Wanting suggestions on open- & closed-barrel crimping tools / crimp crimper tool

[door king]

I'm tired of mashing my crimps with cheap stamped stripping/crimping pliers or needle noses.  I'd like to get a pair of respectable crimping tools - one for closed-barrel crimps and one for open-barrel crimps. 

For the closed-barrel tool, I'll probably want the style with the stake on one jaw that puts a dimple or valley in the barrel.  Leaves a "Pacman" cross section. 
For the OPEN-barrel tool I'd like one that produces the "B" profile, and also can crimp the second pair of tangs around the wire insulation if the terminals are so equipped.  It doesn't necessarily have to perform both crimps in the same operation, but I know there are lots of tools which do. 

They'll be for general use, but my most immediate need is for the ring terminals in this link:
https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/te-connectivity-amp-connectors/321884/292691

The tools recommended by Digkey toward the bottom of the page are absurdly expensive.  I know there are many much more affordable options, but I also want to avoid buying junk.  I plan to avoid rolling the dice on a no-name tool from Amazon or HF.  Even if their quality for this category is decent, I'm not a fan of outsourcing so I still want to avoid it. 

Do any of you have recommendations for some crimp tools that are both respectable in quality and reasonably priced?  If it gets me a lifetime tool, I'm definitely willing to spend more than the $30 Amazon special, but $700 to $1000 for the manufacturer-recommended tool is more than a little ridiculous.  Are there any USA made options?  ...Or at least something from a company that doesn't outsource and maintains some level of QC?

Size range I'm looking for would be 22 to 10 AWG.  Foreseeable materials for the terminals would be copper, steel, nickel, stainless...

Replaceable/interchangeable dies would be nice, though not a must.  How big is the price jump to get into a square or hex crimp?

[KaneTW]

I use Klauke tools. However, you might need a different insert for each type of connector, size of wire and type of wire. This holds for all good crimping tools except for ferrules, which have wide-range tooling.

The ones I have:
https://www.klauke.com/de/en/k-50-crimping-tool-with-interchangeable-inserts with R 50, CR 50 inserts.
https://www.klauke.com/de/en/k-05-k-05-sp-synchro-crimping-tools-f-din-compression-cable-lugs-a-connectors-6-50-mm -- DIN compression connectors support most wire types unlike other types, which are either stranded only or massive only.


As usual, I'm sure there's better tools out there.

[T3sl4co1l]

Shrug, I have one of these: https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/aven-tools/10190/9858991

Seems fine.  Ratcheting grip, interchangeable dies, available with whatever set you like (the above is good for general machine/panel wiring use).  From what I've read, the pin or dimple kind doesn't really do anything, over the oval smashy kind like this; but you can if you want.  That kind, I think, is much worse for insulated crimps?, so beware of that.

I've used this on both insulated and bare crimps, though I'm not real sure which way should really be done... They seem to be secure, in either case, but I don't really have the tools to evaluate that any further.

There's always the classic Sta-Kon wire cutter with three crimp slots; brand name of course will be more expensive, but you see them carried by professionals everywhere.

Or a Thomas & Betts tool particularly for larger terminals, have used one of those before.

Tim

[KaneTW]

Insulated crimps are awful garbage that should never be used. It is not possible to achieve a proper crimp on insulated connectors.

Crimp uninsulated and insulate afterwards.

The Aven oval type does *not* do a proper crimp even on uninsulated connectors (it's not designed for them in the first place).

For small diameter, indent crimping is IMO the preferred method. Notch is acceptable but outdated. Hexagonal would be ideal, but I haven't found it.
For larger diameters, always hexagonal (again, IMO).

[tooki]

Take a look at https://www.sargenttools.com/ToolsByTrade/Electrical_Electronic/Non_Insulated/

Another good option is to buy used original tools.

[WattsThat]

Insulated crimps are awful garbage that should never be used. It is not possible to achieve a proper crimp on insulated connectors.

  Good luck selling that fairy tale to the appliance manufacturers that use billions of ‘em every year.

[David Hess]

I could not find crimping dies for my Paladin ratcheting crimp tool, so I bought this IWISS non-insulated crimping tool for nickel high temperature connectors and it has worked out very well:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07QXNF8XW/

I have been using this Waldom Molex crimp tool for open barrel crimps for decades, but it is only for two sizes of Molex pin:

https://www.amazon.com/Waldom-Electronics-W-HT-1921-CRIMPING-ELECTRONICS/dp/B0195UWT9U/

[KaneTW]

Insulated crimps are awful garbage that should never be used. It is not possible to achieve a proper crimp on insulated connectors.

  Good luck selling that fairy tale to the appliance manufacturers that use billions of ‘em every year.

If you build large volumes of cables involving them, you can probably tune the parameters enough that it's acceptable for low current jobs. Or you might just not care.
Only time I sometimes see isolated crimped connectors is low-power induction motors. Looking through the photos of household and industrial appliances I serviced they all use non-isolated + either keep uninsulated or insulate afterwards.

I don't consider them of suitable quality, their reproducibility is ass and doing it better is not much more money/effort.

[AdAstra]

Insulated crimps are awful garbage that should never be used. It is not possible to achieve a proper crimp on insulated connectors.

  Good luck selling that fairy tale to the appliance manufacturers that use billions of ‘em every year.

If you build large volumes of cables involving them, you can probably tune the parameters enough that it's acceptable for low current jobs. Or you might just not care.
Only time I sometimes see isolated crimped connectors is low-power induction motors. Looking through the photos of household and industrial appliances I serviced they all use non-isolated + either keep uninsulated or insulate afterwards.

I don't consider them of suitable quality, their reproducibility is ass and doing it better is not much more money/effort.

Perhaps you'd like to share your opinion with the military and aircraft makers that have been specifying and using them by the millions since the 60s, and that have qualification tested them to reliably carry full wire current and develop full wire tensile strength.

MIL-T-7928 / AS7928 chart attached for example. Plenty of insulated terminals from the top brands meet these specs.