Why on Earth is This Crimping Tool $106...?

[German_EE]

If you can find it look at the NASA specification for crimped connections. They specify which tool should be used, which connectors should be used, how much force should be applied, which tool should be used to strip the wire, how far the insulation should be stripped back (and God forgive you if you nick either the conductor or the insulation), how far the wire should go inside the terminal and there are many many photographs of crimped connections showing good and bad examples.

When the Apollo Command Module was orbiting the moon they had to fire the engine to get out of lunar orbit. If the connection to that firing button had failed due to a badly crimped connection the astronauts would still be there, in orbit, dead, in an airless dark capsule.

Any questions?

[Precipice]

There's also very often the pull test force that the crimped connector has to tolerate. That's a habit that's worth getting into, even with an uncalibrated hand.

[thm_w]

This one looks close enough http://www.digikey.ca/product-detail/en/PA1308/PA1308-ND/461379

But if you are cheap the molex equivalent stamped part is $10.

[N2IXK]

I have had nothing but good results from my Paladin PA-8000 crimp tool.  The bare tool costs about $70USD, with die sets about $30 each.  I have die sets on hand for the standard Red/Blue/Yellow insulated terminals, RJ45 plugs, and several types of coaxial RF plugs that I use regularly.  There are a LOT of different die sets available:

http://www.lashenelectronics.com/p-1370-paladin-die-sets-for-crimpall8000-1300-series.aspx

I can guarantee that it does a better, more repeatable job than the one the OP was referring to, at about the same price.

[Smokey]

I have had nothing but good results from my Paladin PA-8000 crimp tool.  The bare tool costs about $70USD, with die sets about $30 each.  I have die sets on hand for the standard Red/Blue/Yellow insulated terminals, RJ45 plugs, and several types of coaxial RF plugs that I use regularly.  There are a LOT of different die sets available:

http://www.lashenelectronics.com/p-1370-paladin-die-sets-for-crimpall8000-1300-series.aspx

I can guarantee that it does a better, more repeatable job than the one the OP was referring to, at about the same price.

+1 what he said.  Those are good crimpers.

[TheRuler8510]

I have had nothing but good results from my Paladin PA-8000 crimp tool.  The bare tool costs about $70USD, with die sets about $30 each.  I have die sets on hand for the standard Red/Blue/Yellow insulated terminals, RJ45 plugs, and several types of coaxial RF plugs that I use regularly.  There are a LOT of different die sets available:

http://www.lashenelectronics.com/p-1370-paladin-die-sets-for-crimpall8000-1300-series.aspx

I can guarantee that it does a better, more repeatable job than the one the OP was referring to, at about the same price.

Nice tool; thanks for sharing that info.

[TerraHertz]

At the opposite end of the value for money scale from OP's example rip-off, is how cheap nice Chinese hydraulic crimp tools are these days. For about the same price ($100 or less) you can get really beefy crimpers, hole punches, etc.

The mention of 'box of lost crimpers' made me wonder how many crimpers do I have anyway? They are scattered around in different places; I don't think I'd ever gathered them all for a crimper conference before. And so... pic.

The two hydraulic crimpers are at right rear. The smaller of those did the crimping of stainless steel cable ferrules in the 2nd pic.

The thing at rear left isn't really a crimper, it's a hydraulic hole punch. Boy, does it make big round holes in sheet metal easy.

Blue handled thing at center is a bootlace crimper - the most recent acquisition. I wish I'd bought one of these many years ago - it makes _such_ a difference to wiring between screw terminals. I love it.
It came from http://www.rhinotools.com.au/, remarkably cheap and seems to be great quality. The guy gave me several excess boxes of assorted packs of bootlace ferules for free, which was nice.

The orange handled pair front center is the one I thought I'd lost. The green handled pair was its replacement.

I still don't have a proper cat-5 terminal punch-down tool.

[nctnico]

Because if you're using those in a production facility that extra cost pays for itself very, very quickly as they will hold up much better than most China trash

Good tools are expensive and very much worth having.

I couldn't agree more! A good crimp connection requires good tools.

[amyk]

$100 is an absolute steal for a name brand crimper. 

This is one of the most expensive I've seen so far...
TE/AMP 69656-2
http://www.te.com/catalog/pn/en/69656-2

New from Mouser.. In 1s it's.... $14,967.50USD ...with a 15 week leadtime.
http://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/TE-Connectivity-AMP/69656-2/?qs=8dhOGP4n2uI1ZA5BTUI0Tg==

Or you can pick it up from ebay for the low low price of..... US $4,999.99...
http://www.ebay.com/itm/TE-AMP-69656-2-Crimper-Contact-Crimp-Hand-Tool-STR-ACT-DAHT-Coaxicon-/131234676328?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1e8e323e68

Two years ago one of those sold for only $155... and amusingly enough there exists a video of someone playing with one.

[Refrigerator]

Omg, what are those, Crimps By Dr.Dre. geez.

[Smokey]

Two years ago one of those sold for only $155... and amusingly enough there exists a video of someone playing with one.

I bet all 42 hits on that youtube video came from your link here

[ConKbot]

Jeeze, for a bit more just get http://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/TE-Connectivity/58433-3/?qs=sGAEpiMZZMtyU1cDF2RqUOikTCf3ZemLhcyZju4yF%252bk%3d  and have a nice ratcheting crimper.  UL/everything rated with TE pidg terminals, and puts everything else on great.