Tools you wish you'd bought sooner...

[smack]

Looking for a crimping tool for connectors wiring loom/small bullet/AMPSeal connectors and larger. I have some car and motorbike electrics to fix up, so have an excuse to finally have an excuse to buy a crimper to do the job right, and looking for recommendations.

[steveo3002]

smack said:

Looking for a crimping tool for connectors wiring loom/small bullet/AMPSeal connectors and larger. I have some car and motorbike electrics to fix up, so have an excuse to finally have an excuse to buy a crimper to do the job right, and looking for recommendations.

channellock 909 are decent for bullets /tube crimps

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2le4BN0bP8

these for non insulated

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mini-Ratchet-Crimper-Pl...

if you have more to spend then look at used AMP brand ones on ebay etc

[Bodo]

smack said:

Looking for a crimping tool for connectors wiring loom/small bullet/AMPSeal connectors and larger. I have some car and motorbike electrics to fix up, so have an excuse to finally have an excuse to buy a crimper to do the job right, and looking for recommendations.

For the occasional F-crimp (uninsulated), I recommend these:
https://www.knipex.com/index.php?id=1216&L=1&a...
Does 0.5 - 2.5 mm², and is good quality for <£15

I also recommend this https://www.te.com/content/dam/te-com/documents/ap... is a simple explanation of good crimps (to be used with any pliers).

If you want to do a wiring loom, I'd recommend a ratchet crimper that does wire and insulation crimp in one go, such as this https://www.knipex.com/index.php?id=1216&L=1&a...

[gobuddygo]

For non insulated connectors I still use my old 40 year old Ripaults crimpers, I bought these when I was an apprentice Auto Electrician.

[Lily the Pink]

Bodo said:

I also recommend this https://www.te.com/content/dam/te-com/documents/ap... is a simple explanation of good crimps (to be used with any pliers).

That's very good - useful for those of us who are self-taught.

[Nimby]

smack said:

Looking for a crimping tool for connectors wiring loom/small bullet/AMPSeal connectors and larger. ..

Can you spot the problem with my cheapo Ebay crimper?

[Bodo]

Nimby said:

Can you spot the problem with my cheapo Ebay crimper?

The color codes for 2.5mm² and 4.0mm² are inverted.

[LeadFarmer]

Doofus said:

Ok, thanks.

I drain mine into a washing up bowl with the rim cut off (so it can snug up to the wall). The empty rad is a lot easier to lift off the wall and carry away than it would be if it was full of water.

Based on my own personal experience, I can strongly advise turning off the rad valves so that the water isn't under pressure. Took me a while to clean and dry the living room walls after I forgot to do so

[DBPHiL]

smack said:

Looking for a crimping tool for connectors wiring loom/small bullet/AMPSeal connectors and larger. I have some car and motorbike electrics to fix up, so have an excuse to finally have an excuse to buy a crimper to do the job right, and looking for recommendations.

There's a set in Lidl at the mo.
https://www.lidl.co.uk/en/p/diy/parkside-crimping-...

[Teddy Lop]

Not so much a tool as the eternal dilemma that is the storage and organisation of them... Decided one everyday tool case for everything was getting a bit heavy, and going from filthy building site/garden lighting project to white carpets pristine jobs the next day wasn't ideal.

So having decided to split between a rough first and second fit toolsets, picked up a GT line atomik case for the second fit/clean work/testing equipment optimised kit.

http://www.gtline.com/en/products/gt_line/

Not cheap but a really nice piece of kit.

[mercedeslimos]

DBPHiL said:

There's a set in Lidl at the mo.
https://www.lidl.co.uk/en/p/diy/parkside-crimping-...

Use mine all the time. The last job was lengthening the wires on my Wharfedale speakers following a bedroom rearrange, previous to that was damaged wiring between the throttle body and main ECU on my mates vRS Octavia. Perfectly fine for non-pro use.

[S93]

A ratcheting driver from Lidl this week for the grand sum of £3.99. Very handy in tight spaces.

https://www.lidl.co.uk/en/p/diy/parkside-precision...

[smack]

Thanks everyone for your relies. I spent last night researching everyone's suggestions and watching videos I came to the conclusion that just one tool won't fit the bill. For starters I have some jobs for very thin connectors for some electronic projects and smaller connector blocks used on motorcycles (also RC cars, which mates have been trying to talk me into), around 1.4mm wide for the electronics stuff, and cheap and cheerful crimpers are out of their league for that.
For the very small work, the likes of TE have their specific crimpers for their respective connector system, at great cost, which double crimps at once, or the what the electronics guys alternatively recommend for the best job is get a high quality thin crimping tool and do two separate crimps on the wire and the insulation support, and the Japanese made Engineer PA-09 is the recommended one for the job, for £40, and will order when I get to needing it for those jobs.

But at max 1.9mm die wide, it is borderline too fine for what I need now, which is fix some ABS connector/loom issue on my old Volvo, even 2nd hand loom/connectors are getting like hens teeth, or asking stupid money as it is the front sensor wiring/connector that is broken, and part of the whole main loom. Has to be fixed to pass it's next MOT test, unless the tester is going to look the other way, or warning light bulbs mysteriously stop working.... But seriously I have to get the ABS fixed for safety's sake before winter arrives.

Bodo said:

For the occasional F-crimp (uninsulated), I recommend these:
https://www.knipex.com/index.php?id=1216&L=1&a...
Does 0.5 - 2.5 mm², and is good quality for <£15

I think these might do the trick for me at the moment, as you say for F-crimps, and when I have used in the past (borrowed) the cheaper versions sold don't fold properly. And it bides my time to decide what nice cable stripper I get, but I can get the loom fixed with that one in the mean time.

I don't use insulated connectors, but some battery cable rewiring is a likely job in the future, so there is another crimper I'm likely to need in the future. Keeping old stuff running isn't cheap!

[Jakg]

Teddy Lop said:

Not so much a tool as the eternal dilemma that is the storage and organisation of them... Decided one everyday tool case for everything was getting a bit heavy, and going from filthy building site/garden lighting project to white carpets pristine jobs the next day wasn't ideal.

So having decided to split between a rough first and second fit toolsets, picked up a GT line atomik case for the second fit/clean work/testing equipment optimised kit.

http://www.gtline.com/en/products/gt_line/

Not cheap but a really nice piece of kit.

I can't see your link, but generally money spent on tool storage is never wasted

[Bodo]

smack said:

Thanks everyone for your relies. I spent last night researching everyone's suggestions and watching videos I came to the conclusion that just one tool won't fit the bill. For starters I have some jobs for very thin connectors for some electronic projects and smaller connector blocks used on motorcycles (also RC cars, which mates have been trying to talk me into), around 1.4mm wide for the electronics stuff, and cheap and cheerful crimpers are out of their league for that.
For the very small work, the likes of TE have their specific crimpers for their respective connector system, at great cost, which double crimps at once, or the what the electronics guys alternatively recommend for the best job is get a high quality thin crimping tool and do two separate crimps on the wire and the insulation support, and the Japanese made Engineer PA-09 is the recommended one for the job, for £40, and will order when I get to needing it for those jobs.

But at max 1.9mm die wide, it is borderline too fine for what I need now, which is fix some ABS connector/loom issue on my old Volvo, even 2nd hand loom/connectors are getting like hens teeth, or asking stupid money as it is the front sensor wiring/connector that is broken, and part of the whole main loom. Has to be fixed to pass it's next MOT test, unless the tester is going to look the other way, or warning light bulbs mysteriously stop working.... But seriously I have to get the ABS fixed for safety's sake before winter arrives.

Bodo said:

For the occasional F-crimp (uninsulated), I recommend these:
https://www.knipex.com/index.php?id=1216&L=1&a...
Does 0.5 - 2.5 mm², and is good quality for <£15

I think these might do the trick for me at the moment, as you say for F-crimps, and when I have used in the past (borrowed) the cheaper versions sold don't fold properly. And it bides my time to decide what nice cable stripper I get, but I can get the loom fixed with that one in the mean time.

I don't use insulated connectors, but some battery cable rewiring is a likely job in the future, so there is another crimper I'm likely to need in the future. Keeping old stuff running isn't cheap!

I see you have given that topic some thought, and I agree on insulated crimps - there's no need to forgo the OEM-chosen technology: non-insulated crimps. After all, that's what you find in all harness cappings. There are no insulated crimps or soldered harness connections in Western European cars for at least 30 years now.



This is part of my crimping tool collection - my earlier recommendation on bottom right, two ratchet crimpers above it. I did a new wire harness for my 1961 Land Rover with the green one, which I bought for <DEM20 from a UK seller at 1998 Techno Classica. It's made from chinesium, and handled the job no complaints.

You mention smaller electronics connections, so below 0.5mm². I have a lessons learned to share on that:


The one on top is the ubiquitous SN-28B on ebay, and it's around £10. I did not manage to get a good crimp from it with DuPont connectors and 0.14mm². Then I bought the (also Chinese) iwiss below, which works pretty well, and was around £23.

I did not compare it to the Japanese Engineer equivalent, but it does indeed deliver! As those small connections are a bit finicky, the Engineer PA-09 may be a good alternative, as it allows to crimp the wire and the cable insulation separately - much like the Knipex 97 21 215 B I recommended above for automotive wires.

For the smallest of crimps, I use a stereo microscope; so when you have access to one, it's a simple job with every capable tool.



Difference being the jaws on the iwiss are wire-eroded and smooth, on the SN-28B they are shaped by an undisclosed agricultural tool or similar. I understand that iwiss also does an SN-28B, which also has wire-eroded jaws.

Hand-crimping tools from connector/terminal manufactures (TE/AMP, Molex, Kostal, ...) seem always to be sourced by traditional pliers manufacturers. If that is something you are looking at, you might find an identical pliers in different colours at Daniels/Knipex/Rennsteig/Weidmüller for half the price (£/$/€150 instead of £/$/€300). Deals can also be had for used ones on ebay.

[markcoznottz]

Doofus said:

markcoznottz said:

shtu said:

I will admit to using a junior hacksaw to cut into the olive, then a sharp screwdriver to prise\snap it apart at the cut, but those tools do look handy.

Yep and always use bahco junior hacksaw blades they are leagues ahead of other brands. Carefully cut a groove in the olive, use a small flat blade with a hex at the handle base, twist the screwdriver with a small adjustable spanner, easy.

Dremel in two placss, no need to use a screwdriver and risk damaging the pipe.

People who own Dremels have no friends.....

[Doofus]

markcoznottz said:

People who own Dremels have no friends.....

Ok, thanks, I'll delete all mine from my phone then.

[Hereward]

A tiny Dremel cutting disc saved me when releasing a horribly over-torqued bolt that had rounded off in my SL's gearbox en route to removing the conductor plate. I went from despair to elation in 10 minutes.

[eldar]

Rivnuts. Brilliant and only £30 for a decent kit.

[eskidavies]

I’m getting one of these,was looking at full size for cutting my scrap copper pipe ,but this looks good will cut 50 mm ,thickest I’ll be chopping is 28mm ,should do the job

https://www.lidl.co.uk/en/p/diy/parkside-metal-cho...