Best Wire Terminals Crimper Tool ?

[427HISS]

With my ageing wire crimping tool of like, 25 years, I need a new one. I saw this ad on Facebook. What do you think ?

https://getgotgotten.com/products/w...KO8te8IZ2PL91FSiKxFX2IJ73WY3XF1fExXHXnxTnqvxo

What's your favorite crimper ?

 

[Stadger]

I don't use crimp connectors like that on much anymore. I don't trust 'em. That said, the crimper tool looks good and it's priced cheap!

 

[Zewnten]

I really like the set of Kliens I picked up for about $20 at home depot. Adjusting the depth of the crimp is easy.

 

[427HISS]

I assume the $29 here ?

https://www.homedepot.com/s/Kliens%20wire%20crimper%20tool?NCNI-5

Stadger, I always use shrink tubing over my crimp connections.

I'll add,...I mostly use mine for automotive uses, home 110 wiring, stereo etc.

 

[paulsomlo]

With my ageing wire crimping tool of like, 25 years, I need a new one. I saw this ad on Facebook. What do you think ?

I think, for $13.50, it can't be very good. Buy something decent, you'll be set for another 25 years.

 

[californiaHank]

Ratchet crimpers is one place you definitely get what you pay for.
Greenlee, Klein, and other reputable brands have better dies, alignment, etc. than the cheap Chinese copies. Good crimpers don't cost a lot more than the **** ones.

This goes double for crimp connectors. Buy good brand name ones like AMP, 3M, or T&B (StaKon), and stay away from no-name Chinese stuff. The quality difference between the big cheap assortments on Amazon (and lots of other places) and the name brand stuff is huge.

 

[Wamsutta]

Snap-on 29ACF. Why? Because Ideal went and screwed up my favorite crimper which is the Ideal 30-429. They ruined the crimping die on the "new and improved" version. If it has blue handles, don't buy it.

 

[pstemari]

+1

I have Paladin/Greenlee 8000-series CrimpAlls and they are da bomb. I've made hundreds of connections with then and zero failures. They also have a huge variety of dies available.

Good quality lugs (AMP, Molex, 3M, Panduit, T&B) will stay even on solid wire. Look for a UL label: UL requires crimp connectors to work on solid wire unless they are stamped stranded-only on each connector.

I also have some import no-name crimpers and they are a bit loose—they flex a bit on heavy terminals (eg nylon insulated amp connectors) and the alignment gets out of whack. Still make good crimps, though.

The only pure manual crimpers I have are a pair of Engineer brand for JST connectors. Those are the little white ones you see on LiPos, etc.

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

 

[427HISS]

I agree, the cheap in quality and price of most knock-off products will not only piss you off, but a waste of time & money. Not all,....products, but most the time in life, you get what you pay for.

But the cost from low to high can depend on the type of usage. If it's for home use, you don't a high priced tool, if for your job, buy top quality for a better tool. I've had Craftsman home tools for 40 years now, and except for replacing my 1/4 and 3/8" ratchets years ago, their just fine. Work, snapon and others.

 

[Treeman]

Snap-on 29ACF. Why? Because Ideal went and screwed up my favorite crimper which is the Ideal 30-429. They ruined the crimping die on the "new and improved" version. If it has blue handles, don't buy it.

I'll be darned. I think this is the second change of suppliers since the very nice yellow handled ones. The newest ones are Channellocks for sure:

 

[mikebaker1129]

I'll be darned. I think this is the second change of suppliers since the very nice yellow handled ones. The newest ones are Channellocks for sure:

More likely made by Western Forge,a company that Ideal owns.
I believe Ideal and CL were made on the same dies in the past.

 

[BoostedOne]

+1

I have Paladin/Greenlee 8000-series CrimpAlls and they are da bomb. I've made hundreds of connections with then and zero failures. They also have a huge variety of dies available.

Good quality lugs (AMP, Molex, 3M, Panduit, T&B) will stay even on solid wire. Look for a UL label: UL requires crimp connectors to work on solid wire unless they are stamped stranded-only on each connector.

I also have some import no-name crimpers and they are a bit loose—they flex a bit on heavy terminals (eg nylon insulated amp connectors) and the alignment gets out of whack. Still make good crimps, though.

The only pure manual crimpers I have are a pair of Engineer brand for JST connectors. Those are the little white ones you see on LiPos, etc.

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

Yep! I have the Greenlee with the insulated dies and the open barrel dies. For doing insulated red/blue/yellow connectors it's absolutely flawless.

Sent from my SM-G610F using Tapatalk

 

[signcrafter]

I recently picked up the astro ratchet crimper. Haven't used it much but it seems really well built and wasn't too expensive.

 

[mcbane]

Greenlee is good stuff but you can sometimes get high end stuff like Burndy on eBay for a similar price.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[WunTon]

I've got the Astro set and have made a few hundred crimps with them without any issue except user error. Maybe I'm dumb but once you start a crimp the only way to release the crimper is to finish the crimp which can be annoying but other than that they have been great and worth every penny especially with the interchangeable jaws for many kinds of crimps.

 

[dthor68]

I love my Kliens.

 

[IBEW702]

Panduit ratchet crimper with the correct dies for the connector.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001CTMDA8/ref=sspa_dk_detail_1?psc=1&pd_rd_i=B001CTMDA8&pd_rd_w=9FFI7&pf_rd_p=8a8f3917-7900-4ce8-ad90-adf0d53c0985&pd_rd_wg=3Mlgl&pf_rd_r=DKQEKWHBGWZ61SHPJS9M&pd_rd_r=e281b65e-a837-11e9-b53b-0f76579948e0

 

[kabinenroller]

I have the usual crimpers, Klein, Ideal, Thomas& Betts. I decided I needed a tool that would crimp multiple sizes and make a proper crimp.
I purchased this one: https://www.proskit.com/crimpers/frames/lunar-series-crimp-frame
I also bought a number of dies, insulated, uninsulated, pin, and ignition wire.
This tool works so much better than the normal “pliers” type, well worth the investment.

 

[coljar]

I like my ancient pair of Thomas & Betts that were my dad's. Second favorite are my Klein.

 

[Danglerb]

Lot of us picked up the Kleins from Amazon for $14 a week or so ago. Chinese ratchet crimpers seem to have settled around some standard for replaceable jaws, not sure if the quality can be so low to ignore the cheap price. Dies I "think" also fit Greenlee.

 

[kngelv]

Panduit ratchet crimper with the correct dies for the connector.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001CTMDA8/ref=sspa_dk_detail_1?psc=1&pd_rd_i=B001CTMDA8&pd_rd_w=9FFI7&pf_rd_p=8a8f3917-7900-4ce8-ad90-adf0d53c0985&pd_rd_wg=3Mlgl&pf_rd_r=DKQEKWHBGWZ61SHPJS9M&pd_rd_r=e281b65e-a837-11e9-b53b-0f76579948e0

This ^^^

James

 

[JBH]

Panduit ratchet crimper with the correct dies for the connector.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001CTMDA8/ref=sspa_dk_detail_1?psc=1&pd_rd_i=B001CTMDA8&pd_rd_w=9FFI7&pf_rd_p=8a8f3917-7900-4ce8-ad90-adf0d53c0985&pd_rd_wg=3Mlgl&pf_rd_r=DKQEKWHBGWZ61SHPJS9M&pd_rd_r=e281b65e-a837-11e9-b53b-0f76579948e0

If those are the connectors you use, that Wezag-made tool is great. I have one and it's the only thing I'll use on Panduit insulated terminals. The only unfortunate thing is that it's hard to find other dies for the Wezag frame.

Other good ones are Knipex/Rennsteig Crimp System and Pressmaster MCT.

 

[Superbec]

I wouldn't buy the chinesium no-brand , it may work but I want to trust my tools, crimping is something you want done wright .

I have this set https://www.vantagetools.co.uk/shop/toptul-gaai0605-6-piece-ratchet-crimping-tool/

got it much cheaper though , if you only need insulated terminals just buy a knipex ratcheting one

 

[HenryAZ]

I don't use insulated terminals at all. Uninsulated, with marine grade heat shrink around it (the kind with the glue in it that oozes out a bit when heated).

 

[Brownsfan]

Snap-on 29ACF. Why? Because Ideal went and screwed up my favorite crimper which is the Ideal 30-429. They ruined the crimping die on the "new and improved" version. If it has blue handles, don't buy it.

There were some that have the blue handle with the old design. I have a set. I went to buy another set at Lowe's when they were selling them and noticed the insulated die looked exactly like the Channellock crimper. I don't like those at all. So if you can find new old stock then get them. If not snap on is the only one now that's set up like the old ideal. If you can find old blue point branded crimping tools. those were ideal made I believe. I have a 45° angle set of blue point crimpers that look EXACTLY like the business end of my ideal crimper.

 

[rrangus]

I have the T&B crimper and the Amp ratcheting crimper. Sends like I use the T&B staycon style 9 times out of 10

 

[jeffmoss26]

T&B Sta-kons or the old style Ideal crimper. Also have Channellock 909 and Klein 1005.

 

[JRas]

I love my Kliens.

Lot of us picked up the Kleins from Amazon for $14 a week or so ago. Chinese ratchet crimpers seem to have settled around some standard for replaceable jaws, not sure if the quality can be so low to ignore the cheap price. Dies I "think" also fit Greenlee.

$14 was a steal, never had a choice..

These caught my eyes at Home Depot, may give SO's a run for their money

 

[pstemari]

Yep! I have the Greenlee with the insulated dies and the open barrel dies. For doing insulated red/blue/yellow connectors it's absolutely flawless.

Yep. They have a second die for "professional" insulated terminals, which I interpret as nylon-insulated. You can also get dies for D-sub, coax, RF connectors, phone & ethernet connectors, ferrules, etc etc etc.

I also scored some Eclipse-brand dies that fit the CrimpAll frame for both insulated and non insulated flag style disconnects.

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

 

[1950mercury]

T&B all day

 

[HaroRider]

PRO-HST. Those are the best I found for heat shrinkable connectors. Not cheap, but very good. Made in USA.

 

[mrjaw14]

PRO-HST. Those are the best I found for heat shrinkable connectors. Not cheap, but very good. Made in USA.

Yes. I have a pair and I've never had them rip the heat shrink, and they always make a good crimp.

Please see: https://marinehowto.com/marine-wire-termination/

This is the best article I've seen on crimp terminals and how tooling affects the final results. Worth the read

 

[rustbucket5]

never had any luck with the ratcheting crimpers ive bought,

 

[rshadd]

I use my ratcheting Ideal Crimpmaster crimps the most.


Get something with interchangeable dies...



Thomas & Betts Shure Stake STA-KON

 

[shoeless]

I've got the Astro set and have made a few hundred crimps with them without any issue except user error. Maybe I'm dumb but once you start a crimp the only way to release the crimper is to finish the crimp which can be annoying but other than that they have been great and worth every penny especially with the interchangeable jaws for many kinds of crimps.

The 9477 looks to have the same release lever between the handles that most all ratcheting crimpers have. You just push the little lever up towards the crimp to release. Now it may difficult to reach or really tight if you have an almost complete crimp though.

I have some Ideal Crimpmasters with multiple dies.

At work we have Ideal Crimpmasters, Greenlee, Thomas and Betts, and crimp specific Molex crimpers.

 

[walrus]

$14 was a steal, never had a choice..

These caught my eyes at Home Depot, may give SO's a run for their money

Any stripper with the wire stripper part below the hinge *****

 

[HaroRider]

Yes. I have a pair and I've never had them rip the heat shrink, and they always make a good crimp.

Please see: https://marinehowto.com/marine-wire-termination/

This is the best article I've seen on crimp terminals and how tooling affects the final results. Worth the read

Yes, that is where I got them from. I refer to that article a lot. Great read and I learned a lot.

 

[Legion Prime]

ChannelLock 909's, I can't even begin to count how many terminals I've smashed into submission with them. I got them back when I was doing police conversions. Lightbars, strobes, sirens, radios, everything. The 909's were champs, in a 7 bay shop with 2 guys per bay running the NJSP + local contracts I only ever saw one break and they were back the next day with a new one in hand from the homie depot. The only thing we didn't use the 909's for crimping were antenna pins. For those little suckers the shop had a pair of the high dollar ratcheting crimpers with the special dies. Worked good but the cheapo set I snagged from Radio Shack did for me once I got em.

 

[gregpack]

Any stripper with the wire stripper part below the hinge *****

It does, but if its not your primary stripper and you just need to strip a couple of wires before you crimp it makes for a nice multi tool. Not everyone likes multi tools but when working out of a tool bag with limited space or on a ladder you can appreciate the usefulness.

 

[NewShockerGuy]

+1

I have Paladin/Greenlee 8000-series CrimpAlls and they are da bomb. I've made hundreds of connections with then and zero failures. They also have a huge variety of dies available.

Good quality lugs (AMP, Molex, 3M, Panduit, T&B) will stay even on solid wire. Look for a UL label: UL requires crimp connectors to work on solid wire unless they are stamped stranded-only on each connector.

I also have some import no-name crimpers and they are a bit loose—they flex a bit on heavy terminals (eg nylon insulated amp connectors) and the alignment gets out of whack. Still make good crimps, though.

The only pure manual crimpers I have are a pair of Engineer brand for JST connectors. Those are the little white ones you see on LiPos, etc.

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

I actually have a Paladin 8000 series crimper for networking rj45 stuff. It's the only one I use. I've been manually using a hand crimper for normal insulated terminals and it's fine but I just realized I can get dies for the 8000.

What I am confused about and mabe anyone can help me. Why do some insulated dies have what appears to be a point in the middle of the crimp and others are more round?

For example, this is taken directly off of Paladin pdf.

The top portion shows 3 Insulated Terminal crimping dies? What is the most commonly used? I see one is for "professional terminals", the next one is for standard commerical terminals, then the last is for smaller wire barrel terminals.... how does one know what they have? I don't mind buying ALL the dies honestly but it seems nuts to me that there are 3 for such a common connector type and now makes me wonder if I have been doing it wrong the whole time?





This is what I've been using for the past 10 years:


And even then, you can see the middle crimping part has more of a round part than either a point or non-point like the Paladin dies above...?

Now I'm super confused honestly. With the Paladin's Non-insulated you can see they only have 1 die. So that makes it easy to get and use.

Hoping someone can clarify for me please. After looking through everything I'll end up buying $250 worth of dies if I buy all 8 (not all pictured).

Thanks,
-Nigel