crimpers, which work best Options

[mightyohm]

I want to invest in a nice set of crimpers for uninsulated crimp terminals. I want something better than the $9.99 radio shack style. Ratcheting would be nice if it makes a better crimp. Does anyone here have any suggestions? I don't want to spend over $100.

This is the kind I don't want:
(IMG:http://www.sunshinesolar.co.uk/ccp51/media/images/product_detail/crimper200.jpg)
Sorry I couldn't find a better pic.

[lapuwali]

QUOTE (andys @ Dec 13 2005, 10:00 AM)

For all the various wire sizes and connector combinations, why would you not want to solder and heat-shrink the connections? No need to buy expensive crimpers that will never cover the complete range of combinations anyway. Military crimpers and crimp joints are completely engineered for a very specific combination of wire type, size, and connector. Many crimpers and connectors are even designed to crimp right over the insulated wire. Andys

Because soldered connections are more brittle than crimped connections, and are not as reliable in a high-vibration environment. Soldered connections work great in electronics, but on loose wiring that flops around, vibrates, gets tugged on, etc, soldering really sucks. Again, this is what the OEM stuff does, and it's clearly good for 30 years of abuse. I've seen soldered connections fail in a few months of use on a car.

The number of combinations in a car harness really isn't that large. I have 18, 14, and 10g wire, with matching crimp-on connectors for each size. The ONLY wire you need outside of this is the one wire from the battery to the starter, which has to be 4 or 6g. The 10g is only used from the battery to the headlight area (all front lights) because of the long run. You could also use 2 14g wires instead and skip the 10g wire altogether. The 14 and 18 are used everywhere else, with most of the car is wired with 18g. The connectors also can accept and provide a good crimp on 2-3 sizes of wire, provided you have a good crimp tool.