Customer Reviews

Push Wire Connector (51038058)

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4 star:		(2)
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I tried the WAGO push connectors a while back and they worked great. Cuts wiring time in half and they take less room in the boxes. I liked them so much I bought more just to have on hand. The test point is a nice idea if you have to track down a problem. Time will tell if they are reliable or not. I would have rated this product with 5 stars if I knew for certain that they will make lasting, trouble free, connections.

I've never used this type of push-in wire connector before, although I've seen them used in the trade by others with mixed success. I finally decided to give it a try with a remodeling job where I had a lot of connections in several boxes and little room. Here's my experience:

Wires must be stripped to the proper length. This is much more critical than with twist connectors (wire nuts). Too short and they won't make proper connection since they may not be able to insert fully, too long and you will have exposed bare wire which could make contact with other conductors or the box and equipment metal. Improper length is likely the main problem that people have had. The wire appears to make good contact inside the connector and the clear plastic allows you to see that (or if you need to push more wire in).

You still need nearly as much free wire penetrating from the box. The two-wire connectors are easy to get aligned, but the multiple connectors need the wire length so you can get them pushed into the connector straight in and without bending the wire. I was unable to do this without using pliers except for the two-wire connectors, although with more experience it may become simpler. So unless you are really experienced, these are probably not faster.

The real benefit is that (except for the two-wire connectors) these push-in connectors take much less room in the box, especially considering that with twist-type connectors, the wires must be all lined up parallel with each other for an inches or two before entering the connector. More than a couple of twist connectors containing three or more wires each and you are soon fighting for more box space. With these push-in connectors, each wire can bend in a different direction as soon as it leaves the conector.

A final note. Removing solid wire from these connectors is easy: just rotate the wire while pulling it out. Stranded wires must be cut and the connector discarded and replaced.

Amazon had the best price for the types that I needed, but if you only need a couple, you may be able to get a small selection from Lowes or Home Depot immediately and at less cost.