How I get push-in wires out of old switches without cutting them

I went through a bit of the same stuff last fall. I had to pull out the switch in the basement laundry room, and found several of those old-style molded switches. I tried the screwdriver slot thing you mentioned on one of them, but it didn't feel like the spring release was really there. The wiring was held on pretty tightly inside the housing.

I ended up using a small pair of wire nut cutters to gently nip the excess plastic housing near the terminals. It wasn't aggressive, just enugh to give me a clean grip on the wire itself. It was surprisingly effective. I managed to pull the copper out without any real strain once I had that grip. This method worked well for my older duplex switches, which were about 20 years old. After I got the wires free, I moved them to the newer dimmer we put in that spot. Always better to have them hooked under the screw heads, expecially with the torque that screws provide. It felt much more secure than whatever old connection was there before. It was a bit of a fiddly job, but much easier than having to cut the wires entirely.

Not buying the cutter thing honestly. Nicking the copper right where it goes into a terminal is how you end up with a hot spot later, and old switch plastic cracks in ways you can't see. If the slot didn't seem to release anything, it might be because you have to hold the screwdriver in and pull the wire at the same time, not one after the other. I've had a few where the release only works under steady tension. Also not sure the screw connection wins because of torque, the clamping pressure is what matters, but whatever, screws are still the right call.

All this talk of releases and slots, and here's the thing I learned the hard way doing rentals in the 80s. Sometimes that wire just ain't coming out clean no matter what, especially if the last guy stabbed it twice and work-hardened the copper. Don't fight it. Clip it right where it enters the hole, strip back fresh copper, and hook it under the screw. You just need enough slack in the box to trim an inch, and in most switch boxes there is. If the box is packed tight and you're short on wire, that's when the gentle work with pliers earns its keep. Old friction-fit terminals from way back never had releases at all, and we still got them out without butchering anything.

One thing I'd add from swapping out a half dozen switches in my kitchen last year. After you yank the wire out of the back, the copper end is always bent and chewed up. Don't just jam it under the screw as is. Clip back a quarter inch or so, strip fresh copper, and make the hook so it wraps clockwise around the screw. Otherwise the screw loosens the loop as you tighten it. Also snap a phone pic before you pull anything apart. Saved me twice when I forgot which wire went where on a three way.