When cutting back the protective coating on CAT5 wiring, which of the following is the recommended tool?

A punchdown tool is used to seat and terminate individual wire conductors into keystone jacks or patch panels - it does not strip the outer jacket of the cable.

A basic crimper is used to attach RJ45 or RJ11 connectors onto the end of a cable after stripping - it is not designed to remove protective coating.

Wire strippers are specifically designed to cut and remove the insulating jacket from cables at a controlled depth, preventing damage to the internal twisted pairs inside CAT5 cabling. Using the correct tool ensures the conductors remain intact and electrically sound for termination.

A degausser is a device that erases magnetic media by applying a strong magnetic field and has no application in cable preparation.