BEst RJ45 crimpers for sub £25 please

[Zak33]

Lo dudes

Can someone link me to a good set of Crimpers for RJ45? Amazon/CPC link etc

I have borrowed one from a mate and it was very good, but I think it was £100+

I really enjoyed making patch cables! I enjoyed getting the plastic outer the exact right length, to crimp perfectly with the pairs in the connector. It was IMMENSELY rewarding
I enjoyed having a sharp cable cutter built in... but I don't think I can justify much over £25 for a few RJ45's per year.

Any suggestions please?

[Biscuit]

Really depends how many connectors you expect to crimp. If you're doing a couple of cables a week, then:
http://cpc.farnell.com/duratool/d030...j45/dp/TL07304
Will do the job (I have these for when I'm doing none EZ-crimp)

If you're doing a lot of connectors then the extra money for a heavy duty crimp is totally worth it.

[peterb]

What biscuit said - a ore expensive tool will be stronger and heavier duty, and more comfortable to use. For occasional/light duty use, the one biscuit has linked to looks very good value for money.

I have tended to use EZ crimp connectors and tools - especially for cat6 cat6a - much less fiddly and no trimming wires to the correct length before inserting into the plug - but even these higher end tools can vary in quality!

[Zak33]

thank you guys

I really enjoyed connecting much more than I expected..it genuinely made me smile

[Zak33]

can I have an example of a proper one too? so I know.....

[peterb]

So many to choose from...

A couple here

https://www.bryant-unlimited.co.uk/3-231652-0

Or this

https://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/crimp-tools/3579773/

Some have a standard frame with interchangeable dies

This https://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/crimp-tools/0485915/ takes this https://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/crimp-tools/4929725/

https://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/crimp-tools/0455208/ takes this https://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/products/0455214/

Just a sample - the EZ crimp are cheaper, but the plugs cost more.

This is one https://www.clearvisionsystems.co.uk...-crimping-tool but you need to be careful buying them as there are some dodgy look alikes around and they don't work well. I wasted a lot of time and plugs with a poor quality one.

[Zak33]

ok... shouldn't have asked

[Biscuit]

...but you need to be careful buying them as there are some dodgy look alikes around and they don't work well. I wasted a lot of time and plugs with a poor quality one.

same

If you want to go a bit more middle of the road, I quite like Knipex.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/97-51-10-SB...ds=Knipex+RJ45

They also make pretty good cutters and pliers

[Zak33]

same

If you want to go a bit more middle of the road, I quite like Knipex.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/97-51-10-SB...ds=Knipex+RJ45

They also make pretty good cutters and pliers

they are very similar to the ones first borrowed from my mate.. thank you

[Jonatron]

I really enjoyed making patch cables!

You're a mad man! I find it fiddly, annoying and unrewarding. I'd always treat patch cables as something you buy, and are disposable. Even for temporary cables I'd punch down keystone jacks and use manufactured patch cables on the ends.

[Biscuit]

You're a mad man! I find it fiddly, annoying and unrewarding. I'd always treat patch cables as something you buy, and are disposable. Even for temporary cables I'd punch down keystone jacks and use manufactured patch cables on the ends.

That's what EZ RJ45s are for.

I do fully understand where Zak is coming from though. Getting a good crimp is like an internal challenge... Personally find it VERY rewarding.... Until I talk to a wireman who does like 10 in the time I do 1, and they are all perfect.

[peterb]

And of course you can make them the right length for the job in hand, so the cabinet looks neater, rather than having odd lengths looping down and back.

[Biscuit]

And of course you can make them the right length for the job in hand, so the cabinet looks neater, rather than having odd lengths looping down and back.

Fairly standard practice to run them into the floor and back up, then hide any excess that way. With big patch fields and routers/switches, it's really the only way to do "cable porn".

I'll take some snaps on the London job I have in a couple of weeks, should be pretty satisfying

[badass]

And of course you can make them the right length for the job in hand, so the cabinet looks neater, rather than having odd lengths looping down and back.

When you can buy 0.3, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 3.0 meter sizes, you can always get close enough to make it nice and neat. Then you can hide some of the excess with a bit of creative brush panel usage shttps://www.cablemonkey.co.uk/ccs-data-cabinet-cable-management/42042-1u-brush-strip-panel-5056045700479.html

The main reason I haven't bothered making my own patch cables - no matter how careful, I rejected around 1/2 of them after stress testing. Plus I had a couple cause issues that took ages to troubleshoot a couple of years after making them. I've never had problems with decent bought ones.

[peterb]

When you can buy 0.3, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 3.0 meter sizes, you can always get close enough to make it nice and neat. Then you can hide some of the excess with a bit of creative brush panel usage shttps://www.cablemonkey.co.uk/ccs-data-cabinet-cable-management/42042-1u-brush-strip-panel-5056045700479.html

The main reason I haven't bothered making my own patch cables - no matter how careful, I rejected around 1/2 of them after stress testing. Plus I had a couple cause issues that took ages to troubleshoot a couple of years after making them. I've never had problems with decent bought ones.

Yes, and in a commercial environment where time is money, the saving in time probably outweighs any extra cost. However having had to cable trace in poorly (ie un) documented a forest of 2 and 3 metre cables - often connecting components maybe 2u apart ... I appreciate short cables!

[Biscuit]

When you can buy 0.3, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 3.0 meter sizes, you can always get close enough to make it nice and neat. Then you can hide some of the excess with a bit of creative brush panel usage shttps://www.cablemonkey.co.uk/ccs-data-cabinet-cable-management/42042-1u-brush-strip-panel-5056045700479.html

The main reason I haven't bothered making my own patch cables - no matter how careful, I rejected around 1/2 of them after stress testing. Plus I had a couple cause issues that took ages to troubleshoot a couple of years after making them. I've never had problems with decent bought ones.

Smallish Internal rack stuff, I completely agree. In systems that are a little bigger and more complex, or if you're doing infrastructure cabling, manual termination is actually far easier, quicker, tidier and more reliable. The guys that do this for a living are unbelievable in how quickly they put beautiful racks together.... just dont go out drinking with them.