What crimping tool do you use for quick connect terminals?

[nanofrog]

Thanks again nanofrog.

That Waytek crimper (re-branded Pressmaster "MCT"?), as of August 2016:

• Is it still made in Sweden? I contacted Waytek but haven't received a response yet.
• Are the dies accurate and durable? They are expensive, I've seen them sold for $40-$111.

You're welcome. 

1. Yes, the Waytek 560 is a rebranded Pressmaster MCT. 
2. The frame is still made in Sweden. According to the US support personnel I spoke with, they do the final machining/grinding in Sweden, but the castings can come from multiple sources, including Taiwan (gave me the impression most of their castings have been shifted to Taiwan). So they're accurate as a general rule. 

That said however, I have had issues with the insulated die for red & blue terminals, as the red side's compliance markings don't fully form on both the original I received as well as it's replacement (Taiwanese casting). The crimps themselves are within spec (Go/No Go + wire pull tests). But as I also have a Panduit CT-1550, it's not a big concern in my case (covered for compliance issues).

I'm pretty precise and don't need the tool to do the work for me. What the tool does have to do, if I understand crimping, is: Be accurate (in this case the die machining?), apply enough force to cause the proper "Cold Weld", and not fall apart due to use. Have you any experience with the "MCT" model by chance?

I own an MCT, and it definitely generates sufficient force to produce a proper cold weld (10,000N/~2250lbs, which is higher than a lot of other makes & models). The dies are properly machined IME as well (have met Go/No Go specs from the terminal manufacturer).

BTW, on a minor note and just for the heck of it, what do you think of those hammer crimers for large terminals? I tried it out on some 6AWG welding wire and a ring terminal, dremeled it apart to take a look.. idk. It is said that a "cold weld" fuses the wire strands and terminal together like a solid piece. How much of an exaggeration is that? Ever dissected/teardown a good crimp before? Any pics?

Never used one, so I can't say one way or the other. But personally, I'm wary of them given the surface area doesn't keep the entire terminal captive (looks like the terminal could spread, thus not create a proper cold weld).

As per the wire & terminal effectively becoming a single solid mass of metal is entirely correct. You can see some gaps in some cases due to the wire strand size (i.e. stranded structural wire say no bigger than 2/0). But they do actually weld where they come in contact with one another and the terminal surface (gaps are also smaller than what they were originally, as the wire strands deform & fill most of the space). On finely stranded wire, it's truly a solid piece. See photos below. 

BTW, for non-insulated & insulated terminals that have seams in the crimped section, I'd suggest getting a brazed or welded seam as they can't spread, unlike the cheaper butted seam versions.

Wezag has a number of interchangeable systems. It also has a system with two handle styles (CS30 or CK100) that use the same dies.

Thanks.

Had a total brain fart on this one.

[carcachute]

One of these (3M TR-490) with a slightly different die:

I'm also partial to the Solistrand system, which uses uninsulated terminals and a very aggressive crimper to terminate solid or stranded wire.  You leave these bare or put heat shrink over the splice, so you don't have the mushy plastic between the tool and the crimp.

[IdahoMan]

The price on this one is seems ok: http://www.ebay.com/itm/S-G-Tool-Aid-18980-Master-Ratcheting-Terminal-Crimper-Set-/191305543811?hash=item2c8ab2f083&item=191305543811&vxp=mtr



Anyone use it? Made in?


IM

[helius]

The price on this one is seems ok: http://www.ebay.com/itm/S-G-Tool-Aid-18980-Master-Ratcheting-Terminal-Crimper-Set-/191305543811?hash=item2c8ab2f083&item=191305543811&vxp=mtr
Anyone use it? Made in?

From the appearance, it looks like Taiwan manufacture, like Eclipse or Paladin/Platinum. The dies appear identical to the Paladin 1300, but there can be rude surprises with the dimensions not matching, so be careful when mixing dies.

[aandrew]

I've given up on finding an economically priced set of ratcheting crimps for my connectors. They typically start at $300 and go up from there, and only work with one, two if you're lucky, families of pin. Die sets if your crimp tool supports them generally start at $90 and go up from there, on top of the crimp tool's price.

If you're making cables professionally then absolutely do spend the money. Ratcheting crimpers are the only way to fly.

Having said that, I use a $50 hand crimper from Molex to successfully crimp Molex Mini-Fit Jr, MicroFit 3.0 and pretty much any of their 0.100" pitch connectors along with Harwin's 0.100". I can even do the JST battery type connectors (2mm and 0.1") if I squint enough and don't have too much coffee. It's a Molex 0638111000, Digikey WM-9999-ND; I see the price is up to CAD$90 now, can be bought much cheaper.

I have recently found a smaller hand crimp which works very well for JST and the tiny Hirose DF13 series. It's the "Engineer PA-09" and can be found on Amazon for about $60.

Between these two sets of hand crimps I am pretty good for any wire or cable harness I might want to buy, although I have started to give in and buy pre-crimped wires for the Hirose DF13 series. Those pins are so damn small, but I love the connector series.

Another tip I have is to buy the pins in bulk, not in cut tape. They are sometimes cheaper and I've found that it's a LOT easier to use the bulk pins for hand-crimping instead of clipping or bending the individual pins off the metal "tape" - Particularly with the Molex 0.100" pitch headers/sockets, I find that I have to take a pair of small side cutters and make sure that there isn't a little metal "tail" on the cut tape pins or they don't seat quite right. No issues with that with the bulk pins because they're cut right at the pin.

[IdahoMan]

Just no finding anything anymore is there?

Everything is built incompetently, or sell your car to buy a screwdriver prices.

Forget it. I'm going to buy an $7 crimper from the local ching-zing-bonk trough (AKA a "Hardware Store"). 

[vinicius.jlantunes]

@aandrew - I feel the same way - it's not that I'm cheap, I just don't have that kind of money unfortunately... I would like a tool that can do from KK terminals all the way up to those spade / fork type terminals (say, 6 mm²), for hobby use - but it seems you just can't have it all in one tool and its set of dies, you have to resort to buying dies separately which makes it a bit complicated.

The one set that I liked (taken from this thread) and that I can afford is this "Astro 9477" linked by jwm_ - but it seems it can't do the dupont style terminals? (Or maybe I'm getting confused with the terminology / terminal types in English, which is not my native language).
https://www.amazon.com/Astro-9477-Professional-Interchangeable-Tool/dp/B0045CUMLQ
(by the way, it looks exactly the same as the rhino tools one linked by Muttley: https://rhinotools.com.au/product/electrician-quick-change-crimping-kit/)

I've seem many of these IWISS in Amazon (see one example below) - they look like I could buy one tool and get matching sets of dies for the terminal types not covered by the dies that come with the tool. The only thing is that they are so cheap it makes me suspicious (after all, all good tools linked in this thread are quite expensive).
https://www.amazon.com/Professional-Compression-Ratcheting-Wire-electrode-Die--Change/dp/B00OMM4YUY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1471368258&sr=8-1&keywords=iwiss

[IdahoMan]

Just a thought that comes to mind: How hard/expensive would it be to get a machine shop to machine a die out of a piece of steel? And what type of steel would be used? You know.. find a good tool (ratcheting or hydraulic), and then just make the dies you need.

Am I the only one that thinks it shouldn't be this problematic/difficult to find a crimping solution?

[nanofrog]

Just a thought that comes to mind: How hard/expensive would it be to get a machine shop to machine a die out of a piece of steel? And what type of steel would be used? You know.. find a good tool (ratcheting or hydraulic), and then just make the dies you need.

Am I the only one that thinks it shouldn't be this problematic/difficult to find a crimping solution?

The setup costs would very likely cost more than buying a ready made die. Of a name brand/high quality tool, the Pressmaster MCT* had the lowest TCO when I was looking.

FWIW, you can get dies and use them in a 1 ton arbor press (Panavise makes the 561 Crimp Press Retrofit Kit for the die shape of the kit photo previously posted).

Another alternative, and the one I'd suggest if you're going to pass on the MCT, is look for used name brand crimpers in good shape on eBay (they come up regularly, and real deals can be had if you're patient  ).

* Waytek 560 being the least expensive way to get one and the dies they offer, even for the Weatherpack die used for automotive connectors (i.e. GM).

[IdahoMan]

Just a thought that comes to mind: How hard/expensive would it be to get a machine shop to machine a die out of a piece of steel? And what type of steel would be used? You know.. find a good tool (ratcheting or hydraulic), and then just make the dies you need.

Am I the only one that thinks it shouldn't be this problematic/difficult to find a crimping solution?

The setup costs would very likely cost more than buying a ready made die. Of a name brand/high quality tool, the Pressmaster MCT* had the lowest TCO when I was looking.

FWIW, you can get dies and use them in a 1 ton arbor press (Panavise makes the 561 Crimp Press Retrofit Kit for the die shape of the kit photo previously posted).

Another alternative, and the one I'd suggest if you're going to pass on the MCT, is look for used name brand crimpers in good shape on eBay (they come up regularly, and real deals can be had if you're patient  ).

* Waytek 560 being the least expensive way to get one and the dies they offer, even for the Weatherpack die used for automotive connectors (i.e. GM).

nanofrog, your information is excellent and you have been helpful to the extreme. Thank you!  Is there a "points" system on this forum? I'd giver you a star. 

Yes, the MCT is the most tempting I have seen thus far, I'm just concerned it might not have the dies I need.   I'll do a little more homework on what I need.


IM

[nanofrog]

nanofrog, your information is excellent and you have been helpful to the extreme. Thank you!  Is there a "points" system on this forum? I'd giver you a star. 

Yes, the MCT is the most tempting I have seen thus far, I'm just concerned it might not have the dies I need.   I'll do a little more homework on what I need.

You're welcome. 

What are you looking for exactly?

In the meantime, I'd suggest looking at the MCT Product Brochure as it also has the dies currently offered if you scroll down (.pdf). 

BTW, if you need dies that Waytek doesn't carry, the next best place to get them is Wirecare.com IME (link covers all the dies they have for it). And they carry the full line from what I'm seeing. 

[helius]

$80 per die does seem kind of steep. I never paid half that for any crimp tool, all of which I got used. Penny wise and pound foolish, perhaps.
I ended up with a wide selection, from MIL pin and socket to PIDG to RG58. I'm only missing tools for Deutsch terminals and ferrules, but I haven't needed those, yet.

[nanofrog]

$80 per die does seem kind of steep. I never paid half that for any crimp tool, all of which I got used. Penny wise and pound foolish, perhaps.
I ended up with a wide selection, from MIL pin and socket to PIDG to RG58. I'm only missing tools for Deutsch terminals and ferrules, but I haven't needed those, yet.

Actually, it's not if you look at the prices of other dies from tier 1 crimp tool manufacturers when new. And at least you'll know there's QC in place to so they meet specs, so the additional funds spent aren't just wasted on a brand name.

Fortunately, some of the simpler MCT dies sold by Waytek are cheaper (~$32 - $46).  I only linked Wirecare as Waytek does not carry the full line of dies (their business is automotive wire harness production/repair/modification supplies). Some are notably more however, particularly the Weatherpack and Metripack profiles (~$86 and ~$115 respectively). Other vendors sell them for significantly more (i.e. ~2x).

Generally speaking, I find the trick not to over-pay for quality crimp tools new, is buy it with the actual tool maker's label rather than a terminal manufacturer's label. For example, buy Wezag instead of Panduit, and Pressmaster instead of Thomas&Betts. Works for other stuff too of course, such as wire strippers.

FWIW, I'm also very fond of getting quality tools used (pennies on the dollar is a good thing  ). In fact, I've actually gotten a lot of my stuff that way (T&M gear + hand tools).

[Danielw]

Earlier Weidmuller Stripax Plus 2.5 was mentioned. I actually got one for free once, it had bad 'teeths' (Not the cable cutter, the stripping part) and I've been looking around for spare teeths... I been using other strippers and the spare parts have been easy to find. Maybe I'm just blind ^^

[nanofrog]

Earlier Weidmuller Stripax Plus 2.5 was mentioned. I actually got one for free once, it had bad 'teeths' (Not the cable cutter, the stripping part) and I've been looking around for spare teeths... I been using other strippers and the spare parts have been easy to find. Maybe I'm just blind ^^

Unfortunately, I found the following from a data sheet...

• Mechanical, without interchangeable inserts
• Source.

Seems the only replaceable blade/part is for the wire cutter (P/N = 9050340000). 

[knotlogic]

Is the Pressmaster 4300-3150 die set the correct die for crimping stuff like Molex KK and similar connectors?  I have a project where I'm going to need to crimp a lot of these and these, and the current cheap crimp tool I have just mangles Molex KKs.  The one I linked to are even smaller, and I reckon more delicate.

[nanofrog]

Is the Pressmaster 4300-3150 die set the correct die for crimping stuff like Molex KK and similar connectors?

Yes.

[bicc1306]

Insulated Crimper and Crimping Plier.

[eKretz]

I picked up the S&G Tool Aid crimp set pictured above a while back - after reading more about the "cold weld" (plastic deformation) performed by the better quality crimpers I was curious how the S&G would stack up, so I performed a crimp on some 18 AWG wire in a red insulated terminal so I could section it and take a look. Looks like it did pretty well. Definitely critical to use the right die, wire and terminal to get correct crimps like this.

[Lomax]

Excavating an ancient thread, I know, but just stumbled upon it and thought you might be interested in my list of Pressmaster MCT dies. I've made a start on cross-referencing with other brands' model numbers, but this is far from complete. I would love to hear if you know of other dies (particularly for "Dupont" type connectors, which only crimp half-well with the 4300-3150 die), or if you can help improve the cross-references. I'm quite a fan of this tool, and have managed to amass no less than 13 dies - but as you can see below I still have some way to go until I've caught them all:

Code: [Select]

P-MASTER     WIHA     LAPP        CEMBRE       ABIKO        DESCRIPTION
####################################################################################################################################

Modular
====================================================================================================================================
4300-3144    43144    62000125    4300-3144    OMP45      RJ45 connectors 8/8, 8/6, 8/4
4300-3132    43132    62000126    4300-3132    OMP11      RJ11 connectors 6/6, 6/4, 6/2

Turned Pin
====================================================================================================================================
4300-3147    43147    62000127    4300-3147    OPB0140    Turned pin connectors 0.14-4mm²
4300-3148    43148    62000128    4300-3148    OPB6099    Turned pin connectors 6-10 mm²

Endsleeves
====================================================================================================================================
4300-3127    43127    62000115    4300-3127    OEB0210    Endsleeves connectors 0.25-10mm²
4300-3153    43153    62000116    4300-3153    OEB1625    Endsleeves connectors 16-25 mm²
4300-3154    43154    62000117    4300-3154    OEB3550    Endsleeves connectors 35-50 mm²

Insulated Terminals
====================================================================================================================================
4300-3129    43129    62000110    4300-3129    OAA0525    Red/blue insulated connectors, 0.5-2.5 mm²
4300-3128    43128    62000111    4300-3128    OAA0160    Green/yellow insulated connectors 0.1-6mm²
4300-3258    43258        -       4300-3258    OSW0525    Red/blue heat shrink connectors
4300-3262    43262        -       4300-3262    OSW0360    Green/yellow heat shrink connectors

Open Barrel
====================================================================================================================================
4300-3150    43150    62000118        -        ORB0110    Open barrel connectors, 0.1-0.25/0.25-0.5/0.5-1.0 mm²
4300-3151    43151        -           -            -      Open barrel connectors, 0.5-1.5/1.5-2.5 mm²
4300-3146    43146    62000120    4300-3146    ORB0560    Open barrel connectors, 0.5-1.5/1.5-2.5/4-6 mm²
4300-3202    43202        -           -            -      Like 4300-3146, but crimps are lower and wider
4300-3709    43709        -           -            -      6.3 mm Flag Terminals 0.75-2.5 mm²
4300-3427    43427        -           -            -      6.3 mm Flag Terminals 1.0-2.5 mm²
4300-3348    43348        -           -            -      8mm Flag Terminals 1.0-2.5 mm²

Closed Barrel
====================================================================================================================================
4300-3241    43241        -       4300-3241        -      Non-insulated connectors 4-6/10 mm²
4300-3142    43142    62000112        -        OKB0560    Non Insulated connectors 0.5-6 mm²
4300-3137    43137    62000113    4300-3137    OKB0725    Non-Insulated connectors 0.75-2.5mm²
4300-3139    43139    62000114        -        OWB4099    Non-Insulated connectors 4-10 mm²

Coaxial
====================================================================================================================================
4300-3136    43136    62000123    4300-3136    OCC1113    RG58, RG59, RG62AU, BNC/TNC Coax connectors
4300-3141    43141    62000121        -        OFO5432    SMA, SMB, SFR, ST, SC Fiber Optic connectors
4300-3140    43140    62000122    4300-3140    OCC0908    RG174, RG179, BNC/TNC Coax connectors
4300-3138    43138    62000124    4300-3138        -      RG6, Belden 1694A, Twinax BNC, CATV F type connectors
4300-3386    43386        -           -            -      CATV connectors RG6, 59 Sqr 1.72/Hex 8.23 mm
4300-3181    43181        -           -            -      BNC, TNC connectors RG6, Belden 8281, 1694A Hex 1.73/8.23/6.48 mm
4300-3247    43247        -           -            -      BNC, TNC connectors Sqr 0.7 Hex 3.85/3.25 mm
4300-3182    43182        -           -            -      BNC, TNC connectors Sqr 1.07 Hex 8.23/6.48 mm
4300-3249    43249        -           -            -      BNC, TNC connectors Sqr 1.72 Hex 5.41 mm
4300-3459    43459        -           -            -      BNC, TNC connectors Sqr 0.73/1.72 Hex 3.25/4.30/5.41 mm
4300-3460    43460        -           -            -      BNC, TNC connectors Sqr 1.20 Hex 3.25/4.52/5.41 mm
4300-3404    43404        -           -            -      BNC, TNC connectors Hex 1.73/2.03/2.54/10.90 mm
4300-3403    43403        -           -            -      BNC connectors on BT 2002, 2003 cable Hex 1.46/5.18/6.81 mm

Proprietary
=====================================================================================================================================
4300-3727    43727        -           -            -      Metri-Pack 150 & 280 type connectors 0.75-1.5/2.5-4.0/4.0-6.0 mm²
4300-3242    43242        -           -            -      Weather Pack type connectors 0.5-0.8/1.0-2.0/3 mm²
4300-3706    43706        -           -            -      Automotive type connectors with Wire Seal 0.5-1.5/1.5-2.5/4.0-6.0 mm²
4300-3707    43707        -           -            -      Automotive type connectors wrap-around crimp 0.5-1.5/1.5-2.5/4.0-6.0 mm²
4300-3708    43708        -           -            -      Automotive type connectors over-lap crimp 0.5-1.5/1.5-2.5/4.0-6.0 mm²
4300-3541    43541        -           -            -      Solarlok, turned pin type, 2.5-4.0/6.0 mm²
4300-3540    43540        -        4300-3540       -      MC3 Ø3mm, turned pin type, 2.5-4.0/6.0 mm²
4300-3539    43539        -        4300-3539       -      MC4 Ø4mm, open barrel type, 2.5/4.0/6.0 mm²
4300-3426    43426        -           -            -      TE/AMP Timer type connectors without Wire Seal 0.5-1.0/1.0-2.5/2.5-4.0 mm²
4300-3425    43425        -           -            -      TE/AMP Timer type connectors with Wire Seal 0.5-1.0/1.0-2.5/2.5-4.0 mm²
4300-3428    43428        -           -            -      TE/AMP SuperSeal 1.5 System type connectors with Wire Seal 0.75-1.25/1.5 mm²

That's a whopping 46 dies in total Though to be fair there is some overlap. And here's a list of some of the different brand names these can be found under:

• Pressmaster MCT
• Wiha PortaCrimp
• Lapp Kabel Mobile Crimp Tool
• Cembre IDT
• Elpress Mobile
• Abiko Mobile

Again, I would love to hear if you know of others!

[RayRay]

Personally, I tin the wire a bit, dip it in a lil bit of flux, put it into the "free area" (just before the actual connector) and solder it into place.
I know most people wouldn't bother doing it this way though, but I just like the extra stability it provides.

[eKretz]

I've soldered terminals plenty of times too, but there is something to the fact that soldering stranded wire can create a joint that fatigues and breaks easier. If the solder wicks up the stranded wire past the connector it can end up causing the wire to break eventually with repeated movement/vibration. These days I usually make crimped joints for stranded wire when using terminals.

[quarks]

when a cable is made to be moveable I always use a crimped connection, because a solder joint will crack/break
I only solder a cable if it is intended to be fix (stationary) after soldering

[nanofrog]

Personally, I tin the wire a bit, dip it in a lil bit of flux, put it into the "free area" (just before the actual connector) and solder it into place.
I know most people wouldn't bother doing it this way though, but I just like the extra stability it provides.

FWIW, both the electrical conductivity and mechanical properties of a proper crimp is superior to solder (proper solder joint vs. proper crimp).   

Generally speaking I've discovered those that are opposed to crimping/think it's inferior, haven't seen or executed a proper crimp IME. And in terms of skill, it's my experience that more people can make a decent solder joint vs. a proper crimp (i.e. thin steel stripping & crimping pliers; example). This issue isn't helped by the fact that the tools recommended by terminal manufacturers are horribly expensive (i.e. 1 ratcheting crimp tool costs the same or more than a proper soldering station  ).

This is why there's a market for ratcheting crimp tools that accept multiple dies IMHO (for us hobbyists and/or field techs). The trade-off of course, is the user requires additional knowledge as to how to execute a proper crimp terminal for whatever die & terminal being used (strip length, correct die for the terminal being used, and proper use of crimp tool.

Another trick is to keep an eye out on eBay for terminal manufacturers' recommended tooling (= get it for pennies on the dollar). You do need to know what you're doing however. 

[Lomax]

This is why there's a market for ratcheting crimp tools that accept multiple dies IMHO (for us hobbyists and/or field techs). The trade-off of course, is the user requires additional knowledge as to how to execute a proper crimp terminal for whatever die & terminal being used (strip length, correct die for the terminal being used, and proper use of crimp tool.

FWIW, I've recently been doing some Mini-Fit JR plugs, and they crimped very well with the 4300-3151 die. I've also done some Micro-Fit ones using the 4300-3150 die, with quite usable results. The Mini-Fit connectors don't wrap the insulation the way (I believe) they're designed to do, but rather crimp into it, but it looks just fine to me - and I am unable to pull the cable out of the crimp.