Bootlace crimping tool recommendations

I wondered if anyone had recommendations for a well priced crimping tool, suitable for use with bootlace crimps?

There seem to be simple versions around, which essentially squash the crimp tube with shaped but fixed formers. And then there are more sophisticated ones, which form the crimp tube into a square or hexagon, using moving formers. Obviously the latter are a lot more expensive, but are they worthwhile? Or for the volume of crimping the typical hobby CNC-er might do, would the basic ones suffice?

Any thoughts or pointers most welcome!

Cheers
Graeme

I bought this one:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/352833747135

after being pointed in the right direction by Clive (he has something similar).

Used it a fair bit putting my new control box together, works really well.

Wal.

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Originally Posted by Wal

I bought this one:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/352833747135

after being pointed in the right direction by Clive (he has something similar).

Used it a fair bit putting my new control box together, works really well.

Wal.

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Yes I have a similar one BUT on the very small bootlace you have to crimp them twice ie. crimp it then just rotate the ferrule a tiny bit and crimp it again.

This is only on very small gauge cables .

Pfff bootlace ferrules are the bain of my life and I've wasted days chasing wiring issues because of them.! . .:sorrow::thumbdown::loyal:

Mmmm, didn't realise my question would be controversial!

Why do they cause you problems, Jazz?

Thanks Wal and Clive for your input - that's really useful. Now I just need to know if I should be using them....

It's not really controversial. Should you use them? EU wiring regulations require that stranded wire is retained if the mating terminal does not provide this (so that includes screw and cage terminals. The problem with stranded wire is that on installation, and also in use under vibration you can get strands moving from the contact area resulting in poor or failed electrical contact. Tinned stranded wire is not an acceptable solution.

Outside of the EU regulations can be more relaxed. And for a home builder it's not an issue at all, though good practise can still be followed.

There is an issue with commercial manufacture that you should use the ferrule manufacturers approved tooling which can come with significant $$ costs for the home builder, so the Amazon specials (one of which I have) are unlikely to cut the mustard from a certification perspective. You have to find a happy medium for which you're happy that the cost balances against your own requirement.

I do have a cheap one that gives a two-jaw compression pattern, I'm tempted to get a 4-jaw square-form tool similar to Wal's, but recognise that the 4-jaw is likely to give problems cold-welding to fine-gauge wires (as Clive reports) - ironically the (poorer) 2-jaw is more predictable in this regard.

If Jazz and others have problems with ferrules I'd be checking the crimp tool and the ferrules used to understand where the failure stems from. I wouldn't exclude poor quality / inappropriate mating terminal blocks particularly from the Far East.

(Anecdote: As an electrical apprentice back in the good ol' days, and spending a summer placement in an Instrument Laboratory testing calibrated crimp tools and resultant crimped assemblies I can attest to the mechanical strength of a good crimped terminal and the resulting predictable low resistance contact, and to the tedium of spending a summer testing these... but this was in an industry where the operating shake-and-bake environment had rather more significance than a CNC machine)

EDIT: What should possibly be considered is whether panel wiring should use solid-core cable where possible. I could understand and support that assertion, though I carry so little solid-core that I'd ignore that advice myself.

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Originally Posted by GND

Mmmm, didn't realise my question would be controversial!

Why do they cause you problems, Jazz?

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Nah not controversial really just differing opinions and experiences.

Mostly for the reasons Doddy mentioned, poor crimps and poorly crimped. But I'm not just talking about Ferrels I've fitted, ( I don't use them anymore, I prefer stranded wires when using terminal blocks) I'm talking about on older machines and esp on Chinese machines when they have been poorly fitted or cheap nasty crimps. Often because of bad crimping or just age they work lose but wire doesn't always pull or fall out and you get false contacts etc, (3 days I wasted tracking a fault down due to a poor crimp.! . . But that's another story.!) Yes I know this can happen with stranded wire breaking but I find it's easier to see and track down.

The reason I don't use them anymore is for several reasons based on my own experience using them on lots of machines.
#1 To crimp correctly and test they are time-consuming
#2 Expense, good quality ones are not cheap and neither is the tool.
#3 When poorly crimped they are difficult to track down.
#4 I lose and drop more of the bastards than I fit.!
#5 I'm lazy..:hopelessness:

It's a personal thing so don't stress over it, either way will work.! . . . But don't come back in 6mths time saying got a fault because you know I'll just say TOLD YOU SO. . :joker: :congratulatory:

Likewise I have a problem with crimping fork terminals, (or spade, etc) and I don't trust any of the crimpers I have tried, I always give the wire a good pull, and invariably some, in fact, most, come loose.

So I now remove the insulating coloured plastic with pliers and crimp just the one half of the round metal with small cutter pliers in two places (with just enough pressure to crimp - otherwise you would cut the metal!) and then with small flat pliers I press and fold the other half of the metal over the first half. Difficult to explain, I know. After doing that, I slide the insulating plastic back in position.

Anyway, after discarding dozens of crimps done with the crimping tool, I now prefer to do it by hand, 100 per cent success and secure and it doesn't take long.

Great info there, guys - as ever, it is good to be able to go into a new process with some insight from others, whether that be positive or negative.

My take from all this is that the key is getting a decent crimp. And it also sounds like that is quite feasible with any of the tools - even the basic two jaw types. But maybe each crimp requires a careful inspection to be sure it worked ok. And whilst that is acceptable for us hobby users, it doesn't work so well commercially. And maybe that is where the more expensive branded tools come in.

So as ever, you make your choice. I'm not in the market for a silly money crimping tool, so I'll likely go for one of Wal's/Clive's recommendations. I have a control box to wire shortly - and likely more in the future - hence I thought I might as well make the jump now.

If it works well, I may report back. But if I have problems, I'll likely just go quiet, after Jazz's promise!

Cheers
Graeme

This may come back to bite me on the arse, but I've had no problems with my crimper (- that sounds weird...) Just spent a couple of minutes trying to pull a ferrule off and it's on solid as - not budging...

I have a little '+ & -' adjustment wheel on the crimper that appears to set the level of squeeze - if I'm doing thin wires I'll ramp it up (+) and dial it back for the fatter gauges. Pff, I dunno - like I say, it appears to work a treat, but I'm a noob with very little experience..!

Attachment 27576 Attachment 27577 Attachment 27578

Wal.

To answer the OP, just get some of the 4 jaw crimpers that eBay is awash with, and make sure you give them a good squeeze when crimping the bootlaces on.


The main key to a good crimp, is to use the correct size of crimp for the wire.
You should always be using the smallest crimp that will fit the wire.

One issue I see far too often, is everybody likes to default to blue insulated crimps (they're designed for 1.5 - 2.5mm² cable), when they should be using red ones (for 0.5 - 1.5mm² cable), which means they don't crimp correctly and you end up with bad connections.

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One issue I see far too often, is everybody likes to default to blue insulated crimps (they're designed for 1.5 - 2.5mm² cable), when they should be using red ones (for 0.5 - 1.5mm² cable), which means they don't crimp correctly and you end up with bad connections.

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For the cat5 flex I use the white But not sure if there is any stardard

Attachment 27580

I think some confusion between the ferrule colour coding and the spade terminal ("automotive") crimps.

Both of you are right, but you're talking cross-purposes :)

Bootlace Ferrules are great....i would think most professionals use them :)

On very small multi strand cables I use a ferule that just allows the insulation through, I then fan the strands and fold them back over the ferule and use another ferule over the top. this gives a good grip on the insulation and a good contact. Bit fiddly but works for me.

Thanks all - and especially Wal, for taking the time to send pictures! That helped explain a lot to me, having not really seen many bootlace ferrules actually in use.

I took at look at the ferrules in my Novamill after that, and was surprised to see they were pretty much flat! Maybe that's what you get from the simple two jaw crimpers?

Anyway, I feel a lot happier now just buying a of basic crimping tool, and knowing it should do what I need. Definitely a neat way to deal with the wiring, just being sure that a good joint is formed each time - that sounds like the key from what several of you have said. And if that means taking care to use the right size of ferrule - or use more sophisticated techniques for very small wires (thanks Johnsattuk) - then that is fine.

Many thanks for all the feedback.

Graeme