Nice video. Never make fun of Chinese manufacturing. They pretty much own the market in terminal blocks which is what these are, minus the screws. If they set their minds on something they can dominate it by having prices that are 1/4 of the competition. If they get those UL listed or european approved they will compete.
It really depends on your definition of "Chinese manufacturing". Sometimes it's just a subcontractor making product for a different company with high standards. It could even be a Chinese division of a company like WAGO. Or it could be a company competing only on the lowest price, which might take a ton of shortcuts to meet that lowest price. Or possibly a Chinese company that tries to meet high standards. There's been a certain amount of ridicule of "Chinesium" or products that seem to be based on the absolutely cheapest manufacturing and support. I think we've seen some of that her with parts that aren't finished nicely. The (likely) solid copper bus bars aren't anything like the tinned copper bus bars that WAGO or Ideal use. You can look through a lot of the ad copy or instructions and see various amounts of spelling and/or grammatical errors in English. They might slap on a CE label, which only means the manufacturer claims that it meets European safety standards.
I got some of these "not fake wago, fake wago" when I seen Big Clive review them. They were exactly the shape I wanted and they were only going in quick hobby projects anyway. :D Good to see all the other types. I find the 3 individual wires to 3 individual wires to be my common use-case. Not once have I wanted to connect 1 wire to (4?) others. Maybe that is just me. Surely the colours are just to show that blue goes to blue, red goes to red. Not to denote the type of wire that goes in. And as for the slop on the lever, I would want that. The leaver is just there to lift the gripping part of the connector, if the lever had no slop in it, it would mean it's not letting the connector grip as tight on to the wire as it could do.The lever itself is not the thing holding the wire.
The multi way ones are useful in lighting circuits and industrial control applications....but I would only purchase them from an electrical wholesalers for the exact reasons Mr Ward describes
Yeah, I got some for quick hobby project use, too. Usually 3 or 5 volts and temporary patching together. Usually 3 individual wires to 3 individual wires or 2 to 2. Sometimes in place of alligator clips, that sort of thing. I've found them very useful. Never used them for line voltage or permanent installations.
Red blue is a common standard for line/neutral in France and several other countries China seems to use yellow/green/red for phase black/blue for neutral and greenyellow for CPC
I disagree. Wire nuts can be horrible, but if they are good quality and the right type, they can be very good. In my experience, a properly made splice with a wire nut is more reliable than a Wago lever nut. The only problem is that in order to use a wire nut, you have to twist the wires together first, which can break old wiring that has become brittle. I use Wago connectors for temporary connections, old wires (to avoid breaking), and situations where it is difficult to use a wire nut. Wago connectors have the advantage of being easier to connect and disconnect, but wire nuts, if used properly, are more reliable.
@@skyem5250 These old hands are beginning to struggle with wire nuts when there are more than two wires; I use them for #12 and bigger wire. Where I really enjoy the Wagos is in installing Shelly, Sonoff, and other IOT devices in boxes. But I limit those to 2 or 3 amps max, so #16 or 18 is even possible.
@@johncrunk8038 I don't trust cheap IoT devices, so I wouldn't want to have them installed in such a way that I can't easily unplug them if something goes wrong. Also, if you have a 20A circuit using 12AWG wire, you have to use 12 throughout. The only time I can think of where you can splice different gauge wires is if one is permanently attached to a device (for example, a dimmer with 16AWG wires). I'm 90% sure that's an NEC rule, but sometimes NYS adds additional rules. Also, in addition to being of questionable quality, almost none of those cheap IoT devices are compliant. They make tools specially for twisting wires and putting a wire nut on. I don't know how good they are, but you may want to do some research about those if you do a lot of electrical work.
I got some with Brown, Blue, Yellow, levers, 3 way straight thru, they are ideal for making quick test leads for mains powering equipment under test, they work quickly for temporary connections and insulate well enough... You can also get 9 into 3, 6 into 3, 4 into 2 etc all coloured correctly and can work for lighting...
So - well made, fit for purpose connectors, capable of handling mains voltage. I'll use them with confidence and not be put off by your (anti) Chinesium bias.
And we will all find a use to connect two pairs of wires, 3 wires and even 4 wires together 5:28 I don't know what planet JW lives in to not find any application for a wire-joining terminal block/strip DOH.
You do not think from an engineering point of view. Items size,shape,materials, are all calculated and is for a reason.China isnt on the same page with really anything but making money let alone our electrical codes.
I wouldn't use them on a customer's property and would not use them on my own therefore. It is my sincere belief that China deviates from material integrity with the purpose of undermining every society in their quest for dominance. I don't trust anything out of China. ( From 40 years experience in the building industry )
The current test would be nice. I think these might be suitable for mobile home 12VDC installations, as the spring contact seems to be sturdy. Would the Author of the channel like to give a comment on that kind of use?
@@eelipiirola5132 I came to this video from another video where he did test the current. not much different from a wirenut. they are all made from plastic and bits of metal.
Hi John, I find your dry humour so funny. You are about the only person that makes me laugh. Particularly the video on the Southern Electricity book. Keep them coming I love your videos. Technically brilliant and so funny.
i love these pass thro not wago wagos. very very handy when troubleshooting auto-electrical stuff, i woutldnt trust one in a wall, but id certainly use them for low current lighting and absolutely love them for my work (all low voltage stuff) and for prototyping my gadgets (again low voltage stuff) .. bought a load after mikeelectricstuff video on them.
Really, stupid video. If you are gonna criticise a product you should point out the fault. Just because they are made in china doesn’t necessarily mean they are bad. Although, most of electrical items are indeed made in china. Next time you test something get the original ones too and then come to the right conclusion. Not just your opinion because opinions are like a...... we all have one. Thanks
@@mixologist4hire Well i wouldn't put it that strongly. I simply suggested a comparison with the Wago's - where they are made didn't enter into my argument! Lots of factories produce top quality and "ecomony quality" on the same line.
Peter Jones I appreciate the fact that you have taken your time doing this video and in my experience using wagos and so called wago clones I can only see little difference between them apart from price. To compare something you need to have both items then you can give a professional opinion on the findings. Thank you anyway!
Sure, but at that current both connectors were destroyed (~5 or 6 times the rated current). I'd call them equivalent based on that test. I'd only definitively call one better than the other if that test were repeated a number of times and gave a consistent result one way or the other.
There does seem to be some anti-Chinese bias going on here that seems somewhat unjustifiable. Both in this test, and one or two you've done in the past, the components have passed every test you've thrown at them, and yet still negativity hangs in the air. I don't know whether they are, but it wouldn't come as the biggest shock to discover the much lauded Wago connectors were also made in China - many many things that we DO use with confidence every day actually are. The Chinese will produce whatever you want; if you want rubbish they'll produce rubbish. If you want quality they'll produce quality. They are very capable of either.
You're right Phil, WAGO do have manufacturing plants in China. These are most likely either reverse engineered, or simply from the same factory. The springs are strong, they grip the cable well. The contacts are copper. The insulation resists over 15 times the rated voltage. I couldn't understand the issue with the colour of the levers - I thought it was to show that they're wired straight through more than anything else, especially as no two countries seem to have the same colour coding anyway. They don't look too bad to me...
In China, the "standard" way to splice wires is to twist them together and cover that with PVC tape. I'd propose that all of these are better than that. Installing earth wires is nearly unheard-of, so the 3-wire products use colors for 3-phase (and not twin/earth). Wiring used green/yellow, sometimes blue/red, and things are supposed to be trending towards blue/brown for single phase.
Not really any use for home audio / speakers because you don't need to terminate those. The audio device already has output terminals and the speakers already have input terminals....
These actually seem quite well designed and made. A current test would have been very informative since that is the area where weaknesses in manufacture etc. would most likely have shown but so far I have not seen anything that would put me off using them - at least within my own properties. I think we need a follow-up test on these John.
JW sees absolutely no need for connectors that can join two wires together. 5:28 I have no idea what else you'd use wire connectors for, but he thinks he's the expert so that's that.
Good test. I feel happier using these for non critical applications. Would be fair to test a proper Wego connector to see if they perform as well. It would also be useful to test these when the plastic has been heated up as breakdown will occur at lower voltage. Given the type of plastic is unknown it would nice to know how they perform on this test. I would hope they are V2 rated Polycarbonate but I doubt it, probably just ABS.
Away from the comparative safety of standards and regulations you find twin and earth cable in all kinds of colours and worse still the conductors are steel flash coated with copper! So yes that copper looking conductor might not be what it appears to be - chinesium as JW would say!
So I have discovered recently while working on some rather poor imported machinery. Spent nearly $5000NZD putting right some of the more obvious errors and omissions. And there will be more yet. Not the smartest purchase that customer has made. The welding of the steel has to be seen to be believed.
@@johnsimpson8263 In my opinion it is not very smart to use green as a colour for a line conductor. Could be confused with the green/yellow striped for the PE. The european colour code is designed that way that even colour blind people can distinguish between the different colours: -L1: brown -L2: black -L3: gray -N: blue -PE: green/yellow striped
I would like to have seen a genuine Wago stripped down and treated in the same way. I had my doubts when these came out years ago and stuck to the terminal blocks that we all knew best but have used them only in the last year or so and have to say they are actually pretty good and time saving. I wasn't aware of a test probe hole in any of them but then I never looked or needed one. Just to confirm, I only used the Wago ones to date. The cheapo Chinese ones probably OK for a hobby electronic project but even then I would still buy the genuine thing. Good vid 👍👍
I'm a year late to the party but I have an observation. The genuine Wagos are approved for use in the US, Canada, and the UK, as opposed to the Chinese knockoffs that aren't. The knock offs are CQC approved; Chinese Quality Control. I use Wago all the time. I love them.
Rather nice for hobby/speakers/car stereo/bench test rigs then. The colour codes are at least...varied. (Seems to be a recurring theme on these imports)
Far from destroying the standards applied to these “Chinese “ connectors you have demonstrated that they are fine, maybe not as useful as others but certainly no better or worse than other countries, just because an item comes from China does not automatically mean its inferior, branded connectors from a “western” company could be defective as well, nothing can be 100% guaranteed as not going to fail, I will stick to buying from the best source for my hobby budget and leave you professional electricians to prop up the over inflated prices charged in the western world.
@@johnmusgrave3179 The big difference is in the blame game you don't get the blame if there's problems due to you choosing the cheep Chinese option. (even if it was just as good) If it were a genuine Wago or something they couldn't really expect more from you and would blame Wago instead.
the chinese markings are 入 (input) and 出 (output). that was quite a large amount of samples here and since no connector was observed failing, it is maybe too early to conclude. it is hard to even tell which company we are talking about, since there are several ones producing these. also, when buying on b2c platforms, the vendors are often traders who won't mention the original manufacturer name. one other thing is that borders work both ways: chinese companies do risk their reputation in china. also, any chinese buying an authentic wago part could think: "these westerners only send us crap, they won't be held responsible if our house burns". now this video is incredibly useful, and i am sorry to see you even got hurt in the process of shooting it. huge thanks, you have a new subscriber.
I could see a use for the 4 wire ones. Here in the US we often have 2 120 volt wires going somewhere, a neutral, and a ground; rather than a single 240, neutral, and earth. There is equipment which requires all 4. This could be used for that.
In China, all of the buildings' electric wirings and connections are likely using these sorts of wire connectors. Perhaps, there is something we should be concerned with.
The problem with Chinese manufactures doesn't seem to be the manufacturer going cheap it's the proliferation of fakes and even fake fakes. The good news is many Chinese manufactures will happily sell small quantities directly. I've had brilliant service from a Chinese connector manufacturer. Two week turnaround on an order under USD1000 and made to order. Elsewhere I'd be asked USD1,000 in setup costs.
I accidentally bought some Chinese "Wago's" via e-Bay. I noticed, just in time, that they didn't grip standard 1.5mm2 conductors. They pulled out without any effort so I suspect the would have had unacceptably high contact resistance. May have been OK with 2.5 but I sent them back!
I saw the big clive review and they seem ok all things considered. Still though I refuse to use them for mains voltages. There is no telling how they handle heat and cold and them being in a place that is not easily seen like inside a J box is scary. They are fine for low volt stuff though I am sure.
I suppose these connectors are O.K. for experiments (the three-way ones would make a good "poor person's Safebloc") or for a temporary installation (e.g. completing a ring final from which a socket faceplate had been removed, to allow the use of power tools for construction work), but I'm not sure I would want to trust them long-term in a ceiling void. The 4-way ones would be good for line, switched-line, neutral and earth, or on a two-way switched lighting circuit. I'd actually like to see a reputable manufacturer's version of the 3- and 4-way connectors. They would be useful for extending a cable run.
Black red and blue are colours for 3-phase lives in the USA. Black and white for single phase, and three phase is black red and blue with neutral being white.
looking forward to seeing a video of those under load. you should test the resistance as that will cause heating up. also maybe with a bit of moisture over time the resistance might change.
I think the symbols on that black connector are (roughly) "exit", "enter", "enter", "exit". At least, those characters are what appear on "exit" and "entrance" signs. I don't know anything about Chinese wiring practices, so I don't know if they have a technical meaning or if it's just the equivalent of writing "in" and "out".
You can use them with your multimeter test probes to connect them to other wires. i.e. low voltage.... for home wiring, use the authentic WAGO connectors. Use them for low voltage hobby connections. For the Chinese models.... It doesn't matter how good they are, they can even be better than the WAGO, but they are not approved, so if something happens, they would fall under suspicion. Great video.... Just pretend you are James Bond listening to "Q".
So, in conclusion, they pass with flying colours but not recommended? I bought a load of these in different varieties, some which come in singles but clip together. It amuses me that you say that you cannot imagine any use for them as they were inline connectors yet the moment I saw them for sale, I knew that I would never buy another 'chocolate block' terminal strip again after 40 plus years of using them. My only criticism of them, compared to 'chocolate block' is that apart from the 2+2 into 2 variety, there are no screw holes to fix them down with. However, the newer versions have probe points which, I suppose, makes up for the absence of metal screws to use for testing purposes.
Hi John, absolutely correct John the small amount of money you'll save on these sort of parts it ain't worth it because as you said the consistency might not be there where as with a reputable British firm they have to have their Quality Mark! I think those connectors would probably do nicely in one of those wiring cabinets like you used with your CNC machine! Could be useful in some temporary supplies Kind regards Warren
It is not terribly hard to replicate one of those. But manufacturing them in consistent quality is the issue. I've seen terrible stories regarding those spring-loaded connectors to melt at low current (~16A) while being rated for 32A. 99% of those connectors will be fine, but sooner or later people will come across that 1% if they use enough of those.
Countries previously known for making low quality copy goods include Japan and Germany. You're completely correct about the quality/repeatability/liability issues if importing these yourself, but I think I'd steer clear of "chinesium" labels. It promotes isolating and "othering" people, and there's more than enough of that about already...
Thanks for this! I've been considering these over the last few days, and you've answered everything I wanted to know. For a professional installation, I totally agree with what you say; you obviously know what you're talking about, so of course I do, but for work allowed to be done by the DIYer, as a temporary measure, these could be very useful. Very bulky but, if like me, you want to put everything together and test it all before soldering everything up properly, these things look really good.
The specifications tell that these are 32A 400V. The current is quite large so perhaps you really should do the current test. I believe they pass but you never know. I purchased these too and they are quite nice for the very cheap price but opening needs quite much force. I’m going to use these only in low voltage systems, not in mains as the regulations here in Finland are very strict. These have CE-marking but it doesn’t tell anything about the security as everybody can add it. But these have CQC marking which approx equals CCC marking which is quite good. Not as goos as, let’s say FI which is the Finnish safety laboratory marking and the best in the world, but tells something anyway. That’s why I believe that these pass 32A test too.
14:30 I'm thinking wherever I've tried that it's usually hurt as the screwdriver slips and stabs me. After the cut at 14:40 our very own JW is sporting the signs of his sacrifice, left hand index finger. Ouch!
random8number I haven’t seen any wagon din rail ones like the ones in the video, they do some weird ones that look like they are for a very specific purpose with a lever but they are very expensive.
Bought 2 types out of curiosity had one break after a few days, only 1 of the 3 gang straight through one of the clips slipped too far back, i think the 2 gang type came from the same supplier as Clive and seemed a bit more robust.
I'd like to see the rail system the mountable one uses. I've used a small pile of wagos to splice a dozen or so cables after moving a consumer unit and the junction box ends up quite messy.
It would be interesting to know where WAGO has its connectors manufactured... as a rule, many companies only have their administrations in western countries and their products all come from the country of Xing Ping Fing
@@jwflame I'd be worried about corrosion resistance. The springs *could* be cold-formed stainless steel (which becomes attracted to magnets after cold working) but probably aren't. The conducting strip *could* be copper but could be something prone to corrosion with a very thin plating of copper that is porous. They *could* be fine. But if they'd been designed conscientiously they'd have had sensible colour codes on the levers. So probably whatever crap they could get away with. Which means eventually the springs will corrode until they snap, or the copper plating will lift off. Then again, if they're Chinese Wire Connectors maybe they work really well with Chinese Wire. That thin, shoddy, copper-plated non-stainless steel crap. It's possible. But unlikely.
Thank you John . I agree about not using these in an installation, although they do seem to be quite decent quality in their construction & would be suitable for hobbyist , low voltage ,non permanent use. The chinese quality in many things seems to be improving but unless they start supplying electrical components made to an international electrical standard and backed up by a proper warranty then i guess they will stay off limits.
You are mentioning insurance inspectors, are there any known cases where branded connectors has A) been the cause of fires or similar failures and B) where the maker of the connector has been found liable. Pure statistics tend to indicate there will always be _some_ percentage of a product that is substandard...
He pretty much did test them at 4kV (3.75kV) and they all passed fine. Separation and insulation resistance isn't going to be a problem as JW proved here. Plastic is dirt cheap in China however metal isn't so I'd be more interested to see if the current carrying capacity is accurate, optimistic or flat out BS! I fear this is where the less ethical manufacturers will cut corners as using the least amount of and lower quality metal will significantly increase profit margins but obviously create a significant fire hazard :-/
I just got some of these orange grey ( 2 terminal) connectors for 12v small solar system use. They don’t hold at all. 🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️Trying all kinds of gauges, between 28 and 12awg with no luck … did you try the tug test on yours? Did the connectors hold wires? Man, I wanted these to work at least for testing but I dunno.
Should have tested them with load. Tested up to fault currents as that's a typicsl situation . Don't think anyones going to be shoving that much voltage down them any time soon.
wouln't the esd mat be a better conductor than the connector itself in that 30000V test? it kind of felt like the end of the wire and that crocodile clip were touching the mat too
Nice video. Never make fun of Chinese manufacturing. They pretty much own the market in terminal blocks which is what these are, minus the screws. If they set their minds on something they can dominate it by having prices that are 1/4 of the competition. If they get those UL listed or european approved they will compete.
It really depends on your definition of "Chinese manufacturing". Sometimes it's just a subcontractor making product for a different company with high standards. It could even be a Chinese division of a company like WAGO. Or it could be a company competing only on the lowest price, which might take a ton of shortcuts to meet that lowest price. Or possibly a Chinese company that tries to meet high standards.
There's been a certain amount of ridicule of "Chinesium" or products that seem to be based on the absolutely cheapest manufacturing and support. I think we've seen some of that her with parts that aren't finished nicely. The (likely) solid copper bus bars aren't anything like the tinned copper bus bars that WAGO or Ideal use. You can look through a lot of the ad copy or instructions and see various amounts of spelling and/or grammatical errors in English. They might slap on a CE label, which only means the manufacturer claims that it meets European safety standards.
I got some of these "not fake wago, fake wago" when I seen Big Clive review them. They were exactly the shape I wanted and they were only going in quick hobby projects anyway. :D Good to see all the other types. I find the 3 individual wires to 3 individual wires to be my common use-case. Not once have I wanted to connect 1 wire to (4?) others. Maybe that is just me.
Surely the colours are just to show that blue goes to blue, red goes to red. Not to denote the type of wire that goes in.
And as for the slop on the lever, I would want that. The leaver is just there to lift the gripping part of the connector, if the lever had no slop in it, it would mean it's not letting the connector grip as tight on to the wire as it could do.The lever itself is not the thing holding the wire.
The multi way ones are useful in lighting circuits and industrial control applications....but I would only purchase them from an electrical wholesalers for the exact reasons Mr Ward describes
Yeah, I got some for quick hobby project use, too. Usually 3 or 5 volts and temporary patching together. Usually 3 individual wires to 3 individual wires or 2 to 2. Sometimes in place of alligator clips, that sort of thing. I've found them very useful. Never used them for line voltage or permanent installations.
Red blue is a common standard for line/neutral in France and several other countries
China seems to use yellow/green/red for phase black/blue for neutral and greenyellow for CPC
I don't use these for high currents, but for the usual lighting circuits they are fine. They sure beat the crappy US wire nuts that are pure junk.
I disagree. Wire nuts can be horrible, but if they are good quality and the right type, they can be very good. In my experience, a properly made splice with a wire nut is more reliable than a Wago lever nut. The only problem is that in order to use a wire nut, you have to twist the wires together first, which can break old wiring that has become brittle. I use Wago connectors for temporary connections, old wires (to avoid breaking), and situations where it is difficult to use a wire nut. Wago connectors have the advantage of being easier to connect and disconnect, but wire nuts, if used properly, are more reliable.
@@skyem5250 These old hands are beginning to struggle with wire nuts when there are more than two wires; I use them for #12 and bigger wire. Where I really enjoy the Wagos is in installing Shelly, Sonoff, and other IOT devices in boxes. But I limit those to 2 or 3 amps max, so #16 or 18 is even possible.
@@johncrunk8038 I don't trust cheap IoT devices, so I wouldn't want to have them installed in such a way that I can't easily unplug them if something goes wrong. Also, if you have a 20A circuit using 12AWG wire, you have to use 12 throughout. The only time I can think of where you can splice different gauge wires is if one is permanently attached to a device (for example, a dimmer with 16AWG wires). I'm 90% sure that's an NEC rule, but sometimes NYS adds additional rules. Also, in addition to being of questionable quality, almost none of those cheap IoT devices are compliant.
They make tools specially for twisting wires and putting a wire nut on. I don't know how good they are, but you may want to do some research about those if you do a lot of electrical work.
@@skyem5250
Dude. Wire nuts suck. Imagine having to turn off power everytime you need to change an existing connection.
SCWfan06 you think we turn off power here all the time ha ha ha ha ha ha
I got some with Brown, Blue, Yellow, levers, 3 way straight thru, they are ideal for making quick test leads for mains powering equipment under test, they work quickly for temporary connections and insulate well enough...
You can also get 9 into 3, 6 into 3, 4 into 2 etc all coloured correctly and can work for lighting...
So - well made, fit for purpose connectors, capable of handling mains voltage. I'll use them with confidence and not be put off by your (anti) Chinesium bias.
And we will all find a use to connect two pairs of wires, 3 wires and even 4 wires together 5:28
I don't know what planet JW lives in to not find any application for a wire-joining terminal block/strip DOH.
@@johncoops6897 I think JW still twists wires together then tapes up with insulation tape!
It’s a liability issue if you are a professional.
I wouldn’t hesitate to use them myself but I understand JW’s position.
You do not think from an engineering point of view. Items size,shape,materials, are all calculated and is for a reason.China isnt on the same page with really anything but making money let alone our electrical codes.
I wouldn't use them on a customer's property and would not use them on my own therefore. It is my sincere belief that China deviates from material integrity with the purpose of undermining every society in their quest for dominance. I don't trust anything out of China. ( From 40 years experience in the building industry )
Headphone people may want to remove them. People who spent the 90's in the ministry of sound might need to turn the volume up.
I would have liked to see current pass through test with those connectors.
The current test would be nice. I think these might be suitable for mobile home 12VDC installations, as the spring contact seems to be sturdy. Would the Author of the channel like to give a comment on that kind of use?
@@eelipiirola5132 I came to this video from another video where he did test the current. not much different from a wirenut. they are all made from plastic and bits of metal.
Hi John, I find your dry humour so funny. You are about the only person that makes me laugh. Particularly the video on the Southern Electricity book. Keep them coming I love your videos. Technically brilliant and so funny.
I like it when he said "you don't want to get blamed for it" with a stoic face. I was laughing hard.
i love these pass thro not wago wagos. very very handy when troubleshooting auto-electrical stuff, i woutldnt trust one in a wall, but id certainly use them for low current lighting and absolutely love them for my work (all low voltage stuff) and for prototyping my gadgets (again low voltage stuff) .. bought a load after mikeelectricstuff video on them.
In the interests of "Scientific Rigour" it would be good to see the genuine Wago version subjected to the same torture...
Wagos suck ass! Lol
@@appleejack That wasn't my question...
Really, stupid video. If you are gonna criticise a product you should point out the fault. Just because they are made in china doesn’t necessarily mean they are bad. Although, most of electrical items are indeed made in china. Next time you test something get the original ones too and then come to the right conclusion. Not just your opinion because opinions are like a...... we all have one. Thanks
@@mixologist4hire Well i wouldn't put it that strongly. I simply suggested a comparison with the Wago's - where they are made didn't enter into my argument! Lots of factories produce top quality and "ecomony quality" on the same line.
Peter Jones I appreciate the fact that you have taken your time doing this video and in my experience using wagos and so called wago clones I can only see little difference between them apart from price. To compare something you need to have both items then you can give a professional opinion on the findings. Thank you anyway!
you should put them in tandem with a wago and pump the amps through until either one or the wire fails
He has another video for that. The Made in China burned first.
Sure, but at that current both connectors were destroyed (~5 or 6 times the rated current). I'd call them equivalent based on that test. I'd only definitively call one better than the other if that test were repeated a number of times and gave a consistent result one way or the other.
There does seem to be some anti-Chinese bias going on here that seems somewhat unjustifiable. Both in this test, and one or two you've done in the past, the components have passed every test you've thrown at them, and yet still negativity hangs in the air. I don't know whether they are, but it wouldn't come as the biggest shock to discover the much lauded Wago connectors were also made in China - many many things that we DO use with confidence every day actually are. The Chinese will produce whatever you want; if you want rubbish they'll produce rubbish. If you want quality they'll produce quality. They are very capable of either.
You're right Phil, WAGO do have manufacturing plants in China. These are most likely either reverse engineered, or simply from the same factory.
The springs are strong, they grip the cable well. The contacts are copper. The insulation resists over 15 times the rated voltage. I couldn't understand the issue with the colour of the levers - I thought it was to show that they're wired straight through more than anything else, especially as no two countries seem to have the same colour coding anyway.
They don't look too bad to me...
The colors are for 3 phase delta wiring without a neutral. R - Red, Y - Yellow, B - Blue phases
In China, the "standard" way to splice wires is to twist them together and cover that with PVC tape. I'd propose that all of these are better than that.
Installing earth wires is nearly unheard-of, so the 3-wire products use colors for 3-phase (and not twin/earth). Wiring used green/yellow, sometimes blue/red, and things are supposed to be trending towards blue/brown for single phase.
They'd be excellent for home audio / speakers. Were you surprised that they weren't as bad as you thought they might be?
Not really any use for home audio / speakers because you don't need to terminate those. The audio device already has output terminals and the speakers already have input terminals....
These actually seem quite well designed and made. A current test would have been very informative since that is the area where weaknesses in manufacture etc. would most likely have shown but so far I have not seen anything that would put me off using them - at least within my own properties. I think we need a follow-up test on these John.
Chinesium is going into my vocabulary.
Got another one for you! Chinglish, it's what the instructions are written in, 🤣
if your dealing with soviet made stuff stalinium may also be a good piece of vocabulary
Check out AvE over on the Boltr channel. He's the guy that has us all saying it.
If you do an installation with Wago and your client’s house catches fire, you’ll be held responsible anyway. And good luck trying to sue Wago !
As far as I'm aware there have been no recorded failures of genuine wago connectors as long as they have been installed correctly
Black Blue and Red fits the US 208/230 3ph color standard and orange yellow brown for 460v 3ph standard
The two way WAGO copies are good for 12v low current applications.
I only ever use them in low voltage, low current applications with a 10 or 20 amp fuse protecting them.
They're probably just as fine in higher current.
The problem is not actually quality but liability or here lack of.
It's a red yellow blue, clearly for a reliable three phase setup
funny how three years later internet is all excited that Wago finally introduced inline connectors :)
The Chinese are making some products that Wago should be making.
JW sees absolutely no need for connectors that can join two wires together. 5:28
I have no idea what else you'd use wire connectors for, but he thinks he's the expert so that's that.
Good old JW... combining perverted electrical experiments with dry whit and stoicism, never get tired of these videos.
Good test. I feel happier using these for non critical applications. Would be fair to test a proper Wego connector to see if they perform as well. It would also be useful to test these when the plastic has been heated up as breakdown will occur at lower voltage. Given the type of plastic is unknown it would nice to know how they perform on this test. I would hope they are V2 rated Polycarbonate but I doubt it, probably just ABS.
These look great for upgrading death cables
I think it's worth testing the contacts with a magnet. Especially the part intended to be the conductor.
Away from the comparative safety of standards and regulations you find twin and earth cable in all kinds of colours and worse still the conductors are steel flash coated with copper! So yes that copper looking conductor might not be what it appears to be - chinesium as JW would say!
China wire colour code:
-L1: white
-L2: green
-L3: red
-N: pale blue
-PE: green/yellow striped
So I have discovered recently while working on some rather poor imported machinery. Spent nearly $5000NZD putting right some of the more obvious errors and omissions. And there will be more yet. Not the smartest purchase that customer has made. The welding of the steel has to be seen to be believed.
@@johnsimpson8263 In my opinion it is not very smart to use green as a colour for a line conductor. Could be confused with the green/yellow striped for the PE. The european colour code is designed that way that even colour blind people can distinguish between the different colours:
-L1: brown
-L2: black
-L3: gray
-N: blue
-PE: green/yellow striped
I would like to have seen a genuine Wago stripped down and treated in the same way. I had my doubts when these came out years ago and stuck to the terminal blocks that we all knew best but have used them only in the last year or so and have to say they are actually pretty good and time saving. I wasn't aware of a test probe hole in any of them but then I never looked or needed one. Just to confirm, I only used the Wago ones to date.
The cheapo Chinese ones probably OK for a hobby electronic project but even then I would still buy the genuine thing.
Good vid 👍👍
I'm a year late to the party but I have an observation. The genuine Wagos are approved for use in the US, Canada, and the UK, as opposed to the Chinese knockoffs that aren't. The knock offs are CQC approved; Chinese Quality Control. I use Wago all the time. I love them.
Rather nice for hobby/speakers/car stereo/bench test rigs then. The colour codes are at least...varied. (Seems to be a recurring theme on these imports)
Far from destroying the standards applied to these “Chinese “ connectors you have demonstrated that they are fine, maybe not as useful as others but certainly no better or worse than other countries, just because an item comes from China does not automatically mean its inferior, branded connectors from a “western” company could be defective as well, nothing can be 100% guaranteed as not going to fail, I will stick to buying from the best source for my hobby budget and leave you professional electricians to prop up the over inflated prices charged in the western world.
Branded connectors from a "Western" company are probably made in China too.
@@johnmusgrave3179 The big difference is in the blame game you don't get the blame if there's problems due to you choosing the cheep Chinese option. (even if it was just as good) If it were a genuine Wago or something they couldn't really expect more from you and would blame Wago instead.
JW and Chinese products = entertaining
@Indosarnia - I find myself cringing at his naivety.
I was tempted because I saw a 4 port Wago clone and that would have been perfect.
Wiring up a lamp and a light switch can be a near death experience for me - sure, I'll watch a wire connector review.
Very informative videos sir appreciate your work👍
I love those cheap lever connectors for joining 2 wires. I use em for e bikes.
11:30. OK, so now I've got 2 microwave transformers in series.... 🤣
the chinese markings are 入 (input) and 出 (output).
that was quite a large amount of samples here and since no connector was observed failing, it is maybe too early to conclude. it is hard to even tell which company we are talking about, since there are several ones producing these. also, when buying on b2c platforms, the vendors are often traders who won't mention the original manufacturer name.
one other thing is that borders work both ways: chinese companies do risk their reputation in china. also, any chinese buying an authentic wago part could think: "these westerners only send us crap, they won't be held responsible if our house burns".
now this video is incredibly useful, and i am sorry to see you even got hurt in the process of shooting it. huge thanks, you have a new subscriber.
I could see a use for the 4 wire ones. Here in the US we often have 2 120 volt wires going somewhere, a neutral, and a ground; rather than a single 240, neutral, and earth. There is equipment which requires all 4. This could be used for that.
In China, all of the buildings' electric wirings and connections are likely using these sorts of wire connectors. Perhaps, there is something we should be concerned with.
I love your channel.
I've used these fake ones in Arduino projects with no problems because it's only had to handle like 5v
Red/Black/Blue is the 3 phase colour code in the US/and perhaps Canada also? for phases A/B/C on a 120/208v 3ph system
They look like speaker connectors for hooking up radio speakers it's an easy way to do it.
The problem with Chinese manufactures doesn't seem to be the manufacturer going cheap it's the proliferation of fakes and even fake fakes. The good news is many Chinese manufactures will happily sell small quantities directly. I've had brilliant service from a Chinese connector manufacturer. Two week turnaround on an order under USD1000 and made to order. Elsewhere I'd be asked USD1,000 in setup costs.
The other good thing is that the Chinese will print any brand you want on there. So, if you want "Wago" written on there, no problemo!
I used one in my car to fit the radio cassette player. Spot on!
We use the proper ones in a nightclub for connecting the CCTV system and speakers up. Been in situ for 13 years with no problems whatsoever.
I accidentally bought some Chinese "Wago's" via e-Bay. I noticed, just in time, that they didn't grip standard 1.5mm2 conductors. They pulled out without any effort so I suspect the would have had unacceptably high contact resistance. May have been OK with 2.5 but I sent them back!
Polycarbonate is not brittle, it is used for machine guards and built proofing. Acrylic is perfectly clear but very brittle.
I saw the big clive review and they seem ok all things considered. Still though I refuse to use them for mains voltages. There is no telling how they handle heat and cold and them being in a place that is not easily seen like inside a J box is scary. They are fine for low volt stuff though I am sure.
I suppose these connectors are O.K. for experiments (the three-way ones would make a good "poor person's Safebloc") or for a temporary installation (e.g. completing a ring final from which a socket faceplate had been removed, to allow the use of power tools for construction work), but I'm not sure I would want to trust them long-term in a ceiling void.
The 4-way ones would be good for line, switched-line, neutral and earth, or on a two-way switched lighting circuit. I'd actually like to see a reputable manufacturer's version of the 3- and 4-way connectors. They would be useful for extending a cable run.
Black red and blue are colours for 3-phase lives in the USA. Black and white for single phase, and three phase is black red and blue with neutral being white.
looking forward to seeing a video of those under load. you should test the resistance as that will cause heating up. also maybe with a bit of moisture over time the resistance might change.
Very useful, thanks. I think I would use them in off grid applications, projects/development ... I will get some and see how/when they come in useful.
I think the symbols on that black connector are (roughly) "exit", "enter", "enter", "exit". At least, those characters are what appear on "exit" and "entrance" signs. I don't know anything about Chinese wiring practices, so I don't know if they have a technical meaning or if it's just the equivalent of writing "in" and "out".
wow this is a thorough video
The blue,yellow and red ones are made for Romania.
Didn't bigclive do a video on these already
Blue is one of the three 3 phase colors for the US and Canada. The US goes Black, Red, Blue, and Canada goes Red, Black, Blue.
You can use them with your multimeter test probes to connect them to other wires. i.e. low voltage.... for home wiring, use the authentic WAGO connectors. Use them for low voltage hobby connections.
For the Chinese models.... It doesn't matter how good they are, they can even be better than the WAGO, but they are not approved, so if something happens, they would fall under suspicion.
Great video.... Just pretend you are James Bond listening to "Q".
So, in conclusion, they pass with flying colours but not recommended?
I bought a load of these in different varieties, some which come in singles but clip together. It amuses me that you say that you cannot imagine any use for them as they were inline connectors yet the moment I saw them for sale, I knew that I would never buy another 'chocolate block' terminal strip again after 40 plus years of using them. My only criticism of them, compared to 'chocolate block' is that apart from the 2+2 into 2 variety, there are no screw holes to fix them down with. However, the newer versions have probe points which, I suppose, makes up for the absence of metal screws to use for testing purposes.
Ok for low voltage stuff (3d printers etc)....perhaps
Hi John, absolutely correct John the small amount of money you'll save on these sort of parts it ain't worth it because as you said the consistency might not be there where as with a reputable British firm they have to have their Quality Mark!
I think those connectors would probably do nicely in one of those wiring cabinets like you used with your CNC machine!
Could be useful in some temporary supplies
Kind regards Warren
I noticed that Toolstation are now stocking these www.toolstation.com/in-line-spring-lever-connectors/p78346 in two and three pole versions
It is not terribly hard to replicate one of those. But manufacturing them in consistent quality is the issue. I've seen terrible stories regarding those spring-loaded connectors to melt at low current (~16A) while being rated for 32A. 99% of those connectors will be fine, but sooner or later people will come across that 1% if they use enough of those.
Countries previously known for making low quality copy goods include Japan and Germany. You're completely correct about the quality/repeatability/liability issues if importing these yourself, but I think I'd steer clear of "chinesium" labels. It promotes isolating and "othering" people, and there's more than enough of that about already...
I use those connectors a lot in low voltage work.
Another interesting video !!
tool station sell nearly all of these btw... they are actually very good.
Thanks for this! I've been considering these over the last few days, and you've answered everything I wanted to know.
For a professional installation, I totally agree with what you say; you obviously know what you're talking about, so of course I do, but for work allowed to be done by the DIYer, as a temporary measure, these could be very useful.
Very bulky but, if like me, you want to put everything together and test it all before soldering everything up properly, these things look really good.
So basically they all pass electrical safety, and cost half the price of wago. Also some wago’s are made in China.
Black, Red, and Blue sort of makes sense because those are the colors of the 3 phases in North America.
Another very informative video. Joe Public wouldn’t have a clue there buying. They should be band totally.
@Indosarnia - they are certainly too dangerous for people who cannot spell properly.
Are those copper coloured strips solid copper or copper coated steel. Please, what does the magnet say ?
>
Thanks for the great videos 👍
When are you going to test the amps on them?
The specifications tell that these are 32A 400V. The current is quite large so perhaps you really should do the current test. I believe they pass but you never know. I purchased these too and they are quite nice for the very cheap price but opening needs quite much force. I’m going to use these only in low voltage systems, not in mains as the regulations here in Finland are very strict. These have CE-marking but it doesn’t tell anything about the security as everybody can add it. But these have CQC marking which approx equals CCC marking which is quite good. Not as goos as, let’s say FI which is the Finnish safety laboratory marking and the best in the world, but tells something anyway. That’s why I believe that these pass 32A test too.
What current can these connectors withstand without thermal runaway?
14:30 I'm thinking wherever I've tried that it's usually hurt as the screwdriver slips and stabs me.
After the cut at 14:40 our very own JW is sporting the signs of his sacrifice, left hand index finger. Ouch!
I would use the din rail ones an awful lot if I could get them from a reliable source.
Wago makes a din rail clip for the 222 and 221. Not the same I know, but tested and certified.
Matt Simpson Wago make lots of different types of DIN rail mounted ones. I use RS mostly for quick delivery.
random8number I haven’t seen any wagon din rail ones like the ones in the video, they do some weird ones that look like they are for a very specific purpose with a lever but they are very expensive.
"Solid Chinesium" lmfao
they seem fine to have for expendable, random hobby stuff. Maybe for a kid or someone learning to make circuits
The problem is the strength required to open the levers.
Bought 2 types out of curiosity had one break after a few days, only 1 of the 3 gang straight through
one of the clips slipped too far back, i think the 2 gang type came from the same supplier as Clive and seemed a bit more robust.
Should be a low cost option for low voltage automotive or camper wiring.
I'd like to see the rail system the mountable one uses. I've used a small pile of wagos to splice a dozen or so cables after moving a consumer unit and the junction box ends up quite messy.
I think Wago make a box specifically for moving a consumer unit
It would be interesting to know where WAGO has its connectors manufactured... as a rule, many companies only have their administrations in western countries and their products all come from the country of Xing Ping Fing
Very interesting, what was the actual conductive material across the items?.
Thanks for sharing.
Springs are steel, the other strip isn't attracted to a magnet so could be copper, or plated copper for the silver coloured one.
@@jwflame Thank you, interesting to calculate cross section of the conductive part, what do think. Looking forward to smoke and burn episode 👿.
@@jwflame I'd be worried about corrosion resistance. The springs *could* be cold-formed stainless steel (which becomes attracted to magnets after cold working) but probably aren't. The conducting strip *could* be copper but could be something prone to corrosion with a very thin plating of copper that is porous.
They *could* be fine. But if they'd been designed conscientiously they'd have had sensible colour codes on the levers. So probably whatever crap they could get away with. Which means eventually the springs will corrode until they snap, or the copper plating will lift off.
Then again, if they're Chinese Wire Connectors maybe they work really well with Chinese Wire. That thin, shoddy, copper-plated non-stainless steel crap. It's possible. But unlikely.
@@bdf2718 my guess is that the main conductor is Copper plated Aluminium like most Chinese wire seems to be these days
Thank you John . I agree about not using these in an installation, although they do seem to be quite decent quality in their construction & would be suitable for hobbyist , low voltage ,non permanent use.
The chinese quality in many things seems to be improving but unless they start supplying electrical components made to an international electrical standard and backed up by a proper warranty then i guess they will stay off limits.
Someone in youtube test current for China Wago Logo, they can hold up to 50A if I don't forget.
Ave should have trademarked chineseum
So John, when are you going to play us a tune on the organ behind you?
i recon a Bossa Nova ;-]
He said in another video it's the copyright issue with music and RUclips would ban him lol. I think you should play an original choon JW :-)
You are mentioning insurance inspectors, are there any known cases where branded connectors has A) been the cause of fires or similar failures and B) where the maker of the connector has been found liable. Pure statistics tend to indicate there will always be _some_ percentage of a product that is substandard...
It's written on them. 230V / 4 kV. It would be interesting to test it at real 4kV
He pretty much did test them at 4kV (3.75kV) and they all passed fine. Separation and insulation resistance isn't going to be a problem as JW proved here.
Plastic is dirt cheap in China however metal isn't so I'd be more interested to see if the current carrying capacity is accurate, optimistic or flat out BS!
I fear this is where the less ethical manufacturers will cut corners as using the least amount of and lower quality metal will significantly increase profit margins but obviously create a significant fire hazard :-/
Wago went to China to manufacture it. So somebody in China copied it and make some changes that was not tested. Wago shoot itself on the foot.
For automotive accessory wiring they could be useful or for prototyping.
Did u try them under load or do a current test on them JW ?
I just got some of these orange grey ( 2 terminal) connectors for 12v small solar system use. They don’t hold at all. 🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️Trying all kinds of gauges, between 28 and 12awg with no luck … did you try the tug test on yours? Did the connectors hold wires? Man, I wanted these to work at least for testing but I dunno.
May I suggest checking for rust, and are they magnetic?
Should have tested them with load. Tested up to fault currents as that's a typicsl situation . Don't think anyones going to be shoving that much voltage down them any time soon.
wouln't the esd mat be a better conductor than the connector itself in that 30000V test?
it kind of felt like the end of the wire and that crocodile clip were touching the mat too
What is the instrument in background? It looks very like a Burge -Livingstone that I used to build 60 years ago.