Inside a Wago connector and a clone
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- Опубликовано: 26 сен 2024
- Wago terminals are here to stay. They have a long history, make easy, good connections and avoid issues with over or under tightened terminal screws. They are fast and easy to use, and there are dedicated purpose junction boxes designed specifically for them.
In this video I took a real Wago connector apart and a generic clone in fetching pink.
I gave up on trying to put the Wago connector back together again. It clearly requires some sort of factory jig to clamp the springs in position as the contacts are inserted into the housing. The clone was a different story. It went back together easily with a very refined approach and single spring strip.
Both connectors have tinned copper busbar plates that the wires are clamped against by spring steel grips. It's inevitable that roque products will creep onto the market at some point with lower quality contacts, so for safety reasons for professional electrical work I recommend only using genuine Wago terminals bought from a local high profile supplier. For personal technical projects the generic imports may be a useful alternative.
If you enjoy these videos you can help support the channel with a dollar for coffee, cookies and random gadgets for disassembly at:- www.bigclive.co...
This also keeps the channel independent of RUclips's algorithm quirks, allowing it to be a bit more dangerous and naughty.
#ElectronicsCreators
I do love the “Wago failed first so must be bad!” Videos is exactly what you mentioned. If any of these connectors are failing after being installed properly, you’ve got so many more problems than a connector.
Pay attention to the loading that caused them to fail first. Wago can handle well above the "fuse" ratings in a consumer unit., therefore, any problems, the "fuse" will trip first.
They also fail from corrosion.
Heat can do them in over a long period of time as well. I've seen a self-disintegrated (not melted!) Wago that was used in junction box behind a pizza oven.
@@zwerko Not good for wago but maybe putting a junction box behind the pizza oven isn't the smartest idea 😄
@@zwerko indeed someone used them on the fans on a heat shrink conveyor, basically a 160kW 3ph fan oven running at 210°C with a chain mail conveyor belt, it is insulated and has a 316 stainless steel skin, so only reaches about 40°C yet the wago's had deformed and failed, The polythene choc connect were perfectly ok, I replaced them all with ceramic choc connectors.
I first used WAGO in 1993 in railway electronics after they approved it...
& never looked back nor had any complaints / replacements done ever in 20+ years hence.. 👍👍
I'm always amazed, impressed and a little bit jealous that you find so many cool or completely unexpected things in pink. 💗
I am an electrician here in germany, and we are using them everywhere when do installing house wirings and for quick temporary repairs in industry. For house installations with solid wires we normally use the push-in type, because they are a bit cheaper.
The lever types you show here, were designed for flexible wires. Flexible wires can not be pushed inside the push-in types, and when you really managed it to push them in, then there is no way to get them out again. But in this type of Wago connectors the flexible wires are working perfectly.
can I use push-in with wire end ferrules and reuse them?
And upon learning the Wagos were a pain to put together again, Clive was disappointed he couldn't swap out all the orange caps for the pink ones to leave his own call card and ensure very few people (probably boring ones) would steal from his connection bits.
The benefit of Wago connectors over the other older ones is the consistency. It's very hard to mess up the installation, and i think there even is a stripping guide on them. The screw terminals and wire nuts are much more prone to user error. With the Wago basically the only variable is how well you strip the wire, while with the other ones you also need correct torque etc.
Also the reusability, the wire nuts are pretty reusable but the wire itself will be cactus. Same with the screw terminals, often wires will be a bit decapitated. The Wagos are much more gentle with the wire while maintaining good contact. I haven't seen a Wago snap a wire, but i can't say the same for the others.
What works against consistency, is that if it relies on particular level of quality of the connector, one is bound to have lower level knock-off prolifirating. With 8 billion people around, I bet most installation will not use a brand-name wago connectors, even if that type spreads everywhere. So if to make bad Wago is easier that a bad wirenut, it is a big minus on consistency part.
In our house we have several wire nuts that were installed in the early 60s and are now so difficult to undo that we often simply have to snip the wires. I have now 'discovered' these things, and I now swear by them.
Only came across Wago connectors - the 221s - a couple of years ago after moving to France. I asked a local electrician about them after seeing him check a couple that had been used for ceiling lights (not taking the weight of the fitting, as he was careful to point out). He sang their praises, noting that he saw a lot of them when doing safety tests.
I then tried a couple out when fitting a couple of lights myself, and have been an enthusiastic (amateur!) user of them ever since. Compared to a junction strip with screws ("domino" is the word used for them here) the Wagos make life SO much easier and safer when perched on a stepladder getting a ceiling light connected!
Think about use of arms in nature,
In nature arms over head are for strech
Otherwise used to correct an error; post- danger.
carry shit over head into danger...?
I have been designing (and troubleshooting) industrial control panels since the late 80s. More than 50% of on-site panel failures used to be down to screw terminals and weak-wristed sparkies building the panels. We even issued panel builders with electric screwdrivers pre-set to the correct torque but they were unpopular as they were heavier than a regular manual driver. Used within their design ratings, spring cage terminals are up to the job and make current panels twice as reliable than the ones we were making 20 years ago (not to mention quicker to make a connection).
Technology like Flir thermal cameras are great to find overheating panel components but its much better to build them reliable in the first instance. 😀
Flir are so last-year. Infiray are the new thermal camera king.
But yeah, badly terminated panels are annoyingly common. Installers blindly shoving wires into DIN rail terminals and sometimes forgetting to tighten them.
The wago series has been a complete game changer for us sparkies, the best bit by far is they're approved for non maintained connections so can be inaccessible once installed..I'd still like access to them but it's allowed ...they also make some excellent PCB connector's.
Same here in Germany. Wire-nut never were a thing here but we used those screw camps with one screw, where you had to stuff up to 5 wires in, all from one side. That was a real pain and if not done correctly they got loose with only a few wiggles of a wire. Wagos replaced them basically instantly because WAGOs are faster to install and if you have to pay a specialist by the houer, the wagos pay for themselve multiple times.
@@fkiesel9442 Your wiring Standards are piss poor if they allow termination of more than 3 wires into the same terminal. Do you value everything in terms of money cost? Do you value circuit integrity or life lost due to inherently flawed workmanship in money values too?
@@BTW... It was like that for 60+ years and there were no significant issues with that. The terminals I meant are specifically made for connecting up to 6 wires.
The current code makes it much harder to use anything else than WAGO style connectors anyway, so this is an issue of the past.
what do they cost on trade there not cheap online for diy 60 p each
Wagos can be used behind a socket in the box to connect the circuit with a 5 inch length of flex spurred off the Wago to the socket. The Wagos carry the ring's (or radial's) load while the socket is a spur off the ring. *The screw terminals on the rear of the socket are not being used as a junction box.* Super simple to install and much safer as no screw terminals on the ring or radial to work loose and arc causing fires.
Use the Wagos for the *first* and *second* fix.
*1st Fix:*
In first fix use the spring lever Wagos with three ports inside the socket backboxes. Four port Wagos for the earth to a metal box terminal. Then test the wiring. Then the plasterers and painters do their work.
*2nd Fix:*
Then on a bench fix flexible 2.5mm cable tails about 4 to 5 inches long to the L, N and E of the sockets (could be over 30 of these in one job). Then insert the flexes into the Wagos inside the boxes. The sockets being on flexible wire just easily push into position. The time it saves is substantial. Easy as a lot is on a bench. The Wagos also ensure the ring is always complete, not relying on the screw connections on the back of socket terminals that are being used as junction boxes having two 2.5mm cables run into them. Wago connections do not work loose over time, so the ring (or radial) is not compromised and less likely to have an arc.
The time saving and far safer job is well worth it.
There are sockets available with Wago connections on the back, eliminating any screws, except maybe to an earth terminal on a metal box.
Whats even better than using wago connectors when doing wiring, is when you come to a job and they've already been used. So much easier to work with.
Howdy, I was a skeptic years back of the Wago connectors, however, we are a manufacturer of car wash, and these connectors stand up to the constant vibration of the equipment. Now anything that has to be field installed we use Wago connectors. We can control the torque of terminals in the plant, however, in the field, we have to depend on the installing technicians to get it right. Now I will swear by them, they don't loosen over time. Far less maintenance and UL and CSA approved. (only use named brands).
An often overlooked advantage of the WAGO 221 over wire nuts and the like are the accessories available for them. Accessories for a wire terminal, you ask? Yep. Basically, various mounting plates and fixtures, so that you can use them to basically assemble custom terminal blocks, rather than having a bunch of them floating in the air. Not important in a ceiling box for a single lamp, but awesome in electrical panels, control boxes, or for use inside equipment.
yep, there is also a reason=rule for that. last time i checked you have to fix all clamps in "main" distribution boxes, so you actually need to come up with something improvised .. or use the (for simple plastic expensive) wago holders. the nice thing is they also have screw holes, not only clamp on for the rails.
It would be interesting to see a thermal test on both types. Pushing through both the rated maximum current, preferably connected in serial, and looking at them with a thermal camera to show if one gets warmer. Also, check which one can handle higher temperatures before failing.
You can see the predecessor ( Wago 222 ) under 120A here: ruclips.net/video/eg6VPucscxI/видео.html I know its not the same, but I highly doubt the 221-413 would do worse :)
It's been done. I think one of WAGO's divisions even did it where they ran multiples of the rated current until the shell started to melt. The bus bar and the spring held together and kept the connection. However, once the shell melts away, that means that the metal is exposed and could short.
However, it should never get to that point, where a breaker and/or fuse will prevent that amount of current.
Some years ago, I went to an electrical factors to buy some connector blocks that were superior hopefully to choccy blocks for a project, to connect some 120mm fans in a temporary enclosure for an exhibition. I found Wego blocks to my delight. I connected everything together, plugged it in and imagine my surprise when everything in the warehouse tripped out. I thought it was difficult to twist each pair of wires then stuff in the hole, all three (L,N,E) in the one block, thinking that it was like a choccy block. Well, lesson learned, it took two circuit trips for me to realise my error.
I'm sure many will have done that.
I've seen clone brand items that do act like a three way choccy block. Six of the lever locks back to back in pairs, each pair isolated from the other pairs.
L---\_/---L
N---\_/---N
E---\_/---E
Couldn't find the same from Wago at the time, they just did commoning terminal types in 2,3,4,5,6 ways it seemed. So you'd end up with 3 of 2 way Wagos to do the same as the six lever back to back clone thing.
I bought a load of wago terminals because I was having a bunch of lighting installed. Electrician instructed his apprentice to not use the wago and to use wire nuts. That's an example of how well they're accepted here in the states. I use them all over. They're so much easier to use than wire nuts and you can tell that you've got a good connection.
Wire nuts take longer = greater billable hours.
@KameraShy wire nuts damage wires,and making stranded to solid connections WAGO for the win. As usual,U.S. behind the times when it comes to using better products to get stuff done right. Wire nuts will fade over time. German hand tools,and other stuff will also change your mind once you use them...knipex wera whia.
One thing I like about the Wago 221 is the clear void behind the bus bar. When you're working on something in an awkward spot, like a conduit loop in box above a ceiling rose, you can shine a torch at it to see the conductors have all gone fully through the bus bar. I.e. an additional safety check to be confident the individual wires are fully in. With short and stiff solid core wires above your head, it's easy to get one not quite fully in before you close the clamp (far enough to be clamped, but not all the way in).
With the Wago 221, just twist it around to see the back, shine a torch on it, and you know instantly it's correctly installed. It looked to me like your clone did not have that useful void.
I absolutely love wago connectors. They make fixture swapping so easy
And safer! Instead of having the passthrough wires exposed during change out, they stay safely in their section. Not good practice, but you *could* do a live circuit change much safer with wago!
@@Gloworm17 i used them when experimenting with phase wires on an electric motor to try and reverse the rotation and it made it so much easier
I use the Wago terminals. I tried a clone and found them much more difficult to get stranded wire (all I use) installed securely. The Wago's were effortless but the clones required concentrated effort and a mandatory tug-test.
I just cannot hold a wire and not do a tug test.
Anyone with a lick of sense completes an install with the tug test. Waygo or not, not doing that is a clear sign of being stupid/lazy/incompetent/unprofessional/whatever.
@@hornetIIkite3 Not sure if double entendre.
You are an idiot for trying to terminate stranded or flexible wire into and spring retaining terminal blocks, Wago included.
Every termination you made like so should be reworked.
Call yourself a professional? Think again, if you can.
@@boots7859 The guy is all of the above for terminating flex or stranded cable into these without use of crimped ferules. No two ways around it.
I love these wago connectors, especially when I'm having a bad soldering day!,
Thanks Clive.
If you're having a bad solder day, there are two remedies for that. Buy a good soldering iron. And practice, practice, practice.
If you're having a bad solder day, there are two remedies for that. Buy a good soldering iron. And practice, practice, practice.
I really like the clear. You can verify the connection is good. Like if you don’t strip the wire far enough down
I was sure it was going to turn out that the clones were crap and quite possibly even dangerous. It is actually good to see that they seem to be at least using a decent design with the proper materials (at least those particular ones you found). It would be interesting to see how many different kinds of clones you can find and compare a bunch of them to see what sort of variation there is between manufacturers...
I'd still never use anything other than real Wago branded ones for any building wiring applications, etc, mainly for the same reason you mentioned (even if some of them are fine, you can never really be sure that what you're getting is what you think you're getting). However, I also find these connectors to often be handy for other (low-voltage, low-current) hobbyist stuff too, where I just need to connect up a bunch of wires and don't want to mess around with a soldering iron, etc, and for those sorts of applications I think the knock-offs would probably be just fine.
GreatScott did some testing of original Wago, clones, knockoffs and twist-on wire nuts, check it out. The conclusion is that most of these products are decent and usable, the contact resistance is low enough, and it boils down to preferred user experience.
I reckon a comparison of now and some short time in the future when copies of copies of copies are pushing prices down and manufacturers are becoming "inventive" with cost cutting would be educational
@@rogerbeck3018 I'm pretty sure that in places where WAGO is well established. They would rather spend a bit extra to get the quality. And WAGO wouldn't try to cut costs. On the other hand, the copies of wagon are a whole diffent story as you mentioned.
The nockoffs would only be suitable for low voltage applications and only while present.
@@RedRingOfDead For me personally, I use wago knockoffs, but the most voltage I'm running is 12 volts. They work well for patching cables together to test equipment, especially for switching polarity. Heavy-ass springs on these, though. (straight through)
@@tbelding totally fine. But please don't use the knockoffs for 110/240v
Something that was stamped in during my electrical education (that i did for a few years) always use established brands. And I've stayed with that. Any time i need to fix something in the house or add/delete something from a circuit wagon's it is.
For low voltage amperage applications it's fine to use knockoffs but i would still make sure I'll break any circuit that gos trough it when not around. But that's personal preference ofc.
Canada is still fully in Marrette mode, which makes for a very full wiring box when you're wiring 3 or 4 way switches.... I've always been told to twist wires together, then put on a Marrette, then keep twisting until the you see a couple twists on the bundle. Bonus old-school points if you then wrap electrical tape over the whole shebang.
Wago uses much less space than Marrettes and should get away from that "mash at the box to get the switch to sit flush" scenario where something is going to get stressed.
Interestingly in my former 1950's house, there were lots of hidden junctions in the walls and ceilings with twisted wires, then soldered, then taped with a phenolic fabric... None of them ever failed, but they had to be replaced with exposed blank-plate boxes with a Marrette junction to meet code.
Agreed. Waygo types in fixture/junction/switch boxes can make life a lot, lot easier and cleaner. Worth 10x wirenut cost there for sure.
The nice thing of a wago terminal is that they always have a good connection because they are spring loaded.
In germany the screw terminals are also mostly forbidden and everthing that we wire up has to have a VDE sign.
But we mainly use the big ones for stranded wires and the push in type for solid core.
Agreed, it's too easy for screws to "relax" from hot/cold cycles or not be done up tight enough and create a high resistance joint which is a fire risk.
yes, that's why the coil inside wirenuts are also a spring.
I would rather 100 repeatedly reliable Wago connections in my house than 100 wire nut twists - which are great if done with care and a danger zone if rushed, even worse when stranded wire is twisted to solid conductors.
@BreatheScotland Wirenuts or Marrettes are all thats used in household wiring in Canada. First I've ever heard of people having issue with them is here in these comments. I suspect it must be a "its different so I don't like it" situation. Loved Scotland for the 2 years I worked over there.
I've always been wary of wire nuts, maybe because I've encountered crap ones in places where a reliable connection was needed. I've had them literally fall apart in my hand.
@@JT-tz5hp you don’t typically hear about issues with them because after they are properly together, they are good enough.
The real problem is wrapping multiple wires of different sizes in a tight space. You may have to redo the connection if you got a bad twist. But after they are together, you problems are usually somewhere else.
Barrie, its dummies like you who perpetuate stupidity. Do you have any cites, or experience as an electrician to give your input any validity or credence? I could give you a cite wherein its shown that wirenuts create an oxygen-free connection which is far superior then the friction fit a waygo gives if you were worth the effort. Please point to some data you have that shows US/Canadian houses are burning down at some greater rate than European related to wirenuts. I'll wait.
Stuff a Wago connector into a full box behind some devices where you can’t see and eventually you will inadvertently release one of the locking levers. Not good for obvious reasons.
I do agree that wirenuts come in different qualities too. I prefer the Ideal brand and won’t use anything else except perhaps 3M.
And the connection of stranded to solid wires is a weak point for wirenuts. It can be done reliably but it can easily be done improperly and result in the same problems that accompany the Wago with the inadvertently open lever.
So Wago might be a bit more idiot-proof. But idiots shouldn’t be handling high voltage/high current wiring anyway. But, of course me saying so won’t prevent them from trying.
I remember Great Scott's video, and to no one's shock (ha!), Wago won the comparison with the wire nuts. He did find one thing the wire nuts were better at, but I can't remember what that was now. As nice as it is the cheap clones aren't bad, I inherited enough wire nuts from my grandfather to last a lifetime. 😅
I think it might have been contact resistance due to the close mating of the wires.
There is a special way of putting wagos back together. Try until you got it right. Gets you a very good feeling if you have found the Trick.
Here in Germany the WAGO variant like 2273-203 is much more common. They are for solid wires only.
In a junction box most of the time only solid wires are connected, so those are sufficiant. They are smaller and less than half the price of the 221-413 ones shown in the videos.
Agreed 100%
They also wipe the contact surface clean when the solid core wire is being inserted.
The spring lever style connectors allow dust to get between the bus bar and the surface of the copper wire.
are you sure? I think it depends. I use 203 under surfaces, but on surface and in Lamp socket i use 221. continuous connection or not.
can they be detached easily without breaking the connector? I've always avoided those kinds of connectors, but if you use them I might give them a try!
@@D4no00 Yes, they can be detached easily. You just have to twist them back and forward while pulling on the connector. No huge force required, only a firm pull.
@@D4no00 you can twist and pull WAGO 203 to release, without breaking. But only can use solid wire no stranded wire possible.
Great Scott! We're in for another linguistic debate!
Nice comparison - I always use the real deal Wago connectors in my wiring, both 221 and 2273 series.
Yeah always use 2273 for solid house wiring and 221 for lamps and stuff with stranded wires.
I do love me a Wago. I still have a number of the older grey and orange plastic ones, the 222's, or "mouse traps" as I call them. Mouse trap 'cos if you got caught by the lever closing it would give you a subungual hematoma, aka a black fingernail. Thank f' they redesigned them and gave us the 221...🤣🤣
In fact the old Wago 222's clamped upwards into a very small busbar, lifting the lever up compressed down the spring to make room for the wire between the spring and the busbar.
Also at 5:00, the word you are looking for is cam, as in rotating cam
The 222's had the busbar at the top front of the unit, and the open end of the C shaped spring was facing the front.
I'm guessing they redesigned it cos pulling out the wires was probably way easier than it is with the 221's design
Good to know! I’ve used a few variants of the Wago and never had a problem. The best part is when I had to troubleshoot. Much less trouble.
I love my Wago connectors. I think they are better for connecting Aluminum to Copper too! Was also really handy when I went back and needed another ground connection in a spot and I just put the wire in and clicked it down.
I saw them being used in a new commercial hospital build too. I think they are a lot safer than wire nuts for smaller wiring.
I've found that wire nuts are much easier to install in a manner that feels secure, but ends up being electrically dodgy/intermittent (especially when you have three or more wires, double especially when mixing stranded and solid or multiple sizes).
Twist them too hard and you can break strands, or sometimes one wire will back out relative to the others and only be barely gripped by the threads.
Not to mention the potential for RSIs if you're twisting them by hand.
Having every individual wire in its own separate slot makes it easier to be sure each and every one is seated and happy.
I don't think the new 221 lever connectors are rated for aluminium wires. The older grey 222 are, but only if filled with petroleum jelly to prevent oxidisation.
I'd be cautious using aluminum wire in them directly. Maybe better putting on an aluminum to copper interface tail.
@@bigclivedotcom you just need to use thier paste with aluminum
@@bigclivedotcom I wouldn't worry about it. Aluminum wiring is very common in east German residential buildings. If Wagos caused problems there, you'd hear about that.
I had no idea we were the only ones that call them marrette. Always have some extra knowledge tidbits in your videos. Thanks Clive
One thing I have noticed about some of the clones is the point the cage bites the wire is much closer to the tip of the wire than the Wago or other reputable connectors. This makes them more prone to incorrect insertion and / or pull out problems.
Durex clones also suffer from this issue.
thats why i buy originals from aliexpress
@@theoneohmresistor "originals from aliexpress", love that combination
@@dmitripogosian5084there are actually a lot of sellers on there selling the real stuff, a bit cheaper than in retail stores and free shipping
but i get what you're pointing at, can never really know what you're getting on Ali
I love the idea of Wago connectors and wish they were more common in North America. The standard marret drives me crazy!
For fixed wiring, the push-in Wago terminals are preferred. They are much smaller and also cheaper. May be interesting to investigate the clones of this kind.
Stab in type
But hard to get off if maybe years down the line you are in a situation you need to disconnect
@@dmitripogosian5084 just pull and twist, it is that simple...
But if you need quantity the price difference is not huge.. we use 221s only even though we practically only have solid wires (and ocassionally a few stranded ones)
i got some wagos, before i eve knew they were great, i just liked like simplicity of them, and they are working strong after a year.
I’ve used the ideal brand ones. Never had an issue. I use them mostly for lighting or in some cases on the 15 amp receptacle circuits. I have an older house where wire lengths are limited and these saved me from having to pull new lines.
Same here. Receptacle wires cut short. WHY do they do that?!? Wagos make it really easy to install a pig tail. Also especially helpful for installing light fixtures to join their thin stranded wires to solid.
I started using wago connectors when I started testing smart light switches. It made life so much easier that I have just stuck to them.
The only problem I've ever had with a Wago is that I once was maneuvering the 5-way connector in a very tight box, and broke off one of the levers. And that's actually where Wago shines. I replaced the Wago in 30 seconds, with no damage to the conductors.
since you can use the 221s pretty much the same as the push in connectors and this happened to me too i had the practical idea of actually using this to mark and secure the incoming wires (they will say isolated unless you put in the extra effort to twist them off), and still have the ease of adding and removing outgoing wires.. but it is quite the effort for every single connector to first cut and then close one of the levers, so i stopped with that..
I used a few clones to wire 8 speakers in the car. I wanted to keep section of the wires separate in case I have to pull them out or make changes. They worked pretty well!
For solid wire, I'm a big fan of Wago 2273 connectors, which are different from the Wago 221 connector in the video. I think the 2273 makes much better connections than the 221.
yep. wirenuts are more versatile, but less fool proof.
also, ceramic wirenuts are still used in the US, for high temps.
It’s about the same connection afaict - you can push solid wire into these without using the levers, this is a supported use case I believe. They’re just reusable, can handle stranded, but also are bigger and more expensive.
@@JasperJanssen The 2273 connector has a retention spring that bites into the wire in a way that the 221 doesn't. ruclips.net/video/zgjo36-jaFY/видео.html
Clever bit of patten avoidance as well as easier/cheaper manufacturing in the clone design.
It wasn't clear from the picture, on the clone, is there any risk that opening one of the contacts will reduce the pressure on the adjacent contact, potentially allowing an existing connection to break free?
The only common part is the base section. Each spring seems to have good separation.
Agreed bcdc...Also of note, I love how while some current can go through the spring, the whole point of the spring is to make the best contact path push into the bus bar, so there is no movement arc...and because spring loaded, if there is any expansion/contraction (dissimilar metals, alu wire, etc) the spring will make up the gap and keep consistent pressure. A screw terminal or wire nut will not.
@@frollard wire nuts are certainly spring loaded. They rely on a conical coil wound from steel spring wire of a diamond cross section. Unless you’re talking about the purely plastic or ceramic ones.
@@robertlitman2661 To some extent yes, but the wire is constrained to the plastic housing of the nut. Far less motion than the thermal expansion of various mismatched metals, hence why those are not suitable in the electrical code.
That is reassuring - I'm a domestic electrician and only use Wagos when needed. Thanks Clive - another public safety film !!
As an engineer, the fact that Wagos are designed to be "sufficient" under normal circumstances is enough to spec their use for things like regular household power connections, but I don't actually like them and for anything that I know will have to carry high current like an electric clothes dryer or stove outlet, I always spec no splices or wire nuts only. For my own personal use, I also prefer the robustness and low-ohmic connection of a properly installed wire nut, and for things that really matter like aerospace, it's crimps with lots of surface area contact for low-ohmic, done with precisely sized dies and calibrated crimp pressure tools and carefully sealed with hot-nitrogen shrink seals.. You would never use a Wago for any conditions where there is potential for weather ingress or wires are subject to tension or vibration..
My big problem with Wagos is their overuse especially in areas and applications they were it designed for.. That that are sufficient is great for the intended purpose (ie, consumer electrical fixed wiring inside protected electrical boxes), but they are not spec'ed for any other use and can and do cause problems if used improperly: I've had to condemn electrical wiring done outdoors with Wagos where the steel springs corrode due to moisture..
retrads will always be retrads and never read the manual or intended uses leaflet. simple solution: don't be one and don't let one near your wiring and everything will be fine. 😏👌
there are jelly boxed Wago for exterior stuff, works fine. 👍
I'm sorry, but your real-life evidence conflicts with the Internet's armchair wisdom.
Yeah, it’s almost as though no one product/method is the best for every situation!
When you use wago unprotected in a wet environment you are out of spec. WAGO's are not IP65 rated. The box around it must be.
@@tookitogo Well, that obviously too complicated for people who can't remember 25.4mm = 1".
Brilliant video and dissection of the Wago. You have answered so many questions. And you are 100% right, they are eventually going to cheapen up these devices up to a point where someone loses their life, then they will pay, revert back to the time tested and true, and struggle to get their name
back. Where I disagree is using cheap knockoffs for any use. Those little knockoff cheapos could cause a fire, naw bro, no thank you. Ain’t got the time to see if they are copper. Just trash them.
Looking forward to seeing a heap of other aliexpress clones reviewed. The case of one I have splits in two and has a copper coloured bus bar.
Thanks for this teardown / comparison Clive. I am a complete convert to Wago connectors, so I now have hundreds of choc-bloc connectors going cheap...
We had an lighting refit in the warehouse I work in (fluorescent tubes to IR controlled LED strips) and the electricians left boxes of WAGO behind as well as a good few tools and millions of cable offcuts. My next electrical project may well involve WAGO ;-)
The electrical contractors must get through a lot of tools, we've found numerous screwdrivers dotted around the warehouse since they left, occasional random half used boxes of WAGO connectors they obviously put down and lost. At one point I pulled an item from a high shelf and just spotted a screwdriver on top of the box in time not to get it straight in the face.
I found a leatherman (original) left in a ceiling.
I've seen videos where the Wago didn't fail until the outer skin on the wire nut burned up, although with most of the insulation on the 12-gauge wire they were using. I don't use Wago for everything, but I use them fairly often for lighting, and more all the time.
We (the company I work for) sell the clones for quite a tame application in a field where good soldering skill is far from ubiquitous.
When I show people these things their eyes light up. A testament to the original that even a clone is so beautifully simple to use
Personally, whenever I watch one of your videos I am completely lost, as I don't know squat about the innards of tech. That said, the way you describe things and the cadance of your voice is so nice to listen to and easy to understand that I FEEL like I am being fully educated on the topic.
I am sure these videos are heaven for the people who do, actually, understand technology, lol!
Keep up the good work! I will continue to listen and watch ^_^
His narration voice is awesome, isn’t it?! He could seriously get a second career reading audio books and stuff.
Ah, but I'm sneakily teaching you about electronics without you even realizing it.
@@bigclivedotcom An audiobook version of the Art of Electronics, then? :D
If receiving a batch of clones, don't just test the copper, also check if the springs are actually spring steel and will remain "springy" after pushing them down several times.
I bought a set of Wago 222 and Wago 221, plus the cheap clones of each. Having access to a 600A supply (a MOM 600 micro-ohm-meter) i tested these connectors with the thickest allowable wires. The wires melted before anything happened to the metal in the connectors each time, both for the original ones and the clones. (if anyone from my lab is reading this, sorry about the burn marks from melted copper on the ESD mat)
That said, i do agree with Clive that you can't trust the clones to keep being good, they could change manufacturing at any time making them a fire hazard. They're fine for hobby stuff or low current but you shouldn't trust them in a real mains application where you require anywhere near the full rated current.
Many of the test videos showing the connectors melting are a bit harsh, as you can see the wires themselves glowing red hot. The cables would be dribbling plastic way before the connectors would.
The Wago-style connectors have several advantages over the other ones you showed.
Wire nuts rely on twisting together the wire, which may not twist on well at all. Since they are opaque, you can't see if it made good contact or not - I've had plenty where the nut is only anchored on to one of the wires. Since they rely solely on twisting on like a screw, any vibration or expansion and contraction can cause the screw to come loose, possibly introducing a weak connection (arcing) or falling off completely and leaving bare wires. I often see them electrical taped on, which I think says a lot about their reliability.
Screw-down terminal blocks depend a lot on the exact mechanism. Many drive a screw in to the wire or at least a free-floating contact. In both cases, it's again relying on a tightly-screwed connection. Vibration and thermal expansion can result in it losing pressure on the wire and result in arcing or falling out. They are also problematic with stranded wire which is prone to settling out and losing contact.
Sprung terminals like the Wago have the advantage that the spring is holding against the wire. Since it's a spring, it can move with the wire under vibration, thermal expansion, and the like, holding a nearly-constant pressure on the wire. The enclosures are also transparent, so you can easily see if the wire is held by the spring terminal. And as you pointed out, with an angled contact, they tend to get a better connection when things move, not a worse connection like the previously-mentioned connectors.
One possible down-side to sprung terminals is that they could fatigue and not apply as much pressure over time, but that's more of an issue if they are repeatedly opened and closed (not the intended use), and only if they are flexed far enough to exceed elastic deformation and enter plastic deformation.
All in all, there's a lot to like about Wago-style spring-terminal connectors. They may not be as cheap or as common, but they are convenient and reliable.
Taped wire nuts are a certain sign of someone not knowing what they're doing. For a homeowner or low to no skill person, wago connections are extremely reliable.
the whole point of twisting wire nuts is to open the spring around the twisted wires. it's a double whammy.
Pre-twist your wires, then snug them down and you shouldn't have that issue. Strip them to spec, depending on the number of wires, line them up evenly, loosely grab at the ends with some lineman's pliers and twist while keeping the pliers straight on from the wires. You should end up with a nice, pretty twist.
Here is an idea for a follow up video.
Run them both at rated load for a given wire size.
Measure voltage drop and temp. Rise at the rated load. ( again for a given wire size )
I.E. here in the U.S. 15 amps for #14 wire and 20 amps for #12 wire.
Would also be interesting to see at what temp. they melt/fail and will they self extinguish.
Love your videos.
That little Wago connector show is rated for 4mm2 cable so 32A. It works equally well with 1mm2 cable on a 6A lighting circuit. I think you can use them down to 0.5mm2
I'm a card carrying union electrician, and i still use spring wire nuts. probably because I've been using them for years, I've never had a problem after thousands and thousands of connections. pretty much have the capacity of each type/color committed to memory, and always strip back new copper every time i connect. one of the things i would like to see with these wagos is a microohm test. i have test sets that can sustain 200A. you'd be surprised what I've found when it comes to cheap switches and connection, without testing i can tell you there would be a sizable difference between branded and knock off. there always is, never come to an exception on that. some pieces (and i mean to use that word) even come back as milliohms instead of micro
I agree, our European friends think they are from Satan himself. LOL
Don't bother trying to explain from a source of experience or training. You're American or Canadian, and as such your input is simply not enlightened enough to be worth considering.
Cutting 1/2" off of wires and wirenutting them is simply far too complex a digital operation. Sliding a wire into a hole or clamping with a lever is easier, therefore it must be better.
Paying 10x the cost of a wirenut which can do the exact same job is the smarter* thing to do.
*For certain definitions of smarter
@@boots7859 It's faster, potentially a lot faster if you're actually properly twisting the wires before you spin on the wire nut. 10x the cost of the wire nut may be worth it when you figure in expensive electrician time. And it's REALLY easy to see that it's done right, whereas with wire nuts if you're double checking somebody's work you've got to undo a sample of the connections to verify that, making inspecting them far easier. Part cost frequently isn't a good measure of cost.
OTOH, UL says stab connectors on the back of outlets are good enough, and we all know that's BS. I do have my concerns about contact area with these newfangled Wago connectors, but they've apparently been in use in Europe for many years and haven't caused problems. Sometimes good enough really is good enough.
So, smarter? Probably so, even at 10x the cost of a wire nut for the part, I'm betting the time savings is worth it. And they're here now, they're probably going to be spec'd on more jobs whether you like it or not. I know I'd have to seriously consider it given how many times I've dealt with badly installed wire nuts.
Good point. I am only an amateur electrician (i.e., home projects) but also an analog electrical engineer. The term you are looking for is "current density," which is the current passing through a contact, divided by the contact area. A tiny contact area produces a very high current density, a bad thing that can lead to fires. The Wagos' and the clones' flat contacts make contact to the rounded part of the wire, which to my mind is at best 1% of the wire's exposed circumference. I.e, it produces a small contact area. In sharp contrast, a twist-on wire nut makes substantially more contact with the twisted wires. I go overboard when I make my connections. After the wires are twisted together, I pull out my 150W Weller gun and solder the wires together, after which I apply the wire nut. Ain't no way these connections will ever fail! I also recognize that my extra effort is bat-snot crazy and cannot be done by electricians without tripling their labor costs!
@@boots7859 I've had many instances where the old, exposed copper was brittle and snapped off while trying to straighten or manipulate it in any way. I'd wager that's one of the reasons they cut off the old copper. I'd hate to spend the time trying to straighten that old copper to make a new connection just for it to snap off. Wouldn't want the risk of that old copper doing that regardless of which connector you're using. I'd be worried about accidentally brushing catching that lever on the Wago connector and having a hot wire fling out and cause issues. Can't accidentally unscrew a snug wire nut, especially if you do it properly and pre-twist before snugging it down.
I've come to live wagos for many but not all uses. Temporary uses they are a must, low volume they are great, expect to make more changes within 1-3 years, save future you a lot of headache and use them, joining stranded wire definitely. The one case I'm less all in on is projects needing hundreds of connectors that won't be touched for a long time and using all solid wire, there a push in fitting is just as easy and the savings do start to add up when you have a project needing 500-1000+ connectors.
I think their similar, but I would love to see some testing with both the branded and un branded wago connectors
I like how the clone is built.
I have a "slight" feeling that the WAGO is made for automated manufacturing while the clone uses those cheap machines called "children"...
I'm not convinced that as many children work in Chinese factories as is implied. The images presented online are often small family factories where everyone gets involved.
It looks like its very important that the wire be straight as possible going into the connector to make the best contact.
One advantage of wire nuts is that they can be waterproof if oriented open side down. I've always used them this way so that any water from accidental rain, pipe breakage or condensation won't collect in them and cause corrosion.
You can get completely watertight gel boxes for Wago and other terminals that squish a stable polymer gel around them when you close the lid.
@@boots7859 gel boxes are full waterproof. You can submerge them in water even.
I use the Wago for car stereo installations and they are great!
Wagos aren't common in Canada and not stocked in hardware stores as a standard item. Looks like about 50-80 cents each...which is going to add up over a project. I'm genuinely curious whether this is cheaper elsewhere in places where they are more commonly used. In comparison, wire nuts are as low as 6 cents. And admittedly they require a bit more care to use. But that's why the box is grounded and failures are rare if you know how to apply them.
Wagos are available in the US at the box stores, though 10 pack of 3-ways are $10, those similar non-lever Ideal are 100 pack for $12.
I like using the Ideals at the price, for most wiring. I think they've been around long enough that I can now trust them on a 20amp circuit.
They're great at the price compared to the BMW-priced Wago's, however for electronics wire shuffling the Wagos are great.
Fantastic for making pigtails in switchboxes. Time saving is meh, maybe save 20 sec. but I'm sure I'd love them way more if I was installing 30-40 every day.
here in Germany it is usually a bit under 0,25€ per piece, but cannot compare the price to wirenuts since these are not readily available here..
Screw terminals relax over time. Especially in applications where vibration is an issue. Spring loaded contacts keep the pressure on virtually forever.
I didn't hear Clive mention anything about solid versus stranded wire. Some videos show wire nuts used with a solid and stranded wire, and if done properly, withstand the pull test. But how about these types of connectors? The white "Euro" type connector with the screws will really clamp down on stranded of just about any size. Stranded is important for many projects. Thanks, Clive.
These connectors are suited to stranded and solid wire.
Wago 221-41* style connectors are good for stranded and solid from 24AWG all the way up to 12AWG, or from 20AWG to 10AWG if you go for the slightly larger variant (221-61*).
An added bonus with the WAGO 221 and similar for stranded wire is that thanks to the spring loading, even if the wire moves and the strands shift, the spring will clamp down tightly. It even works with tinned* stranded wire (which one should never do, but sometimes you encounter with speaker wires for example). Screw terminals are an absolute no-no with tinned stranded wire, since the solder will cold-flow under pressure, but spring terminals will always clamp tight.
*by which I mean the entire wire tinned with solder, as one would do to prepare it for soldering onto an eyelet or whatnot. I don’t mean tinned strands from the factory.
Love me some wagos, never looked back.
I have molten plenty of clones with around 30A loads, but never the real ones. Always wondered if it was due to higher contact resistance, or due to a smaller busbar
Why are you putting 30A through them? Are they rated for that?
@@reverse_engineered 32A 400V rating
Always worth watching BigClive at work.
Sigh. You're going to make me go figure out the four wire resistance connection on my bench meter, aren't you?
If i had to guess, wire nut is lowest resistance, them screw block, and Wago last. I doubt it matters unless you were going through an absurd number of splices on a branch circuit.
It depends a lot on the quality of the connection. Screw terminals and Wago are relatively easy to get good contact. Wire nuts can be a crap shoot. If done well, you have a lot of direct wire-to-wire contact, as well as the outer screw of the nut itself. If done poorly, the wires may have little contact with each other and with the wire nut, with the nut basically just holding itself on to one wire and the twisting of the two wires being the only thing physically holding each other together. It's this huge variability in the connection of a wire nut that turns me off from them.
@@reverse_engineered it's simple, don't suck at using the tools you have. You can tap a nail home, I can do the same with two hands, two different hammers and two different nails at the same time.
Same applies to wire nuts, my hands know what's right. I don't need to look at the wires, I do, same as wago, verify your connection.
@@jonanderson5137 Yeah, it's all about technique. Twist the wires together with two pairs of pliers, clip the end to the correct length, and twist on the cap. Also, don't mix solid and stranded wires, and the gauges should be fairly close together. Using a wire nut to join 12AWG solid to 22AWG stranded is not going to end well.
Glad to see you get decent made Wago and clones and not the rusty busbar backstab type counterfeits I've pulled out of a few boxes in my house stateside. They weren't clones, the Wago name was on them.
Gotta love those people in search of a load bearing electrical connector.
We used wire nut here, but I love wago on light fixture, since it go from solid wire to multi strain wire and are often changed.
But who figured out striping a wago be a good video, he need a raise.
It's always good to know what's inside stuff.
Unfortunately in Spanish "Wago" and "vago" are pronounced the same way, and vago means lazy, that will never stop being a source of jokes 😅
We used screw connectors in Australia, I haven't seen anyone use Wagos (except Clipsal Airflow fans switched to the knockoff that Clive showed in an earlier video) on the job but we have them in the truck.
The clones are easy to assemble by necessity, for while the Wagos are zipped together by machine the clones are likely snapped together by child size fingers.
Oh, and a note to all electricians out there. Spring terminals like Wago are NOT maintenance free if used in damp conditions, or where moisture such as condensation can form. The connector itself may be fine, but verdigris can eat away at the exposed copper wire inside the connector, and eventually the wire will break due to a the pressure from the spring causing a stress fracture as it corrodes away.
No, the EU will take Reality to the High Court and overturn that fact of life.
They've got a gel box design for wet locations, it's apparently some kind of polyurethane goo. It's apparently rated for 1m immersion.
@@jonc4403 Wago Gelbox covers are great. They are IPX8 so they can handle continuous immersion of at minimum 1m, probably more. They're approved by many standards around the world, would happily trust them. I don't know why North American sparkies are so against Wagos.
Having done control systems in substations, they were all screw terminals. What I don't like about the push terminals is it is too easy to miss the actual connector and hit the fastener, also multicore cables do not like them , they slip out easily. The "screw-it" was banned 50 years ago on construction sites as they came off too easily if they were at the wrong angle leaving bare wiring. It was caused by ac current vibrating and if it was slightly loose, not enough to feel it, it had a tendency to vibrate itself off. Screw terminal metal is gauged to the load it will carry so has a greater chance of surviving blow-outs, I would not use Wago on mains power, I simply wouldn't trust it. When learning to do electrical installations, one vital point was given, when you make a termination, do a tug test. We did this to learn just how tight to tighten the screws on connections, if you tugged it and it came out it wasn't good enough.
Great video Clive. Thank you
We have shops here in Portugal that are often called "Chinese Shops" and they tend to sell a bit of everything which includes tools and electrical components. The quality seems to depend from shop to shop but they're always a gamble especially when it comes to Wago clones. Fortunately the chunky older wago clones I bought seem to do the job for fixing small devices but I wouldn't exactly trust them with anything major.
@@Okurka. Sure, and it might take you weeks for the item to arrive like with what happened with some screw bits I ordered on AliExpress.
Sometimes you need something cheap and quick to bodge something together and that's where those physical Chinese stores tend to be useful.
Thanks for this. I knew of WAGO connectors but have never actually used one.
I can get these exact clones in my hardware store, except mine come with light blue levers. Here they're about half the cost of genuine Wago connectors and have all the relevant certifications, which give me confidence that they're good quality.
But do they have a makers name so you can check back? For insurance purposes when on a job I use wago only. At the end of the day, my customers pay for me to use the best gear and I feel happier knowing that I've fulfilled my duty. Saving a few pennies on knock off stuff, is it worth it?
@@chrispomphrett4283 the brand is ORRO and the ones i bought are ORRO PCT-413. They have the same ratings and specs as the equivalent Wago connectors and since they're sold in Europe they also have to comply with European regulations.
@@poptartmcjelly7054 That's good then, I suppose wago perhaps sold the rights to make them or perhaps they're just that bit different in design/operation that they can get round it. If I see them about I'll pick a few up to evaluate.
@@chrispomphrett4283 my customers pay for me to use the best gear ... Did you check with your customers on that ? Or gave them an option to save with less than best gear ?
Designed for Chinese children to assemble...!
Quite possibly.
I use these Wago terminals for breadboarding electronic experiments. They are much more reliable than solderless breadboards. Love 'em, I do.
I was suprised to find out that the official ones are rated for 32amp recently, i love them even more now
First time I saw a wago I was thinking "that thing looks like a toy and you want to pass 240V 16A across it?". Yeah, they can, and they're up to code
Really enjoyed watching this as I use wago 221’s regularly but never took one apart. Loving the pinky purple coloured ones but wouldn’t use at work just in case 🔥
Can I point out yet again that “maintenance free” spring contact blocks for mains voltage wiring have been around for many, many years. Yes, these were designed for wires to be inserted with no means of removing them, but the principle is the same. I first encountered them on commercial fluorescent tube fittings over twenty years ago. And Wago connectors have been used in U.K. industrial use for over ten years. These however need a tool to allow wires to be inserted or removed (it looks like a small flat bladed screwdriver, and indeed if you are careful, a suitable screwdriver can be used).
Wago even sells the screwdrivers, which are a nice german forest green and black. the right sizes, no risk of forcing/breaking when used properly. your distributor can even give you a couple packs if you ask nicely when buying a bucketload of connectors. 😎
Both the Wago and the clone appear to provide MORE contact area for the wire than a 'quick click' type of receptacle or switch. The quick click only provides the edge of a brass strip that wedges against the wire during insertion into the quick click hole. This provides only a sliver of contact surface. I've seen where higher levels of current in a circuit, but yet not high enough to trip a 15 amp or 20 amp circuit breaker heats up and burns out that contact edge burning a small arc in the brass over time until it disconnects. With any luck the the modern code for 'some' circuits in a home requiring Arc Fault protection will catch this before the hot spot becomes hot enough to start a fire.
As a standard practice I do not use the quick click, but rather the screws instead. If I need to connect more wires than there are screws provided I wirenut the wires together and attach with a pigtail.
I'm in the US. I found something called "Ideal" In-Sure connectors when I was scouting for wire nuts a couple years ago for a project. They seem very secure, but they lack the quick release feature: you have to wiggle the wire out if you need to remove it. They seem far better than wire nuts, at least when you have the room in the junction box for them. I'm sold on them over wire nuts unless it's very small gauge wire.
Better design or not, I trust Wago more than the clone companies for exactly why you said - they will eventually cheap out, and they won't tell you. Likewise, the supply chain may be so weak that fakes can be more easily introduced. I can imagine the wago design has a pretty strict quality control process. Any sparky with any self worth is going to use genuine wagos even if only from a liability perspective. I've never had a single fault with a wago, and getting the job done right (safely and correctly) the first time is the best thing.
Another good video Clive,watched you for years but never commented,I live in Ayr and it's good to hear a fellow Scot,I bought some non branded ones from Amazon after I watched a video of John Ward's where he tested them extensively against branded terminals and gave them a good review,
I'm back in Glasgow at the moment. The one thing about the clones that concerns me is that you could buy several packs from the same supplier and listing, but get different ones of unknown quality.
@@bigclivedotcom I've used a some when I changed a couple of outside lights so hopefully if anything happens it won't be disastrous,love Glasgow and as it's only 45 minutes away on an X77 we spend a lot of time there,thanks for the reply
I'm in the US and I have seen ceramic wire nuts. They were very old and probably date to the days of knob and tube wiring.
You don't have to lift the lid if you have a full core cable, you can just push it in.
most of the time we use the push in wagos at work
2273-203 or 202 or 204 or 205
for lamps
224-101
224-112
and sometimes
221-413 for up to 4mm² wire
or
221-613 for up to 6mm² wire
The sneaky ones will use tinned CCA, just to mess with Clive.
Cage clamps on large terminals can be overtightened and deformed, causing them to split apart at their seams. The wires eventually come loose. Wago spring clamps can not be overtightened and the spring keeps them tight even after many thermal cycles. For reliability Wago are much better on electrical equipment that is likely to be built or serviced by technicians who do not know their own strength.
Size matters. Your back box on a ring circuit can be overcrowded when using some double gang sockets. Same for some lighting boxes hence the complete kit of Wago has the proper box sizes to match the connectors. These connectors can only be properly used on a clean and unbent conductor of the terminal wire. Do the job properly and they are extreemly good.
Here in Sweden almost all sparky use Wago 221-413 these days, it just become common practice here to use those over the other Wago.