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Comment by windexh8er | Hacker News Reader

I'm legit confused as to why this is a thing. Crimping ends is dead simple with pass-thru style RJ-45 tools. I don't think I'd trust these "repair" connectors for anything important.

For price comparison a pack of EZ RJ-45 (Cat6 rated) is around $20 and a pass thru crimper is about the same. Even cheaper if you go old school.

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I crimped Cat6 cables recently and found out that it's not as easy as crimping Cat5 years ago. Maybe it's the older me but I ended up with a lot of failed cables to redo. Eventually the price per working cable is not that good. Next time I bought tool less Cat6 plugs and sockets. Not only they are faster to work with but they are fool proof. Not a single faulty cable. They cost more per piece but for people like me they end up being cheaper.

I feel like you were probably just rusty if you haven't done it for a while. I barely know what I'm doing, don't do it often enough to really get good, don't have great tools, and I still get 80-90% success rate.

I have had decent success using self crimped cables for 1gbit, but for 10gbit my success rate is way lower. Which makes sense, but has made me more hesitant to crimp myself.

Yeah that's a good point, 10g is likely harder.

Because recrimping is a pain, and this fix is quick and cheap and they stay secured well.

But yeah, pass-through RJ-45 is great.

Because I can keep a baggie of five of these things at the bottom of my laptop bag, it weighs less than an ounce and takes up almost no space. Could stay there for years and I'd never mind the extra baggage. Then one day, it saves the day.

Carrying around a crimper, stripper, scissors, and a baggie of ends would certainly fit my character, but realistically it's bulky and heavy enough that I'm gonna take it out when I think I won't need it. Which means I won't have it when I actually do need it.

Couldn't you just use WiFi, and/or carry a spare cable? It seems like an awfully specific thing to prepare for, since the solution only has one specific problem it could fix compared to all of the things that could break. Even a small roll of tape would work, and have many more use cases.

You can plug in cable without the tab just fine tho

It's less of "save a day" and more of "don't have to bring the replacement cable next time to fix it"

I don't own a crimping tool or spare connectors. I do however own a 3D printer and lots of spools that sit around doing nothing. This is probably the coolest thing I've found to 3D print in a while, I'm very excited to try it.

Well, (proper) cable testers are expensive and I'd imagine carrying that in "just in case" pocket is easier than whole gear to crimp and test the cable.

....you do test the cables you've crimped right ?

The connector stays the same, only the latch clip is replaced. Add a drop of elastic superglue if in doubt.

Is there a specific crimper you recommend?

The Klein VDV226-110

I prefer https://www.truecable.com/products/all-in-one-crimp-and-term... and pretty much every single one of their tools.

Oh niiiiiiiiice. That looks like it fixes every single complaint I've had about similar tools.

I hope the ratchet is good; I just had the ratchet blow out on that Klein that everyone recommends, and I went back to my trusty Ideal Telemaster.

I think I have gone through more than 500 crimps for RJ45s and it is as strong as new. I watch a lot of cableporn and have re-done all the rat's nest at work.

Klein hand tools. Full stop.

Below is my favorite. Caveat, it takes some getting accustomed to if you're used to the standard plier style(They make those, too).

edit:plier handle style, not wrench

https://www.kleintools.com/catalog/cable-tools/ratcheting-ca...

I’ve got that tool and I couldn’t be happier with it. Works good, does RJ11, supports pass-through RJ45, has the color coding on it so I don’t have to look it up. Not too pricy too.

Another vote for exactly this. It's great. Get the passthrough connectors

Can anyone recommend a good tool set for crimping DuPont/JR style connectors too? They’re such a pain to deal with in my experience, I end up just harvesting random jumper cables with the right pin count/connecter and splicing/soldering instead, because every cheap crimping tool/kit I’ve come across has crazy high failure rates

Molex 63811-1000, full stop. I do this professionally (automotive harness prototyping), and this is the first tool I reach for when I have open-barrel terminals to work with. If they have a wire-grip section longer than 2.5mm, this is your answer. That means Dupont, most styles from Molex, TE, Sumitomo, Yazaki, etc.

(The second is the Iwiss IWS-2820M, for open-barrels with a short wire-grip section, 2mm or below. That's basically most JST styles. The Iwiss crimper has all the same nest sizes as the Engineer PAD-11 but is much better made, smaller, and cheaper to boot.)

There are, of course, countless $300-and-up official tools for specific terminals, but as far as generics go, these two are the cream of the crop.

Beware ebay triangulation scams with the 63811-1000. It should cost $55-65, any less and you're being lured. Safest to get it from one of the vendors listed on Octopart. For the Iwiss, as much as I hate to say it, just go to Amazon.

You’re an absolute champion! Thanks mate :)

* Use with Klein Tools Pass-Thru™ Connectors

* Not for use with standard (non Pass-Thru™) connectors

...what does that mean ? Standard dime-a-dozen connectors won't work ?

Unsure, sounds like a dark pattern or, being generous, maybe liability avoidance wordage. I have crimped >1000 non "Pass-Thru™" connectors(outdoor/shielded) with mine.

edit: expanded

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