Learn me strippers and crimpers

I was splicing new headlight pigtails on my E30 project last night and realized that the tool I've been using for years probably sucks.

What's the best option for fast stripping and a good solid crimp? I would like professional quality, but not crazy expensive. I'm ok with 2 separate tools.

Here's what I've been using:

This post is relevant to my interests. I can never get a good crimp with the cheap pair I have.

My background is in industrial electrical so I use this Klein stuff

I have some of these that I rarely use unless I can't find anything else

Thermafix Dual Wall heat shrink tubing.... hermetic seal

For my strippers I prefer something like this: Or this:  

nice tits

A good crimper is essential if you use that type of connection. You can usually pick up a pair at homedepot under $10. Nice strippers are obviously useful but ive always used pocket knives, soft grip with the snip end of crimpers or my teeth. I dont trust any crimp from those cheap flat crimper/strippers like you got. I usually prefer solder and heat shrink. As posted earlier dual wall is the bees knees

bgkast wrote: For my strippers I prefer something like this: Or this:  

It took 10 minutes after the initial post for this to appear. Y'all are getting slow.

Ditchdigger wrote: My background is in industrial electrical so I use this Klein stuff

This, I use these daily. I also have a set in my home tool box.

There is nothing worse than cheap stripers and crimp tools.

You can also use Ideal or Greenlee stuff, but Kline or T&B make the best strippers. Make sure you get a set of strippers for stranded wire if you are working on cars.

Yeah... this thread is a big let down.

A ratcheting crimp tool made a HUGE difference in the reliability of my crimped connections. Something like this:

As for wire strippers, the grab-and-pull ones that DitchDigger posted are nice, except that they don't work on teflon insulation.

HF sells a pair or strippers that looks a lot like the Klein pictured above, the pair I bought a while ago works quite well. For crimps go with a ratcheting tool as suggested.

I would highly recomend the ratcheting style crimper. The one I have is the Pro's Kit Pro-crimper CF-372. It has removable jaws so you can crimp insulated and non-insulated connectors as well as a pretty big variety of other connectors for cable, etc. I really don't remember where I got them other then it was online.

I wired a whole car with mine and the thing I liked is you get the exact same crimp everytime. Using the non-ratchet type I have ruined I don't know how many connectors or made to loose or too tight connections. With the ratcheting type you can also barely clamp a connector in the jaws slip over the wire and make the connection with one hand in hard to get to places.

I also have the blue and yellow strippers shown in other posts although if I was to purchase again I would look for a better quality version.

Toyman01 wrote:

Ditchdigger wrote: My background is in industrial electrical so I use this Klein stuff

This, I use these daily. I also have a set in my home tool box. There is nothing worse than cheap stripers and crimp tools. You can also use Ideal or Greenlee stuff, but Kline or T&B make the best strippers. Make sure you get a set of strippers for stranded wire if you are working on cars.

I also have both of those and they do work well but I am looking for a ratcheting crimper.

For stripping auto type wires, I have an antiquated version of one of these: It's just wonderful.

For crimping, I also finally got a good ratcheting type crimper and love it. Little fiddly, so if I haven't used it in a bit I have to waste a few crimps trying to re-remember how to work it. But then I'm off and crimping nice and neat and strong.

Theme Music for this thread

Strippers: People who get paid to take their clothes off.

Crimpers: People (often a spouse) who limit one's exposure to strippers.