I am tired of the poor crimp spade terminals, Ring terminals etc. Either the terminals themselves are made from thin material or the generic crimping tools just kind of crush the terminals and make a poor crimp. I like the way that the deutsch connectors work with the hollow tube that the crimper then squeezes all around the exterior. Do they make spade and ring terminals that the deutsch crimper work on? Basically I’m looking to make quality factory style crimp connections on wiring harnesses that i can rely on every time. I’m not really versed in different crimp systems as I’ve always soldered. What options are out there?
What is a quality crimping system for electrical terminals?
- Thread starter joegreen
- Start date
Military splice solder then heat shrink
JHZR2
Staff member
Are you using a ratcheting crimper that has a set depth per terminal size? Ive used even cheap generic ones and they seem to do well compared to the old fashioned ones on a plier-type tool…
Use Molex terminals and Molex ratcheting crimping tool
I do not crimp much anymore but instead use solder/shrink connectors. I do have almost all the systems for replacing weather pack, Molex and a couple of others but the tooling is not cheap. For common ring, spade and butt connectors these are overkill and more time consuming.
To do solder/shrink this tool is a god send, use the heat gun tip, it works slick.
For the solder/shrink connectors I have been using ones from TICONN, they have been great and work well with the butane soldering iron/heat gun above. I am pretty sure others are the same but these have had no issues with burning or failure, the trick is to let it heat long enough till you see the solder melt and wick into the wires.
For rinks and spades this is one place to get them, they are not as common as the butt connectors but work the same. Scan the page till you come to RING CRIMP/SHRINK or click on it.
www.elecdirect.com
To do solder/shrink this tool is a god send, use the heat gun tip, it works slick.
For the solder/shrink connectors I have been using ones from TICONN, they have been great and work well with the butane soldering iron/heat gun above. I am pretty sure others are the same but these have had no issues with burning or failure, the trick is to let it heat long enough till you see the solder melt and wick into the wires.
For rinks and spades this is one place to get them, they are not as common as the butt connectors but work the same. Scan the page till you come to RING CRIMP/SHRINK or click on it.
Heat Shrink Terminals | Heat Shrink Connectors | ElecDirect
ElecDirect is your professional online source for heat shrink terminal kits for electrical wire. Purchase your heat shrink connectors and supplies today!
www.elecdirect.com
id recommend Ancor marine grade tinned copper terminals with adhesive heat shrink, and a ratcheting crimper made for the insulated terminals (ancor makes one of those too) they are top quality and made for use in harsh marine conditions to prevent corrosion.
no experience with them but saw them at sema this year - company called Spiseal that uses melted plastic in a mold to make connections. avoids the solder/heat shrink route. only issue is you have to buy there 'system' which is the plastic sticks that go into a hot glue gun and the molds for different size wires. think it's around $100 so not bad, but def not as cheap as buying some shrink and connectors/solder.
- Joined
- Nov 24, 2023
- Messages
- 192
I crimped probably thousands of terminals in my work . The key is to use quality connectors , and a quality crimping tool . It's not rocket science , but using the right equipment will make all the difference . We used T&B connectors and crimping tools .
Marine Wire Termination - Marine How To
Marine Wire Termination - Tools of the Trade MHT Recommended Tools: The products below are our top picks for crimp tools. RecommendationsI include; PRO GRADE, MARINE GRADE, & PENNY SAVER GRADE. Every tool recommended BELOW, we have tested here.
marinehowto.com
The ones from 3M are pretty good but not cheap.
mdocs.3m.com
3M-Wire-Terminals-Catalog 1 3M Electrical Products Catalog
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+1 for Ancor. For terminals and crimper. They also make double crimp terminals and a double crimp crimping tool.
Also for boats they sell tinned wire in many colors.
I've been happy with the terminals from HF. But their ratcheting tool is for the waste bin. At some point I picked up this crimp tool and it has worked well enough for simple ring terminals. Wasn't from HF, it was at a hamfest to do Anderson Power Poles, but they have worked well for what I've tossed at them for 10g through about 16g.
Went on a buying spree last year and bought some Molex KK knockoffs, and this crimp tool for them, off fleabay. Think it was part of some package deal. Think I've used them and it was fine... but clearly not enough to give a good answer one way or the other.
Honestly, I think when you want to do it right, you buy the crimp tool for the connector series, cost be darned. You might be able to get the proper dies but then you still need the crimp tool. Money that I can't justify for home use but YMMV.
I like soldering but it has its limitations, like getting enough heat on really big wires. From what I understand, one typically doesn't solder today due to insulation damage on PVC, solder and flux wicking making the wire less flexible and thus more like to breakage in vibration environments, higher resistance than copper-to-copper crimp (or weld), and the fast pace assembly environment (which isn't a factor for DIY).
Went on a buying spree last year and bought some Molex KK knockoffs, and this crimp tool for them, off fleabay. Think it was part of some package deal. Think I've used them and it was fine... but clearly not enough to give a good answer one way or the other.
Honestly, I think when you want to do it right, you buy the crimp tool for the connector series, cost be darned. You might be able to get the proper dies but then you still need the crimp tool. Money that I can't justify for home use but YMMV.
I like soldering but it has its limitations, like getting enough heat on really big wires. From what I understand, one typically doesn't solder today due to insulation damage on PVC, solder and flux wicking making the wire less flexible and thus more like to breakage in vibration environments, higher resistance than copper-to-copper crimp (or weld), and the fast pace assembly environment (which isn't a factor for DIY).
Reasonable quality crimp with shrink material on them the kinda pastel pink blue and yellow ones work just fine. With a ratcheting crimper they will hold more weight than could ever be put on them in the real world. Heat shrink material Keeps the moisture out connection will be good for pretty much forever
Soldering has its place but for simple wire repairs and connections would rather use crimp connectors
Soldering has its place but for simple wire repairs and connections would rather use crimp connectors
JHZR2
Staff member
Ive had soldered joints come loose too. Theyre only as good as the fundamental mechanical connection...
JHZR2
Staff member
They make US made quality ring terminals, including ones that can be shrunk and sealed.
The crimper you have in the upper photo (red handle), will work, but I wouldnt rely upon it, I have a Klein one just like that, as well as a similar design on a multitool. Once I ent to a ratcheting crimper that is similar to the blue handle unit in your lower pic, but with the sizes for standard terminals, I didnt look back...
I have never had that happen but have seen it on poorly solder joints where the soldering temp was too low forming a "cold solder" joint or no flux solder was used instead of rosin core.
Do those TICONN ones have some rosin in them also? Have you cut any apart to check the solder connection. I'd be worried that if a regular heat gun can melt it, high temperatures in engine bay or like Arizona heat could re-melt and it comes apart. I like them, just would be concerned.
They have some rosin but they need a good amount of concentrated heat to really melt the solder. I see a lot of people have cut them apart and complain the solder doesnt flow well but they are not using enough heat in the right place, a bic lighter isn't doing it.
These do not saturate solder like a full soldered joint but perfectly well suited for stuff like car stereo, horn, and other small diameter wires that don't have tension on them, they have a very thin profile. For higher amp wires I like crimp/solder/shrink connectors.
The last thing I will use are the crimp only plastic covered connectors, I never liked them and do not use them.
The shrink/solder will have no problem with under the hood temps in any climate. These are crimp solder connectors.
www.grote.com
These do not saturate solder like a full soldered joint but perfectly well suited for stuff like car stereo, horn, and other small diameter wires that don't have tension on them, they have a very thin profile. For higher amp wires I like crimp/solder/shrink connectors.
The last thing I will use are the crimp only plastic covered connectors, I never liked them and do not use them.
The shrink/solder will have no problem with under the hood temps in any climate. These are crimp solder connectors.
Crimp Solder & Seal Butt Connectors
Crimp Solder & Seal Butt Connectors protect splices from water, corrosion, salt and moisture, and provide strain relief.
www.grote.com
