I finally saw why contractors swear by Wagos over wire nuts

For years I thought Wagos were a gimmick for homeowners who couldn't twist a nut properly. I mean I figured a good pair of lineman pliers and a solid nut was the only way to go. Then I got a job rewiring a old house in Denver where every box was packed tight with aluminum and copper. After fighting with wire nuts for two hours I grabbed a box of Wagos from the truck just to try it out. That first connection took maybe 10 seconds compared to the two minutes I was wasting before. By the end of the day my fingers weren't sore and I had zero loose joints. Now I keep a bag of them in my pouch for most residential work. Has anyone else had a change of heart on these things after actually using them on a real job?

3 comments

3 Comments

finley72910d ago

I live in Denver too actually and I was the exact same way. I thought Wagos were just overpriced plastic junk for DIYers who couldn't strip a wire right. But my buddy forced me to use them on a kitchen remodel with like 15 years of janky wiring stuffed into each box. After fighting with wire nuts for half the day I tried a Wago and it clicked in about 5 seconds flat. My fingers were shot from the nuts and the Wagos just felt way more solid on those cramped splices. I still use nuts for big gauge stuff but for everyday residential I'm fully converted now lol.

alex_johnson9d ago

Right there with you on that kitchen remodel pain. I had a similar situation with a 1920s house where the boxes were barely big enough for two wires, let alone a dozen. Wire nuts were just a nightmare in that cramped space, especially when you're trying to twist stranded and solid together. Then I grabbed a 3-port Wago for a ceiling fan switch and it was night and day. The lever action just locks in tight without fighting the spring like a nut. I still keep a bag of big blue wire nuts for the heavy stuff like a water heater, but for the usual 12 and 14 gauge residential stuff, Wagos are just way more forgiving on my hands.

robin_roberts8410d ago

Read somewhere Wagos actually test better for torque consistency than wire nuts.