Just blew $150 on a 'universal' coax crimper that wrecked my connectors

I was in a rush to finish a job on a Cessna 172 and grabbed this cheap crimper online, thinking it would handle all the common sizes. It mashed the barrel on a dozen RG-400 connectors before I gave up and had to replace them all. The wasted parts and my time added up fast. Has anyone found a crimper that actually works well for the smaller aviation coax without costing a fortune?

2 comments

2 Comments

roberts.aaron12d agoMost Upvoted

Oh man, that's rough. I've been there with a bad crimper. One thing I noticed, RG-400 usually needs a specific die size, like a -3 or -4. Those "universal" ones with the adjustable jaws almost never get the pressure right for the small stuff. I ended up biting the bullet for a proper P tool style crimper with the right die. It hurt my wallet once, but it saves so much headache and wasted connectors.

martinez.ryan12d ago

Aaron's right about the die size being key. I learned the hard way trying to use a general aviation crimper on RG-400, and the crimps just wouldn't pass a pull test. The connector would look fine but the center pin was always loose. Getting the exact die, like a -3 for those tiny pins, makes a perfect hex crimp every time. It's one of those jobs where the right tool isn't just better, it's the only thing that actually works.

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