eBay's cheapest wire push-connectors (Not for house wiring!)

[@paulstaf]

Was hoping you would run some high current through them to failure! :)

[@williamterry3177]

Yes, I was looking to see you test with say ten amps or a bread toaster, hair dryer, heat gun. Compared to a Wago connector? Great information

[@michaeltempsch5282]

John Ward did high current testing with a bunch of different connectors, but I don't recall if this type was one of them...

[@jani140]

Bet it would have sparked. Not only is the contact just steel but it presses the wire against plastic on the other sidey leafing very very lettle contact surface

[@twoina]

Me too! 20 Amps and a thermal camera would be great.

[@MaxC_1]

Own lots of these. Depending on the dice roll they are, some will start getting warm around 3A, others will work till 6A before getting seriously hot. I just use them for testing and such, or low current applications with a heat shrink, cuz it works just fine but if you care. Use Wagos or IDEAL connectors. Hell even the knockoff Wagos which are around 10 cents each will often be able to take over 20 amps before they show any problems. GreatScott and a bunch other people have pretty decent videos comparing a bunch of knockoff Wagos

[@jwflame]

The main problem with these is that the wire is clamped between the metal and the plastic housing. When they get hot, the plastic softens and releases the wire. Proper connectors clamp the wire between two metal parts of the same spring, the plastic is just am insulating cover.

[@jensschroder8214]

I say 100mA. The terminals cannot be expected to do more than that. But that's enough for an LED on mains with a few watts. 🪔 If there is a short circuit in the LED, the terminal will definitely work as a melting fuse 🔥 Hopefully the housing is connected to PE. 🔩

[@willusher3297]

Came here to say the same thing.

[@simonruszczak5563]

It could have been designed to have a strip of metal at the top to press the wires against but that would have reduced the manufacturer's profit by a fraction of a penny on each one produced.

[@simonruszczak5563]

Also the wire is making a point connect with the metal clamp causing a possible small electrical resistance.

[@jaylittleton1]

@@simonruszczak5563 "a fraction of a penny". Easy there, that is two hours wages.

[@SwimCoach8]

As much as I would worry about some type of galvanic reaction....Shitty plastics becoming hard, brittle or otherwise just plain failing is an equal concern. Never quite sure what formulation is being extruded in these cheap fixtures. I could never understand how saving 50 bucks on a 10, 20, 30 thousand dollar kitchen redo made any sense. I converted all my basement and garage lighting from ballast driven fluorescent to LED tubes. Not sure I could trust these connector even for this low consumption application. Thanks for all you do and your time, love the channel!

[@SupremeRuleroftheWorld]

the most positive thing one can say about these things is "there are better ways to burn your house down".

[@richardsandwell2285]

You could just use Kerosene and a box of matches, much easier.

[@glenslick2774]

Watch out, you might get what you're after Cool, babies - strange but not a stranger I'm an ordinary guy Burning down the house

[@davidg4288]

Just a guess but I'd say you're right. They need to go in a chassis where there's a fuse or breaker so they're not exposed to full mains current, whatever that is where you live. Did Clive say a 10 amp rating? Also he didn't mention any regulatory approval whatsoever so just no.

[@simonstroud2555]

And similarly with any kind of push fit pipe fittings. I wouldn't be able to sleep at night unless I'd turned off the mains stopcock.

[@SupremeRuleroftheWorld]

@@davidg4288 i would be suprised if it actually could handle 10 amps sustained in a closed box without melting.

[@pyromaniac303]

Had some of these a few years ago and tested a heated seat element at 12V, 7A. Not surprisingly they softened and warped after a few minutes - wouldn't risk more than 1-2A longterm

[@David_Hogue]

I never understand going cheap on these things. If you're remodeling a kitchen, even nice WAGOs are pretty low on the list of expenses.

[@bigclivedotcom]

Since people just cut every cost.

[@oasntet]

If you're a manager at a contracting firm, you might force your subordinates to use these to save a few bucks on each project to pay for your own bonus each year, at the expense of your company's future reputation... Especially if you're going to fail upwards to a new job anyway. It's always the managers.

[@nikspanakis]

Hope charcoal look is coming back as a remodeling trend...

[@webchimp]

£1,000 phone, best get £1 cable to charge it. People have weird ideas about how they perceive a bargain.

[@youdontknowme5969]

Right? "Let's redo a kitchen (not cheap@), but oh yes let's cheapen-out on these" LOL

[@mikeselectricstuff]

My main concern with these is the wire is being pressed against the plastic - any heating and it will soften, bed into the plastic and lose spring tension

[@Pyjamarama11]

Drilling a big hole through the conductive path reducing it to a resistor is pure genius

[@boban250]

Look at the contact patch with the wire... The hole is the least of its' concerns :D

[@Pyjamarama11]

@@boban250 😂

[@reaper5222]

They double as night lights to guide you to safety through your burning house.

[@Mark1024MAK]

Julian or yourself featured these cheap connectors some time ago. As to the question of connectors and damp, the company that I work for uses rail mounting Wago connectors, and when used in an enclosure that suffers from condensation and damp, we have found that the stripped part of the copper conductor (single solid core) corrodes where the spring metal holds it. As well as the corrosion of the copper wire, we think a stress fracture is also part of the failure mode. If then disturbed or if subjected to vibration, the copper wire then breaks. Or eventually, the wire breaks on its own. This happens within five years or less on a new installation. Where these failures have occurred, due to the mess that the corrosion has caused, we also renew the Wago connector block.

[@Edisson.]

Wago has a special insulating paste to be used when mounting terminals in a humid environment. If the wires were corroded, the technological assembly procedure was not followed

[@michaelhess4825]

Just add a non conductive grease. Easy fix, and cheaper than the specialty filled ones.

[@Mark1024MAK]

@@Edisson. Contractors carried out the installation work. It was part of a much, much larger scheme. We were less than impressed with the standard of workmanship. With far too many Wago terminations, they did not even strip the insulation off to leave the bare copper conductor the correct length. I saw no sign of any paste. The "fix" that we were instructed to try was to put large bags of silica gel to absorb the moisture.

[@Edisson.]

@@michaelhess4825 I know (lubricant is also sold separately, no need to buy filled) but if a layman is reading this, he can stuff anything into the clamp (I've already found silicone from an acetate base - completely eaten away) so I'd rather refer to the original lubricant.

[@Edisson.]

@@Mark1024MAK To do it as cheaply as possible and quickly away, time is money - I come across these procedures very often

[@christianblack2916]

I've used these for years on speaker hookups and DC projects. It never occurred to me anyone would think they were for mains!

[@RC-1290]

1:13 "through the magic of buying 100 of them"😅

[@youdontknowme5969]

😊 that gets me every time

[@tommymack3210]

They probably dont sell less than 100, otherwise its not profitable.

[@RC-1290]

@@tommymack3210 Just so you know, I was making a reference to a common saying from KZbinr Technology Connections.

[@SharkoonBln]

BC opens the bag: Nice hiss... 😉

[@kevinmessiah872]

@@SharkoonBln now get them out onto a tray

[@davidcrossley]

Very useful for quick connections in low voltage, low current applications

[@dogwalker666]

No good in flexible cable or ferrules, I have tried because lamp fittings have them, Usually end up throwing (literally) in the bin.

[@mariemccann5895]

Even then they fail. The springs aren't up to the job.

[@ketas]

or plastic gets brittle and it just falls apart in service

[@dogwalker666]

@@ketas it actually crumbles after a few years.

[@starlights50]

Oooh. I've orderer these .. twice. on purpose. Very useful for temporary repair/modification of severed three-wire tiny fairy lights. I left some for nearly a year outdoors(Canad-eh), and the resistor and diode leads rusted but the connectors were still good to go. I could identify them in a lineup since they indeed appear to be somewhat stained and Clivehandled.

[@kkzooi]

have you seen the Louis Rossmann video about the ebay fuses? great little things, keeps giving power when your overloaded circuit demands most power, without failure

[@fanplant]

Yeah I'm tired of the weird names of crap on the Amazon. I can't say I watched all of his fuse video but I don't think Louis proved his test setup with at least a known proper brand name fuse. That said yeah he loaded the junk fuses and no blow. Almost as good as sticking a coin under an Edison base fuse. (nickels work best)

[@RS-Amsterdam]

I already told him about them and Louis some weeks ago I like Louis when he goes for the big brands 😂

[@earl3358]

I saw him use the wrong crimping die on a terminal and then complain and rant that it did not hold

[@Crowfist]

@@earl3358 Thats my main issue with Rossman and why I cant stand watching him anymore. He's become so good at his craft he forgot to reserve some humility. He also does a terrible job at hiding his anger/frustration management issues on camera. Can only imagine how nasty he gets off camera.

[@luminousfractal420]

i think one of the first clive ones i watched was about the sand filled fuses.

[@OscarSommerbo]

I use these to temporarily connect 5v signal wire, and as long as you use single stranded wire or tinned multi stranded wire, they hold up surprisingly well. The only issue is that the thinner the wire the worse connection you get, obviously. And that is why I only use them temporarily and solder my signal wires for permanent use.

[@Crowfist]

I like that the CC bot auto-capitalizes the word tang. I love Tang.

[@Electronicist]

Tang dynasty best dynasty

[@markiangooley]

Yeah, all tangs are Tang, obviously!

[@wtmayhew]

It is interesting that it assumes it is a proper noun. I haven’t seen the orange flavored powdered drink mix for sale in years. There’s the other definition which just a noun.

[@ketas]

wu Tang clan!

[@CptJistuce]

​@@ketasDoes the Wu Tang Clan drink Tang?

[@napalmholocaust9093]

Work hardening makes some stainless steels more magnetic. Bend it a few times and see if it sticks better. I saw something with tubing where only the stamped end was magnetic.

[@kajyakuzonik9130]

Your videos seriously have potential to be life-savers!

[@srp01983]

Copper and stainless are ok - they aren’t very far apart on the galvanic scale and the stainless has a very thin passive oxide layer which prevents corrosion. Both metals are fine in even aggressive marine environments. Plus, of course, there should not be any moisture about, so no electrolyte to facilitate electrolytic corrosion, hopefully.

[@linuxguy1199]

Don't they use nickel wire for marine applications? Usually for submarines they use silver plated nickel, heavily nickel plated, and I've also seen outright pure nickel wire.

[@snafu2350]

@@linuxguy1199 Given silver's tendency to oxidise (blacken) when used in jewellery (or cutlery) over time, I'm surprised to hear it's OK in marine applications.. I guess that oxidisation doesn't affect its electrical characteristics or make it brittle?

[@linuxguy1199]

@@snafu2350 That's actually the main motivation behind the reason they use it. Unlike copper and most other metals, Silver oxide is conductive and the oxides electrical effects are mostly negligible, in fact, silver plating is preferred over gold plating in many applications since most gold plating tends to be extremely thin and wear off if a connector is repetitively used. Silver plating though can be caked on pretty much as thick as you want since silver isn't nearly as expensive as an equally thick gold plating.

[@snafu2350]

@@linuxguy1199TVM! I guess it doesn't affect malleability either?

[@amorphuc]

Thanks Big Clive. I got some double ones years ago and have used them for a couple of LED projects here and there. Maybe 1.5 amps at 12 VDC. That's before I knew about the Wago type connectors. 10 amps on these? Yow!

[@KarldorisLambley]

i bought a load of similar ones some time ago, to use in the days before i learned to not be shite at soldering. mine have a lever atop them, and a little bit of copper inside. i have had few 'interesting' events while using them, the sort that leave a purple inverse image of what you were doing at the time, on your eyeballs for a few minutes. i agree, not for house wiring! a particularly valuable lesson was the one that taught me to ensure a single strand of wire hasn't escaped into the neighbouring hole.

[@oasntet]

Even without water, there's going to be enough water vapor in the air to facilitate a galvanic reaction, very slowly. Stainless steel will also slow that a bit, but I wouldn't assume it's particularly high-grade stainless. It'd still probably take decades in an in-wall circuit, especially in a junction box, in all but the most humid of environments. Hell of a time-triggered disaster to, say, leave for the next person to occupy your house.

[@Dustin2112]

Generally, copper and stainless steel have a low potential for galvanic reactions. In fact copper can assist in stainless steel's corrosion resistance, particularly in more aggressive environments such as saltwater and certain acids as the molecular breakdown of copper produces a barrier to pitting formations.

[@mikebarushok5361]

Well, that's going to vary with what type of stainless steel is used. Back when I had reason to know the details I found that there were hundreds of different 'corrosion resistant steel' materials just within the aircraft industry. Knife blade, hand tool, and medical devices all have their own ranges of materials considered as "stainless steel".

[@Dustin2112]

​​@@mikebarushok5361 I suppose in your zest to be a quasi-contrarian expert, you missed reading the qualifying FIRST WORD of my statement. But, it's OK, you are not wrong by any means.

[@mikebarushok5361]

​@@Dustin2112wasn't trying to criticize you, not even a little. But I used to specify the hardware used in aircraft manufacturing drawings to create grounding points for power grounding and separately for small signal and shielding grounding. We had available CR steel hardware, but never specified stainless steel for these screws, washers, nuts or nut plates because other materials gave better conductivity and better corrosion resistance.

[@tinkerbot4148]

I used these to connect 12v car battery to led strip light in the shed and they melted, causing the wire sleeves to catch fire. Needless to say, the cable came from China. Now I only use them for sub-1 Amp projects such as Pi nano and replacing AA cells with lithium cells from discarded vape thingies.

[@tenmillionvolts]

I've been using these as quick connects for testing and little projects. Love them. Very reliable. I am shocked that people think they would replace chocolate blocks in mains wiring though. No way.

[@billide1463]

They resemble, in shape, to the old fahnstock connectors on our crystal receivers. Plagued with intermittent contact, we were frequently wiggling them. Love the content! senior from Toronto

[@muppetpaster]

It is always so funny to me....Either you film stuff that I then want to buy, or I get stuff and it suddenly pops up in your clips....Happens A LOT!!

[@parsonk4041]

Oh i got those a couple of years ago. They started melting after i used them for a few things. They are still around and come in use every now and then.

[@robertgaines-tulsa]

Corrosion resistant North American plugs and receptacles use stainless steel contacts. They're required for use in Weather Resistant (WR) receptacles used outdoors. I think there are different kinds of stainless steel, so it's likely a higher quality stainless steel for use with receptacles.

[@BizGuzlur]

Interesting Clive. The cross sectional area of the centre of the steel part is significantly reduced by the hole through it and, as copper is about 20 times more conductive than stainless steel, I'd guess that 10A through that connector will cause significant (over?)heating at the centre - it would be good to test it and see if you have a 10A power supply.

[@markstuckey6225]

I bought some of these a couple of years ago and they're fine for testing. I would never use them for anything permanent. Neither would I use Wagos. I am often surprised at some of the types of connectors used in permanent installations. Of particular note is UK assembled stuff, but then UK is a proponent of the absurd and dangerous "ring main" system. I have even seen connectors similar to wagos used on PCBs in German-made space heaters. I do work on imported caravans to make them meet the standards we have in the antipodes; and, I must say, there's no cause for bragging that "it's designed (or made) in Europe". Glad to see someone warning people of the limitations of these things; well done. Though I would've thought that anyone knowing how to connect electrical items, would be able to figure out that these are not going to be able to carry any reasonable current or used as a permanent connection. I think the SS should electrolytically protect the copper in damp situations. Though anyone who uses any type of open (or unsealed) connection in that situation needs to rethink what they're doing with their time.

[@roberthughes6240]

I recently had to diagnose a light fitting failier for a family member, the fitting was rated for a 40w bulb but someone had put a 150w bulb in it and it stopped working shortly after, I found the fault was with this style connector, the cable had started to spark and had eroded a lovely semicircle into the spring, I told them the fitting had failed and got them one rated for the light output they required and fitted a propper 30a junction box (nice beefy screw terminals, love it), great video BC

[@AcornElectron]

Good to see what not to use highlighted! Keep up the good work fella and, as always, stay safe!

[@mikkokannisto]

Those springs press that copper lead against plastic. When current goes through that junction it gets hot and melt that plastic. An automatic thermal fuse...

[@Andrew-ki5jz]

Hi I bought them a month ago,for DIY and decided not to use them , I wasn't aware low amps until I had purchased them ,i switched to screw up connector blocks rated for 15 amps better safety in mind ,I enjoy your tests cheers

[@A--Abbas]

Thanks for another great video, I believe that you are onto a valid point re corrosion due to dissimilar metals in a humid/ damp atmosphere, and even more of an issue in installations/ fittings in locations closer to sea shores, on sea going vessels. The latter examples will most certainly lead to corrosion over time between the copper cable and the steel spring which will degrade /raise the effective contact impedance over time resulting into contact failures. Such failure would be worsened if thinner than minimum recommend copper guage conductors are used.

[@alanhindmarch4483]

Bought some LED lights with these already in the fittings. Removed them and replaced with WAGO connectors as I didn’t trust them.

[@TrippleDragon]

I first came across these things, in an "LED conversation kit" for a kind of DD bulkhead fitting. The idea was that you rip out the balast for the fluorescent tube, pop in the led panel, and then use one of these to connect to the power. At the time I didn't have any alternative, but like you I concluded that it's not really a high power application, and it's well out of the way inside the light fitting. It's not brilliant but it's probably OK as long as no one messes about with it. I definitely wouldn't want to use them on anything with more power.

[@teardowndan5364]

You have maybe a 0.5mm^2 contact patch between the bite and wire, so about 5A at best. With a Wago 221 or similar, you have contact on at least two sides and one of those sides will have at least three contact points.

[@BruceNJeffAreMyFlies]

I got a few of these not long ago from a wee backalley hobby store. They're convenient for prototyping projects, quickly connecting random things on my work bench to check if its even going to work, before I put the effort into soldering it all. That's about the only use I've found for them so far..

[@anotherledfreak8649]

I've bought this type before from Ebay and I won't use them on mains wiring anywhere. I've only used them with low voltage led strips when I'm testing rgb leds and need to remove the wires easily. Good video again Clive. 👍

[@cmyanmar13]

I bought some of these from eBay years ago. I'm not sure if they were exactly the same but the ones I received gripped the wire so loosely they weren't suitable even for low voltage low current. I'm SO GLAD I eventually found the Wago terminals.

[@jp040759]

I discovered these and I use them in place of alligator clip leads when lashing prototype circuits together on the bench. They hold much better and you don't have the wiring rats nest due to long leads all over the bench. They have very little conductor exposed too. Much neater hook ups. Neatness counts for added safety on your bench especially when working with mains pixies. I never even considered using these for permanent mains connectivity applications. Great PSA.

[@chrishartley1210]

A similar analysis of pcb screw terminals would be useful, the ones which are just a piece of spring steel held down with a screw. Many are completely useless compared to the rising clamp type.

[@bigclivedotcom]

The ones with the metal leaf do press the wire down onto a suitable alloy. I do prefer the rising clamp type.

[@norek7226]

Just saw those for the first time today while installing an LED panel. Nice to know a bit more information about them.

[@621pw]

My dad would have loved these in 1976 to connect speaker wire and run it round the house. Seem to remember loads of terminal blocks at various locations under the bookcase and settee.

[@Basement-Science]

dissimmilar metals will be the least of your problems. The contact resistance on these is horrible and the plastic is junk that will melt very quickly, pushing the wire into itself causing arcing. I once bought a few of these and literally threw all of them away immediately after first testing them. They also cant handle anything near their rated current I'm pretty sure.

[@alaricsnellpym]

I have some of those! I use them purely for low voltage DC temporary connections in the lab, where the one-handed springy squeeze disconnect is a boon.

[@Paxmax]

Normally in 230V circuits you are not permitted to connect wires together in such a way that plastic parts are responsible for connection pressure! The fact it is just metal spring in plastic housing means as soon as temperature creeps up over 120-150°C most plastics are coming into their respective "plasticity" temp zone and just derom, give in = higher connection resistance hence exacerbate the temp issues further -it's a thermal self sustaining catastophy. It's a fire hazard waiting for "that day". Examples from real life: All it takes is one capacitor put in the wrong way; Because of current limiting features prior -the capacitor would not blow, just conduct alot and make a heckton of heat that totally charred the insides of this particular product we where manufacturing. The casing became partially soft and melty... and stinking.. ooh the stank of plastic and circuit boards past boiling point approaching flash point is not nice. The product was actually working fine for well over 20 mins... well, except the display could not be read anymore because a black cloud of burnt plastic soot covered it on inside. Luckily for us these products never had a chance of reaching acustomer because of a lenghty in-house testing before packing. If a product just been subjected to just a quick test no one would notice until the smoke/potential fire would seep out 20-30 mins in first time use. (During testing no actual fuses where even hurt, and the staff took an paid hour off for the test area to be ventilated) The problem was traced back to the capacitor batch on the tape reel in PCB manufacturing being taped with polarity flipped compared to normal. So we had 1000's of PCB in manufacturing that now needed manual work to desolder and flip capacitor polarity. Had this product been connected with these "spring load onto plastic" connectors they would create an extra issue, wires under tension crammed in a tight compartment, residential ceiling light fixture as example, it might break free and do whatever, hopefully the connection would just sever before setting house on fire.

[@zackmathers1854]

I build a lot of custom Bluetooth speakers and other audio stuff, and I use these all the time for quick circuit tests/etc. I wouldn’t use them for anything remotely permanent, but for quick connect tests and whatnot they work great!

[@jwhite5008]

These are REALLY useful for low-voltage prototyping (i.e. arduino & co) you can easily stuff multiple wires into the connector, then connect that via breadboard wire to a breadboard. they can also handle much higher power than a breadboard, and you can buy a LOT of them cheaply. the WAGO-like clamp terminals are way too stiff for such usage WAGOs are useful for high-voltage low-amp power in hard-to-reach places i.e. lighting modules and fans installed into the ceiling and such.

[@gamerdruid7605]

Looks to be ok for model railway circuitry. They run at typically 12-20v DC or AC and are usually only running at milli-amps.

[@mattigator600]

Have you seen those old wartime self soldering connectors, where they stick two ends of wire inside and scrape across it like a strike-on-box match to set off the firey bits and hopefully create a solid connection for various engineering & de-engineering... really interesting kit

[@wisher21uk]

Look good for temporary fixing nothing too important, thanks Clive be great to see you run them through there paces current wise 😊

[@phils4634]

Although "less than ideal" for 240v high load, these are nevertheless excellent for 12v / 3v modelmaking applications, along with the silicone grease - filled K series IDC connectors, especially at LED voltages (3v). I use these a lot for initial wiring test / set-up, prior to final connection via the K connectors.

[@billide1463]

A potentially serious flaw with this design is the plastic being under constant tension. Unless reinforced, plastics love to fail under tension; a good example are screw caps on containers that eventually crack from being constantly tightened. Cheers.

[@randomized4368]

These things are very useful for applications where you need to change wires quickly. I've used these in telephone wire when I need to change line fast.

[@uni-byte]

Here in NA there are lots of copper to steel connections that are perfectly safe and legal. IIRC in the UK/Ireland most of the connection I remember from the 1960s were copper to brass. I also remember a lot of those being engulfed in a green crust. Perhaps thing have changed.

[@roysigurdkarlsbakk3842]

Thanks for this! As earlier said in here, I'd love to see a proper test of these with high current load, not only mains, also 5V, 12V or 24V, since people generally use that for LEDs and tend not to think of current issues if the voltage is low.

[@dino6627]

I agree, a 50W load at 12V is 10 times the current (4.2A) than 50W at 120V. With 12V they will melt, with mains they could pass the current OK but wouldn't trust safety either in terms of arcing, insulation and fire resistance.

[@craxd1]

I've never trusted any push connector. In the US, house trailers were once built using outlets and switches having push connections, and worse, they used aluminum wiring. One would also hear about people walking through the trailer causing the lamps to flicker, and about many fires. Thank God, that changed.

[@Esablaka]

Honestly I trust a proper push connector by for example Wago more than a lot of wire nuts. But then again I live in Germany and we do basically everything with some type of wago here.

[@MaxC_1]

Push connectors are perfectly fine and better than love of US for the wire nuts as they do not suffer from bad installation or loosening due to vibration, ONLY when they are either the lock in type (Wago 222 and similar) or the internal teeth type (IDEAL Push in connectors) and used within rated specs from a well known manufacturer. I've been dealing with exclusively Wago and IDEAL connectors and such and not a single failure when within spec.

[@soundspark]

I live in a manufactured "mobile" home and it did come with backstab outlets. Thankfully it's copper not aluminum.

[@dogwalker666]

I hate all push connectors, And obviously wire nuts are not legal here, Push fits actually take longer in reality, I always go to cage clamp terminals. I have also had Wago fail on flexible cable.

[@Boogie_the_cat]

They were probably also cooking m**h in the trailers, so there is that. And poltergeists cause lights to flicker and fires. Remember, most things are usually caused by ghosts, then criminals, then, if you can rule those 2 things out, then maybe it's a result of running 3 space heaters on a 50 foot aluminium-core extension cord plugged into a happy-bake oven socket. 🦆💨

[@SidecarBob]

If the pipe that is pushed into that fitting sweats (as cold water pipes do on hot, humid days) the water can easily run into the area where the stainless is. That said, galvanic corrosion occurs most when the dissimilar metals are farther apart on the galvanic scale and some stainless alloys are pretty close to copper on the scale so if attention was paid to selecting which stainless was used there shouldn't be much to worry about. These wiring connectors could be useful for temporary connections when experimenting if nothing else.

[@Poebbelmann]

Stainless steel is considered to be a neutral metal when used for lighnig rods here in Germany. You can clamp copper or aluminium with it without getting corrosion issues.

[@brianpiddock6074]

Hi Clive I got a bag of these last year for connecting low wattage speaker cable lash ups on events the Fig 8 stuff they worked that's about all I can say about them, I certainly wouldn't advice use on 230 Volts plus they don't have a BS7671 rating.

[@Electronzap]

Yeah, I also bought them long ago. It was definitely alarming that the sellers claimed that they could handle high current and voltage. It's hard to warn people though when you can't tell them the actual voltage and current something can handle. They are a clever design though for the price. I like the screw down ones that are the same size better though. I've seen videos of electricians opening up boxes and being horrified to see these connectors in them, often the connector is burnt. I just got wago like connectors, would definitely use them instead for seriois projects. I'd probably limit current to about 1 amp with these connectors, but sooner or later I'll use my thermal camera to see how hot they get. I knew dissimilar metals cause problems, but never learned a lot of details. Good topics to bring up.

[@tlhIngan]

According to the reduction potentials chart, iron and copper form a cell of around 0.75V. In North America, where we have the fun of aluminum wiring, aluminum and copper form a 2V potential which is why you cannot mix them.

[@fyrrydr4g0n]

I've seen these used as a "tool-less" wiring solution for a low-voltage HVAC device. I'm totally with you Clive, I definitely wouldn't trust them for mains voltage or high power. That being said, I would love to see them tested to failure.

[@renevile]

i had hoped that you had put ten of them in series and run high current through, then arranged them in a circle just like the famus resistor roulette from a couple of years ago. if you need convincing then all my teachers in school always said 'show, don't tell'. and since Photonicinduction "quit" it's not as easy to find a good pop.

[@TATICMOOR]

I got some of these as Two & Three terminals for my small ardunio and other small circuits I plan to build. They will do me for any 0-32v DC test projects that I can supply from my variable power supply unit. The final builds will be powered via buck voltage units soldered or screwed together with proper connectors. Like you said, clive, I wouldn't like to trust these with AC main supplies and high currents.

[@Legg99]

I've just taken down a number of LED light fixtures that had similar connectors - can't say the same but they would have been cheap as the whole light fixture was cheap. After a couple of years in situ with heat from the lights all the connectors were brittle and broke before I could remove the wires. I had to use a small flat bladed screwdriver to release the wire. As they say - you get what you pay for.

[@MacTX]

I definitely see these coming with home LED light fixtures. I installed a bunch of LED light fixtures around my house last year, and most of them came with these. I had no idea what they were at the time and instead just used the old style wire twist caps that's been around seemingly forever.

[@MacTX]

For high voltage applications, they're probably fine since you're not putting many amps through it, especially with LED lights.

[@seanseoltoir]

I was using one of them with a small (12V 4Ah) LiFePO4 battery to test some T5 and T10 LEDs that I had just soldered some leads to. I accidentally shorted the leads together when trying to test two of the bulbs at the same time and quickly discovered what happens on this connectors when you run too much current through them. I don't know exactly the value that is "too much", but I definitely know what happens when it is well above that value. The spring clip actually acts as a *fuse*... If you look at the clip, you will see a hole in the middle of it, so there is only a small portion on each side of the hole for the current to flow through. I ended up with a small flash and then the connector no longer had power on the other end of it. I cut it apart to dissect it and discovered that the two side pieces had melted on both clips.

[@ByWire-yk8eh]

If you use them for what they are intended for, no problem. Great inexpensive design. I use them with my breadboarding and low current/voltage connectons. Of course there are always the folks who put pennies into fuse boxes.

[@kapioskapiopoylos7338]

So the disassembly goes like this, "breath intensely near it". Sounds safe.

[@gregorythomas333]

If they rate them at 10 amps I would suspect it's only about 2 amps max. The stainless steel would also interact badly with aluminum wiring as well.

[@ZaphodHarkonnen]

I’m sure it will happily handle 10A…… At 1V for a half second every hour. :|

[@poiiihy]

@@ZaphodHarkonnenvoltage doesnt matter

[@szymonszewcjr]

Those connectors are actually pretty reasonable for led light fixtures, since leds draw barely any current. I installed loads of PIR led lamps fitted with those connectors from factory, and it's always the motion sensor circuitry failing rather than mains connectors. And they work reasonably well for old aluminum wiring.

[@mernokimuvek]

In Central and Eastern European countties most houses bult in the early 1990s or before and not renovated have aluminium wiring with the wires being connected simply by twisting them with pliers and wrapping them in tape. It lasts decades when done properly.

[@jonnyduncan7056]

As a Sparky, if I see them in a supplied light fitting, they go straight in the bin!!

[@abc-coleaks-info]

Use in high humidity and or salt laden air will increase galvanic growth. And as others have mentioned and you have shown, the plastic breaks down any way.

[@moggy823]

We've been using stainless steel bolts on copper/brass/bronze/aluminium connections in the power industry in the UK for years, both outside and indoors with no issues.

[@mikebarushok5361]

OK for the specific corrosion resistant steel alloys intended for electrical connections. Risky when unknown alloys are in cheap Chinese products.

[@theodorgiosan2570]

I use these for extremely low current applications. For example a single fluorescent fixture that pulls 200ma or less at 120v or 100ma or less at 240v. In that kind of application they work absolutely fine. Also for low voltage applications like thermostat wire (24vac), but for that I prefer the insulation displacement telephone wire connectors if it's not something I have to take apart again. I have some in fluorescent fixtures that have been there for years. Would I ever use one for high current, no , not in a million years, but for a single light fixture they do fine, and the galvanic action doesn't seem to be an issue (but then again none of mine are in a wet location).

[@mikebarushok5361]

Aside from the galvanic corrosion when unpowered in a wet or damp environment I would also be concerned about the problem of metal ion migration when used for DC power wiring. Essentially the equivalent of electroplating, the effect is that depending on the specific metals, the voltage drop and contaminants one side or the other will have the copper slowly being transferred away which is especially dangerous when the 'copper' is a thin plating on steel as is common in Chinese electrical devices, like led lighting fixtures.

[@markscheutzow3446]

If you like, try taking a stainless insert from one and a bit of copper wire, and see which becomes positive when they are dipped (just the end away from the test clips of course) into a mild acid or salt solution. The anode is, I believe, the one that suffers.

[@bigclivedotcom]

Interesting test.

[@barrieshepherd7694]

Daft as it sounds these are probably safer in the hands of an (inexperienced) DIYer than the ubiquitous screw 'terminal strips' (which also are not always copper) - especially when stranded wires are being used. Certainly easier to use when working upside down connecting the new light fitting, no dropped small screws and no arm stress turning screwdrivers. That said I agree with other comments - no more than an Amp I'd say and certainly not in an 'never to be seen again' location.

[@MrVeryCranky]

These are used in lighting fixtures at mains voltages where load currents are only a few hundred milliamps.

[@seanseoltoir]

Coincidentally, I ordered some of these (2-wire version) and the ones that look similar, but with screw terminals off of a Chinese site about 24 hours prior to you posting this video. My idea was to use it under the eave of my house where it would not be directly visible and attach a T5 or T10 LED (which I had soldered short leads onto) into one side. Since these LEDs are normally for use in cars, they are 12VDC and pretty low amps. The way the eave of my house is designed, there is about 1-1.5" overhang of the fascia over the bottom of the soffit, so there's enough room to hide some small diameter wiring and these connectors without them being noticeable unless you were standing directly underneath them. I'll be using solid core wiring, not stranded -- probably 20AWG for the initial test since I have about 60 ft of it leftover from a garage door replacement where I reused the old sensors instead of installing the new sensors... After a coat of paint or caulking, the wire will be even less noticeable. I don't want a lot of lights, so the LED strips are not an option for me. Initially, I'll just put one light in each corner of the roof around the house, garage, and breezeway, so that works out to 16 of them. Maybe a few more if I notice too much of a dead spot between the lighting areas at night... Maybe install the clips every 2 ft so that I have places to put colored T5 bulbs during the Winter Solstice holidays and remove them during the rest of the year... They are cheap enough that installing them every 2 ft would not be that expensive and in fact, since they screw into the wood, they could be used as clips to secure the wire to the fascia or soffit... The screw type were $4.28 for 50 and the 2-wire clip version similar to what you reviewed here were $2.11 for 50... Just need to wait on the proverbial "slow boat from China" for the delivery...

[@Richard-dc5he]

Ones at that kind of price tend to crack the metal when you tighten the screw, and fail quickly. It's a false economy, get proper ones!

[@seanseoltoir]

@@Richard-dc5he -- The order came in today... After I looked at them, the spring type ones (like were reviewed in this video) reminded me of the speaker wire connectors on most of the speakers that I've had over the years. Not something that I would recommend putting a lot of power through, but good enough for low voltage. The screw type ones were in a slightly smaller form factor. Both would accept 16-AWG stranded wire without a problem. The only problem that I have with them so far is that for my intended application, I do not have any screws that are small enough to fit in them. A standard drywall screw is too large both in the base of the screw and even more so in the diameter of the head. My measurements (via a digital caliper) seems to indicate that it will need a 3-3.5mm diameter screw with a head that is not more than around 4-4.5mm. I'll also need them to be around 20mm long. Easy enough to order off of AliExpress or Temu and then wait 2 weeks for them to be delivered by the proverbial "slow boat from China".... I *could* probably take some drywall screws and chuck them up in my metal lathe and cut them down to the right head diameter... That's a lot of work, but it would probably be quicker than waiting for them to be shipped from China... Of course, the problem with ordering it off one of the Chinese sites is that by the time it get here, I've forgotten what it was that I needed it for... ;)

[@robertmccornet]

I use these for my model railway wiring 15V max. They work really well for that, I wouldn't consider them for anything else.

[@ratheonhudson3311]

I've bought a few of these for 12v low voltage projects and they were okay. I tried using them to connect 18v solar panels together. Much less good. They melt a little, but seem to have contact continuously regardless of the plastic shield evaporating.

[@rasungod0]

In 100-120V countries they use the same 14 AWG (1.5mm diameter) wire in lighting as they do on any normal 15 amp breaker. 20 amp breakers need to use 12 AWG (2mm diameter) but they aren't usually for lighting.

[@UKTunedIn]

The metal grips the cable/wire against the bare plastic.. that will be an issue with heat over time. I remember changing a fitting with line/earth fault because a plastic connector had disintegrated... Although it was the old original one with screw terminals... But at least that had metal to metal gripping the cable.

[@howardosborne8647]

Semi magnetic does suggest the contact osade from one of the springy stainless steel grades. Take a contact out and test it in vinegar and salt water solution to see if it rusts.

[@tomapc]

Been using those for quite some time, OK for testing stuff, not for permanent use. They do melt easily.... 😃

[@Grid56]

Somehow I don't trust these at all, not even branded Wagos. I usually replace them with the familiar screw blocks. That said, I realise that they too may not be copper under the bright finish. I never thought about electrolytic reaction. What would be your preferred connector generally available here in blighty ?

[@wirdy1]

Wago style are BS7671 approved. It's easy to tar all these quick connectors with the same brush.

[@Sylvan_dB]

Different metals are definitely a concern. And the comparison with the copper pipe fitting shows that it may be okay, but not all stainless steel is the same and the different alloys behave differently.

[@askjacob]

The fact that the clamping is against plastic instead of a metal strip at the top... once any heat is involved it would become a run-away as the tension is lost while the heated wire softens the plastic it is clamped to... loosening the clamping, leading to higher resistance, further softening the plastic and so on unti you are lucky and it disconnects, or unlucky and find out whether the plastic is flame retardant... and the rest of whatever this is tucked into...

[@jaakkooksa5374]

I have these and they are mainly usable in testing connections and such, I would never use them in electrical installations because I do not want my connections to fail or my house to burn down.

[@frankowalker4662]

I've got loads of the two way version of these. They are great for battery circuits and projects.

[@rogerbradbury9713]

I've learned to fear connections wrapped in yards and yards of insulating tape; anything under the tape WILL be a bodge! If it's on a 240 volt circuit, I turn off the supply first, as at least one live wire will be exposed when I take the tape off. In my brother's old house they didn't use insulating tape or even actual terminals when they took a spur off the ring; they thought twisting the ends together and "insulating" the connections with some adhesive fabric tape, the type you find in a first aid box, was a much better idea!

[@anthonyvolkman2338]

I will sate that I am very surprised by the build quality, it's actually built much better than I thought. It also has synchronous rectification on board as well. It's got a lot more in there than I thought would be in it.

[@waldfruchttee]

i got a led light kitchen lamp recently and it came with one of those but i must say i am much more comfortable with the older "screw" type

[@alunjones3860]

Did you try testing them at a high current? A good way to do this is to use a variac and a toroidal transformer with one or two turns though the middle to make a high current secondary and a clamp meter.

[@drivewasher]

You might be onto something there Clive. I recall the days of copper clad cable. That's aluminium with a copper coating. The coating I was told was to stop dissimilar metal reaction (galvanic) as copper was nearer to the brass connector than the aluminium. But in my opinion (1977 ish) the grub screw would cut through the copper and dig into the aluminium anyway.

[@bigclivedotcom]

Copper clad aluminium is sadly coming back in many flexible cables from sites like eBay and Amazon.