Author Topic: Harbor Freight now has Lever Nuts  (Read 548 times)

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Ed Kapuscinski

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Harbor Freight now has Lever Nuts
« on: September 22, 2024, 02:35:56 PM »
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MK

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Re: Harbor Freight now has Lever Nuts
« Reply #1 on: September 22, 2024, 02:42:27 PM »
+1
Yes I saw That the other day!  They don't list the gauge range these work with.  There is one review that says max 12 gauge.  But what is the min given that MRR tends to use finer wires.

Point353

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Re: Harbor Freight now has Lever Nuts
« Reply #2 on: September 22, 2024, 03:42:04 PM »
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Or, I could buy WAGO connectors at one of the three Home Depot stores or two Lowe's stores that I would pass on the way to the nearest Harbor freight store.

MK

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Re: Harbor Freight now has Lever Nuts
« Reply #3 on: September 22, 2024, 04:01:47 PM »
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Not like for like as HF is an assortment.  It'll cost you a fortune to replicate that variety at HD.

Chris333

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Re: Harbor Freight now has Lever Nuts
« Reply #4 on: September 22, 2024, 04:08:14 PM »
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We use WAGO connectors at work because they are cheaper than most. You stick a small flat screwdriver into them to release the wire.

Edit: They are Wago terminal blocks like these:
https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/wago-corporation/280-901/13549602
« Last Edit: September 22, 2024, 04:09:50 PM by Chris333 »

jagged ben

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Re: Harbor Freight now has Lever Nuts
« Reply #5 on: September 22, 2024, 07:46:21 PM »
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What do you guys use these for in a model railroad context?  What have you got against wire nuts that cost 3-4 times less?  Or soldering, which costs essentially nothing?  I've never understood the appeal of these things. 

Scottl

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Re: Harbor Freight now has Lever Nuts
« Reply #6 on: September 22, 2024, 09:24:34 PM »
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I used these on my layout.  They are great for power distribution points where you want to have many feeders to the track, like in a yard.  I found them much faster and reliable than marettes.  I hate soldering under the layout.

jagged ben

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Re: Harbor Freight now has Lever Nuts
« Reply #7 on: September 22, 2024, 11:04:47 PM »
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I guess as a professional electrician I just find wire nuts super easy.  But I also don't want lots of splices in my bussing, so I'll stick to soldering feeders to busses.   YMMV

Scottl

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Re: Harbor Freight now has Lever Nuts
« Reply #8 on: September 23, 2024, 08:54:15 AM »
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FWIW, I would never use these for mains wiring.  They are rated for that but they seem a bit lightweight.

Tad_T

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Re: Harbor Freight now has Lever Nuts
« Reply #9 on: September 23, 2024, 10:59:28 AM »
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The electrician that wired my bunkhouse used these. I thought that they were pretty slick.

Tad
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dem34

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Re: Harbor Freight now has Lever Nuts
« Reply #10 on: September 29, 2024, 12:13:33 PM »
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What do you guys use these for in a model railroad context?  What have you got against wire nuts that cost 3-4 times less?  Or soldering, which costs essentially nothing?  I've never understood the appeal of these things.

You can release them in a few seconds to troubleshoot. Handy for larger layouts or layouts with complicated wiring.
-Al