Are these Decora Edge outlets supposed to feel this tight in the box?

The tension you're feeling is usally becasue the Decora Edge profile is significantly deeper than a standard residential grade receptacle. Those lever mechanisms take up a lot of real estate inside the housing. If you're working with those older 18 or 20 cubic inch plastic boxes, space is at a premium. You realy have to be strategic with how you dress the wires before the outlet even touches the box.

Instead of just shoving them in, fold your wires into a tight 'Z' or accordion shape against the back of the box. Use your pliers to get those bends crisp. Since you have to straighten the old loops anyway to fit into the lever ports, take that opportunity to trim any excess wire. You only need about 6 inches of lead from the back of the box; any more than that and you're just fighting physics.

And watch out for where the wire enters the back of the device. Because the levers are on the sides but the body is thick, the wires tend to want to poke out sideways and catch on the box ribs. If you have multiple neutrals, don't try to cram them all into the device if it's already tight. Doing a quick **pigtail** with a Wago 221 or a wire nut to bring it down to a single lead will actually save you more space than trying to use the outlet as a junction point. You don't necessarily need extra-deep boxes, but you do need to be meticulous with the wire management. These are defintely safer than the old 'stab-in' ports because the lever creates a high-pressure connection similar to a cage clamp, but that safety comes with the trade-off of a bulkier footprint. If the faceplate isn't sitting flush, don't just crank down on the mounting screws or you'll risk cracking the ears or the box itself. Pull it back out, re-fold the wires deeper into the corners, and try again.

That 'Z' fold advice makes sense, but I'm such a newbie at this—is there a trick to getting the wires to stay folded? I feel like as soon as I let go, they just spring back and push the outlet out again. Also, you mentioned doing a pigtail to save space. I've seen the word before but don't really know how it works. Does that mean I'm basically connecting all the wires together with a connector first and just running one wire to the outlet? If these things are allready so bulky, wouldn't adding more connectors just make the box even more crowded?

I’ve been cramming wires into tight spots since before these plastic boxes were even a thing. Back when we used those tiny steel gem boxes, you learned real fast to "set" your copper. Take your Lineman’s and give those bends a real hard squeeze—make 'em stay put. These lever jobs are handy, sure, but they’re thick as a deck of cards. I still trust a solid wrap around a brass screw over any plastic clip. If those wires are springing back, you ain't being mean enugh to 'em. Push 'em in with the blunt end of your hammer handle and make 'em listen.

Yeah, those things are chunky. If the 'Z' fold isn't staying, I usually use the handle of my screwdriver to really ram the wires into the back corners before the outlet even goes in. You gotta be bossy with the copper. Also, check if you've got any thick 12-gauge wire in there. If it's a 20-amp circuit, that stuff's way stiffer than 14-gauge and'll fight you twice as hard. If you're still struggling, sometimes I'll slightly trim the plastic 'ears' on the box if they're deformed, but usually, it's just about being more aggressive with the folds.

If you're hitting a wall with those shallow boxes, you really need to swap them for Carlon B122A-UPC Blue boxes. They give you 22 cubic inches of space, which is plenty for a bulky Decora Edge. I also swear by the Southwire Bend All (SD-1) tool for getting stiff wires to hold thier shape. It’s designed to make those tight, 90-degree 'Z' folds that stay put against the back of the box. Using that tool will stop the copper from springing back and pushing the outlet out. Once you have the extra room from the Carlon box and the right bends, everything shoud sit flush.

Quick update — I finally got them flush! I took the advice to be 'bossy with the copper' and used my screwdriver handle to realy shove the wires into the back corners first. Giving the Z-folds a hard squeeze with my pliers made a huge difference too. It’s defintely a tight fit in those older boxes, but they're staying put now. Thanks for the tips!