3M Scotchlok Electrical Tap IDC 560B-BULK, Blue, Pack of 500 | 18–16 AWG (solid/stranded), 14 AWG (stranded)

These are perfect for making taps into 16 ga lamp cord/landscape wire or most other types of regular wiring up to 14 ga. They allow you to tap in to a wiring run without cutting and splicing the existing wiring. No soldering, no tape or heatshrink, just a quick neat connection. The specs say they will accept 14 ga. stranded wire, but 16 ga. landscape wire was the biggest twin zip cord I was able to fit into them. Your results my be different depending on the thickness of the insulation. The bottom line is that the maximum outside diameter of the wire has to be less than .145 inch or less or it will not fit. They will accept smaller wire as well. Just make sure you stay within the published wire size limits. However, please note that these connectors are NOT greased or watertight. If you're making connections that will be subjected to significant moisture (direct burial, exposed landscaping, marine) 3M makes a much better device that comes pre-greased and protects the connection much better... the 3M Scotchlok Electrical IDC 804 connector. Amazon has them in bags of 100. They're more expensive, but they save a lot of time. I needed 120 connectors for my landscape lighting project, some in really damp areas, and some in drier areas (inside walls, etc.) so I bought 100 of the greased connectors for the wet areas, and a bag of these cheaper ones for the dry areas (inside walls, inside conduit, etc.). I still put a shot of silicone grease inside these before making my connections anyway just to be safe. The landscaping suppliers charge as much as FOUR DOLLARS EACH for their connectors, and most of them aren't even close to as watertight as the IDC 804 connectors, making them a much better and more economical choice if you have a large project. I have individually reviewed the IDC 804 connectors too for anyone who's interested.

Worked perfectly and I’m likely pushing them to their limit. Used for splicing wires for 16 gage low voltage lighting. The cord is rated for direct burial so it has a thicker than normal sheath but these connectors just barely accepted the cord. Made positive connections with no issues. Had to be a little careful when squeezing the metal blade closed but not bad. Sealed it with multiple layers of liquid tape for waterproofing. Should hold up well.

I purchased these to aid in installing a remote start system in my car. They were very handy and I couldn't imagine doing the job without them. What I really like about these is that you can splice two wires together very quickly and efficiently, all without causing damage to either wire, meaning if you spliced the wrong wires together, you can just pop these off and don't have a huge mess to deal with like you would if you had stripped, spliced, and soldered the wires together. In my case, using these connectors saved me from splicing and soldering about twenty wires together all in very tight spaces in the dash of my car. They made the job so much easier and are totally worth the investment.

I am skeptical that these are actually 3M products. I have bought them before and they came in a labeled and branded 3M bag. These just came in a plastic bag. The authentic 3M ones do not actually have the 3M logo stamped on them, but these do. The plastic on these is definitely a bit softer, and I’ve had a few of them fail while crimping.

High quality. Ordered my second package. Used bunches under my model railroad all have proved to be excellent and labor saving over soldering. Bought spendy pliers from Klein $27 which helped on install. It’s not easy to hold the wires in the fastener while upside down and crimp with pliers however.

The title of this item lists BOX in it. Typically, when an item has the word BOX in its title it does indeed arrive in a box. These were probably purchased in bulk quantities and repackaged. My order arrived loose in a bag so I put them in an old frosting container (mmm frosting). When used in the proper applications these little guys work great. I have been using them since the mid 1980s. I still have a couple from the 1990s but it is time to replenish my stock. I have found that when I use the correct size wire and I firmly squeeze the metal terminal they work every time. For a temporary repair, I have doubled over thin wire until I could do a proper repair. One star off for no box because I can't take away half-star. Not a big deal, but I mentioned it because it may be a big deal to someone else, like a person who intends to resell the boxes.

Item as described and fast shipping and delivery. Would definitely recommend item and seller to other buyers A ++++

These are very easy to use. I was connecting an automotive accessory, and had to splice into the existing car wiring. There was very little room to work, and I could barely see the point of connection. It would have been a monumental chore with wire nuts, especially since there was almost no slack in the wires. I bought the red ones and the blue ones. The blue ones are approved for 110 volt, and the red ones are not. I was unsure if the red ones would fit the automotive wiring in my car, but it turns out that they would have worked for both of the devices I was installing. I ended up using the blue ones for one device, and the red ones for the other, where the space was even more limited. These connectors enabled me to make the splices easily.