Harbor Freight now has Lever Nuts

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Now you don't even need to wait for Amazon. Convenient!

https://www.harborfreight.com/compact-lever-wire-connector-assortment-25-piece-70056.html

[MK]

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]

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]

Not like for like as HF is an assortment.  It'll cost you a fortune to replicate that variety at HD.

[Chris333]

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

[jagged ben]

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]

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]

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]

FWIW, I would never use these for mains wiring.  They are rated for that but they seem a bit lightweight.

[Tad_T]

The electrician that wired my bunkhouse used these. I thought that they were pretty slick.

Tad

[dem34]

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.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

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

And being able to rapidly troubleshoot at shows.