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We have used both mainly for convenience when purchasing. What we found is the Ideal brand seem to have a second locking device when pushed closed. For this reason, we use the Ideal brand most often and when available.
While I've noticed that, I don't believe it does much. If the lever snags against something when shoved in a junction box, that "lock" doesn't provide much resistance against the lever moving. I've also noticed that individual fit of the parts is where this "lock" varies. I've had a few where there was no "click" at the end. The protection against the port being opened is a good deal of resistance when a wire is inserted. With a 14 AWG wire inserted, I see it gets to about 40 degrees where it moves fairly freely, but then requires considerably more force to open.
One thing I would recommend is taking one of the Wago's and Ideal's that was tested for maximum pull out load and re-test it to see if that pull out strength was compromised. Other than that, I do think you did a great job on your testing.👍
That's a good idea. A spring tends to lose it's strength at elevated temperatures, though i think it would have to be considerably higher than these temps seen in the testing. Its always worth testing just to be sure. On second thought, i can't think of a scenario where anyone is going to be pulling while under heavy load.
I'm actually glad I checked on these as the wire connectors that I purchased a year ago [although branded differently] fall into the same category as the inferior one.
Very High Praise! Vago as the company calls them (German) haha is Fantastic !! Built a large home dehydrator using only Wago connectors. That system had both 100 v and 12 v sistems for fans and lights. the Wago connectors worked equally well in both applications . Probably not requied, but I soldered any stranded wire (tinned actually) to make a rigid end to insert and afford a more secure connection. I am now making connections in my electric guitars . Doing this makes a Pickguard easily removable and changeable with out having to un-solder the main connections . HIGHLY HIGHLY Recommend these !! If you are not using these ....You should try a sample and see for yourself! Thanks for reading!
There is no need to tin stranded wire for insertion. I believe the connection is probably better if it's just left in place and not even twisted. The spring will splay the wire strands against the bus bar, making more contact area than an equivalent sized solid wire. Neither WAGO nor Ideal recommend tinning or twisting stranded wire for insertion into their lever connectors.
For joining 2 wires, I favor twist on wire nuts. For 3 or more conductors, I like Wago. I like them, because in my experience, you're having to reach up to a box, you can't see very well, and it's absolutely imperative that you see the end of the wire extending beyond the bus bar in the connector. The Wago is easier to see, than the Ideal. I don't find the problem with the nut levers hooking to be much of a problem, it's easy to deal with, if you're aware. I favor the Wago, because it's more compact, making it easier to "stuff" more connections into a junction box. (I just wish they made 4-conductor versions)
Regardless of preference, wire nuts are a poor choice stranded to solid wire. But I get it if you have proper technique with solid wires to a wire nut. With good technique, wire nuts mitigate most of these connector advantages (other than time, reusability, and more compact).
The Ideal has a window at the end where it's pretty easy to see if the wire has reached the end of the port. However, it's only on one side and may not be how it's oriented. Even if it was clear, the lever is on the other side of the connector, which will block the view of the wire. I've seen some vids of a (European) version of the Ideal lever connectors, and that one has a mostly clear (and not translucent) shell. I don't think it's that big a deal. In addition, Ideal says it's OK to just push in solid wires, so I'll usually just push them in for good measure even if I thought it was previously locked in. The WAGO 221 isn't designed for that, although I've heard of some people trying.
You're Welcome. I've got a few WAGOs but haven't had the chance to us them, but I'll have to get some of those Wire to Wire extension ones. When I see how the wires are held in the WAGOs with the levers, my instinct is to, after I attach the wires, is to put electrical tape around the WAGO to cover the Levers or maybe slip a piece of Shrink Tubing of it and shrink it over the Levers to protect them from opening. I don't know why I get that feeling, but I do. Great Videos. Thanks. @@EverydayHomeRepairs
Thanks. Loved your thorough technical assessment. Was going to go Wago based on an earlier video, but since I’m adding a garage opener outlet, would never get close to the thermal needs and Insure’s derating is fine even for longer duration future uses. Like the strength of the Insure as well.
Great video. I have been using Wago connectors ever since I saw them on your channel, and I love them. I am less familiar with Ideal connectors, but my understanding is that you push solid core wire directly into the Ideal connector (like the stab connection on the back of an electrical outlet) without opening the lever. That said, I am sticking with the Wago.
My experience with these lever nuts, as you showed with the Wago version, is that a few times when stuffing the wires in, or pulling them out for whatever reason, the levers lift and come undone. And if a certain wire was not labeled and a few come out by chance, I'm back to square one. That being said, that has also happened with some traditional wire nuts as well, but not as often. Granted this has happened in up to a large five gang box or smaller with tons of wires going all over the place. I love the 10 gauge version. If you've ever crimped 10 gauge wires together for a wire nut the difference is night and day. Also these are great for troubleshooting.
If necessary, I will give my wagos a wrap or two of electrical tape around the levers for this specific reason. Keeps the levers from inadvertently opening up.
I've run into the same problem with the lever coming up. Especially when you are close to the maximum box fill. I think the design of the Ideal minimizes this problem with the lever on the other side because it follows the way I fold a wire into a box.
Also, the ideal lever will click down vs. nothing on the wago. I like the wago and the design is really cool, but I feel more confident with ideal. The ideal have been hard to get for a while but notice lowes now carries them.
Wagos don't click when you put the levers down because this motion releases the spring to allow it to clamp against the wire. The entire spring-and-busbar mechanism is independent of the plastic housing; the plastic could disappear and the connections wouldn't be broken. If the lever clicks into the down position, it implies that the plastic is responsible for clamp force. I have yet to investigate this for myself, but I would like to take apart an Ideal and see how they're made.
@@usbcd360 interesting observation - I like the extra click (or lever clamps) to keep the tabs down so they don’t float. It’s a preference for me. Have you seen the new Leviton receptacles with the built in levers? It’s an interesting design to help the DYI person honest.
@boogiedahomey Yeah. I've noticed anything from a fairly substantial click to none at all depending on the individual fit of the parts. I would say it's an interesting thing they've added, but it does nothing to prevent the levers from moving if they snag against something in a junction box. I don't worry about them opening because the spring is still fully engaged until the lever is intentionally opened. It takes substantial force to open it to where the spring is compressed.
Another very significant difference: WAGO provides a lot of mounting capabilities, for example a DIN-Rail universal-holder (221-500). This way you can avoid flying connections in distribution panels / din-rail-boxes. 221 is available with ex-Rating as well (221-482) Selection of other useful accessories: The Gelbox, A waterproof miniature enclosure (207-1x31) Universal strain releave and mounting adapter for the through connectors (221-2503) Surface mounting adapters with Strain releave capability (for example 221-502, 221-503, 221-505) Enclosures for building heating and building control wiring setups (207-4301) Wagobox Some third party manufacturers design enclosures and junction boxes specifically to contain wago 221 or are sipped with it, for example Merten MEG1010-9019, Spelsberg A-Box SL, Wiska-Box 85, many Shelly-Accessories provide 221 mounting capabilities. None of this is available for the ideal connectors, unlike 221 they are not designed to be mounted or fixed somewhere on a regular basis. That should be considered as well.
Your temperature chart shows a pretty clear advantage to wire nuts, which is expect just due to the connection cross-section. For permanent connections inside fixtures, I'd probably use UL-rated crimps with a good ratcheting crimp tool like the Greenlee/Paladin offering. For connections that need to be maintainable, wire nuts for solid wire and lever nuts for stranded. Possibly use ferrules on the stranded stuff, although that's more for machine tool internals.
When the difference is between 47% max capacity and 53% max capacity, sure there is a difference, but all it would take is a slight metallurgical change (as companies have been doing for over a century to save money) and that difference could easily disappear. There are likely even a whole slew of wire nuts that get regularly used that would have averaged out as hot or hotter, especially over longer durations. It is a slight advantage, at best. Their biggest advantage, by far, would be familiarity with their existing users; they are nowhere near as easy for a beginner or DIYer and don't handle mixed wiring as well, either. End result, wire nuts have a slight advantage in temperature handling, a roughly even ease-of-use for people who have an existing familiarity with them as well as decent tools, and a clear disadvantage for anyone learning or with an infrequent need or who is mixing wire types. Wire nuts pretty much only have even a slight advantage with existing users and asserting otherwise is just silly.
@@georgebooth586 Metallurgy changes? Wirenuts don't conduct electricity, they keep twisted wires from coming apart. You'll note i did not suggest that wirenuts be used with stranded wire under any conditions. I was mostly thinking about ballasts in fluorescent lamp fixtures when i said that, but TBH crimp connectors fine in that applications, since there's typically 6"-12" of slack quite in those and losing a 1/2” every five years due to ballast replacement is going to be fine. Oh, and when i say"fixtures" I'm talking about the internal wiring that the manufacturer supplies.
but unless you are running 100+ amps through them it's unlikely to cause a problem. admittedly i'll probably not use a wago on the electric stove circuit, etc. of course i won't normally use a wirenut there either in favor of just running wire from the box to the outlet. in 20A and under situations you'll see no real difference in your day to day from the temperature difference
@@PaulSteMarie The steel spiral in a wire nut is part of the electrical connection. Granted it's not likely as conductive as squeezing copper against copper, but it is still an integral part of the electrical connectivity.
Great video Scott. (And not for mentioning the 600 series. lol) The choice between Wago and Ideal seems to be: do you want to risk snagging a lever on another wire when you put the lever nut in the electrical box, or when you take it out of the box? If you finish a wiring job and you just want to shove everything back into the box and be done with it, then Wago is better. If you are the one accountable for this wiring job, can you get the wires back in the box without accidentally knocking a lever nut handle? Then Ideal is probably fine. The only gotcha I can see for Ideal is you are applying pressure that is more likely to push a wire back out of the nut. I don't think it's a big deal but the Ideal's frosted plastic makes it harder to see if your wire slipped.
A properly attached wire nut can handle a lot more pull force than a lever nut. But I don't see that as being much of an issue in practice. When I use wire nuts, I have an Ideal electrician's screwdriver with a wire nut driver in the handle, and if you're putting on more than 3 nuts at once, it really helps (for me, at least) prevent aching hands. I like Wago for installing lights, since that's something I occasionally undo. I've never had to replace romex running from a junction box to an outlet, so I'm fine with wire nuts for things like that.
I'd imagine a wire nut can hold a lot more than a lever nut since they bite into the wire whereas the lever nuts hold the wires. In practice there should never be strain on your wires so it shouldn't really matter. As long as the nut is holding the wires securely and doesn't loosen over time then you're all good.
Hey, Scott! Thanks for the great work on testing these connectors; you are a true professional. I do have a question: on the graph at minute 8:12, you show a "baseline", which outperformed all others, including the wire nut. But I missed out on the details of this baseline connection. Where do you explain it? ~~~~Arthur Ogawa
How about a pull test on wire nuts? Also, can you do a pull/heat test with the push connector of your popular receptacle. Overall, ideal is sold at Lowe’s and a known provider in the electrical industry. Wago 10 awg connector is sweet for water heater connections.
I like the testing, the temperature data is helpful, but I would have loved to see what voltage drop was like between the connectors. What is the power loss difference was it 0.1v, 0.5v, 1v? Or was it even measurable?
Good to know thanks. Mechanically speaking Ideal is a better design for strength. You can see similar designs in FFC connectors, they have inherent higher pull out force is its fed through. It will be interesting to strip the plastics and see the mechanism of how they clamp. the other connector tests would be vibration/plating (wear), subsequent pull force, mate cycles and possibly oxidation/fretting.
WAGO uses a patented spring connection called the cage clamp, surrounds your wire on all four sides by metal and forms a gas tight seal by forcing the wire into a tinned copper bus bar. I do not believe Ideal has gas tight seal. No air = no corrosion.
I couldn't find any photos or video of someone who did that, so I did it myself with some pliers and a flathead screwdriver. I don't know how to describe it, but even without the shell the stainless steel spring was securely mated to the bus bar. It's not riveted or fused (which is the case with Ideal's push-in connectors). There's a little hook on the end of the spring that mates with the opening of the bus bar. Ideal doesn't list any patents on the package, and I'm thinking WAGO's patents might have expired. I'll just say that for the Ideal there are three contact points, and possibly four if the wire is pressed against the side of the bus bar opening. The main one is where the spring presses the wire directly against the opening. The other is a tang on the spring that also serves as a barb to keep the wire in securely. Then there's kind of a connection of the tip of the wire against the end of the bus bar via pressure from the spring. The latter is somewhat dependent on whether or not there's pressure on the wire (outside the connector) that pushes the tip of the wire away from the end of the bus bar.
I'm an electrician and I keep a few inline wagos on the truck for extremely short wires that you can't even get a wire nut on, but a properly installed wire nut makes the most solid connection.
Europeans seem to love chocolate blocks. I think push in connectors will probably work as well, but if you've got that little spare wire length to work with, that's setting up for almost nothing to work with in the future. I like the idea of lever connectors where the remaining wire will never need to be modified because something like a pigtail can be completely replaced without touching the existing wire. Even if the lever connector needs to be replaced, the wire ends should be completely reusable, although maybe lightly sanded down to remove any tarnish.
I tried Wagos, and then discovered that Lowe's had Ideals in store, so I tried them. Wires seemed looser in Wagos and more secure in Ideal. I'm a DIYer. For my purposes, lever connectors are like an electronics breadboard--great for diagnosing and testing. They allow you to hook up a complex circuit and make sure everything works as expected. If it's 14 gauge wire, I'll then use wire nuts to finalize. If it's 12 gauge, I'll use wire nuts for up to 3 wires, the big blues or levers for 4 wires, and levers for 5. Levers really come in handy for splicing lots of ground wires in those multi-wire junction boxes.
I like the 221 and use them for stranded wire connections. I also use the Wago 773 for pig-tailing outlet and switches to aluminum in-wall wiring with anti-oxidant (old house). It would be great to see the load testing of aluminum/copper connections.
FYI Some non-wago lever nuts will not accept standard ferrules. The plastic fairings of the ferrules will not fit into the receptacle and they won't close on the pin.
I haven't used lever nuts. That said, I'm about ready to order a WAGO kit just to have them on hand. I do like the greater pull-out strength of the Ideal.
Woohoo! Thanks so much. Do you think the larger sized WAGOs heat up less (bus bar surface area differences)? Say for 12AWG and a heavy load. Obviously they're required for 10AWG.
The ones without the lever are push in connectors which weren’t compared in this video. I would need to see a comparison video between ideal push in connectors and ideal lever connectors to see what the differences between them are before I would make a decision.
Gray informed video. I would still use the wire not if I am running a business and only because of the price. It is great for a do it yourself repairs in your own house. I remember when I bought a business and had to change 40 ballast on all the fixtures and that can be an expense added instead of the wire nuts. Wago are more practical since they are thinner and specifically when pushing all the wires in a junction box. Thank you for sharing
I'm basically using wire nuts for solid copper connections, and lever nuts for stranded to solid connection, especially light fixtures. Although the lever nuts definitely saved me when I was trying to merge 4 wires with one of them being far too short coming out of the wall, I just could not get a twist going.
Nice video and presentation. The video link is an experiment for comparison with a range of connector under test, series connected. Models ranging from twist nuts through quick connect style, as a second opinion. Watch and make town conclusion. Caveat? Test at and exceed rated load of AWG 14~12 in series link.
I use both. One of the advantages of Ideal is that you do not have to open the levers to insert the wire. I wish Wago operated this simply. I’ve had issues with Wago levers coming open just as you demonstrated. Wish Ideal ran a bit cooler and was a bit easier to see the connection.
The temperature chart @8:56 doesn't include a "0 mins" data point for the different connectors. The temperature increase slopes are all weirdly similar and it looks like the wires started at different temperatures for the different tests.
I'd happily use either product. Wagos if they're available to me. Ideals for the convenience of picking them up at the hardware store. If Lowes or HD started selling Wagos on shelves, I'd probably use them exclusively.
@koalafan1576 This is months late, but: Lever nuts are *great* for connecting stranded wire, and can connect stranded to solid wire. *HOWEVER* lever nuts are not ideal for automotive. It's not a stranded/solid wire thing. Cars vibrate, homes don't. Lever nuts are designed for non-vibration environments. If you want a reusable connector for automotive, just search for "car audio wire connectors", otherwise, you can look for crimp connectors - or better, marine grade crimp connectors. Marine grade crimp connectors have a combination heat shrink + hot melt glue tube on the outside that shrinks and seals the connector and wire to make it watertight when you 'heat shrink' it. That can be very good to have in an environment where the connector is likely to be exposed to road salt, water, etc. The downside is you have to also get the right crimping tool. While you're at it, look into "Wire Ferrules" - these are little metal jackets that go around the ends of stranded copper wire bundles. It's the high-end way to terminate the end of a stranded wire when you can't use a crimp connector.
Scott, could you do a video on low voltage Landscape lighting? I want to install pathway lights along my walkway to my front door. I would like advise on the outside connectors, which ones to use which ones to avoid. Any help would be appreciated.
im sticking with wago, my Menards has both and Wago by the 10 pack is a few dollars cheaper so for the most part Ideal doesnt give enough advantages to justify the cost on a small project
@briankendall1978 I would recommend against it. These lever nuts are designed for stationary installs, and automotive is, shall we say, a high vibration environment. There are, however, connectors that are designed for automotive. Posi Products makes a twist connector that's reusable. Likely what you really want are a marine-grade crimp connector, and a terminal block: These are crimped with a crimping tool, forming an excellent connection - and then you heat shrink the plastic. The plastic has hot melt glue on the inside, and it seals the wire air and watertight inside. Either way, the car audio market probably has your needs covered, because they do all sorts of high power distribution and wiring at 12V - and a desire to make it look pretty. I mean... sure, your amp might be pushing a bit higher frequency than theirs, but it's still an amp, right? 📻
There is a singular hole on the back for a test port. I don't know how useful a single port is and instead used a continuity test at the end of the wiring harnesses I was connecting. But it's there.
Looking at the design of the Ideal, it seems to me that the spring being behind the bus bar is causing a less secure electrical connection. Copper is ductile, and I expect that over time the copper past the spring will flex away from the bar, resulting in even more heat generation. The Wago seems to press the wire directly into the bus bar and thus doesn’t seem to have that issue. If it’s already hotter right after connecting, what will it look like in 20 years?
I took one of the Ideal lever connectors apart. I believe that the shell basically keeps it from separating, and mechanically the bus bar and spring are connected even without the shell. There's a little hook on each spring that mates with the end of the corresponding bus bar opening. Then there's a tang on the spring that serves as a barb and presses against the main contact point of the bus bar. I have no doubt that this is an excellent design. Even if the lever breaks off, the spring is still going to clamp down on the wire. I've got just the combination of the bus bar and springs, and the connection is solid even without the shell.
I have using Ideal wire nuts since the 1960's and they are tied with the Scotch wite nuts. Granted pain in the butt when you have to slice say 3 solid #12 guage eites eith 3 #12 guage stranded wires but if you strip them 7/8" then pre teist the solid conductors then wrap the stranded conductors then teist with large side cutters then trim the ends even then tighten the proper sised wire nut with side cutters you never have a problem. Still tape all of my wire nuts with made inUSA quality tape.
I think the reason for the higher Temps for the leaver nuts is because of contact surface. I wonder if you reduce the wire length for the wire nut say start with 1.5 inches and work your way down to 0.5 inches if the Temps would increase.
Wire nuts can make higher quality connections, but you can't beat the convenience of a lever nut. Also great for mixing stranded and solid wire, where wire nuts are a bit more iffy.
Have you tried connecting a wire nut when there's little excess wire to work with? I've had one wire slip out. These lever connectors are much harder to mess up where one can see and feel them being fully inserted into the connector.
As with EVERYTHING in life it is always best to have many choices in life. These "new" connections are just another option available to you for 'problem' solving.
Great content about these lever wire connectors. Have you seen these? JOMERON 84PCS Lever Nuts Wire Connectors kit. I'd be curious what you think about these.
@@EverydayHomeRepairs Wow. Thanks for the quick reply. I suppose that when it comes to your home, your safety and the safety of your family is at stake, so why take chances with a device that isn't UL approved? Anyway, thanks for the videos. Very helpful and informative. I've always been pretty much a wire nut guy and I have plenty of them. I will continue to use wire nuts when I have two solid core wires and plenty of space for the wire nuts. If there is a stranded wire in the mix or there is limited space, I'd use a Wago. Thanks again.
They have different versions including one that looks more like a WAGO 221 and some that look like their older WAGO 222. I guess one of the more interesting things I saw was a larger unit that has multiple connections in the same unit. Blue levers for one connection and orange for the other. I'm not sure I'd use those.
So 6 months after this video was posted, both HomeDepot and Lowes are carrying these products. HomeDepot has the Wago levernuts and Lowes has the Ideal levernuts... Although I don't know if both stores carry both brands, I cannot recall seeing both in the same location. I can tell you that the Ideal levernuts are significantly more expensive, a pack of 50 3 wire is $31.98 while the Wago is coming in at $18.52 Buying the 10 pack of each (2 wire) is going to be about the same cost ($6.97/$6.98) so this would be personal preference.
I bought a jar (500) of Ideal's 2 port connectors for $25.98 from Amazon (sold directly by Amazon). The unfortunate thing is that Amazon now says they're unavailable in that size, although they still have the 10-pack for about $7 and the 150-pack for about $45. I couldn't figure out what was with the price since it was cheaper than wire nuts. I'm using them more or less as quick connect/disconnect fittings. I figure once I have a connection and/or pigtail, I'll never need to touch the existing wire again other than maybe to sand down some copper tarnish.
I use WAGO lever nuts for just about everything. I do have some WAGO Wall-Nuts in a 6 hole configuration for busy metal JB's with a lot of grounds. But ill be sticking with WAGO
I've also used the WAGO's and like them. Do you feel it would be OK to use them for outdoor porch lights?. I'm sure there may be more dampness than if they were used inside, but it sure would be great to be able to connect the small stranded wire on the outdoor fixture to the 12 or 14 gauge solid house wiring instead of using wire nuts. Thnks for your thoughts on this.
I am not an electrician but have used the Wagos outdoors where no direct rain can fall on the box. Theoretically, outdoor rated boxes installed correctly are waterproof. If you want to be certain , use the wire nuts with the sealant inside.
Have never been a problem for me, when placed in a appropriate enclosure. For junction points I prefer Wiska boxes (607, etc) to keep them safe. Not a single one caused a Problem or went bad in all those years. Also, unlike some screw Terminals no rust issues with high humidity environments
Reality is most of the connectors will never reach that high of an amperage so either the ideal or the Wego should be comparable. I do like the ideal because it appears that when you close the lever there is somewhat of an additional lock you can feel. On the job we use ideals on a regular basis with no problems at all.
@@EverydayHomeRepairs It goes off and on, mostly the close up shots of the products. Its more like a high pitched whine kind of buzz and it goes progressively louder and higher in pitch then down again and repeats. Its really odd. It kind of reminds me of the noise that happens when we use our AUX port to listen to music wirelessly in our car while it is charging. It picks up the electricity static and broadcasts it to the car speakers. I know it isn't on my end since it doesn't happen with any other videos from other youtubers and it stops when I pause. Both my husband and I can hear it so I also know it isn't just me and my ears. we are using a laptop to watch your videos. Hope this helps.
While these lever nuts are well within a safe range of temperatures, I would like to know how much additional electricity is used to overcome that resistance.
Looking at the design, I would think stranded wire might even have lower resistance than equivalent sized solid wire. They recommend just placing it in without twisting or tinning, and the strands just fan out and splay flat against the bus bar.
I was working on a 30a 10g circuit in a RV that some bozo ran thru a couch leg. So I couldn't easily remove-replace the couch. I had some Wago 221-412's on hand so I made the splice (in a box) outside the couch leg. I realize the Wago 221-412 is not rated for 30a 10g, and I've since orderd the 221-612's. But I turned everything on in the RV and kept touching the 221-412 conectors, they never even got noticibly warm. Just my experience.
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We have used both mainly for convenience when purchasing. What we found is the Ideal brand seem to have a second locking device when pushed closed. For this reason, we use the Ideal brand most often and when available.
While I've noticed that, I don't believe it does much. If the lever snags against something when shoved in a junction box, that "lock" doesn't provide much resistance against the lever moving. I've also noticed that individual fit of the parts is where this "lock" varies. I've had a few where there was no "click" at the end.
The protection against the port being opened is a good deal of resistance when a wire is inserted. With a 14 AWG wire inserted, I see it gets to about 40 degrees where it moves fairly freely, but then requires considerably more force to open.
One thing I would recommend is taking one of the Wago's and Ideal's that was tested for maximum pull out load and re-test it to see if that pull out strength was compromised. Other than that, I do think you did a great job on your testing.👍
That's a good idea. A spring tends to lose it's strength at elevated temperatures, though i think it would have to be considerably higher than these temps seen in the testing. Its always worth testing just to be sure. On second thought, i can't think of a scenario where anyone is going to be pulling while under heavy load.
@@LBCAndrew the ladder fell and they grabbed the lever nut on the wire to keep from falling to their death. which is best to entrust our life to?
@@johnpaullogan1365 that is natural selection and not my problem.
I'm actually glad I checked on these as the wire connectors that I purchased a year ago [although branded differently] fall into the same category as the inferior one.
Can you post a link to Knockoff #1 which you mention was based on the Ideal design but had lower resistance? I would like to see them.
I love all these comparison videos with lever nuts. Super useful (and great reassurance about using lever nuts)
I knew you would get around to testing the Ideal vs Wago ... I'm actually good with either one ... They both work well ... Thx
Very High Praise! Vago as the company calls them (German) haha is Fantastic !! Built a large home dehydrator using only Wago connectors. That system had both 100 v and 12 v sistems for fans and lights. the Wago connectors worked equally well in both applications . Probably not requied, but I soldered any stranded wire (tinned actually) to make a rigid end to insert and afford a more secure connection. I am now making connections in my electric guitars . Doing this makes a Pickguard easily removable and changeable with out having to un-solder the main connections . HIGHLY HIGHLY Recommend these !! If you are not using these ....You should try a sample and see for yourself! Thanks for reading!
Very good idea for guitars …changing pick up’s etc … also for stereo work .
There is no need to tin stranded wire for insertion. I believe the connection is probably better if it's just left in place and not even twisted. The spring will splay the wire strands against the bus bar, making more contact area than an equivalent sized solid wire. Neither WAGO nor Ideal recommend tinning or twisting stranded wire for insertion into their lever connectors.
For joining 2 wires, I favor twist on wire nuts. For 3 or more conductors, I like Wago. I like them, because in my experience, you're having to reach up to a box, you can't see very well, and it's absolutely imperative that you see the end of the wire extending beyond the bus bar in the connector. The Wago is easier to see, than the Ideal. I don't find the problem with the nut levers hooking to be much of a problem, it's easy to deal with, if you're aware. I favor the Wago, because it's more compact, making it easier to "stuff" more connections into a junction box. (I just wish they made 4-conductor versions)
Regardless of preference, wire nuts are a poor choice stranded to solid wire.
But I get it if you have proper technique with solid wires to a wire nut. With good technique, wire nuts mitigate most of these connector advantages (other than time, reusability, and more compact).
The Ideal has a window at the end where it's pretty easy to see if the wire has reached the end of the port. However, it's only on one side and may not be how it's oriented. Even if it was clear, the lever is on the other side of the connector, which will block the view of the wire. I've seen some vids of a (European) version of the Ideal lever connectors, and that one has a mostly clear (and not translucent) shell. I don't think it's that big a deal. In addition, Ideal says it's OK to just push in solid wires, so I'll usually just push them in for good measure even if I thought it was previously locked in. The WAGO 221 isn't designed for that, although I've heard of some people trying.
I use wire nuts for 2 and 3 wire connections, so I only have to buy the 5 port wagos and I don't mind leaving the port open for 4
I love your testing, you are honest and fair. Keep doing what you do!
Thanks for the support 🙌
You always have Great and Concise information when you check out Products. We like that. Thanks again, and keep up the Great Work.
Thanks for the support!
You're Welcome. I've got a few WAGOs but haven't had the chance to us them, but I'll have to get some of those Wire to Wire extension ones. When I see how the wires are held in the WAGOs with the levers, my instinct is to, after I attach the wires, is to put electrical tape around the WAGO to cover the Levers or maybe slip a piece of Shrink Tubing of it and shrink it over the Levers to protect them from opening. I don't know why I get that feeling, but I do. Great Videos. Thanks. @@EverydayHomeRepairs
Thanks. Loved your thorough technical assessment. Was going to go Wago based on an earlier video, but since I’m adding a garage opener outlet, would never get close to the thermal needs and Insure’s derating is fine even for longer duration future uses. Like the strength of the Insure as well.
Great video. I have been using Wago connectors ever since I saw them on your channel, and I love them. I am less familiar with Ideal connectors, but my understanding is that you push solid core wire directly into the Ideal connector (like the stab connection on the back of an electrical outlet) without opening the lever. That said, I am sticking with the Wago.
Ah! You read my mind. Wanted to see the new ones tested!
My experience with these lever nuts, as you showed with the Wago version, is that a few times when stuffing the wires in, or pulling them out for whatever reason, the levers lift and come undone. And if a certain wire was not labeled and a few come out by chance, I'm back to square one. That being said, that has also happened with some traditional wire nuts as well, but not as often. Granted this has happened in up to a large five gang box or smaller with tons of wires going all over the place. I love the 10 gauge version. If you've ever crimped 10 gauge wires together for a wire nut the difference is night and day. Also these are great for troubleshooting.
If necessary, I will give my wagos a wrap or two of electrical tape around the levers for this specific reason. Keeps the levers from inadvertently opening up.
@@ericbaker8807 You brought electrical tape into the discussion!? EVERYBODY TO COVER! THE TAPE ENTHUSIASTS ARE COMING!
I've run into the same problem with the lever coming up. Especially when you are close to the maximum box fill. I think the design of the Ideal minimizes this problem with the lever on the other side because it follows the way I fold a wire into a box.
Also, the ideal lever will click down vs. nothing on the wago. I like the wago and the design is really cool, but I feel more confident with ideal. The ideal have been hard to get for a while but notice lowes now carries them.
Wagos don't click when you put the levers down because this motion releases the spring to allow it to clamp against the wire. The entire spring-and-busbar mechanism is independent of the plastic housing; the plastic could disappear and the connections wouldn't be broken. If the lever clicks into the down position, it implies that the plastic is responsible for clamp force. I have yet to investigate this for myself, but I would like to take apart an Ideal and see how they're made.
@@usbcd360 interesting observation - I like the extra click (or lever clamps) to keep the tabs down so they don’t float. It’s a preference for me. Have you seen the new Leviton receptacles with the built in levers? It’s an interesting design to help the DYI person honest.
@boogiedahomey
Yeah. I've noticed anything from a fairly substantial click to none at all depending on the individual fit of the parts. I would say it's an interesting thing they've added, but it does nothing to prevent the levers from moving if they snag against something in a junction box. I don't worry about them opening because the spring is still fully engaged until the lever is intentionally opened. It takes substantial force to open it to where the spring is compressed.
The ideal allows for push in without lifting the lever which is a faster install.
Oh that's a good point to realize too. I imagine that's part of the levers being the other way around, force of wire pushing in forces it open enough.
So does WAGO
@@aurvaroy6670 i learned something / thank you 🙏
Beside the fact that you can also do it (although you push a bit harder) on Wago, Wago also has special push-in connectors.
Another very significant difference: WAGO provides a lot of mounting capabilities, for example a DIN-Rail universal-holder (221-500). This way you can avoid flying connections in distribution panels / din-rail-boxes. 221 is available with ex-Rating as well (221-482)
Selection of other useful accessories:
The Gelbox, A waterproof miniature enclosure (207-1x31)
Universal strain releave and mounting adapter for the through connectors (221-2503)
Surface mounting adapters with Strain releave capability (for example 221-502, 221-503, 221-505)
Enclosures for building heating and building control wiring setups (207-4301)
Wagobox
Some third party manufacturers design enclosures and junction boxes specifically to contain wago 221 or are sipped with it, for example Merten MEG1010-9019, Spelsberg A-Box SL, Wiska-Box 85, many Shelly-Accessories provide 221 mounting capabilities.
None of this is available for the ideal connectors, unlike 221 they are not designed to be mounted or fixed somewhere on a regular basis.
That should be considered as well.
Good point and thanks for calling out all the additional applications. WAGO does have a WIDE variety of support parts 👍
Your temperature chart shows a pretty clear advantage to wire nuts, which is expect just due to the connection cross-section. For permanent connections inside fixtures, I'd probably use UL-rated crimps with a good ratcheting crimp tool like the Greenlee/Paladin offering. For connections that need to be maintainable, wire nuts for solid wire and lever nuts for stranded. Possibly use ferrules on the stranded stuff, although that's more for machine tool internals.
When the difference is between 47% max capacity and 53% max capacity, sure there is a difference, but all it would take is a slight metallurgical change (as companies have been doing for over a century to save money) and that difference could easily disappear. There are likely even a whole slew of wire nuts that get regularly used that would have averaged out as hot or hotter, especially over longer durations. It is a slight advantage, at best. Their biggest advantage, by far, would be familiarity with their existing users; they are nowhere near as easy for a beginner or DIYer and don't handle mixed wiring as well, either.
End result, wire nuts have a slight advantage in temperature handling, a roughly even ease-of-use for people who have an existing familiarity with them as well as decent tools, and a clear disadvantage for anyone learning or with an infrequent need or who is mixing wire types. Wire nuts pretty much only have even a slight advantage with existing users and asserting otherwise is just silly.
@@georgebooth586 Metallurgy changes? Wirenuts don't conduct electricity, they keep twisted wires from coming apart. You'll note i did not suggest that wirenuts be used with stranded wire under any conditions.
I was mostly thinking about ballasts in fluorescent lamp fixtures when i said that, but TBH crimp connectors fine in that applications, since there's typically 6"-12" of slack quite in those and losing a 1/2” every five years due to ballast replacement is going to be fine.
Oh, and when i say"fixtures" I'm talking about the internal wiring that the manufacturer supplies.
but unless you are running 100+ amps through them it's unlikely to cause a problem. admittedly i'll probably not use a wago on the electric stove circuit, etc. of course i won't normally use a wirenut there either in favor of just running wire from the box to the outlet. in 20A and under situations you'll see no real difference in your day to day from the temperature difference
@@PaulSteMarie
The steel spiral in a wire nut is part of the electrical connection. Granted it's not likely as conductive as squeezing copper against copper, but it is still an integral part of the electrical connectivity.
Great video Scott. (And not for mentioning the 600 series. lol) The choice between Wago and Ideal seems to be: do you want to risk snagging a lever on another wire when you put the lever nut in the electrical box, or when you take it out of the box? If you finish a wiring job and you just want to shove everything back into the box and be done with it, then Wago is better. If you are the one accountable for this wiring job, can you get the wires back in the box without accidentally knocking a lever nut handle? Then Ideal is probably fine. The only gotcha I can see for Ideal is you are applying pressure that is more likely to push a wire back out of the nut. I don't think it's a big deal but the Ideal's frosted plastic makes it harder to see if your wire slipped.
Great pull test! This makes me wonder how much force a wire nut could handle, my guess is level nuts might win that comparison
Might be the material difference of the busbar but not 100% sure.
A properly attached wire nut can handle a lot more pull force than a lever nut. But I don't see that as being much of an issue in practice. When I use wire nuts, I have an Ideal electrician's screwdriver with a wire nut driver in the handle, and if you're putting on more than 3 nuts at once, it really helps (for me, at least) prevent aching hands. I like Wago for installing lights, since that's something I occasionally undo. I've never had to replace romex running from a junction box to an outlet, so I'm fine with wire nuts for things like that.
I'd imagine a wire nut can hold a lot more than a lever nut since they bite into the wire whereas the lever nuts hold the wires. In practice there should never be strain on your wires so it shouldn't really matter. As long as the nut is holding the wires securely and doesn't loosen over time then you're all good.
Wire nuts are not without risk if they aren’t done right. If they are engineered right, this is a great option.
Wire nut connection done right will hold many times more that lever nuts. If there are just two wires coming out without a twist, you did it wrong.
To me, heat = resistance. So that being said, which ever connector runs coolest under load would be my choice.
I used the Ideal connectors on my current project. Way less pain than wire nuts.
For sure 💯
Thank you for indulging our whims
Very informative. Thanks, Scott.
how would you waterproof these connections?
WAGO has Gel boxes (not cheap) that provides a waterproof solution if needed amzn.to/3MAPixy
Hey, Scott! Thanks for the great work on testing these connectors; you are a true professional.
I do have a question: on the graph at minute 8:12, you show a "baseline", which outperformed all others, including the wire nut. But I missed out on the details of this baseline connection. Where do you explain it? ~~~~Arthur Ogawa
"Baseline" was directly into the screw-terminal of the device. So this is the best you can get with a no-break direct connection.
Good stuff! Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for another great video. Are you willing to make a video of what is in your electrical pack pit kit?
Pack out kit?
Wagon makes the inside of the box nice looking! And save room and twisting
Was the wire the same length on the pull test.
How about a pull test on wire nuts? Also, can you do a pull/heat test with the push connector of your popular receptacle.
Overall, ideal is sold at Lowe’s and a known provider in the electrical industry. Wago 10 awg connector is sweet for water heater connections.
Maybe a dumb question but would a yank or quick pull test be different than a constant force test ?
I like the testing, the temperature data is helpful, but I would have loved to see what voltage drop was like between the connectors. What is the power loss difference was it 0.1v, 0.5v, 1v? Or was it even measurable?
I agree. 0.5 volts matters little at 120 volts but it does at 12 volts.
Really great video content!
Wago has a way larger ecosystem, from all sorts of connectors to boxes. One that I remeber now is the gel box, for weather-proofing connectors.
Excellent thank you. I think I will continue to wire nut high wattage.amperage areas and use these nuts for lower wattage applications (lights).
Super informative! Thank you!
Good to know thanks. Mechanically speaking Ideal is a better design for strength. You can see similar designs in FFC connectors, they have inherent higher pull out force is its fed through.
It will be interesting to strip the plastics and see the mechanism of how they clamp.
the other connector tests would be vibration/plating (wear), subsequent pull force, mate cycles and possibly oxidation/fretting.
WAGO uses a patented spring connection called the cage clamp, surrounds your wire on all four sides by metal and forms a gas tight seal by forcing the wire into a tinned copper bus bar. I do not believe Ideal has gas tight seal. No air = no corrosion.
@@johnbukowski968
Having seen a WAGO 221 up close, there is no way that it's gas tight.
I couldn't find any photos or video of someone who did that, so I did it myself with some pliers and a flathead screwdriver. I don't know how to describe it, but even without the shell the stainless steel spring was securely mated to the bus bar. It's not riveted or fused (which is the case with Ideal's push-in connectors). There's a little hook on the end of the spring that mates with the opening of the bus bar. Ideal doesn't list any patents on the package, and I'm thinking WAGO's patents might have expired.
I'll just say that for the Ideal there are three contact points, and possibly four if the wire is pressed against the side of the bus bar opening. The main one is where the spring presses the wire directly against the opening. The other is a tang on the spring that also serves as a barb to keep the wire in securely. Then there's kind of a connection of the tip of the wire against the end of the bus bar via pressure from the spring. The latter is somewhat dependent on whether or not there's pressure on the wire (outside the connector) that pushes the tip of the wire away from the end of the bus bar.
Excellent video.
wago 221 absolutely the best for me! For both types of wires!
I'm using the ideal. Thanx so much for the testing.
I'm an electrician and I keep a few inline wagos on the truck for extremely short wires that you can't even get a wire nut on, but a properly installed wire nut makes the most solid connection.
Europeans seem to love chocolate blocks.
I think push in connectors will probably work as well, but if you've got that little spare wire length to work with, that's setting up for almost nothing to work with in the future. I like the idea of lever connectors where the remaining wire will never need to be modified because something like a pigtail can be completely replaced without touching the existing wire. Even if the lever connector needs to be replaced, the wire ends should be completely reusable, although maybe lightly sanded down to remove any tarnish.
I tried Wagos, and then discovered that Lowe's had Ideals in store, so I tried them. Wires seemed looser in Wagos and more secure in Ideal. I'm a DIYer. For my purposes, lever connectors are like an electronics breadboard--great for diagnosing and testing. They allow you to hook up a complex circuit and make sure everything works as expected. If it's 14 gauge wire, I'll then use wire nuts to finalize. If it's 12 gauge, I'll use wire nuts for up to 3 wires, the big blues or levers for 4 wires, and levers for 5. Levers really come in handy for splicing lots of ground wires in those multi-wire junction boxes.
Maybe it depends on the wire size, but if you look at the temperature test, the connection is better on Wago, as it heats up less than the Ideal one.
I like the 221 and use them for stranded wire connections. I also use the Wago 773 for pig-tailing outlet and switches to aluminum in-wall wiring with anti-oxidant (old house). It would be great to see the load testing of aluminum/copper connections.
Have you seen the new wago racks that complete the wire nut for mounting projects - innovative
FYI Some non-wago lever nuts will not accept standard ferrules. The plastic fairings of the ferrules will not fit into the receptacle and they won't close on the pin.
I haven't used lever nuts. That said, I'm about ready to order a WAGO kit just to have them on hand. I do like the greater pull-out strength of the Ideal.
Nice. Once you use them, there's no going back
Woohoo! Thanks so much. Do you think the larger sized WAGOs heat up less (bus bar surface area differences)? Say for 12AWG and a heavy load. Obviously they're required for 10AWG.
Probably a bit lower but if I had to guess it would only lower 2-3 degrees F so not a big difference.
Is it OK to leave an empty port in a 5 wire connector if you need to connect 4 wires?
Any reason not to tape the wago to insure the levers won’t pop up?
Sorry I know my question is not today’s topic. But I wonder if you have a video how to replace the vent on glass block windows?
due to your videos I bought the Ensure/Ideal connectors, the onlyones sold at Lowes & Home Depo! They to not have the lever at all...
The ones without the lever are push in connectors which weren’t compared in this video. I would need to see a comparison video between ideal push in connectors and ideal lever connectors to see what the differences between them are before I would make a decision.
Home Depot DOES carry Wago, just picked some up this week.
What is the Max Temperature for electrical wires for a 15A outlet?
Standard maximum temperature for PVC-coated wires regardless of current is 75°C.
Gray informed video. I would still use the wire not if I am running a business and only because of the price. It is great for a do it yourself repairs in your own house. I remember when I bought a business and had to change 40 ballast on all the fixtures and that can be an expense added instead of the wire nuts. Wago are more practical since they are thinner and specifically when pushing all the wires in a junction box. Thank you for sharing
I'm basically using wire nuts for solid copper connections, and lever nuts for stranded to solid connection, especially light fixtures. Although the lever nuts definitely saved me when I was trying to merge 4 wires with one of them being far too short coming out of the wall, I just could not get a twist going.
After working with both I prefer the ideal ones I just wish they would make the in line ones.
Thanks for the feedback!
Nice video and presentation.
The video link is an experiment for comparison with a range of connector under test, series connected. Models ranging from twist nuts through quick connect style, as a second opinion. Watch and make town conclusion.
Caveat? Test at and exceed rated load of AWG 14~12 in series link.
I use both. One of the advantages of Ideal is that you do not have to open the levers to insert the wire. I wish Wago operated this simply. I’ve had issues with Wago levers coming open just as you demonstrated. Wish Ideal ran a bit cooler and was a bit easier to see the connection.
Thanks for the feedback!
I like to wrap the Wagos with electrical tape to hold the tabs down
The temperature chart @8:56 doesn't include a "0 mins" data point for the different connectors. The temperature increase slopes are all weirdly similar and it looks like the wires started at different temperatures for the different tests.
I'd happily use either product. Wagos if they're available to me. Ideals for the convenience of picking them up at the hardware store. If Lowes or HD started selling Wagos on shelves, I'd probably use them exclusively.
Really great studies! But you should use SI units, That would be perfect!
Can you use stranded wire for DC wiring with these? I'm working with 16 AWG in my truck mods.
@koalafan1576 This is months late, but: Lever nuts are *great* for connecting stranded wire, and can connect stranded to solid wire.
*HOWEVER* lever nuts are not ideal for automotive. It's not a stranded/solid wire thing. Cars vibrate, homes don't. Lever nuts are designed for non-vibration environments. If you want a reusable connector for automotive, just search for "car audio wire connectors", otherwise, you can look for crimp connectors - or better, marine grade crimp connectors.
Marine grade crimp connectors have a combination heat shrink + hot melt glue tube on the outside that shrinks and seals the connector and wire to make it watertight when you 'heat shrink' it. That can be very good to have in an environment where the connector is likely to be exposed to road salt, water, etc. The downside is you have to also get the right crimping tool.
While you're at it, look into "Wire Ferrules" - these are little metal jackets that go around the ends of stranded copper wire bundles. It's the high-end way to terminate the end of a stranded wire when you can't use a crimp connector.
Scott, could you do a video on low voltage Landscape lighting? I want to install pathway lights along my walkway to my front door. I would like advise on the outside connectors, which ones to use which ones to avoid. Any help would be appreciated.
For any outside connections with water exposure, I use silicone filled wire nuts.
im sticking with wago, my Menards has both and Wago by the 10 pack is a few dollars cheaper so for the most part Ideal doesnt give enough advantages to justify the cost on a small project
I was considering using these for 12v automotive applications like 2 way radio installations. Would this be a viable application?
@briankendall1978 I would recommend against it. These lever nuts are designed for stationary installs, and automotive is, shall we say, a high vibration environment. There are, however, connectors that are designed for automotive. Posi Products makes a twist connector that's reusable.
Likely what you really want are a marine-grade crimp connector, and a terminal block: These are crimped with a crimping tool, forming an excellent connection - and then you heat shrink the plastic. The plastic has hot melt glue on the inside, and it seals the wire air and watertight inside.
Either way, the car audio market probably has your needs covered, because they do all sorts of high power distribution and wiring at 12V - and a desire to make it look pretty. I mean... sure, your amp might be pushing a bit higher frequency than theirs, but it's still an amp, right? 📻
Does the Ideal have the test port?
There is a singular hole on the back for a test port. I don't know how useful a single port is and instead used a continuity test at the end of the wiring harnesses I was connecting. But it's there.
Looking at the design of the Ideal, it seems to me that the spring being behind the bus bar is causing a less secure electrical connection. Copper is ductile, and I expect that over time the copper past the spring will flex away from the bar, resulting in even more heat generation. The Wago seems to press the wire directly into the bus bar and thus doesn’t seem to have that issue. If it’s already hotter right after connecting, what will it look like in 20 years?
I took one of the Ideal lever connectors apart. I believe that the shell basically keeps it from separating, and mechanically the bus bar and spring are connected even without the shell. There's a little hook on each spring that mates with the end of the corresponding bus bar opening. Then there's a tang on the spring that serves as a barb and presses against the main contact point of the bus bar.
I have no doubt that this is an excellent design. Even if the lever breaks off, the spring is still going to clamp down on the wire. I've got just the combination of the bus bar and springs, and the connection is solid even without the shell.
I have using Ideal wire nuts since the 1960's and they are tied with the Scotch wite nuts. Granted pain in the butt when you have to slice say 3 solid #12 guage eites eith 3 #12 guage stranded wires but if you strip them 7/8" then pre teist the solid conductors then wrap the stranded conductors then teist with large side cutters then trim the ends even then tighten the proper sised wire nut with side cutters you never have a problem. Still tape all of my wire nuts with made inUSA quality tape.
Really great videos!
I’ve been using the Wago 221’s for years. Just for peace of mind I always wrap the Wago’s with electrical tape, that eases my mind, thanks.
These should be great for us old folk with arthritis.
I think the reason for the higher Temps for the leaver nuts is because of contact surface. I wonder if you reduce the wire length for the wire nut say start with 1.5 inches and work your way down to 0.5 inches if the Temps would increase.
Interesting testing. I’m still good with wire nuts. I think they win in every category - if you know how to properly use them.
Wire nuts can make higher quality connections, but you can't beat the convenience of a lever nut. Also great for mixing stranded and solid wire, where wire nuts are a bit more iffy.
Have you tried connecting a wire nut when there's little excess wire to work with? I've had one wire slip out. These lever connectors are much harder to mess up where one can see and feel them being fully inserted into the connector.
As with EVERYTHING in life it is always best to have many choices in life. These "new" connections are just another option available to you for 'problem' solving.
Did you try the pull out test on the amazon knock offs?
What is the Amazon brand called?
THANKS SCOTT,🤗👍💚💚💚
You bet!
Great content about these lever wire connectors. Have you seen these? JOMERON 84PCS Lever Nuts Wire Connectors kit. I'd be curious what you think about these.
Yep those are knockoffs of the older WAGO lever nut which is the WAGO 222. My initial thought is No Go for the knockoff of the WAGO 222.
@@EverydayHomeRepairs Wow. Thanks for the quick reply. I suppose that when it comes to your home, your safety and the safety of your family is at stake, so why take chances with a device that isn't UL approved? Anyway, thanks for the videos. Very helpful and informative. I've always been pretty much a wire nut guy and I have plenty of them. I will continue to use wire nuts when I have two solid core wires and plenty of space for the wire nuts. If there is a stranded wire in the mix or there is limited space, I'd use a Wago. Thanks again.
They have different versions including one that looks more like a WAGO 221 and some that look like their older WAGO 222. I guess one of the more interesting things I saw was a larger unit that has multiple connections in the same unit. Blue levers for one connection and orange for the other.
I'm not sure I'd use those.
Thanks for sharing friend 😊
Happy to help 👍
So 6 months after this video was posted, both HomeDepot and Lowes are carrying these products. HomeDepot has the Wago levernuts and Lowes has the Ideal levernuts... Although I don't know if both stores carry both brands, I cannot recall seeing both in the same location. I can tell you that the Ideal levernuts are significantly more expensive, a pack of 50 3 wire is $31.98 while the Wago is coming in at $18.52
Buying the 10 pack of each (2 wire) is going to be about the same cost ($6.97/$6.98) so this would be personal preference.
I bought a jar (500) of Ideal's 2 port connectors for $25.98 from Amazon (sold directly by Amazon). The unfortunate thing is that Amazon now says they're unavailable in that size, although they still have the 10-pack for about $7 and the 150-pack for about $45. I couldn't figure out what was with the price since it was cheaper than wire nuts.
I'm using them more or less as quick connect/disconnect fittings. I figure once I have a connection and/or pigtail, I'll never need to touch the existing wire again other than maybe to sand down some copper tarnish.
Testing to failure would be interesting to compare.
I have seen some guys crank up 100 Amps to melt both WAGOs and the wire nuts.
I use WAGO lever nuts for just about everything. I do have some WAGO Wall-Nuts in a 6 hole configuration for busy metal JB's with a lot of grounds. But ill be sticking with WAGO
you will love hubbell spring terminal receptacles, plugs n connectors
Just got a couple Hubbell Edge Connect receptacles and they do look pretty solid 👍
The Ideal is thicker than the current Wagos, but I suspect they are still thinner than the previous version of Wagos.
Will this be better option for diy solar connector over solar fancy connectors?
The operational voltage of a solar string can be as high as 500V, so not advisable.
I've also used the WAGO's and like them. Do you feel it would be OK to use them for outdoor porch lights?. I'm sure there may be more dampness than if they were used inside, but it sure would be great to be able to connect the small stranded wire on the outdoor fixture to the 12 or 14 gauge solid house wiring instead of using wire nuts. Thnks for your thoughts on this.
I am not an electrician but have used the Wagos outdoors where no direct rain can fall on the box. Theoretically, outdoor rated boxes installed correctly are waterproof. If you want to be certain , use the wire nuts with the sealant inside.
@@rzh3443 Thnks
Have never been a problem for me, when placed in a appropriate enclosure. For junction points I prefer Wiska boxes (607, etc) to keep them safe. Not a single one caused a Problem or went bad in all those years.
Also, unlike some screw Terminals no rust issues with high humidity environments
The difference in lever opening direction may be the result of design patents.
A lot of the knockoffs have the lever in the same orientation as the WAGO.
Reality is most of the connectors will never reach that high of an amperage so either the ideal or the Wego should be comparable. I do like the ideal because it appears that when you close the lever there is somewhat of an additional lock you can feel. On the job we use ideals on a regular basis with no problems at all.
WAGO will soon be in 2000 Home Depot stores around USA. I am already in 250!
Sure be nice if you could get a box that had slots inside to hold these (shut no less) once you have them filled.
I cut a narrow piece of electrical tape to wrap just enough around the levers to keep them from accidently opening up
Like you I'll stick with Wago. I have plenty of them and the added types make a difference.
great information in the video, however its difficult to pay attention with so much background noise buzzing.
Hmmm, I'm not hearing the same buzz. Did you hear the buzz during the whole video?
@@EverydayHomeRepairs It goes off and on, mostly the close up shots of the products. Its more like a high pitched whine kind of buzz and it goes progressively louder and higher in pitch then down again and repeats. Its really odd.
It kind of reminds me of the noise that happens when we use our AUX port to listen to music wirelessly in our car while it is charging. It picks up the electricity static and broadcasts it to the car speakers.
I know it isn't on my end since it doesn't happen with any other videos from other youtubers and it stops when I pause. Both my husband and I can hear it so I also know it isn't just me and my ears. we are using a laptop to watch your videos. Hope this helps.
I like the Wago nuts.
Having just discovered a weak splice made with a wire nut, I will be replacing that with a WAGO.
Smart idea 💯
While these lever nuts are well within a safe range of temperatures, I would like to know how much additional electricity is used to overcome that resistance.
it would be nice if you heat tested the WAGO with stranded wire. I am using all stranded wire in my shop.
Looking at the design, I would think stranded wire might even have lower resistance than equivalent sized solid wire. They recommend just placing it in without twisting or tinning, and the strands just fan out and splay flat against the bus bar.
How do you deal with more than 5 wires that need to be connected? Serious question.
You use a strand to bridge two connectors.
I was working on a 30a 10g circuit in a RV that some bozo ran thru a couch leg. So I couldn't easily remove-replace the couch. I had some Wago 221-412's on hand so I made the splice (in a box) outside the couch leg. I realize the Wago 221-412 is not rated for 30a 10g, and I've since orderd the 221-612's. But I turned everything on in the RV and kept touching the 221-412 conectors, they never even got noticibly warm. Just my experience.