and flexible copper wires,” although they don’t provide an AWG range of compatible wire sizes.
The connectors come in a 25pc assortment:
- 2-conductor (10x)
- 3-conductor (10x)
- 5-port conductor (5x)
Harbor Freight’s specs listing says that the connectors have UL certification.
Price: $10
Discussion
Wago introduced their upgraded 221-series products several years ago and Ideal recently launched their own In-Sure lever wire connectors. There are also many lookalike 3rd party products that never seem to have mention of safety certifications.
Harbor Freight’s 25pc assortment might be suitable for users looking to get started with this style of connector, but probably won’t be appealing for users that need higher quantities of specific sizing.
Advertisement
What’s the AWG size range? Do the connectors have test probe access holes? What’s the voltage rating?
Wago’s 5-conductor 221-415 connector, for example, has IEC approval to 450V and 32A, and UL approval to 600V and 20A. The Wago 221 can accept wires 24 to 12 AWG, stranded or solid, and require an 11mm strip length, which is marked on each connector.
These Vanguard connectors… work with “solid standard and flexible copper wires,” and require “properly stripped wire.”
There’s also mention on the product page of “color-coded insulated sleeves for different wire sizes,” which could be talking about end ferrules that don’t look to be included with the 25pc assortment.
It’s worth repeating that Harbor Freight’s product page say these connectors have UL certification. Hopefully the in-store packaging has all of the other relevant specs printed on it or an insert.
Steve
Don’t like them, wouldn’t recommend them – from any manufacturer. A twisted wire nut or screw type clamp connection is much secure connection. For low amperage applications, these can serve a purpose, but I remove them when I see them because they fail. Similar to backstabbing a device. Sure, it’s legal, and more power to you if that’s how you do things…
Steve
Agreed
I never let my electricians use these in new or reno builds. Garbage production builder nonsense.
Peter
They are used all over the world for a long time.
There are cheap and bad ones like with every product like wire nuts.
They are also nothing like back stabbing receptacles.
When pex came around it sounded very similar.
Ken
I agree with Peter. Lots of examples of failed wire nuts out there. IMO failure is a result of installer error (incompetence), not the wire nut or Wago. With that said, I think Wagos are more foolproof than wire nuts for incompetent installers.
I use Wagos and ProPEX in my own home.
JohnBCS
I’m also with Peter. I’ve only used the genuine wagos, but there have been zero connection fails IME. Typically, the hate these things get is from the old timers who refuse to accept change, or that there’s a better, easier way of doing something other than their “tried and true”.
That mentality is irritating to say the least.
Both wagos and wire nuts are acceptable methods, wagos are just way easier and slightly more expensive.
Steve
I’m a fan of propex (expansion), propress, crimp pex, but not a fan of mega press or the above style connectors. I’ve seen too many fail, sure they can last, but it’s not for me. The clamp style receptacles, switch, etc. are what I prefer as many times you can get 4 wires on 2 screws and they are secure. No wire nuts needed. To each their own – again, if I see them, their coming out…
CMF
I do not know if you are an electrician, but you are entitled to your way of doing things.
I can tell you that Wago’s are certified for AL wiring, provided you use an antioxidant paste. Wire nuts are not certified, even with the paste, except for the Ideal and 1 or 2 others that are specifically made for the AL wiring…and super expensive.
Rob
Do you work in commercial or residential? Needing to swap receptacles and fixtures and move around cash register locations and displays and whatnot = wagos all the way. Never mind working hot. Although you can wire for plugin style receptacles from Hubbell and so on for new construction, a lot of old buildings out there with an inch of wire coming into the box, Fire department ain’t cool with extension cords, so anything that shows up needing power is going to need conduit and building wire. Anything that changes location, needs conduit and building wire. I use lever nuts for a reason, as does my electrician.
Michael F
I’m not an electrician, but I had to do a lot of electrical work on my house. I ended up paying my master electrician around $5k for all the work he did, multiple days including some overnight emergency calls when I dropped a service leg in the mains panel. Through all of it I watched, asked questions, learned, and he was more than happy to teach. This is basically what I learned and how I’ve done all the work on my own since then: there are 3 basic types of connections and 2 of which have their place.
The first class of connection is your standard twisted connection. This connection should be made with linesman’s pliers and the tension of the twist should hold the connection together physically – NOT the wire nut! The wire nut is basically an insulated cap to the twisted connection. I use these in all of my junction boxes whether it be for switches, splices, or outlets.
The second class of connection is a Wago 221 style connector. In my experience, a Wago 221 actually makes a much more secure connection when connecting a stranded wire to a solid wire than a twisted connection. It’s also a smaller physical connection. I use these for all low-amperage fixtures because they usually have a smaller than average box and stranded wires coming off the fixture. I only use Wagos for this and wouldn’t consider a Harbor Freight alternative. I also can’t stand the Ideal push-fit connectors. Wago 221s or bust.
The third class of connection is a twisted connection that relies on only a wire nut for both the physical hold and electrical connection. This is the worst of the 3 and I would never use it. Not only are the wires incredibly easy to pull out of the wire nut, but you’re going to get more heat and potential for arcing on this type of connection than a Wago 221 because of the low surface area and low tension of the wires actually touching each other.
So, if you’re talking about twisted being better than Wago 221s and you’re doing it properly with linesman’s pliers, then yeah, there’s something to that for higher amperage applications. But if you’re talking about just twisting two wires together with a wire nut and calling it a day that’s a disaster waiting to happen and you’d be better off using a Wago.
CMF
Almost all wire nuts, the MFR states to have the wire nut do the twisting. The Electrical code often states that if installed according to MFR instructions, it passes. When something is UL certified, then the product is legit.
Using the lineman pliers is overkill and time consuming, and, like everything, can still be done incorrectly.
Your first statement was that you were not an electrician. An electrician showed you how to make a few connections and now you are giving electrical advice.
Tyler
Thank you! I love the YouTube videos entitled “How to XXXX…” where the present starts by saying “Today, I am going to show you how to……” and after struggling the entire video, making rookie mistakes people who tuned in to learn something already knew not to do, they closes with “ya know, I really learned a lot during this project. Not bad for my first time, but next time I’ll…..”
Michael F
I explained exactly what my experience was before I gave my opinion up front. You can choose to read it or not. The electrician I leaned from worked residential, commercial, and installed a large solar array at White Sands. I also said, “ This is basically what I learned and how I’ve done all the work on my own since then.”
This gatekeeping is a bit ridiculous. You’ll find plenty of electricians who will argue the same things I’ve said. In addition, it’s not like those of us who aren’t in the trades don’t have technical, mechanical, or engineering backgrounds. You don’t need to be an electrician to understand the physics behind two different types of wire connections.
Michael F
Yep, I stated I wasn’t an electrician because it’s important to be transparent that I am not a professional but am about to give my opinion anyway. Unless you think commenting on Toolguyd should be limited to those in the trades? I guess I missed that requirement notice.
Stuart
I think I can see where CMF is coming from.
When you say something like:
and
Instructions for a popular type of Ideal wire nut (Model 74B) say:
“Pre-twist or not” is one of the biggest debates among electricians, right up there with “Wago vs wire nuts” and “do you align wall plate screws horizontally, vertically, or not at all?”
You seem to be suggesting that pre-twisting is required, and that is untrue.
Here’s the instructions where Ideal says a particular style of wire nut doesn’t require pre-twisting. https://www.idealind.com/content/dam/electrical/assets/WireTermination/WireConnectors/TwistOn/WireNut/WireNut%20WireConnector%20Instructions.pdf
And another: https://www.idealind.com/content/dam/electrical/assets/WireTermination/WireConnectors/TwistOn/Twister/Twister%20WireConnector%20Instructions.pdf
For opinions, you need an abundance of qualifiers, e.g. “I think…”, and for facts one needs to do fact-checking, such as referring to manufacturer installation instructions, unless they have committed something to hard memory (e.g. acceleration due to gravity is 9.81 m/s^2).
Your opinion about how something should *properly* be done contradicts facts and the common practice of NOT pre-twisting wires, and it comes across as advice (see your quoted passages, above).
CMF is fact-checking your advice so that nobody walks away thinking that pre-twisting wires is necessary. Their last paragraph might be a little harsh.
I should add that some brands recommend (but don’t require) pre-twisting for certain conditions; I’ve seen Ideal recommend it for splicing 3 solid wires together. In that case one would need lineman’s pliers.
Jay
I use these all the time, but only low voltage DC connection for personal application. These should never be professional used. Like a lot of comments already – fire hazard.
Rocky
Yep. The company I work for makes the machines that wrap meat in supermarkets, which have a compressor running on 208, we solved more dumb random power issues by taking the wago connectors out and putting nuts on instead. I have used them for low voltage without issue but I’m wary beyond that. And honestly the fact that HF (who I’m a huge fan of) doesn’t list AWG is concerning at best.
Kingsley
In the UK these (or crimp) are now mandatory for non serviceable/inspectable areas. Screw terminals are forbidden in hidden areas.
Most light fittings have them as standard too.
MFC
So I got some of these generic wagos and what I found was that the wagos used copper plates to carry electricity from one wire to the next, whereas the generic ones used some sort of ferrous steel alloy (more magnetic than SS, but might be coated with zinc). I think that is the main thing I’m concerned about. Dissimilar metals don’t get along over an extended time frame, so it could cause shorts, arcs, and if the circuit doesn’t have an AFCI breaker on it, fires.
TylerJ
I buy a few different things at Harbor Freight, but I would never trust them with electricity in my house.
PETE
ABSOLUTELY SAME! Maybe i should use them in my mother-in-laws house though…. lol j/k
JP454
Ha my thoughts exactly. HF is great for certain things, but I can’t think of anything off the top of my head that they sell that I’d be comfortable installing perminently in a location I can’t see.
CMF
If they are UL certified, I would trust them. In fact I would trust them more than the abundance of copies Stuart mentioned on Amazon that often are NOT UL listed.
Eddie the Hook
Bingo ! I only use things from Harbor Freight that i can unplug when I’m finished using them.
eddiesky
WAGO meets most residential code, but not sure about industrial. Sure, wire nuts love wire nuts. But when you get arthritis and the WAGO take up less space in a box and I completed installing 6 recepts while an electrician was still on the 3rd box…speed is key here. I put a wrap of white 3M tape over to be safe. But none of my WAGOs have opened in 5 years.
Note: oh, I did have one that I didn’t push the wire in all the way before closing and my buddy was testing, “HA! You got a missing neutral! WAGOs SUCK!” but it was not the WAGO, it was my eyesight.
To each their own but I trust these over backstab. I would use better wirenuts like 3m Performance if my hands didn’t cramp after a few connections…
Now, I don’t think I would rely on HF for my wiring. Tools are one thing, but a sleeper in a box…nope.
FYI- I have old home with 12g in MC/BX. When I removed the old 2 prong recepts for grounded ones, my electrician saved me $$$ by letting me do the work. He showed me what to get (ground pigtails with green screw on end), to drive that pigtail in the threads of back of metal box since the MC/BX is ground back to the panel, and let me use WAGOs since the old wire doesn’t like to be twisted again. Amazing the amount of space one WAGO uses for 5 conductors where 3-4wire nuts would take up most of the box.
Where as the last home we lived in, the “contractor grade” installs of “flybynight” condo buildings with lack of inspection, were all back-stab receptacles and half failed in the time we live there. And THEN I replaced every outlet or changed to the side screws from back stab. That is all about speed, not safety. Wires can heat and cool from environment (poorly insulated exteriors), or from things like a vacuum cleaner or device close to the amperage range of the wire.
I like WAGO and will use them. But they don’t replace wirenuts. And I think backstabbing is bad idea (WAGO lever are not the same since there is a lever that locks, where backstab is just the brass tab of the one piece in the hot and neutral, and that can fail).
In defense of wire nuts, you can carry one type for most residential work. And they seem fine with loads, as for WAGO, you have 2-3-5 conductor ones and they are not as cost effective as nuts.
Again, some codes don’t allow WAGO but they are prevalent in Europe so, there is that. Some machinery uses locking lever tabs for controllers, timers, in big machine controls.
My question is: why aren’t receptacles and switches integrated with locking levers? Cost? Are screws better?
Steve
I’ve seen some devices now being offered with lever style connections. Again, nothing I would use, but to each their own. Of course, they do cost more…
Stuart
https://14cyiuhvcgv.com/leviton-decora-edge-electrical-outlets-switches/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
Norm
Also:
https://www.hubbell.com/wiringdevice-kellems/en/edge-connect
Reflector
I guess the lever type outlets are a step beyond in ease of wiring over back wired (not back stabbed) outlets for very non-handy people who don’t want to get an electrician/handyman to replace them.
I personally replaced a bunch of old worn out outlets with heavier duty commercial outlets with triple wipers and found that back wiring worked perfectly fine with a screw driver. The terminal clamps make it pretty hard to screw up so long as they’re torqued down with the wire being given a tug for a sanity check.
Wayne R.
I ended up with an Ideal 35-908 Twist-A-Nut 7-in-1 screwdriver whose butt end has a hollow for wirenuts. That thing’s pretty good for cranking on wirenuts by using my whole hand/wrist rather than just fingers.
https://www.amazon.com/Ideal-35-908-Twist-Multi-Bit-Screwdriver/dp/B001D1DMD2/
Mark
If you look at the internal design of the Wago lever connectors, you’ll see it is still just a spring contact. The lever isn’t locking the wire in place. All it is doing is engaging the spring contact. The push in connectors have the spring contact “engaged” at all times. The lever ones allow you to disengage it for easy wire removal. When you backstab an outlet, that’s just a push in connector. When you push where indicated to release the wire, that’s doing exactly the same function as releasing the lever on the wago. All it is doing is releasing the spring tension.
The backstabs are UL rated too. Why do any of these (wagos, backstabs, wire nuts, wires under a screw, etc) fail? Almost always due to user error. The difference is that some methods are easier to screw up than others and some methods are more likely to be used (and screwed up) by certain types of people. If backstabs weren’t a safe product, they wouldn’t be on the market. In this highly litigious society, they would have been sued out of existence.
Chris S
I believe you are sweeping the issue under the table.
“The backstabs are UL rated too. Why do any of these (wagos, backstabs, wire nuts, wires under a screw, etc) fail? Almost always due to user error.”
Backstabs use a metal connection with a spring tension force and an edge to “bite” into the copper conductor. These connections get heat cycled causing the metal to slowly lose it’s grip over time. Go to any house that has used “stab locks” in a kitchen or bathroom more than 10 years and be amazed the house has not burned down. Arcing and/or the wire just popping out are very common after a few years of heavy use. Hair dryers and appliances puling 15-20 amps every day will do it. This cannot be chalked up to user error.
A wire properly twisted under a terminal and tightly secured will easily outlast the plastic that eventually starts to weaken and breakdown over time. It will also easily outlast receptacles that have lost there grip from the same spring tensioned metal that wears out holding onto receptacle prongs.
This is also why I always recommend people don’t install those “newer” night light/receptacle covers that use the same spring tensioned metal tabs to rest on the outside of terminals.
None of these instances are due to user error. It is a cheap fast method that shouldn’t be used in a permanent installation.
Also, I find that when people have used this method, they tend to cut wires shorter in the box. Making it much harder to install receptacles properly at a later date.
Mark
“These connections get heat cycled causing the metal to slowly lose it’s grip over time. Go to any house that has used “stab locks” in a kitchen or bathroom more than 10 years and be amazed the house has not burned down. ”
I have zero desire to debate this. I’ve seen it played out on countless forums and venues. It always turns into anecdote after anecdote. But do you have any testing data that proves the above? If this is such a widespread design flaw, surely there is testing that proves the design only lasts 10 years. That would be a hell of a payday for a lawyer to commission this study and prove it out. Why hasn’t it happened?
Chris S
I’ve been doing electrical work for 18 years. I know I’m right.
I’m sure it would be a difficult payday as it is just another form of risk. You carry a phone with a battery that could generate a literal fireball. It is a risk you are willing to bear.
But there is no reason to put others at risk to save a few bucks on their home.
Learn how to wire an old house and come back when you’ve seen the light.
Munklepunk
That’s right, Europe, one of the most paranoid continents and is covered by the EU, is just rife with electrical fires caused by wagos.
However, no way would I trust harbor freight for these. I don’t trust any of their electrical supplies, that is something people should not scrimp on.
Chris S
Your reading comprehension is crap.
At no point did I talk about WAGOs or Harbor Freight, and nothing I talked about is remotely what you are referencing…
John Paul Howard Logan
and depends on where. most of the world is disallowing wire nuts as they are too dangerous and requiring wagons or other connectors if they aren’t accessible. in general if you’ve done a few hundred of them wire nuts seem better and you should pretty much never touch wagons except for joining stranded to solid. if you haven’t already done hundreds of them you should never touch a wirenut. too easy to screw up if you don’t have practice.
Azael Pulido
As someone who has dealt with thousands of these in residential Solar junction boxes, these work. I would swap countless of melted wire nuts and polaris connectors out for these. They make working with tens of wires a breeze, and are rated up to 600v, which happens in solar.
JR Ramos
Are you using the HF ones from this post or are you talking about Wago, etc.?
Kev light
I’m a up coming electrician problem is you older electricians refuse to budge and use newer products . They come out with them all the time . Would I use these for 12/2 absolutely not . . 14/2 ummm depends but probably very little.
Low volt YES ABSOLUTELY…make your life easy man . Don’t fight stuff . I’ve never had a problem yet using these kinds of applications. Put the Wago on tape the up then move on..no big deal..I use WAGO ONLY THO ! They have been tested.
Jerry
I agree. Been using WAGO connnectors on low voltage wiring since I first heard about them, and have yet to have one fail. What is great about them, is you can add or remove one wire or circuit without having to redo the rest of the wire bundle. WIth wire nuts, I have had more trouble getting multiple wires to connect properly than I ever have with WAGOs. I have much more problem trying to get 5 wires to splice properly with a wire nut. When you use a WAGO, be SURE to give the wire a good firm tug to be sure it is fully seated/locked into place.
That said, I’m not 100% sure I’d use Harbor Freight electrical connections in anything of mine. From past experience their electrical tape and crimp on connectors are notably ‘cheap’ when compared to something from 3M or the like.
Mark
Any discussion about Wago’s lever connectors always brings the hate from electricians. It will take a long time before they turn the corner like Pex did with plumbers. When an electrician sees a failed Wago, clearly it was a crap product. When they see a failed wire nut or a failed wire under a screw, clearly it was the previous guy who screwed it up. I especially like the hate for the spring contact that is just touching the wire. We get up in arms about poor contact and how it can’t possibly be reliable and then go ahead and plug our device into the outlet…which uses a spring contact to make its connection. In fact, most electrical connections in our lives use a spring contact. If properly engineered and tested, they ARE reliable.
Do I trust Harbor Freight’s (or more realistically, who ever they are using as an ODM) engineering and manufacturing excellence ? Being able to pass UL tests is one thing. That proves the design is adequate to meet standards. But being able to reliably make good parts, millions of times in a row, that requires manufacturing excellence. My money would stick with Wago.
JR Ramos
Stuart, why didn’t you provide a link to the product itself? Is it because it won’t be an affiliate link for you?
https://www.harborfreight.com/compact-lever-wire-connector-assortment-25-piece-70056.html
I’m not a huge fan of these but they’re great for low voltage things like trailer wiring, vehicle lighting, sprinkler valves, and low-current AC light fixtures, as long as they’re protected from moisture. Not sure about the HF version here, but Wago anyway. If they say it’s UL listed (not the exact wording HF uses, but) then it’s probably fine. Looks like PC material for the housing, hopefully it’s flame resistant anyway. We allow them here on every level of code governance but none of the electricians I know will use them in commercial work.
They have two new items that I think are great. The silicone plug kit…price isn’t the best but they make it easily available and it’s a good assortment and they are super handy for more than powder coating/painting.
https://www.harborfreight.com/collections/new-tools/silicone-rubber-plug-and-cap-set-116-piece-70792.html
And a new 6″ reduced diameter #2 phillips bit. Price is a bit high and I don’t think i’d use it in a screw gun but these are often hard to find in stores, super convenient to have them around locally. I’ve been buying them from Wera and Makita but having HF available is great even if it might be softer. Wish they had the #1 available as well.
Stuart
Because I have had frustrating experiences ordering from Harbor Freight’s website and wouldn’t recommend it to anyone. If you want an HF product, go to the store, you’ll be 1000% happier.
I link to non-affiliate retailers on occasion, such as Lee Valley, or Woodpeckers.
Would you prefer if I added a link to HF with the caveat “I greatly dislike their online ordering, just go to the store?”
TomD
That’s what I’d like – I look at the online pages for products way more often than I order from them.
JR Ramos
Well…just seemed off to link to “comparison” products without linking to the actual product that the post was about. One can visit a product page without feeling obligated to order from it, right.
I suppose I’d rather see both linked or neither linked…keeping it real, so to speak?
At the very least, the product being showcased should be linked, imho. Otherwise, if you feel so poorly about it then why bother posting about the product at all? Scratch HF off the list (silly, I know…half tongue in cheek).
Hadrian
You have a false sense of security with regards to “low” voltage automotive circuits. Contact failure due to overheating is a function of current rather than voltage. A 25W brake light on a 12V trailer circuit will draw 10x the current drawn by a similar 25W lamp on a 120V household circuit.
JR Ramos
Really, I don’t, but I understand your point. But that current is well under what would come close to stressing these contacts even with intermittent current. And of course alternating vs. direct current…they don’t act the same way. DC is tough on switches and contactors at higher levels but not so much in a circuit with solid connections. I think these would be just fine and I might even suppose that 12v automotive is the entire reason that HF decided to start selling these, but who knows. If spade and bullet connectors with their comparatively weak/loose connections can handle auto lighting and higher current audio and such then these “wago” connectors can handle it as well or probably better.
Ken
Stuart – Wago also makes a 221-612, 613, and 615 connectors for 10AWG.
Bonnie
I’m sure WAGO’s and imitators are good… But I am not trusting Harbor Freight anything for in-wall wiring, UL certified or not. For hobby projects like lighted dioramas maybe I’ll pick up a box, but they’re not significantly cheaper than the real brand so there’s also not a lot of reason to prefer them.
Frank D
It is always funny when new product types get the negative opinions as to how they seemingly are so failure prone, but just like with PEX, it has been used in other countries for decades with hardly a complaint or issue.
I have seen plenty of failures in electrical with badly installed wiring, failed wire nuts, … on in plumbing with poor soldering, overcooked joints, overcooked valves, …
For some trickier installations ( thanks original electricians for cutting the wires so short ) I have adopted some of the newer push fit wire nut things to keep things compact and adding a wire … or a wago type nut here or there to deal with different wire types ( 10-12 gauge solid, and < 14 stranded for lighting etc ) that don't like to go together and stay connected in a traditional wire nut.
Would I use the HF ones?
Most likely not soon, as HF cuts corners when it comes to quality and durability … which does not bode well for electrical applications.
fred
Our plumbing business operated in 11 counties and a variety of jurisdictions. We had separate Union and Non-Union shops. Codes and best practices varied from one spot to another – sometimes down to the village level. In one of the cities that we served plastic pipe (water or waste lines) is still not allowed in structures above a certain height. So, it does not surprise me that electrical codes and/or practice can vary as well. While I don’t recall us using lever-style electrical connectors – I remember the guys in our fabrication shop working on assembles that had been wired with wire-wrap connections – a technology that seems to have faded out.
MM
I think wire-wrap has been dead for a few decades when it comes to any sort of production, but I have seen it used for prototyping relatively recently.
fred
I sold my interest in that company almost two decades ago – so you’re probably about right on your timeframe.
Wayne R.
Wire-wrap (22/24AWG solid wire onto square pins) was a telecom standard for about a century. Good for voice & T1s at 1.544 Mb/S.
Telecom has been replaced by networks and is 100% fiber (except for the “last mile” still) running about 100M times faster.
I’ve still got an excellent tool kit, unused for at least 20 years, for wire bundles.
Chris S
I’m not going to leave an opinion on this product, I’ve never used it.
I am going to ask that manufacturers not take unrealistic or misleading product photos that could confuse a home owner just so the manufacturer can have a “cool” pattern. In this instance, mixing hot and neutral wires to achieve a White, Black, W, B, W, B pattern.
There is no need for this and will just be confusing and/or dangerous for somebody new to electrical work.
Aaron SD
Ya, now that you mention it the mixed wire colors might be a much bigger issue than even backstabbing…
Chris S
Are you an alt account or do you also have no experience with electrical behind your keyboard?
IronWood
Not to mention the inconsistent strip lengths…
Joe
There is a nick in at least two of the wires as well.
Yeah, it should be a clean strip, of the same length, and the white wires should be wrapped to indicate they’re hot.
If they wanted contrast but no wrap, they could use red.
Reflector
Not exactly a fan of Horrible Fright when it comes to most items that are “life critical” (starts fire, load bearing, etc) unless there’s a long and proven track record but if they’re UL listed then there’s at least a degree of sanity for (low power) hobby projects that don’t go into a wall/ceiling.
I’d spring for actual Wagos/IDEAL’s equivalents or go with actual UL listed wire nuts (combined with pre-twisting with pliers and using a wire nut tool to crank down on the nut). Wire nuts when used properly (emphasis) are less “sensitive” to wire nut quality as the connection is made wire to wire and the wire nut serves to hold the wires together. It would be sketchy to trust the bus bar and spring (material and mechanical design) of an unlisted lever nut system by contrast. At least with ones that get listed those actually went through testing procedures to be listed in the first place which involve over-current, time and temperature.
This is not to mention on the HF page, they’re doing a really underhanded thing of comparing 25 of the 3 terminal blocks by going “Compare to WAGO 221-415 at $20.95 Save 52%” when the 415s are 5 terminals. 10 packs of the 221-413s are going for a little under $7 and a 100 pack goes for under $35, so the savings aren’t really there: HF’s lever nuts are ~40 cents and a 10 pack of Wagos are ~70 cents but a 100 pack is <35 cents. Home Depot lists a 50 pack of 221-413s for $22.97 ~ 46 cents a lever nut. 6 cents is minuscule enough of a difference that if a decent number of them are used then springing for something that has sufficient real world testing (Wagos) in massive numbers is better and it'd be safe enough to put into a wall.
Reflector
Small correction: Did not notice it was an “assortment” when I glanced at the HF page (glanced at the first photo). By that metric, repackaged Wago are indeed more expensive but still I’d think the multiple tens-of-cents involved are worth the difference. Still it is underhanded on HF’s part to compare to the 5 terminal Wagos which are costlier per unit anyways.
John Paul Howard Logan
got to be careful with wirenuts and pretwisting. had a hard time finding cheap ones that don’t say not to pretwist last time I did elec work and you have to install using manufacturer instructions. not staying that pretwisting is not required when through like 5 out of 7 brands at a store nearby that said do not pretwist
Troy
Lol, I can’t imagine a phrase that will summon the keyboard warriors faster than “Harbor Freight Lever Nuts.”
JM
If you are worried about a poor connection which can occur with any connection and possible micro arcing, I would recommend a Ting sensor. My homeowner’s insurance pays for it and the monitoring since that is the main cause of house fires other than kitchen mistakes. It can detect the arcing that causes fires and alert you and they will even pay for electrical repairs. It will also let you know about your supply line problems such as brownouts.
bg100
“What year did your house burn down?”
“The year Harbor Freight launched knockoff Wagos.”
“Yeah that makes sense.”
I’ll pass. Cheap stuff has its place, but critical electrical connections is just not it. Besides, how much would you possibly save wiring a whole house with these? Maybe $100?
Wayne R.
No one’s going to use them in their own house. But your house, it might be a perfect test case.
James
😂
CA
I like the Ideal ones.
Kiwisail
marine electrical engineer here, wago 221s have been used for years, on vessels world wide, that said wire nuts are forbidden on vessels, as is solid core wire.
Personally, I use wagos in my own home, and re remove wire nuts any time I see them.
There is also really nothing better to connect solid core to stranded wire.
If these harbor freight copies don’t have a ul, or amp rating, I would be reluctant to use them
Cullen J Webb
Properly installed wire nuts hold the wire more tightly and have a slightly lower electrical resistance. Poorly installed wire nuts are a fire hazard.
I have on many occasions opened a box to swap an outlet or switch and found loose wire nuts because somebody didn’t use them correctly. I think that there are a lot of people who think they know how to use wire nuts but don’t, and I am glad that these new connectors solve that problem as they are so much easier to use. I honestly didn’t know how you could install one incorrectly.
I personally prefer wago-style connectors because their disadvantages to wire nuts are quite minimal. They are reusable more easily than nuts and they can mix/match different wire gauges and even solid/stranded wires.
The only reason to use nuts in a residential setting is cost, and these help with that.
MM
I live in a semi-rural area. My internet connenction (DSL) is terrible and the phone company is frequently out here doing repairs. Two months ago they decided to run a completely new underground cable from a pole to my home, about a quarter mile. I was chatting with the technician while he installed a new junction box on the wall where the internal wiring joined the underground cable–I don’t think he was very focused on the job as he kept talking about his ex-wife. The old box had brass screw terminals. The new one he installed had lever-style connections. I watched him connect the wires, then I went inside to see if my modem had connection. I saw the lights indicating connection so I thanked him and he went on his way. I soon noticed that while I had connection its speed was even worse than before. So I open the junction box and start looking around inside. What do I see, but the tech failed to insert one of the wires fully into the junction block and it was not making a good connection. I re-inserted it and it’s been working great since then. That was a low-voltage application so no harm was done, but it shows that it is possible for a careless person to get it wrong no matter how easy the connector supposedly is.
James
Thanks for the chat tho 😉
Bob
Geez! Just as I was starting to embrace the idea that “The New Lever Style connectors are worth trying,.. I stumble across a comment saying, “A twisted wire nut or screw-type clamp connection is a much more secure connection.” I firmly agree! I nearly parted ways with the “Old Timers Group who refuse to accept change.”
I genuinely appreciate everyone’s input. I’ll stick with twisting wires using Klein Linesman Pliers before installing a wire nut! Thanks, Everyone—Great Forum!
James
I was taught by an electrician NOT to pre twist the wires… 🤷🏼♂️
Bob
Yes Thank you James… I have heard of that .( not pre-twisting the wires). I feel pre-twisting, insures all wires are solidly connected with each other. /I do trim the end after twisting .
E.K.
Commercial/Industrial Electrician here.
Personally, I wouldnt trust anything electrical from HF.
In the field I have used push-in connectors, wire nuts and rarely Wagos. When we first got push in connectors, we had a crap load of issues, you would go into a junction box and they literally fell off when you would move the wires around. They seem to have gotten better, but I still have trust issues with them.
Wagos we have used for lighting. After reading from Europes Electricians and the listed ratings, ive used them in my house and garage on circuits within their load range, i havent had an issue yet. Wire nuts are tried and true, no need to go there.
For those deciding on HFs verison, move on to the legit brand name. Theres been a few youtube videos demostrating cheap knock offs to the brand names.