KF CPTEC5PCS Ratchet Wire Crimping Tool Kit with Quick-Change Jaws for Heat Shrink, Insulated & Non-Insulated Connectors, Ferrules, Open Barrel, OT & UT Terminals – with Storage Case

I'm a home user but wanted a tool that would do a nice solid crimp. My old crimp tool was one of those cheap things that comes in kits, even decades ago. They were cheap and flimsy. Anyway, I bought both the 5 and 6 piece kits. I needed the 5 piece for the larger yellow connectors for 10 and 12 gauge wires. So far I've only used the tool from the 5 piece kit but they seem to be the same but with different jaws. I needed to crimp several 12 gauge wires and a couple 16 gauge wires. Both ended up with nice crimps. It crimps both the electrical and mechanical in one operation. I tried pretty hard to pull the wire out of the connector and it wouldn't budge. I left the adjustment like it was from the factory. I figure it would at least be a good starting point. I used a couple older and thinner yellow connectors and some newer more heavy ones. It did a nice crimp on them both.I was going to take pictures but I forgot to take them before I put the heat shrink on. The next time I crimp some, I'll try to take pictures and update this review.The one thing I find odd, I think they put the foam in the little case backwards. Given the way the case closing snaps work, I have to turn it upside down before opening the case. It's so odd, I put a sticker on the top so I don't open it the wrong way. The foam is tight enough that nothing falls out but I figure with time, it will loosen a bit and things could fall out. May as well mark the top so I open it the right way. I was going to try to remove the foam inserts but they appear to be glued in pretty well. I don't want to tear them up when all I have to do is flip it to make it work. It could be they intended it to work this way but it appears weird to me.

KF CPTEC Crimping Tool for insulated and Shrink butt terminals, Wire Crimping Tool, AWG 20-10 Ratcheting Wire Crimper Available for Insulated Nylon Connectors - Wire Terminal Crimper Sold by: Electrical products city for $17.99 on 13 Sep 2023.TLDR: Excellent for Nylon insulated crimp terminals with short or long barrels.I have several crimp tools, several bought from here on Amazon and few from elsewhere. And while they look the same to the untrained eye, they are actually vastly different. Some work great on heat shrink insulated terminals, some work great on non-insulated terminals and some work great on nylon insulated terminals and some work great on thick nylon insulated butt splices. Do yourself a favor and get the right tool for the job. I will illuminate some of these others at the end in side notes so you know what not to use these on. These work great on these nylon insulated terminals:https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BZWP5QRB/ref=ppx_od_dt_b_asin_title_s01?ie=UTF8&th=1https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BZWND8GF/ref=ppx_od_dt_b_asin_title_s01?ie=UTF8&th=1The attached pictures show how I use them. I have no idea if that is how they were designed to work but these work great using this method. Strip your wire 1/4 inch. You do not want copper strands protruding into the blade or socket area of these QD terminals. Pre-mount the terminal in the crimper as shown, squeeze the ratchet just enough to hold it in place but not crimp. Also, mount the terminal so you can make TWO crimps side by side. Look at the metal barrel where the copper wire goes inside the plastic and align the terminal in the jaws at one end of the length of the barrel allowing for a second crimp on the other end. I always crimp the end of the metal barrel closest to the actual terminal blade or socket first. Push the wire in the back until the wire insulation buts up against the plastic inside the terminal barrel. Then squeeze the ratchet all the way until the handles hit and let go. Remount and make a second crimp. This makes for a really good and strong crimp connection. These can be used with nylon insulated terminals that have short metal barrels or long metal barrels with a double crimp while other crimpers work best on just long metal barrels.Use the correct size terminals for the wire you are using, these terminal sizes are based on stranded wire. So yes, the size of 12AWG stranded is different from 12AWG solid and I do not recommend using crimp terminals on solid wire by just a crimp alone.Side notes: Although I have crimped and then soldered uninsulated, bare terminals like these onto solid. Not one or the other but both crimp and then solder and the solder AFTER crimp is important. Regular solder is fine. If you want to use silver solder then crimp is not necessary. HOWEVER, it is best to use the special terminals for solid wire that use different means to secure the solid wire to the terminal, usually a screw of some sort. Using needle nose you can often pull the metal piece out and discard the nylon shell if you just need bare terminals. These terminal barrels are split, some are split and soldered together, and some are solid barrels usually found on non-insulated terminals. As long as the terminal is Nylon insulated, these crimpers will work fine. But they do not work well on non-insulated terminals, not even moving down a size in the jaws.Side notes: If you plan to work with all the different types of terminals and you are just starting out to buy your first crimp tool, I suggest these: https://www.amazon.com/KF-CPTEC-Crimping-Tool-Set/dp/B0B68V9NHL/ref=sr_1_8?crid=12U2UIZV2B5BY&keywords=crimp%2Btool%2Bfor%2Bnon%2Binsulated%2Bterminals&qid=1696457758&sprefix=crimp%2Btool%2Bfor%2Bnoninsulated%2Bterminals%2Caps%2C181&sr=8-8&th=1Side Notes: The Tool Aid S&G 18900 Professional Ratcheting Terminal Crimper was one of the first I bought here on Amazon and they work wonderful on long barrels with a single crimp. Such as butt splice connectors.Side Notes: If you are doing large AWG battery cables for automotive, agricultural or industrial equipment, then look for the Hydraulic Cable Lug Crimpers with the hexagonal dies. Even at 12AWG they really do excel but make sure it is a LUG (solid long barrel) terminal which in 10-12AWG is hard to find but they do exist. For example: https://www.amazon.com/AIRIC-Tinned-Tubular-Terminal-Connectors/dp/B07WZRKR7T/ref=sr_1_3?crid=1E7C1D3M71AUD&keywords=12%2BAWG%2Blug&qid=1696458591&sprefix=12%2Bawg%2Blug%2Caps%2C192&sr=8-3&th=1

Not bad for the money but I believe that they could have made something in the jaws a little stronger than just using toothpicks for screws! I’ve had several issues with the tiny screws backing out and falling. I used Lock-tight where they didn’t and it only works so much because it looks more of a structural strength issue with not using proper size fasteners in the first place. Bad design far as the type/size of fasteners used !