Electrical Hand Tools

Tools for working on wiring: strippers that take the insulation off without nicking the copper, cutters sized for cable rather than for steel, crimping tools from hand-sized up to hydraulic, a non-contact voltage detector, a clamp meter and soldering irons. The cheapest tool here is a pair of 6" electrician's scissors at 0.450 KD and the dearest is a 12-ton hydraulic crimping tool at 35.000 KD, with most everyday items between 0.750 and 3.500 KD.

Which electrical hand tool do you need?

What you get for what you spend

• Under 1 KD — one job, done properly: electrician's scissors 0.450 KD, 6" diagonal cutters or a 6" long-nose cutter/crimper 0.750 KD, a 6" cable cutter 0.750 KD, the aluminium/copper cable cutter 0.850 KD, the 8.5" wire stripper 0.950 KD.
• 1–2 KD — the set most people should start with: 8" insulated-handle combination pliers 1.250 KD, the 5-piece insulated screwdriver set 1.350 KD, the 3-piece mini cutting plier set 1.450 KD.
• 2–3.500 KD — stripping and crimping in one tool: the 0.2–6 mm stripper/crimper at 2.000 KD, or the 8.5" industrial version at 3.500 KD. The non-contact voltage detector is 2.250 KD.
• 5.250–6.250 KD — test and solder: the 120W soldering gun with a display, or the digital clamp meter.
• 14.000–35.000 KD — hydraulic crimping at 8 or 12 tons, and the wire pulling tool from 28.000 KD.

Out of stock at the moment: the automatic (self-adjusting) wire strippers in both sizes, and the 60W soldering gun — ask us about availability. The manual strippers above are in stock.

Buying tips

• Switch the circuit off at the board first, then check. The non-contact detector at 2.250 KD tells you whether a wire or terminal is still live without touching it, which is worth more than any other 2 KD you spend here.
• A stripper is not a nicer pair of pliers. Pulling insulation with pliers or a knife nicks the copper, and a nicked strand is where a joint later heats up. The 8.5" stripper is 0.950 KD.
• Cut cable with a cable cutter, not with side cutters. The curved jaws gather the strands and shear them; flat side cutters squash the cable first and leave you a ragged end to force into a terminal.
• Crimp, don't twist. A crimped lug or ferrule holds mechanically and electrically. The 0.2–6 mm stripper/crimper at 2.000 KD covers normal household sizes; once you are on heavy cable lugs it becomes a hydraulic job at 14.000 KD and up.
• Check the size range before the price. The marked 0.2–6 mm / 24–10 AWG range on the stripper/crimper is the range it actually works in. A tool set for thin wire will not strip 6 mm cable neatly.
• Working in a crowded back box? The 6" long-nose cutter/crimper reaches where an 8" plier cannot, and it still cuts.
• If you want plier shapes rather than electrician-specific tools — water-pump, locking, circlip and bent-nose — the full range is in pliers.
• Soldering wattage: 40W for wire and small boards, 60W as the general choice, 100W for heavier joints. The 120W gun shows its temperature on an LCD if you need to hold a figure.

Why buy from Bab Al-Saif

• Try the jaws before you buy at our showroom at Shuwaikh Plaza, Khalifa Al-Jassim Street, Shuwaikh Industrial.
• In Kuwait since 1992, rated 4.7★ by over 350 customers on Google.
• Cash on delivery, card, or split your payment with Deema, with delivery across Kuwait.

FAQs

How much is a wire stripper in Kuwait?

A manual 8.5" wire stripper is 0.950 KD. A stripper that also crimps, marked 0.2–6 mm (24–10 AWG), is 2.000 KD, and the heavier 8.5" industrial stripper and crimper is 3.500 KD. The automatic self-adjusting strippers are out of stock at the moment — ask us about availability.

What is the difference between a cable cutter and a wire cutter?

A cable cutter has curved, hooked jaws that hold a multi-strand cable together while they shear it, so the end stays round and goes into a terminal. Side or diagonal cutters have flat jaws for snipping single wire ends flush. We sell both: cable cutters from 0.750 KD, 6" diagonal cutters at 0.750 KD.

Do you have a multimeter or a clamp meter?

Yes — a digital clamp meter and multimeter in one at 6.250 KD, which reads current through a cable without breaking the circuit, plus a non-contact AC voltage detector at 2.250 KD. For tapes, laser levels and distance meters see measuring tools and laser levels.

Which crimping tool do I need?

For normal household wiring, the 0.2–6 mm stripper and crimper at 2.000 KD. For network cable ends, the 8P crimping tool at 5.500 KD. For lugs on heavy cable you need hydraulic pressure: 8 tons at 14.000 KD, or 12 tons at 35.000 KD. Tell us the cable size and the lug and we will tell you which one it is.

Do you sell soldering irons?

Yes. A soldering iron is 1.600 KD at 40W, 1.900 KD at 60W and 2.250 KD at 100W, and a 120W soldering gun with an LCD display is 5.250 KD. Electrode holders for welding are also in this section, from 1.000 KD for 300A up to 1.500 KD for 800A.

Also in this section, though they are power tools rather than hand tools: a 300W foam cutting knife at 14.000 KD, a 150W hot knife foam cutter at 16.000 KD and a 450W oscillating multi-tool set at 14.750 KD.

Also useful: the full hand tools range, pliers for every other jaw shape, and pop-up sockets and wall detectors.