I had been using these cheap stamped steal crimpers for years and they where ok. I finally decided to try something real this is 100% better. The main thing is that they have a real handel and the crimp is wide so it is much stronger. GB GS-388 8-Inch Crimping Electrical Plier
The best for the money! You can't beat the price for this tool. If you're going to be using butt connectors for even ONE job, get this tool. It makes the connections solidly, and securely. This is SO much better than trying to crimp with a pair of wire cutters (dikes). I have used mine many times, and always kick myself for not getting one of these sooner.
I was pleasantly surprised that these crimps worked well for the low price they were sold at. Most of the time if I replaced this tool it costs $25-30. They're durable, easy to handle and do the job just as good as the most expensive variety. Great product.
I do a LOT of wiring - professionally, and at home - and these are easily the best crimpers I've found. Not only are they built right (cutter outboard of crimpers), but they have 2 crimp jaws AND 2 final crush jaws (something that's not mentioned in the description, and barely visible in the photo). The crush jaws are really the clincher on these UNDERPRICED pliers: once you've crimped the connector to the wire, crushing it makes it ~3x tighter, and less-likely to pull apart, even if you try. With these crimpers, unlike most higher-priced brands, you can actually produce crimps that look like industrial wiring. And they cost ~1/3 of those other brands. The only reason I didn't give them 5* is because they're not made in USA.
This tool crimps by having a U indent on one jaw blade and a smaller u sticking out on the other jaw blade. They did not line up on the one I got, off by about 1/4 so the u that sticks out was at 1/4 of the U that is the dent instead of at 1/2. The other interesting about this tool is that the tool is very wide, more than twice as wide as the other crimping tool I have (IDEAL 9-1/4" Multi-Crimp Tool from Lowes). That seemed like a nice thing at first but it greatly lowers the force per square inch you can place on the crimp as the crimp is more than twice as long. In comparing the crimps, the Ideal crimp tool produced much stronger crimps. The finish on the tool was nice and it was very smooth to use. Perhaps mine was just a dud but with the issue of the extra wide jaw, I had no need to risk trying another one.
The crimper works great. I like the different sized crimping grooves. The only thing is the cutter at the end isn't as sharp as I would have liked it to be. I had to bend the wiring I was cutting back and forth to complete the cut, otherwise it would have been 5 stars. - Wire Cutters'
Detail Products
Detail Reviews
Click here for more information
