the_jordan•22d agoProlific Poster

Saw a new guy splitting coax with a utility knife instead of a proper cutter

I was on a job site over by the old shopping center on Elm Street last Tuesday, helping a crew run lines for a new office. This kid fresh out of training, maybe 6 months in, pulls out a utility knife to strip the outer jacket on a RG6 run. He nicked the braid in three spots before I even said anything. That little mistake causes signal loss you won't catch until the modem keeps dropping sync. The right tool, a simple coax stripper, costs like 15 bucks and gives you a clean cut every time. I showed him how to use my Klein one, and he finished the rest of the run without issues. Why do people think a knife is faster when it just creates more problems down the line? Has anyone else had to fix work from guys who skip the proper tools?

2 comments

2 Comments

webb.ben22d ago

Is it really that big a deal though?

the_nathan22d ago

And I've seen guys get chewed out by supervisors because that tiny nick causes intermittent issues that take HOURS to track down. The knife just isn't worth the headache when you can get a decent stripper for less than what you pay for lunch.