crimping tool - good buy or white elephant?

General cycling advice ( NOT technical ! )
User avatar
simonineaston
Posts: 8003
Joined: 9 May 2007, 1:06pm
Location: ...at a cricket ground

crimping tool - good buy or white elephant?

Post by simonineaston »

My earlier annoyance at Apple's inability to readily recognize one of modern music's class acts has been mollified by the arrival of a cheapNcheerful crimping set off of Amazon. Has anyone else bought one these recently and if so, do you find it to be efficacious - or a waste of money?
Screenshot 2021-10-17 at 16.02.14.png
S
(on the look out for Armageddon, on board a Brompton nano & ever-changing Moultons)
rogerzilla
Posts: 2887
Joined: 9 Jun 2008, 8:06pm

Re: crimping tool - good buy or white elephant?

Post by rogerzilla »

I've got one and it was totally worth it. I have crimped dynamo wiring for 7 bikes so far, not all mine. Takes some practice to use.
User avatar
simonineaston
Posts: 8003
Joined: 9 May 2007, 1:06pm
Location: ...at a cricket ground

Re: crimping tool - good buy or white elephant?

Post by simonineaston »

Cool! I've had a quick play - no instructions with it. Beefy construction and applies good force via a ratchet mechanism. Pleased.
S
(on the look out for Armageddon, on board a Brompton nano & ever-changing Moultons)
LittleGreyCat
Posts: 1177
Joined: 7 Aug 2013, 8:31pm

Re: crimping tool - good buy or white elephant?

Post by LittleGreyCat »

simonineaston wrote: 17 Oct 2021, 6:27pm Cool! I've had a quick play - no instructions with it. Beefy construction and applies good force via a ratchet mechanism. Pleased.
Link?
Looks tempting.
User avatar
simonineaston
Posts: 8003
Joined: 9 May 2007, 1:06pm
Location: ...at a cricket ground

Re: crimping tool - good buy or white elephant?

Post by simonineaston »

I bought this one, which is under £20 for the tool plus enough terminals to last me out... further scrutiny of the tool and the way it interacts with the terminals is encouraging. It even appears that the jaws are 'replaceable' and there looks to be some adjustment possible by way of a star wheel (arrowed) although it's not clear to me yet what it adjusts - the closure gap between the jaws perhaps?
picture of inexpensive crimping tool - how do they do it??
picture of inexpensive crimping tool - how do they do it??
another picture of inexpensive crimping tool
another picture of inexpensive crimping tool
S
(on the look out for Armageddon, on board a Brompton nano & ever-changing Moultons)
User avatar
simonineaston
Posts: 8003
Joined: 9 May 2007, 1:06pm
Location: ...at a cricket ground

Re: crimping tool - good buy or white elephant?

Post by simonineaston »

Not the same exact tool, but v. similar - check out how it all works here - see if one might be for you...
S
(on the look out for Armageddon, on board a Brompton nano & ever-changing Moultons)
rogerzilla
Posts: 2887
Joined: 9 Jun 2008, 8:06pm

Re: crimping tool - good buy or white elephant?

Post by rogerzilla »

The tricky bit is stripping just enough of the wire, and pushing it into the terminal just far enough. There should be a a short length of bare wire strands sticking out after the crimp, with a bellmouth shape.
User avatar
robgul
Posts: 3088
Joined: 8 Jan 2007, 8:40pm
Contact:

Re: crimping tool - good buy or white elephant?

Post by robgul »

I have a crimping tool for electrical type cables and cable ends (various sorts: spade, bullet etc)

BUT for crimping ferrules on brake and gear cable ends this was worth the modest investment - perfect results every time.

Image

It's made by Jagwire and showing as being about £23 - was about £12 new, can't remember where though, probably an ebay seller
E2E http://www.cycle-endtoend.org.uk
HoECC http://www.heartofenglandcyclingclub.org.uk
Cytech accredited mechanic . . . and woodworker
User avatar
simonineaston
Posts: 8003
Joined: 9 May 2007, 1:06pm
Location: ...at a cricket ground

Re: crimping tool - good buy or white elephant?

Post by simonineaston »

The tricky bit is stripping just enough of the wire, and pushing it into the terminal just far enough. There should be a short length of bare wire strands sticking out after the crimp, with a bellmouth shape.
Thanks. Wire coloured to match frame paint arriving tomorrow... The Big Day !! PS have always used the built-in squisher in my ancient cable cutters to crimp cable end ferrules.
S
(on the look out for Armageddon, on board a Brompton nano & ever-changing Moultons)
thirdcrank
Posts: 36776
Joined: 9 Jan 2007, 2:44pm

Re: crimping tool - good buy or white elephant?

Post by thirdcrank »

rogerzilla wrote: 18 Oct 2021, 9:03am The tricky bit is stripping just enough of the wire, and pushing it into the terminal just far enough. There should be a a short length of bare wire strands sticking out after the crimp, with a bellmouth shape.
I've a gadget somewhere I bought from the now-defunct Maplins that did the first part of that job perfectly every time.

Re the crimping tool, I once found a heavy-duty one out on the road. (So heavy I had to decide whether it was worth lugging home in the Longflap.) It worked a treat, or it did on the few occasions I found a use for it. I don't know if it's still in there with all the other junk or if I gave it to somebody whose need was greater than mine.
User avatar
bikes4two
Posts: 1306
Joined: 12 Jan 2010, 10:14pm
Location: SE Hampshire, UK

Re: crimping tool - good buy or white elephant?

Post by bikes4two »

For anyone considering a crimping tool, give youtube a go - 'bigclivedotcom' does a good albeit lengthy piece on crimping tools.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXLmuDbcLBM&t=190s
Without my stoker, every trip would only be half a journey
User avatar
simonineaston
Posts: 8003
Joined: 9 May 2007, 1:06pm
Location: ...at a cricket ground

Re: crimping tool - good buy or white elephant?

Post by simonineaston »

Turns out there is a range of crimping die specifications that match different terminal shapes - who knew?? (not me, that's for sure :lol: )
this that & the other...
this that & the other...
S
(on the look out for Armageddon, on board a Brompton nano & ever-changing Moultons)
User avatar
531colin
Posts: 16083
Joined: 4 Dec 2009, 6:56pm
Location: North Yorkshire

Re: crimping tool - good buy or white elephant?

Post by 531colin »

One vote for white elephant.
Just solder the connections....its a longer lasting job than crimping, which obviously stresses the wire as you crimp.....solder splints the wire by joining the strands together.
For insulation, use heat shrink sleeving https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/303927706138 ... d51faba4ea...loads of suppliers.
This also re-inforces the "join" ....its the join which is weak with a crimp, they fatigue where the conductor isn't properly supported between the cut end of the insulation and the crimp.
If you think bicycles are a demanding application, try motorbikes.

Brake/gear wires......I use silver solder to make a proper finished end.
thirdcrank
Posts: 36776
Joined: 9 Jan 2007, 2:44pm

Re: crimping tool - good buy or white elephant?

Post by thirdcrank »

531colin's post has had me down memory lane.

Before the availability of Cateye Daylites (sp?) I experimented with making something of my own, bodged up with a Nicad battery from Maplins in a bidon. A much younger colleague who had been s sparky (their expression) in an earlier existence noticed my heath robinson set-up and offered to connect it properly with solder and heat shrink. Back it all came ooking like the dog's whatnots and he offered to teach me how to do it, as he had taught his mrs who had done my wiring for practice.
User avatar
simonineaston
Posts: 8003
Joined: 9 May 2007, 1:06pm
Location: ...at a cricket ground

Re: crimping tool - good buy or white elephant?

Post by simonineaston »

'bigclivedotcom' does a good albeit lengthy piece on crimping tools.
Big Clive is a delight if one has the patience - the stuff he unearths (hoho) is sccaaaarrryyy!!! (see here 'fake power saver' for example) Good For Him!
S
(on the look out for Armageddon, on board a Brompton nano & ever-changing Moultons)
Post Reply