Review: Wago 221 quick, reusable, wire to wire connectors

[rjenkinsgb]

Hi all, just playing around with some motor control bits & using some Wago lever connectors for temporary connections.
I realised I had never seen any mention of these on here & I though other people may find them useful.

They are toolless wire to wire connectors, you just lift the level on the position you want to insert or remove a wire and the connector stays open until you snap the lever back down.

They are approved for permanent wiring installations - but the ease of adding and removing wires makes them very convenient for temporary connections, testing and prototyping etc., as well.

The official wire size range is from 0.14 mm^2 up to 4 mm^2 copper section in any combination and they are rated for up to 32A and 440V AC working, at least for the UK versions. They may have different ratings in other countries, to comply with national regs.

The wire strip length is 11mm (about 7/16") but is not ultra-critical to a couple of mm, at least for prototyping and temporary test setups. There is a an 11mm scale on the side of the connector for checking you have it about right.

They are fully insulated and touchproof, despite the metal possibly appearing to be exposed in my photos; it's just a lighting effect.

[There is also a bigger version rated at 41A and for up to 6 mm^2 cable, but I don't have any of those].

The larger version in comparison, from an advert:

 

[gophert]

Just to confirm, the same block can handle from 12AWG to 24AWG. And the block of three parts are all spliced together, correct?
And can more than one wire be mounted below a single lever?
Is there any add-on parts to lock them closed?
Are they only free hanging or is there a way to mount them to a surface (wall, ceiling)

 

[rjenkinsgb]

I've just looked up the AWG sizes; Wago data says 12 down to 28 AWG for the 32A terminals, or the larger 41A type covers 10 down to 20 AWG.
Each unit is a commoning block, 2 / 3 / 5 positions internally linked together.

As long as the total of wire size still fits fully in to the terminal, two or more similar size stranded wires should be fine in one "way" of the unit.

The natural state is "closed", lifting the lever is working against the spring of the mechanism; they cannot accidentally open.

They can usually be self-supporting within a junction box, something like this found via google:

Whilst searching I also found there are purpose-made boxes by Wago in various sizes to house those terminals, such as this:

And a larger box with a set of fitted terminals, apparently intended for use as a "wiring centre" for typical Honeywell Y Plan or S Plan etc. central heating setups as commonly used in the UK.

 

[Visitor]

There are some off-brand variations that are for making slices, up to three parallel conductors but they can also stack for more poles.

 

[ChrisP58]

Here is a link to the manufacturers product page.
https://www.wago.com/global/electri...stallation-terminal-blocks-and-connectors/221

 

[throbscottle]

I've seen those things so many times whilst browsing through eBay (to see what's cheap that week) and I always think, they look great but I'd never use them. Then some days later I'll be twisting wires together again. Never made the mental leap.
Well, on my shopping list now...

 

[Diver300]

I got a Wago selection box (https://cpc.farnell.com/wago/51228987/installer-box-basic-wago/dp/CN17110) about a year ago and it's been very useful.

I opened up one of the lever ones and I found the plastic parts aren't involved in holding the connection. There is a really strong metal spring that clamps the wires, meaning that they won't come loose if there is thermal cycling.

The plastic parts are what hold the spring open to allow assembly, but once the levers are down, they don't push on the spring.

I've been very impressed and I've topped up some of the popular sizes already. I won't be using screw terminal to you.

 

[DerStrom8]

We use these all the time at work. Absolutely fantastic connectors!