Ratchet crimp tool for insulated crimps - how to choose?

[Chris Green]

I have two or three ratchet crimp tools for insulated crimps but I'm thinking a new one may be a good idea.

One of the three is on the boat and will stay there (there may even be two on the boat!). At home I have one with interchangeable 'crimp bits' for insulated crimps, uninsulated crimps, ferrules and a couple of other things. I also have an 'expensive' CK branded one.

The interchangeable bit one is OK and I get a good crimp most of the time but the 'bit' occasionally drops out which is annoying when (as one often is) working in inaccessible places. The expensive CK one is awful, it needs superhuman wrist strength and then very often produces a bad crimp.

So, how does one decide what's a good crimp tool to buy. Price doesn't seem to be a good guide (e.g. CK) so what to go for?

[Fredxx]

I'm also interested. I get better results from a non-ratchet crimper and have little confidence when I make a crimp connection with my two ratchet crimpers.

[dennis]

Ratchet crimpers need to be adjusted to give the correct crimp, then they should be repeatable. Just because it has a ratchet doesn't mean its going to work properly when you buy it especially cheap ones. .

[Fredxx]

These had minimal, if any, adjustment.

[tony sayer]

Used this sort for years never a problem:)

cheaper here!..

[Chris Green]

But the above two aren't actually the same are they.

The Toolstation ones are Silverline branded (variable in my experience, most Silverline tools are OK but I've had the occasional non-OK one).

The CPC ones are Duratool (CPC own brand, mostly) which are also usually OK, in fact I think I'd trust them a bit more than Silverline.

Both of the above are just 'generic' ratchet crimps made in China and branded by someone over here. They might not even continue to be the same tool. I'm fairly happy to take a punt at the CPC Duratool ones but it would be nice to get some user experience.

[charles]

In article [e-mail]>,

[Snip]

Duratool is not a CPC own brand

[Mike Clarke]

What are the guidelines for determining the correct setting. Obviously if adjusted too far one way it becomes difficult to close the crimper all the way without superhuman effort but how far can you go the other way? You might reach a point at which the crimp is still obviously loose but how tight is tight enough?

[Peter Parry]

Some years ago we had a project which required the purchase of a large number of crimping hand tools mainly for red/blue/yellow crimps and the consistent production of such crimps in field conditions.

The significant cost of these tools in such quantity meant we looked at and tested several versions. Testing such tools was quite easy in that the test standard simply required a specified weight be supported on a crimp joint for a specified time (Pull out force) and that the voltage drop across the joint be below a specified value.

The only tool type which produced consistent results was the common ratchet crimp similar to the one Tony mentioned here

The pliers types were all very inconsistent and unreliable.

Of the ratchet tools we tried a few. At either end of the cost range were a CPC ratchet crimp tool at about £15 and a TE Connectivity tool at about £150. (They did another for about £1,500 but we gave that a miss).

The cheap CPC tool was as reliable and consistent as the TE Connectivity one. Of the 100 or so we eventually bought one or two required adjustment of the crimping pressure on receipt (using the small adjustment wheel on the tool). None failed and none drifted out of adjustment over about a years work and hundreds of joints.

[Peter Parry]

IEC 60352-2 is the relevant standard.

S5.2.2.1 is the pull out force table.

The crimp height is set by using a lead wire (or similar) of 4.8mm for yellow terminals and 3.2mm for blue and red. When crimped in the tool the deformed lead should measure 3.35mm for yellow, 2.44mm for blue and 2.08mm for red.

In practice the tools seem to come pretty well at the correct setting and adjustment is usually only one position either way on the small adjustment wheel.

[tony sayer]

No idea now where any of the ones we have around came from!

But they just work,and work fine never had any instances of pullout unlike the s**te "pliers" type!

You just put the wire in the right size, colour coded, crimp Red thin "ish" Blue next thicker and Yellow thickest squeeze the handle's and when the ratchet drops out job done, you can adjust the ones we have come to think of it but never have they as said simply work!

I expect you can get them from RS Components like we have for co-ax cable crimpers around prolly a 100 quid more expensive of course;!.

However the crimps do vary in quality there are some more expensive up market ones but those from TLC electrical or Toolstation are find 'n dandy:)

They do the same crimpers here blow up the pix and you can see the adjuster gubbins..

FWIW they do some bigger sizes too..

[Bob Eager]

Yes, I've seen them elsewhere. Maplin, for a start.

[Roger Hayter]

I assume that if you adjust it so the die faces meet completely even with the biggest crimps full of wire then the force us sufficient. More force than is necessary to appose the die faces will tend to distort the levers and cannot improve the crimp.

[Fredxx]

Quite, it's a Farnell owned brand, in a group who happen to also own CPC.

[charles]

Oh dear. I've always considered Duratool to be pretty poor quality. Not what I'd expect from CPC-Farnell. As a previous poster said, I always assocxiated it with Maplin.

[alan_m]

+1

I've had problems with the Yellow crimps purchased from Ebay but not with some originally purchased from Toolsatan (I'm not sure that TS do all three sizes these days). Some yellow crimps seem too easy to crimp (too soft) BUT too easy to deform again to pull out the wire.

I've not had problems with red and blue crimps from various sources.

[tony sayer]

Toolstation do have all sizes in some types the common ones, but not all.

An electrical wholesaler seems a better bet TLC have most of them..

[dennis]

The problem is if you use 6 mm2 wire in a yellow then it should require a different setting to 5 mm2 in a yellow. Its worse if you plan on putting multiple wires in the same side of the crimp. I doubt if the same setting will satisfy the standards for each case.

[Chris Green]

So, not quite a CPC own brand but near enough. Like Diall is a B&Q own brand, along with some other stores.

[tony sayer]

That may seem so but we've been using these things for some what?, 20 years now. Not one has failed or come apart, there does seem to be a decent tolerance on the sizes..