The wire strippers I’ve seen in the hardware store usually just remove the last inch or so of the plastic cover.  I need to strip at least a foot at a time, and usually more than that.

Typically, I use a box cutter knife and turn the blade at an angle so it slices the top layer plastic off the wire.  I try to do this working away from my body, so there’s no chance of cutting myself.  It works, but sometimes I end up nicking the wire.

A great idea I heard about recently is using a vegetable peeler.  I would have never thought of that!

I tried it today and it worked really well.  It was easy to get the right angle to slice just the insulation without nicking the wire.  I use  the type that is like the red or orange one in the picture.  Mine has a blade that swivels.  I put one end of the wire in my bench vise and pull the wire taut while I am peeling.  I pull the peeler towards me which is an easier motion for me than pushing away from my body like I was doing with the box opener.  I think I have more leverage that way.

You just have to make one pass – it cuts a nice slice down the entire length and then you peel off the coating. It really is much simpler than anything else I’ve tried.

Like any other tool – it takes a couple of slices to get the angles right, but it works like a charm once you get it down.

Another hack I find interesting about the vegetable peeler is that we typically use only one of the two blades, So when yours gets dull (and you have no words to strip), either switch directions or trade peelers with an opposite handed person- it will feel brand new!