Open Barrel vs Close Barrel Crimp Terminals

[JoeHam]

Lol yeah but for that price you can get hydraulic ones.

If your time has no value 😎 go ahead but I have used it enough to make it worthwhile for me.

 

[Short_Shot]

If your time has no value 😎 go ahead but I have used it enough to make it worthwhile for me.

Wasn't aware hydraulic ones take more than a few seconds.

I'll take 6 to 10 tons over Carl's arm

 

[JoeHam]

I’m certain the Temco tool generates the proper amount of force via mechanical advantage and ........

Never mind 😎

I’ll chalk this up to personal preference and leave it be.

 

[Short_Shot]

I’m certain the Temco tool generates the proper amount of force via mechanical advantage and ........

Never mind 😎

I’ll chalk this up to personal preference and leave it be.

Well. It might, but even their website has no details on its capabilities and its an indent crimper.

Odd that they would also sell a hydraulic one with dies though if it does the same job. Of course it's 4x the price.

 

[wholybee]

Whatever. You didn’t read what I wrote.

A proper crimp isn’t merely a crushed barrel with some mechanical retainment. You need 100% electrical contact. Only the bare hex-swage and B-crimps dependably and repeatedly do that. Then there’s weather-tite to consider.
/snip

An Ancor 10 AWG heat shrink terminal installed with a proper tool will support well over 100lbs without failing, and without damage to the heat shrink. Repeatable and dependably. Smaller sizes you might break the wire, or the actual ring, before getting to 100Lbs. To support that weight, you will have "100% electrical contact."

I stand by what I said, if you can't get a good crimp with a heat shrink connector, you are using the wrong tool. The correct die is not a "double crimp type" (which will damage the shrink every time), nor does it just squish the connector together(which might not damage the heat shrink but won't create a great connection). There are many dies sold as heat shrink dies that suck. Maybe that is the confusion here. One part fits inside the other to fully retain the connector so the connector will hold it's shape, similar to the die for open connectors but without the "dimple" that wraps the ears around. I see a lot of "heat shrink dies" that don't interlock and just squish the connector into an oval. If that is what you tried, then yeah, they won't do.

Whatever though. There is nothing wrong with using an uninsulated terminal and using heat shrink after if you prefer. (I have circumnavigated on my 40 year old sailboat. I have rewired a lot of it, and replaced a lot of failed connectors. I have seen what works. Heat shrink connectors DO work.)

 

[Just John]

An Ancor 10 AWG heat shrink terminal installed with a proper tool will support well over 100lbs without failing, and without damage to the heat shrink. Repeatable and dependably. Smaller sizes you might break the wire, or the actual ring, before getting to 100Lbs. To support that weight, you will have "100% electrical contact."

I stand by what I said, if you can't get a good crimp with a heat shrink connector, you are using the wrong tool. The correct die is not a "double crimp type" (which will damage the shrink every time), nor does it just squish the connector together(which might not damage the heat shrink but won't create a great connection). There are many dies sold as heat shrink dies that suck. Maybe that is the confusion here. One part fits inside the other to fully retain the connector so the connector will hold it's shape, similar to the die for open connectors but without the "dimple" that wraps the ears around. I see a lot of "heat shrink dies" that don't interlock and just squish the connector into an oval. If that is what you tried, then yeah, they won't do.

Whatever though. There is nothing wrong with using an uninsulated terminal and using heat shrink after if you prefer. (I have circumnavigated on my 40 year old sailboat. I have rewired a lot of it, and replaced a lot of failed connectors. I have seen what works. Heat shrink connectors DO work.)

100% agree. You can break the wire before it pulls out. So easy to do, and an excellent connection. Literally takes 60 seconds to strip and crimp a 10 gauge connection, takes longer to do the heat shrink.

 

[Short_Shot]

I mean.... for what were doing here I'll agree.


But there's a reason hydraulic crimps exist and I promise there are a whole lot of standards and specifications surrounding them. A lot of applications would fail inspection with anything less.


But again, utterly irrelevant for this context. For the mere mortals among us a good mechanical connection is far more important because we're usually WELL within safety factors for the electrical connections we use.

 

[Just John]

I mean.... for what were doing here I'll agree.


But there's a reason hydraulic crimps exist and I promise there are a whole lot of standards and specifications surrounding them. A lot of applications would fail inspection with anything less.


But again, utterly irrelevant for this context. For the mere mortals among us a good mechanical connection is far more important because we're usually WELL within safety factors for the electrical connections we use.

Good luck finding hydraulic lug connectors for smaller wire than 8 gauge.

Not sure, there may be some. Certainly 6 gauge and above. Even 8 gauge.

 

[Short_Shot]

Temco sells dies down to 12awg lol

 

[Just John]

Temco sells dies down to 12awg lol

I even have the Temco hydraulic dies in 10 and 10+.

Good luck finding 12 gauge lugs, and I see no reason to buy a 12 gauge die, crimp works great up to 8 gauge. You are more than welcome to continue to use 12 gauge hydraulic lugs.

 

[Short_Shot]

I still agree with you that it's fine for what we're doing but there *is* an application for them where it's mandatory.

It's not going to involve an rv solar system though that's for sure.

Also:

Amazon.com

 

[Just John]

I still agree with you that it's fine for what we're doing but there *is* an application for them where it's mandatory.

It's not going to involve an rv solar system though that's for sure.

Also:

Amazon.com

Never seen that size from Ancor, that's why I said good luck.

Don't know, I am not familiar with AIRIC brand, they might be good. Certainly nothing that I am going to use.

 

[Short_Shot]

Entirely not the point lmao

 

[kshaw]

I bought one of the cheap hydraulic crimpers for about $30 that works fine. It has multiple crimp dies--just select the right size. The only problem I have had is to determine which size to use using the metric sizes on the dies. I found a chart which converts wire gauge to size die you need and keep it in my crimper box.

 

[Just John]

Wasn't aware hydraulic ones take more than a few seconds.

I'll take 6 to 10 tons over Carl's arm

I might be imagining things, but yes, hydraulic crimping does take more time if only because it will take multiple pumps to get the jaws to close rather than a single squeeze.

 

[Short_Shot]

I guess if you're happy with indent crimps then do you baby.

 

[Just John]

Entirely not the point lmao

I'm sure somewhere there is a mil spec that requires hydraulic crimps because the missile is capable of making 50 g or more turns, and likely NASA has one as well. I don't remember any from more working on NASA and Air Force contracts, but that means nothing. Likely brought on by failures in shaker tests as well.

For our purposes, it is entirely the point.

 

[Just John]

I guess if you're happy with indent crimps then do you baby.

Everyone likes to bring up one in a million points or exceptions.
For our purposes, crimp connections on 10 gauge or under is perfectly valid, takes less time, and yields excellent results.

 

[Short_Shot]

For our purposes, it is entirely the point.

Nah. My point is there is "good" then there's "good enough" and you can feel free to pick whichever one you want.

 

[Short_Shot]

Everyone likes to bring up one in a million points or exceptions.
For our purposes, crimp connections on 10 gauge or under is perfectly valid, takes less time, and yields excellent results.

I'm not saying otherwise.

Where did I say otherwise that you keep feeling the need to debate it?