Good crimpers and strippers at a reasonable price

[lordvader88]

I've never used crimpers, and I only have cheap strippers. I need to make some atx power supply cables, so 16/18/20awg for sure.

I found how high the prices can be, what's some mid-priced brand names I should look for (probably on ebay)

Thanks

[V_King]

I bought one of these
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B074J9H6C2/ref=asc_df_B074J9H6C252386073/
for £20 last year and did quite a bit of stripping/crimping of 0.5-4.0mm2 wires and am happy with it. Only problem so far is one set of jaws started rusting. On amazon you can find them under various brands and various prices.

I'm sure there are plenty of other ones.

[BillB]

I gotta say, I love self-adjusting strippers like the ones V_King linked to.  Except for really thin wire (20 gauge +), they make quick work for stripping lotsa wires.  The strip isn't the cleanest as its mostly a tear, but for non-precision work it's adequate.

[bd139]

Best strippers you can get are the Ideal Industries T strippers: http://www.idealindustries.ca/products/tools_totes/wire_strippers/t-stripper.php

I’ve used tens of different pairs and they’re the only ones that are even remotely reliable and of merchantable quality. Dead clean cut, no conductor nicks, fast, reliable.

You can buy them in the U.K. here if anyone comes across this thread: https://uk.rs-online.com/mobile/p/cable-strippers/0243112/

No they’re not cheap. There aren’t any cheap good ones I have found.

[bob225]

Crimper wise use a set designed for molex as some housings require the pins to be 100% crimped correctly, A pair of Engineer PA-20 or PA-21 crimpers will give the best bang for your buck and the real ones are made in japan


tbh if its a one off job it may be cheaper to buy them pre made from the likes of cablemod, be aware not all modular power supplies are pined out the same even from the same manufacturer

[lordvader88]

What about multi-strippers vs manual strippers ? I don't need multi-strippers, but just learning of Knipex multi-strippers, , and a nice manual set of Klein tools manual strippers, is there any real difference in the hands of a practiced user ?

[bob225]

tbh I have always used a pair of side cutters for stripping and occasionally use a pair of automotive type automatic strippers if doing a large amount of stripping

C.K. are good value for money, knipex aren't as good as they use to be

[alxptt]

I get mine on Amazon. I love the self-adjusting wire strippers (see below for an image). You can get those on Amazon, eBay, or BangGood -- and probably other places too. The mechanism works well for tiny wires as well as big fat ones. I usually don't need to resort to my other styles of wire stripper, when I have one of these around.

As for crimpers, I definitely don't recommend cheaping out. Get one of the ratcheting thingies that lets you squeeze the handle multiple times to crimp it down, instead of all in one go. They provide good control and keep you from hurting your hand or damaging the crimp. See here: https://www.amazon.com/Titan-Tools-11477-Ratcheting-Terminal/dp/B0069TRKJ0/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1526081163&sr=8-3&keywords=crimping

 

Edit: I didn't notice you mentioned price, sorry! The tools I'm recommending, I spent $20 on each, on Amazon. If that's too much, you can probably get a used one or clone more cheaply, depending on what country you're in.

[precaud]

I've had a set of Paladin strippers for over 35 years. Nothing easier. Many thousands of wires stripped, still on the original blades.

Looks like this is the modern version:
http://www.all-spec.com/Manufacturers/Paladin/Hand-Power-Tools/Stripping-Tools/Wire-Strippers/PA1113-65663

[Terry01]

I got a set of these wee Draper cable strippers, nice and compact and give a good clean cut. They are really well made and fit nice in the palm of my hand. Quite cheap too for the quality! I would recommend! 

I also got a set of the cheaper automatic ones which do the job. They feel good enough in my hand and seem to be sturdy enough made. They are a cheaper knock off of the ones posted above. I think they would stand up to hard work and heavy use but you never know with the knock off stuff. If I had to choose 1 set though i'd keep the Drapers for sure! 

[lypse]

My favourites types are pictured below..

[Jwillis]

If you intend on building your own plugs for Your ATX then you will need a set of Molex crimpers.SN-01BM will do 18 -28 AWG and SN-48B will do 16 -26 AWG. They do Molex and JST  and similar .You could try a standard set of crimpers but I found they just make a mess of those types of pins and plugs.
I have the SN-48N ratcheting .The ratcheting type are nice because they hold the pin or socket steady as you place the wire inside.

[Fludo]

Before I was an EE I worked as a tech building 3 phase panels and 10kW power supplies for light fixtures.  I also made high voltage test equipment for finding insulation faults in underground cable.  I never liked the 3 in 1 crimper cutter stripper tools because they require an awkward pulling action on the wrist, the crimp was always low quality and often failed, and there wasn't any leverage on the handles.

Crimpers - I like the Thomas and Betts Sta-kon with the orange and black handles.  Has a nice diagonal cutter at the tip for reshaping crimp terminals

Strippers - Ideal stripmaster  Has replaceable stripping dies for wire from 10awg - 30awg.  Was a real wrist saver when wiring PLC panels that had 1000's of strips.  It gives a consistent length which is really a time saver in terminal blocks.

Cable shears - Knipex 95 11 165 has remained razor sharp while cutting 2 awg battery cable, 12-3 SOOW, and will still cut 24awg no problem.  Can also be used for stripping the jacket off of cable.