Scotch locks

[Devlin]

A cheap shoddy way of connecting wiring,bound to cause trouble,collects dirt, water,corrodes,and leaves cut ends exposed,if you want a really good way to connect wires look for wago connectors I use them exclusively as a electrician and havve just about replaced every one on my abi 380, ans as for the plastic cover they stick over the bunched up scotch locked cables, dont get me started !!!!

 

[DrZhivago]

Scotch Locks are horrible, they should be banned! I'd rather use terminal strip; never came across the Wago but I might give them a try.

 

[camel]

I've used these connectors for years and never had a problem so why should they be banned, and for what reason,

 

[Trilobite]

I bet you can get them from Devlin Electronics, suppliers of electrical connectors 😱hmy:
Any connection to the OP?

Moderator Note: The above comment is totally unwarranted and totally incorrect.
Posters are reminded that making unsubstantiated accusations is very wrong and will not go unchallenged.
Leaving an emoticon does NOT reduce the severity of the post.
As a first post by this user I find it totally unacceptable and the poster is banned from the whole forum.

 

[Beehpee]

I'm an electrician working on cars, caravans, plant, hgv's and have been for longer than I care to remember, I agree with the comment regarding banning scotch locks, I've no idea what these wago connectors are but I'd also think the OP is a distributor of them but regardless of whether they are I don't need to see them to have a pretty good idea that they are going to be a posh version of a scotch lock, might be slightly better quality but still a scotch lock basically and if so these should also be banned, why anyone doing electrical connections doesn't use a soldering iron when you can pick them up cheaply I don't know, I use a decent quality gas soldering iron that can cost me around £80/100 but will last for ages, for handyman jobs you could get one easily for less than £40/50 but will probably last you for years, scotch locks and probably wago connectors have a nasty habit of making and breaking electrical contact, imagine using them for tow hitch electrics and the connection to brake lights has been lost! If you want a proper job soldering is the only way to go.

BP

 

[WoodlandsCamper]

Scotch Locks are basically Insulation Displacement Connectors (IDC). The electronics and communications world runs on IDC fittings, so why single out one specific type? The cost of items would spiral if every connection needed to be soldered.

 

[Beehpee]

Each to their own I guess, if I used IDC connectors I'd fail any and every single audit of my work, I'd be out of business because I wouldn't be allowed to do insurance approved work, but for a cheap quick job........

 

[emmerson]

As beehpee said, Wago just seem to be a posh Scotch lock.
While I agree with most of the opinions on Scotch locks, I do carry a small pack of them in my travelling toolbox. They come in handy for emergency work at times.Replace with solder and shrink wrap asap, though.

 

[Gafferbill]

My favourite Scotch Loch is Loch Tummel

.......I know nothing about Insulation Displacement Connectors :huh:

 

[DrZhivago]

I've used these connectors for years and never had a problem so why should they be banned

I said "banned" tongue in cheek, but they are horrible anyway. They cut through the outer insulation (fair enough) but unless they accurately sized for the core of the wire, they are also likely to cut strands of the wire's core, leaving it indeterminate whether all the strands will be conducting. In the vast majority of uses they will most likely not be accurately sized for the job. Then the cutters are made of steel which is not the best conductor anyway, even before it corrodes.

Scotch Locks are basically Insulation Displacement Connectors (IDC).

I know.

The electronics and communications world runs on IDC fittings, so why single out one specific type? The cost of items would spiral if every connection needed to be soldered.

The phone companies use IDC in their lines, but these are signal cables where the current is very low. Also, their wires have solid cores, not stranded, so the issue of severing strands does not arise. And of course their IDCs are correctly sized for those solid cores. OTOH, in caravans, cars, and for the sort of sizes and uses that Scotch Locks are marketed for (eg by Halfords), the currents are much higher, up to 10 amps or more.

I deliberately did not mention soldering as most people would not try it, but as it happens soldered bullet connectors are my favourite 🙂 Instead I mentioned terminal strip, which uses screw terminals and which I would use myself eg inside a circuit box where there is no strain on a wire. I have never examined a Wago connector but from Googling they look like the equivalent of a terminal strip but with a lever action instead of a screw'; they don't look like IDC (can anyone here confirm that?) but I would not be enamoured with them if they were.

 

[Damian]

Wago connectors are very good !
They are a spring loaded clamp and are available in various sizes and fit into an enclosure box.
They are rated to 32A.

I have been using them for a number of years now and have never found fault , or had a problem with them and no adverse reports from numerous customers.

 

[timhowarduk]

I'm another cursor of scotch locks, and I've inherited a van with rather a lot of them! My main gripe is they are not reliable, they potentially reduce the conductor size and there is no way to easily inspect whether the connection has been made and made well.
My personal preference is using a little gas soldering iron and then heat shrink (remembering to thread the HS on first!). If i'm in a desperate hurry and it's suitable then crimped spade connectors would be the hack I'd use.
Thanks for the heads up on Wago connectors, I'd not been aware of those and I can see they have their place. Bit pricey though!

 

[Raywood]

I did Google Wago just out of curiosity and they do look good and easy to use.

 

[MichaelE]

Wago connectors are very good but in the right environment. They are basically a fancy connector but rely on being pushed into to make the connection, this is great on single core cable ie household electrical installation, but multistrand 12v cable is much softer so more difficult to push home fully into the connector plus some copper strands may push back.

 

[Damian]

Wago connectors are very good but in the right environment. They are basically a fancy connector but rely on being pushed into to make the connection, this is great on single core cable ie household electrical installation, but multistrand 12v cable is much softer so more difficult to push home fully into the connector plus some copper strands may push back.

Sorry but you are certainly not very knowledgeable about the types of Wago connectors.

Yes there are the type that are specifically made for single core cables which are pushed into the connector, but then there are the lever operated spring loaded type that accept and hold very frimly both single core and multi strand cables, with NO strands pushed back.

 

[MichaelE]

Wago connectors are very good but in the right environment. They are basically a fancy connector but rely on being pushed into to make the connection, this is great on single core cable ie household electrical installation, but multistrand 12v cable is much softer so more difficult to push home fully into the connector plus some copper strands may push back.

Sorry but you are certainly not very knowledgeable about the types of Wago connectors.

Yes there are the type that are specifically made for single core cables which are pushed into the connector, but then there are the lever operated spring loaded type that accept and hold very frimly both single core and multi strand cables, with NO strands pushed back.

Obviously not!!!! but he didn't mention the lever type you are referring too just wago connectors so i presumed wrongly he meant the push type.

 

[chrisbee1]

I too maintain that the only way to make a good permanent connection is a soldered joint. Having said that, when called out to electrical problems on HGV's in the middle of a rainy night I have used Scotchlocks as a temporary solution, with the advice to take the vehicle to a workshop for a proper repair in the not too distant future. Whether or not any of the drivers ever did I doubt.

 

[VicMallows]

I too maintain that the only way to make a good permanent connection is a soldered joint..

There are many though who will disagree with you .... particularly in an environment subject to vibration such as a caravan. The soldered joint is a rigid stress point in what should be a very flexible piece of wire. In salty environments (such as boating) soldered joints often suffer badly from corrosion due to the dissimilar metals.

(Having said that, it is a 'perfectionist' approach, and I for one will use solder/crimps/screw-terminals according to whatever seems appropriate+convenient at the time)

EDIT:: Just remembered that the 15 year old 12N socket wiring on my Mondeo is still connected in with ScotchLocks 😱hmy:

 

[Icaru5]

Completely agree with the points made about soldering. This would be my first choice unless connections need to be occasionally removed, in which case I would use one of the numerous available solutions, but only one which provides a sound electrical connection through friction caused by spring tension.

The OP mentions “Wago” connectors. Wago is in fact a reputable supplier in the industrial automation sector, specialising in CAN and Fieldbus systems. Like many of their competitors, in addition to sophisticated electronic devices they also supply a range of connection systems. These were mainly designed to facilitate a fast and reliable connection to their electronic modules both during the assembly process and during module testing or replacement in the field without the need for soldering, but as such systems more often than not offer male and female connectors, whilst they cost many times more than the more well known generic automotive connectors, are also ideal for a wide variety of applications that they were not originally designed for, such as in caravans.

 

[GD485]

I consider scotch locks are ok if used correctly and in the right atmosphere.
However most failures are due to water ingress and corrosion or attempting to use the connectors on the wrong gauge wire.
Most IDC's used in electronic are much closer quality controlled with conductor size being specific to a particular IDC.
A soldered connection can be problematic for the less skilled in the use of soldering iron and solder.

 

[takisawa2]

A faulty Scotchlok, used by a mobile fitter, caused the loss of our caravan lights last night; just before joining the M6.
I knew he'd used them but they will all be coming out when I get chance.
An electrician at work recommended ratchet crimps, heat shrink & self amalgam tape when I had to have some domestic wiring extended once ( ring main cut too short to reach the fuse board).

 

[GD485]

What a place to have electrical problems.

I had a similar problem on the A420 when the rear lights failed ( not towing ) due to scotch locks shearing the wiring loom.

The best fix is soldering and shrink sleeving
Although it can be difficult to gain good access to the wiring on a car then I'd use a good crimping tool and some insulated crimps.