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Temco Lug Crimping Tool

Part of what you get from TEMCo is customer service. They have been very responsive when I had questions and when I needed assistance with an order. On the very odd chance that I ever broke one of the crimping dies, I bet they would send me a replacement with no questions asked.
Some level of quality control and warranty is probably what differentiates Temco from the generic amazon chinese.

It is still chinese but even with Temco pricing it is a bargain compared to "real" crimpers like Klauke
Yes. About 3000 USD. :LOL:
 
There’s a considerable difference in price between temco and other brands. ~60 vs ~100. How much quality difference does $40 make? Another way to phrase the question is, is it worth almost 2 times the price? Made in USA or not, Im not a billionaire who can afford to throw money away because I feel like it.
I understand customer support and warranty will be better with TemCo than Chinese Noname, but I’m also thinking that may not be my highest priority for this one-time use and am considering getting a Chinese Noname 12-ton hydraulic like this:


Has anyone purchased these off-brand Chinese crimping tools (either 10,12, or 16 ton) and have they been worth the money?

The TemCo TH005 V2.0 covers the same wire range and looks sweet, but costs ~3 times as much ($135 vs $48).

I’d only spend that much more if the Chinese Noname crimpets do no deliver satisfactory crimps (especially at 2/0).

Any experience here with those yellow Chinese budget hydraulic crimpers?
 
I understand customer support and warranty will be better with TemCo than Chinese Noname, but I’m also thinking that may not be my highest priority for this one-time use and am considering getting a Chinese Noname 12-ton hydraulic like this:


Has anyone purchased these off-brand Chinese crimping tools (either 10,12, or 16 ton) and have they been worth the money?

The TemCo TH005 V2.0 covers the same wire range and looks sweet, but costs ~3 times as much ($135 vs $48).

I’d only spend that much more if the Chinese Noname crimpets do no deliver satisfactory crimps (especially at 2/0).

Any experience here with those yellow Chinese budget hydraulic crimpers?
One of my friends has the 16t "yellow chinese" and I'd say it offers amazing value for price. We haven't use it that much but we have crimped anything from aluminium tubes to stainless steel. (some DIY hose crimps and clutch lines)

Temco has lot more dies than the yellow chinese if you happen to need some obscure size.

I'm not sure how good match the 2/0 dies are in the chinese crimper to the terminals you are planning to use but you can DIY adjust the dies with grinder if needed.
 
I understand customer support and warranty will be better with TemCo than Chinese Noname, but I’m also thinking that may not be my highest priority for this one-time use and am considering getting a Chinese Noname 12-ton hydraulic like this:


Has anyone purchased these off-brand Chinese crimping tools (either 10,12, or 16 ton) and have they been worth the money?

The TemCo TH005 V2.0 covers the same wire range and looks sweet, but costs ~3 times as much ($135 vs $48).

I’d only spend that much more if the Chinese Noname crimpets do no deliver satisfactory crimps (especially at 2/0).

Any experience here with those yellow Chinese budget hydraulic crimpers?
I haven’t made a purchase on this yet, myself. Still waiting for further planning. I may just order the cables I need with the lugs already crimped. I won’t know until I decide exactly where batteries and inverter will live in my rv, and make a final determination on how many crimps I’ll need.
 
One of my friends has the 16t "yellow chinese" and I'd say it offers amazing value for price. We haven't use it that much but we have crimped anything from aluminium tubes to stainless steel. (some DIY hose crimps and clutch lines)

Temco has lot more dies than the yellow chinese if you happen to need some obscure size.

I'm not sure how good match the 2/0 dies are in the chinese crimper to the terminals you are planning to use but you can DIY adjust the dies with grinder if needed.
i’ll take a look at them. i’ll need 4/0 die as that is what i will be running for my inverter. ultimately i probably will get a crimper set. it would be wise to have one handy.
 
My thought on DIY cables is this: If I had known it was this easy to make cables, I would have done it years ago.

Buying pre-made cables and guessing at the length is too risky for me. My install locations changed slightly at the last minute, so pre-made probably wouldn't have fit. Plus, I'm a tool junkie.

Another benefit of DIY cables is that you can include cable bends and lug orientation at the time you crimp the lug. Including the cable bend before you crimp takes tension off the lug. On some of my cables, the lugs are oriented 180° different on each end. This was handy for situations where short cables started at one height and ended at a different height. The 180° orientation of the lugs made it possible for each lug to sit nice and flat before a nut was ever used to secure the lug.
 
My thought on DIY cables is this: If I had known it was this easy to make cables, I would have done it years ago.

Buying pre-made cables and guessing at the length is too risky for me. My install locations changed slightly at the last minute, so pre-made probably wouldn't have fit. Plus, I'm a tool junkie.

Another benefit of DIY cables is that you can include cable bends and lug orientation at the time you crimp the lug. Including the cable bend before you crimp takes tension off the lug. On some of my cables, the lugs are oriented 180° different on each end. This was handy for situations where short cables started at one height and ended at a different height. The 180° orientation of the lugs made it possible for each lug to sit nice and flat before a nut was ever used to secure the lug.
Do you have a recommendation on a good (and not overly expensive) cable-cutter ;at least 2/0, ideally up to 4/0)?
 
I needed heavy cable cutters so I went to my local Home Depot and bought what they had. I ended up with a set of Klein 63050 cable cutters rated for 2/0 copper. About $40. They did the job on my 2/0 cable, but it was a lot of work. I'm not blessed with much upper body or hand strength. Your mileage may vary.

 
I understand customer support and warranty will be better with TemCo than Chinese Noname, but I’m also thinking that may not be my highest priority for this one-time use and am considering getting a Chinese Noname 12-ton hydraulic like this:


Has anyone purchased these off-brand Chinese crimping tools (either 10,12, or 16 ton) and have they been worth the money?

The TemCo TH005 V2.0 covers the same wire range and looks sweet, but costs ~3 times as much ($135 vs $48).

I’d only spend that much more if the Chinese Noname crimpets do no deliver satisfactory crimps (especially at 2/0).

Any experience here with those yellow Chinese budget hydraulic crimpers?
Well, I got the 10-ton model in and tried the #6 die on 10AWG stranded wire. The attachment of the lug seems pretty solid but the ‘wings’ to either side make it next to useless. If I grind the wings off I’m worried the lug will open up and if I leave if as is, it will slice through the shrink tubing.

I’m not sure whether the larger firs work better, but the small for for 10AWG is pretty worthless.

If anyone has some neat tricks for salvaging a crimp connection with these sharp ‘wings’ to either side, I’m all ears...
 
Well, I got the 10-ton model in and tried the #6 die on 10AWG stranded wire. The attachment of the lug seems pretty solid but the ‘wings’ to either side make it next to useless. If I grind the wings off I’m worried the lug will open up and if I leave if as is, it will slice through the shrink tubing.

I’m not sure whether the larger firs work better, but the small for for 10AWG is pretty worthless.

If anyone has some neat tricks for salvaging a crimp connection with these sharp ‘wings’ to either side, I’m all ears...
Just crimp it from another direction to flatten the ears.
Die selection https://temcoindustrial.com/product-guides/tools/crimping-tool-selection-guide

For fine stranded wire I rather slightly over-crimp it than under-crimp.
 
I have a TemCo hammer crimper, use a 3-pound hammer on a concrete floor, and get what seem to be mechanically good crimps. But if a crimp could be "overdone" with this method then I'm willing to use something that gauges the crimp depth, like the tools above. (My impression is that you can't reasonably over-whack a properly-sized lug and wire, assuming you're not splitting the lug, but just checking.)
I actually ordered one of those at one point then sent it back. Originally my requirements were only for 2/0, but I upgraded my design. Sent it back but started reconsidering my choice on a hammer crimper in the first place. It just seems so archaic; and though, while effective, seems more of a chance of getting a bad (or overdone) crimp with that as opposed to something hydraulic or lever operated. Finally, frankly, I would just prefer hydraulic over lever operated.

That said, my next question is:

What’s preferable, the crimpers with the auto release or not? I feel the urge to shy away from auto release even if it means a possible over crimp. I’d rather not be limited by a cheap set with auto release where they release too soon. I guess if the crimpers have an adjustment for this, it makes it a moot point. Any thoughts?

thought I’d share this thread too, as it is related:

https://diysolarforum.com/threads/to-crimp-or-not-to-crimp.17591/post-202628
 
Well, I got the 10-ton model in and tried the #6 die on 10AWG stranded wire. The attachment of the lug seems pretty solid but the ‘wings’ to either side make it next to useless. If I grind the wings off I’m worried the lug will open up and if I leave if as is, it will slice through the shrink tubing.

I’m not sure whether the larger firs work better, but the small for for 10AWG is pretty worthless.

If anyone has some neat tricks for salvaging a crimp connection with these sharp ‘wings’ to either side, I’m all ears...

I would not use a 6 awg die on 10 awg wire. Use the right die. As long as the cable is solidly in the lug, the wings are more of an aesthetic issue, not a functional issue
 
I bought the Chinese "yellow" one ( https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B08LK8QPMN/ref=sspa_mw_detail_6?ie=UTF8&psc=1&th=1 ) and have made crimps in #6 and up wire. They all are good electrically but , as pointed out, sometimes are not pleasing to the eye ( but then who looks a crimps as art?).

I have used it successfully on a table or the tailgate of my pick-up but it starts as a two handed operation. One very important item is to get good lugs and place them carefully in the crimp dies. The die selection is limited but I did several dozen 2./0 cables and you can get execellent results if yo take your time.
 
I would not use a 6 awg die on 10 awg wire. Use the right die. As long as the cable is solidly in the lug, the wings are more of an aesthetic issue, not a functional issue
10AWG is 5.26mm^2. Are you saying I should have used a smaller die?

Cable is definitely solidly in the lug but the two concerns I have are that I cannot use shrink-tubing without doing something about those sharp wings - they will slice right through the plastic. And second, I’m concerned that the lug layer around the wire may be too thin - is it possible to over-crimp and if so, how do you know when to stop?
 
I bought the Chinese "yellow" one ( https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B08LK8QPMN/ref=sspa_mw_detail_6?ie=UTF8&psc=1&th=1 ) and have made crimps in #6 and up wire. They all are good electrically but , as pointed out, sometimes are not pleasing to the eye ( but then who looks a crimps as art?).

I have used it successfully on a table or the tailgate of my pick-up but it starts as a two handed operation. One very important item is to get good lugs and place them carefully in the crimp dies. The die selection is limited but I did several dozen 2./0 cables and you can get execellent results if yo take your time.
2/0 is my main priority, so that is good to hear. Do you have a link to the lugs you used?

Don’t care at all about how they look and especially don’t care about 10AWG, but I do want to put shrink tubing around the final connection so knife-sharp wings are a problem for me...
 
10AWG is 5.26mm^2. Are you saying I should have used a smaller die?

Cable is definitely solidly in the lug but the two concerns I have are that I cannot use shrink-tubing without doing something about those sharp wings - they will slice right through the plastic. And second, I’m concerned that the lug layer around the wire may be too thin - is it possible to over-crimp and if so, how do you know when to stop?
Not on my chart. On my chart it is 6mm^2. Perhaps this is where the confusion lies and you meant you used the 6mm2 die rather than a 6 awg die?
 
Wire gauges are standard, but terminals vary and so crimpers may not fit as desired.
"UL Listed" is only for a specific terminal and tool/die which were all tested together.
DIY is going to involve some trial and error, especially when no-name tools and components are used.
When a hydraulic tool with half a dozen die can be had for $60, vs. a name brand tool for as much as $3000 and die (not included) costing $300 each, some compromises may be tolerable.
 
Not on my chart. On my chart it is 6mm^2. Perhaps this is where the confusion lies and you meant you used the 6mm2 die rather than a 6 awg die?
The dies are labelled by mm^2. So the largest die with this yellow cheapie hydraulic crimper is labelled ‘70’ meaning 7mm^2 intended to crimp 2/0AWG cable which is 67.4mm^2.

Now 70mm^2 is only 3.86% larger than 2/0AWG wire, so that 70mm^2 die is likely to be a much better fit for that 2/0AWG wire than the 6mm^2 is for 10AWG wire (die 14.1% larger than wire).

The more expensive TemCo dies are supposed to be much better fitted to US wire sizes. For the main wire sizes I care about which are 2/0, 4/0, and 6/0 I’m just not sure it’s worth the +200% premium.

But for small wires like 10AWG in #6 die, these yellow cheapie hydraulic crimpers are not really usable (if the crimp can be recovered, it will be a lot of work).
 
Wire gauges are standard, but terminals vary and so crimpers may not fit as desired.
"UL Listed" is only for a specific terminal and tool/die which were all tested together.
DIY is going to involve some trial and error, especially when no-name tools and components are used.
When a hydraulic tool with half a dozen die can be had for $60, vs. a name brand tool for as much as $3000 and die (not included) costing $300 each, some compromises may be tolerable.
Agreed and understood.

And this 10-ton unit I’m testing now rated for crimping 12AWG to 2/0AWG only cost me $30: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B08SBYZN9V?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title

(And came with 9 die: 4, 6, 8, 10, 16, 25, 35, 50, and 70)
 
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