Warning: Cheap termination tool cost me a full day of work

I bought a $12 ratcheting crimper off Amazon for some Cat6 terminations and it squished 8 connectors crooked before I realized. Wasted half a spool of cable and 6 hours fixing bad ends on a Tuesday job. Anyone else get burned by cheap tools and have a solid brand that won't break the bank?

2 comments

2 Comments

rubysingh5d ago

That "squished 8 connectors crooked" part hit close to home because I did the exact same thing with a no-name crimper from a discount bin. What finally worked for me was picking up a Klein Tools ratcheting crimper for around $40 at the hardware store, and it's been night and day - clean crimps every time, no guessing if it's tight enough. Yeah it's a bit more upfront, but after that one frustrating day I realized spending a little extra saves you way more time and cable in the long run.

leo_fisher4d agoTop Commenter

Now I have a drawer full of failed connectors staring at me like a graveyard.