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

[TheRuler8510]

Why on Earth is This Crimping tool $106...?
http://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/TH-450/TH-450-ND/670086

Is it worth it? Similar looking Radio Shack crimpers are $9. 

As usual, I can't find any of the crimpers I own, so it is time to buy yet another one. One day I'll find a box with 17 crimpers in it. So now it's time to get a more professional one, but sheesh!

[ChrisW]

It is simple really, buy 500 of them and you can get one for $81.30 

[PeterG]

There is no way on earth i would pay that much for that style of crimper.

Regards

[Paul Moir]

It's because it's one of the three tools you can use on a 3M brand crimp ring for UL or CSA approval.

Vendor lockin baby! 

[N2IXK]

^This.

Same deal for other manufacturers, as well.  Panduit, Thomas and Betts, and AMP all sell similarly overpriced tooling for their lines of generic insulated crimp terminals. But if you need to get that UL/CSA/NRTL/NEC/ISO/DoD approval, that's what you need to be using to crimp those terminals on.  The terminals only meet UL requirements when installed strictly in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions, which (naturally) call for their own tooling to be used.

Yes, you can buy a decent controlled-cycle ratcheting crimper from an aftermarket supplier for less than this POS. But then you have to hope that the inspector doesn't see it. 

[marshallh]

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.

[Legit-Design]

Why would you pay top money for a genuine fluke when simple 10$ multimeter will do the same job?  (rhetorical question)

[deth502]

just a guess, could be wrong, but under the specs it says std package is qty 10. i think the "1" qty for $108 is for 1 package of 10 units.

[c4757p]

Nope, that just means DigiKey receives them in packages of ten. You still get one.

[deth502]

http://www.harborfreight.com/9-1-2-half-inch-wire-crimping-tool-36411.html

and

http://www.harborfreight.com/7-in-wire-stripper-with-cutter-61158.html

ok, id probably get a better stripper than the harbor freight one, but i would not touch one of those shitty stamped sheet metal crimpers for free, let alone over $100. get one of those crimpers ^^^ for $8 from hf, or a better one from $20-30 elsewhere. you will not regret it. it makes the crimped ends STAY ON.

[Smokey]

$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://ca.mouser.com/ProductDetail/TE-Connectivity/69656-2/?qs=%2fha2pyFaduj2J%2fe%252b94DCn0ClwRFi6jrdHbKEtWcRVTk%3d

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

[TheRuler8510]

Here's the same model on ebay for $49.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/3M-TH-450-Tool-Crimping-Cutter-/221489707431?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3391d0b9a7

Is this a Chinese counterfeit?

[miguelvp]

Here's the same model on ebay for $49.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/3M-TH-450-Tool-Crimping-Cutter-/221489707431?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3391d0b9a7

Is this a Chinese counterfeit?

Don't know but:
California Prop 65 Orange Label
This product contains a chemical known to the State of California to cause birth defects or other reproductive harm.

California Prop 65 White Label
This product contains a chemical known to the State of California to cause cancer.

So crimping can leave you childless and with cancer 

[rob77]

actually it's very simple - usually those freaking expensive tools last much much longer.
so if you make 10 crimped joints a year - you can get along with the $10 Chinese crap tool which will last couple of years for you.
but if you make 100 joints a day - then the $10 tool will be most probably destroyed in a day - so the $100 one which will last much longer is in fact cheaper at the end of the day

[Mechatrommer]

picture worth a thousand words. but few words it cannot describes such as "strength of material" and "quality of assembly/finishing/tolerance". ymmv.

[rob77]

picture worth a thousand words. but few words it cannot describes such as "strength of material" and "quality of assembly/finishing/tolerance". ymmv.

sure it can't. but the branded tools are much better quality (better material, tolerance...etc...), so one could always assume that the branded tool is better than the Chinese replica. those cheap tools are cheap for a reason - e.g. crappy soft steel (or even just iron)   instead of tool steel ..etc..

[KJDS]

So crimping can leave you childless

It's not to difficult to work out how crimping could leave you unable to breed

[nuhamind2]

Audiophile grade crimping tool.

[TerraHertz]

Expensive crimpers you say?
http://www.specialized.net/Specialized/hydraulic-crimper-Burndy-battery-crimper-9182.aspx?Brands=Thomas+%26+Betts

As usual, I can't find any of the crimpers I own, so it is time to buy yet another one. One day I'll find a box with 17 crimpers in it. So now it's time to get a more professional one, but sheesh!

Know that feeling. I had a high quality pair of coax ferrule crimpers, then could not find them anywhere. Bought new pair. Literally years later, found the original pair fallen down behind a cupboard.

As for tape measures.... I tried just buying lots of them. Nope, still can rarely lay my hand on one when needed. They seem to have some kind of statistical reverse entropic process, in which they all end up in one hiding spot which I'm not aware of. Then when I'm not looking for one they all turn up at once.

[SeanB]

I know that feeling. I am looking for the 14mm hex allen socket, as I am this week a fitter, and have to dismantle multi ton pieces to fix them . Can't find it, so tomorrow will go and buy a new one ( tool store just down the street for me, they love me) to undo the M16 hex bolts on the bearing. Then hope the chain block will keep the half ton of metal balanced while I undo big pieces to get clearance. Then off to the engineering shop to get the repair parts and bring in the coded welder to put the kit back together. I am not that good a welder, and do not have a TIG welder in any case to weld the stainless steel parts. It will be a lot thicker though when I am finished, along with being better aligned.

[mikeselectricstuff]

It's because it's one of the three tools you can use on a 3M brand crimp ring for UL or CSA approval.

Vendor lockin baby! 

I can't beleive anyone would approve anything crimped by a piece of junk like that - a ratchet style is essential to guarantee the correct amount of crimp.

[retrolefty]

Here's the same model on ebay for $49.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/3M-TH-450-Tool-Crimping-Cutter-/221489707431?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3391d0b9a7

Is this a Chinese counterfeit?

Don't know but:
California Prop 65 Orange Label
This product contains a chemical known to the State of California to cause birth defects or other reproductive harm.

California Prop 65 White Label
This product contains a chemical known to the State of California to cause cancer.

So crimping can leave you childless and with cancer 

 No, just a stupid California law that stipulated lowest threshold safety level on so many products/chemicals that nearly every store you go into has it displayed in it's entry way. As such the public has learned to ignore it so it has no effect in the long run on buyer behavior.

[Paul Moir]

I can't beleive anyone would approve anything crimped by a piece of junk like that - a ratchet style is essential to guarantee the correct amount of crimp.

Oh I couldn't agree more.  But the TR-490 is a little spendy at over $300:
http://www.digikey.ca/product-detail/en/TR-490/TR-490-ND/670087

The TH-440 is your only other option for $98
http://www.digikey.ca/product-detail/en/TH-440/920099-R-ND/31400

If you're crimping over 100 connectors a day one of these unreliable crimpers, you must be a masochist.  And any idiot with a punch press can make these things accurately all day for $15 a pair including heat treat.  We're not talking about a John Neeman axe or Hardinge lathe here.  It's like a 5 or 6 step operation to make.

[Alexei.Polkhanov]

Audiophile grade crimping tool.

Exactly! And you need two - one for each direction of electrons!

[deth502]

Don't know but:
California Prop 65 Orange Label
This product contains a chemical known to the State of California to cause birth defects or other reproductive harm.

California Prop 65 White Label
This product contains a chemical known to the State of California to cause cancer.

So crimping can leave you childless and with cancer 

like big daddy kane used to say, crimpin' aint easy.

[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.