Pro tip: Check your crimp tool after 2 years of daily use

I was getting a 15% failure rate on my RJ31X jacks until I compared a crimp from my old tool to one from a brand new Klein unit. The old tool's jaws had worn down just enough to make a weak connection. Has anyone else seen this happen and what's your go-to replacement schedule?

2 comments

2 Comments

fionak631mo ago

Yeah that "worn down jaws" thing is real. My buddy had the same problem with his tool, he was making cables for a small office and like half of them would just drop signal after a week. He spent hours re-terminating before he finally borrowed a tool from another guy and the difference was crazy. His old crimper was just smooshing the contacts flat instead of biting right. He felt so dumb but it's an easy thing to miss.

mary8361mo ago

That "felt so dumb" part hits home. I used to blame myself for every bad crimp, like I just had bad hands or something. Seeing a worn out tool side by side with a fresh one totally changed my mind. It's not the user, it's the gear wearing out in a way you don't even notice. Now I check my crimper jaws first thing when I have a run of bad ends.