>…how good of crimp does it make?All I can say is if I use the correct plugs for the cable, and do the job right (that’s the hard part) before crimping, the cables work and I can’t pull the plugs off with my hands. Or, better than some custom cables I’ve seen.
I am not an expert on the various crimpers out there as I have been using the same crimper for many years. I don’t feel compelled to get something that triple ratchets, etc. and I don’t use Amp plugs—just plain old CAT 5e RJ-45’s for solid wire, solid wire CAT 5/5e cable, and no boots. It does the job for the networking I do, and occasional telephone and serial cable wiring. If it ain’t broke, why spend money to fix it.
I might consider a fancier crimper if I were to run cable all day every day. I suppose, like all tools there are cheap ones that will not work well, everyday, quality ones that most people use, and very expensive ones with bells, whistles, and parts that the average field person will not use or lose. And there are sales people who would rather sell Cadillacs instead of Fords. The crimper I suggested in http://duxcw.com/digest/Howto/network/cable/cable3.htm can be purchased for about $35.00. The crimper I have is very similar and were probably purchased at http://www.starkelectronic.com/eclcrimp.htm. http://www.eclipsetools.com/orderinfo.htm lists other sources. If I were to loose my crimper tomorrow I would probably buy another $35.00 crimper. Larry (Maine Yankee)
Larry’s old, beat-up crimper:
