Are all WeatherPack crimping tools created equal?
Posted on 24. Mar, 2010 by admin in Tech Articles
No they are definitely not. We tried and tried to find a super-cheap crimper (sub-$40) that would do the job right, with our hope being that we could offer a crimper for less than $30-40 that might be a little less convenient to use, but would crimp properly. We purchased and tested several models, including a couple that promised ‘a perfect crimp every time’, and in at least one case the die wasn’t even shaped right to crimp Weather Pack terminals properly, though that was the sole purpose of the crimper supposedly. In the end, we decided the cheap crimper that worked properly just didn’t exist. You can likely get by with one of these in some cases, but it WILL effect the quality of your crimps. So instead of offering my customers a tool I would never use myself, we found an extremely high quality tool that makes it easy, and we priced it just a tiny bit above our cost. We don’t make much on these, but you get a tool that helps you do the job right, and that’s important to us.
Here’s what you’re looking for in a good Weather Pack crimping tool:
1) Proper shape of the crimping dies.
The die that crimps the conductor should be ‘w’ or ‘m’ shaped (depending on how you’re holding the tool)
The die that crimps the seal over the wire insulator should be rounded.
2) Crimps both the conductor and the seal at same time
There are two separate crimps to make, one for the wire conductor, and another to hold the seal in place. A good tool will complete both of these operations in one motion.
3) Has a proper Terminal Positioning Block to ensure you crimp the terminal just right
Without the Terminal Positioning Block you’ll likely wish you had a third hand to try and hold the terminal in the proper position while also holding the seal in place and operate the tool at the same time. With this piece your crimps will be MUCH easier and you’ll have a much higher success rate.
4) Racheting mechanism to ensure proper crimp pressure
This will ensure that you’ve crimped hard enough, but not too hard, getting the crimp pressure on the terminal just right.
We’re happy to offer a tool that meets all of the above requirements, and truly gives you an honest shot at getting ‘a perfect crimp every time’. Others promise this, but this tool can deliver it.
You can click here to check out and/or purchase the high quality crimping tool we recommend.