Every fiber job starts the same way: before a cleaver, a splicer, or a connector touches the fiber, the coatings have to come off cleanly. That first step decides much of what follows. A nicked or scratched bare fiber will not cleave well, and a poor cleave will not splice well. The K-870 Tri-Hole Fiber Optic Stripper exists for exactly this step. It is a comfortable, hand-held stripper that handles the three sizes field crews meet most often — 250 µm, 900 µm, and 3 mm — in a single tool, with a precision blade for each size.
What Each Hole Is For
The three holes work as a sequence, from the outside of the cable inward. The largest hole takes the 3 mm outer jacket down to the buffer underneath. The middle hole strips the 900 µm buffer coating down to the 250 µm coating. The smallest hole removes that 250 µm coating to expose the bare fiber itself. Used in that order, the tool steps the fiber down layer by layer instead of forcing one opening to do a job it was not sized for.
That sizing is what keeps the strip clean. Each hole is matched to the layer it removes, so the blade cuts the coating rather than dragging against the glass. The result is a consistent strip: the same length of bare fiber, with the same clean finish, time after time. On a job where a crew prepares dozens of fibers a day, that consistency matters more than speed alone, because every bad strip is a fiber that has to be re-prepared.
Why One Tool Covers the Whole Job
Field work rarely stays on one cable type. A crew may terminate a drop cable in the morning, assemble pigtails at midday, and repair a damaged span in the afternoon. Carrying a separate stripper for each size means swapping tools, and swapping tools means lost time and a higher chance of grabbing the wrong one. The K-870 covers jacket, buffer, and coating work with one hand-held tool, which is why it fits the three jobs the tool is built for: fiber cable termination, fiber cable assembly, and repair.
It also pairs naturally with the next step in the chain. A clean strip is the starting point for a clean cleave, and we have written before about why cleave quality decides splice quality. Strippers and cleavers are often talked about as separate tools, but in practice they are one workflow: the stripper prepares the fiber, the cleaver finishes it, and any damage introduced at the stripping stage travels straight through to the joint.
Getting a Clean Strip, Every Time
Good stripping technique is mostly about matching the hole to the layer and letting the tool do the work. Seat the fiber in the right hole for the layer you are removing, close the jaws fully, and pull straight along the fiber rather than at an angle. Check the bare fiber after each strip: it should look clean and unmarked, with no visible nicks or leftover coating. If a strip looks ragged, it is worth re-preparing that fiber rather than carrying a damaged end into the cleaver.
Two habits keep the tool itself in good shape. First, use it only for the sizes it is made for; forcing a larger jacket through a small hole dulls the blade and risks the fiber. Second, keep the stripping area clean. Coating debris left in the jaws can end up pressed against the next fiber, so a quick wipe between jobs pays for itself. A stripper is a simple tool, but it is also the tool that touches every fiber first, so it deserves the same care as the more expensive instruments in the kit.
The K-870 is a small, everyday tool, but it sits at the start of every termination and repair. Three holes, matched blades, and a hand-held design that crews can carry all day: that is all it needs to be, and all a clean prep asks of it. To see the full product details, visit the K-870 Tri-Hole Fiber Optic Stripper product page. If you would like to add it to your crew's kit, send us the model numbers and quantities you need through the quote form or write to silvia@licoom.com — we will reply with EXW factory pricing on request, MOQ, and lead time.
