Debate: Should we use wire nuts or lever nuts for residential work?

I used wire nuts for 10 years straight, thought they were the only way to go. Then I did a service call in a condo where the homeowner had swapped everything to lever nuts. At first I thought it was lazy, but after fighting with a tight box that had 6 wires in it, I realized how much easier they made changes. Now I'm torn because wire nuts are cheaper and I trust them more for solid copper, but lever nuts save so much time on rewiring. What do you all use day to day and why?

3 comments

3 Comments

linda_reed21d ago

I heard a sparky say once that lever nuts actually have better vibration resistance in stuff like ceiling fans, which made me kinda rethink things. idk, they're pricier but for service work I'm leaning more toward them lately.

jakel2521d ago

Wait, lever nuts actually grip better under vibration? I thought wire nuts held tighter in fans.

carr.abby21d ago

Is it just me or does every job end up with me having to cram six wires into a box that was clearly designed for three? Totally feel you on that. And hey, @linda_reed, I heard that about vibration resistance too, though I still have this weird mental block about trusting plastic over my old wire nuts (maybe because I once dropped a lever nut and it bounced right into a bucket of paint... classic Abby move).