Paul,
Thank you.
I find that interesting.
I went back and experimented some more. If I use the 22 hole of the stripmaster on either the teflon coated wire or the CAT 5 wire, it cuts into the insulation a bit, but doesn't strip it. If I use the 24 hole, it seems to work fine. But I'm afraid it might be nicking the wire when using a smaller hole. I assume everyone else uses the 22 hole for 22 wire on the stripmaster.
Strangely, when I go back to using my old manual stripper, selecting the 22 hole on that device works fine for both wires, every single time without fail.
The model number of my Ideal stripper is 45-097, which I think might be different from what I saw mentioned on the forums. Looking at the Ideal website, 45-097 is the only one listed at present for 16-26 wires. Could they have changed model numbers when a supplier was changed? Could it be the quality control isn't what it used to be?
I might see if I can reach out to the company. At this point, I'm way more comfortable using the old one.