I'm a fan of Klein tools, and this tool is great, but unfortunately, the first one I was sent had bent pins inside, so it ruined every connector I tried to crimp. A trip to the post office to return it and another order got me a new unit that worked perfectly.
I've crimped a ton of RJ45 (technically, 8P8C modular) connectors the old way, where you have to cut all the wires to the perfect length meticulously, and half the time they didn't quite go into the connector all the way. With this tool (and the appropriate pass-through jacks), you'll never have to worry about that again. It's far easier to cut the wires and pass them through; then, the tool cuts off any excess for a perfect, clean-looking connection every time with the perfect amount of jacket inside the connector. This tool has also never messed up the locking tab on connectors, as my old tool often did, which meant the connectors wouldn't "click" into the jacks securely without bending it back first.
This tool has very handy wiring diagrams on the back and front, which is a godsend. I don't technically *need* this, given how many connectors I've made, but it's always handy to have a reference to check before you crimp down to ensure no mistakes were made. (I've still screwed up a few, but that's not the tool's fault!)
I like that this tool has a much more compact form factor than my old Ideal brand crimper, and it takes way less force. Someone without especially strong hands could easily use this tool, and my non-techie wife has helped me do several and hasn't had any issues.
The cutter works great both for cutting through Cat6 cables and trimming the bent ends of wires off after sorting and straightening them. There's also a groove that can be used to strip the jacket, which works fine in a pinch, but you have to be careful not to cut too deep and cut the wires. It's never going to work as well as a proper radial stripper like the Klein VDV110-261.
This crimper should also work with non-pass-through connectors, although the blade could shave the end of the connector off on some, so you might want to test a crimp before buying hundreds of third-party connectors to use with this tool.
Hopefully, I was just especially unlucky to get a defective unit on my first order, but make sure you test the tool before taking it on a job!
Bonus: Here's the procedure I use to crimp cables with this tool and pass-through jacks:
1. Using side cutters or the built-in cutter, trim your cable to a couple of inches longer than you need.
2. Use a dedicated rotary wire stripper (or, if you don't have one, carefully use the built-in groove with the cutting blade) to make an incision around the cable's jacket. Grab the end of the cable after the cut and twist, bend, and pull the jacket off, which should be removed cleanly with about an inch and a half of the wires exposed.
3. Using small scissors or a side cutter, splay the wires and clip the pull string and the plastic cross separator off as much as possible.
4. Now untwist the wires almost to where the jacket is, and arrange them in a fan-shape as per the diagram on the front of the tool, starting with solid brown. T-568B is the most common arrangement, although you can use T-568A if you prefer, or it is used in your particular environment. Just be sure to use the same on each end of the cable (unless you intend to make a crossover cable).
5. With the wires in the correct order, grab them firmly with your thumb and forefinger, working them side to side as you pull them out, which will help straighten the wires.
6. The very ends of the wires will be much more difficult to straighten and likely won't pass easily through the connector, so trim off about 1/2 an inch of the wire using the built-in cutter or side-cutters.
7. Check that the wires are still in the correct arrangement. With the retention clip facing you and the brown wire on the left, insert them into the 8P8C jack, angling slightly towards the clip side of the jack. You should be able to wiggle them around a bit until you're able to slide them through the connector. If it's not happening, the wires might need additional straightening or trimming. If one or two of the wires aren't going through enough, they might be getting stuck inside the connector and bent, which is not good, or they might need to be untwisted a little more.
8. With the wires out, push the jacket as far into the connector as it will go and pull on the wires to ensure they aren't bunched up in the jack and are as far out as they will go.
9. Now, bend the wires so that they are coming straight out of the connector (so they don't catch the blade on the crimper), and slide the connector firmly all the way into the crimp tool with the clip facing up, matching the jack on the tool.
10. Squeeze the crimper firmly until it releases, then pull the connector out. Check that all wires were cleanly cut flush with the connector end. If not, this could potentially cause a short. If the connector wasn't inserted fully or you didn't squeeze it completely, the cut may not be perfect. In these cases, you can usually just crimp again to fix it.
You'll now have a perfect connector and a mess of tiny wires and debris to clean up!
| Manufacturer | Klein Tools |
|---|---|
| Place of Business | ELKHORN, WI, 53121 US |
| Part Number | 80024 |
| Product Dimensions | 38.1 x 25.4 x 7.62 cm; 581 g |
| Item model number | 80024 |
| Is discontinued by manufacturer | No |
| Colour | Yellow |
| Style | Crimper & Plugs |
| Pattern | Kit |
| Power Source | Battery Powered |
| Item Package Quantity | 1 |
| Handle Material | yellow, black |
| Included Components | Racheting Data Cable and CAT6 Plug 50-Pack Tool Kit, Pass Thru Installation Tool Kit |
| Batteries Included? | No |
| Batteries Required? | No |
| Warranty Description | Please refer to attached warranty document for information |
| Item Weight | 581 g |
| Country of origin | USA |
