Wasted $150 on a fancy crimper that couldn't handle shielded wire right

Bought a premium ratcheting crimper last spring for MIL-spec connectors but it kept slipping on the shield braid, lost three days of troubleshooting avionics rack wiring before my lead handed me his old Daniels and said try this.

3 comments

3 Comments

olivia_murphy25d ago

Did you strip the braid back right or just try to smash it through? Daniels are the only crimpers worth touching for shielded stuff.

tylermurray25d ago

Blew a fuse on my bench once because I forgot to check the braid was fully cleared. That was a cheap fix though, at least it wasn't a $200 power supply. Still use those Daniels for everything shielded, they grab the braid better than anything else I've tried.

wright.taylor25d ago

Yeah the Daniels are total game changers for braid. The trick is you gotta strip it back further than you think and then fan out the strands a bit before you slide the pin on. Those cheap ratcheting ones just mash everything together and leave half the braid hanging off the side, it's a mess. We had a guy blow up a $600 meter once because a stray strand was poking out and shorted the pin to the shell. Now we just tell everyone to use the old school tools even if they cost more, the 15 minutes spent borrowing one is way cheaper than replacing gear.