CORRECT CRIMPERS - Wiring 201 Butt Connectors How To [NO SOLDER]

While we definitely recommend soldering wires whenever it makes sense, there are times that a simple crimp-style butt connector is the right call. We are not a fan of insulated butt connectors because they have a more likely chance to fail. Use a non-insulated butt connector and good heat shrink to ensure the connection is sealed.
Non-Insulated Butt Connectors: amzn.to/3r7Kq93
Marine Heat Shrink with Adhesive: amzn.to/3KgZgRZ
Portasol SuperPro Soldering Iron: amzn.to/3r6QSgi
Ratcheting Wire Crimpers: amzn.to/3JeI6TU
Wire Strippers: amzn.to/38jlggX
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[@eosjoe565]

I'm a big proponent of soldering but in certain applications like automotive where there can be vibration or movement of the wire near the connector, soldering actually creates a rigid point in the wire that can break. Whereas a crimped connection will still allow the strands of wire to flex as intended.

[@Shoptoolreviews]

Yes, you are correct, you have to be careful with soldering joints when there is flexing. I still like to solder when possible, but you just don't over-solder. Solder the connection, then stop, don't let the solder wick up the wire. Thanks for watching.

[@techmetal2292]

Yes there should be bare copper still showing on each side of the solder

[@nitrorc4life1]

I raced R/C on the regional level competitively, we soldered with high grade silver solder specifically due to high vibration and heavy hits. If your solder joints are break8ng it is due to a cold joints (improperly soldered)

[@Rhaspun]

Yes. Even NASA likes to use crimping. But they have certain practices when using a crimping connection. When you follow all their practices crimping works just well. Google NASA crimping standards and you'll find links to a pdf.

[@charleswilson4598]

I have made hundreds of splices on terminals and butt splices over the years in critical applications. When I first started I was using a cheap pair of the hardware store crimpers, and then I kept upgrading the crimping tools I used. But I never had problems with my splices coming off, and if there was a problem I would have heard about it. I ended up with a pair of good ratcheting crimpers but I actually preferred my Klein 9 in manual crimpers

[@anthonymarino4260]

ratcheting crimpers all the way

[@Rhaspun]

Yes. NASA like to use crimping. If you google NASA crimping standards you'll find links for pdf files that shows what NASA looks for in a good crimp.

[@aaronmoore5552]

If you crimp correctly the crimp will actually bond the connector and the wire into almost one piece. Also when you crimp, you typically don’t want to crimp close to the edge of the connector so you have some mechanical strain relief provided by the connector and further strain relief from a good dual wall heat shrink. A good crimp connection will outlast solder connection in automotive or heavy duty equipment applications. The big issue with crimping, I find, isn’t crimping itself it’s when people use insulated connectors and then attempt to create a good mechanical bond between the crimp and the fibers of the wire. You always should crimp an uninsulated connector, verify joint, then use a heat shrink or other method of insulation and strain relief.

[@satsumagt5284]

One time I used an insulated connector for a 12v UPS battery thing. Did a pull test and it came apart. Ew.

[@johnpopolo5954]

I always use the Molex Perma-Seal connectors from waytek. They have the adhesive and thicker Wall thickness. You need a special crimp tool but it's fast to install and sealed. I work on upfitting police and other public safety vehicles and they need to work all the time. Good video. Thanks for steering people in the right direction.

[@Shoptoolreviews]

Those are great connectors, but more expensive that most want to pay. However, in the line of work you're in, you can't cut corners. I've visited some places that do what you do. Pretty interesting stuff, and I bet you stay very busy. Thanks for watching and commenting.

[@uther10]

Thanks for vid and the tips, I thought for sure that one pair would get the job done. Good reminder to not assume and to test and make sure that the connections are good!

[@Shoptoolreviews]

Glad to do it! Thanks for watching.

[@vicpetrishak7705]

5950A OTC angle crimpers are handy . The ratchet style crimpers have adjustable jaw pressure . The sprocket with the stop screw is the adjuster . After stripping the insulation off the wire coat with conductive grease . After crimping , coat with silicone paste and then apply heat shrink tubing 3” long . Good Information Video !

[@TheRedMan0113]

Thanks for the video. That’s why I use the noninsulated crimper on those insulated but connectors

[@guyconnell2250]

I recently discovered open barrel butt connectors. I really like them.

[@wyldeaxemann]

LOBSTER AK15A - oem Toyota provided tool. most amazing set of ratcheting style crimper for NON insulated crimps. Made in Japan. I have never ever had one fail on me.

[@Dave-jc6ky]

I have a couple of seamless 12-10 to 8 gauge tinned copper step down butt splice connectors I need to crimp. I have that GS-388 crimper and was told it wont crimp 8 gauge. Any suggestions on a crimper? The connection is to join the 8 gauge wires to the 10 gauge trolling motor lead wires up to 5' so there isn't voltage drop etc.

[@jacobhendrickson8935]

I’m researching and trying to figure out what I need for properly connecting 8 to 10 gauge motorcycle battery cable wires. I have nice thick copper tin coated non insulated butt connectors I’ll be using. What crumpets should I go with?

[@anthonymarino4260]

what I have done about 18awg wire strip a little. bit longer and fold it back on it self that works great

[@losmoore3358]

My low beam headlight harness harness on my 2011 silverado has thin wires. My low beam connector burnt. I bought a pigtail , but has thicker wires. Will it work to heat shrink solder sleeve the thin 16 awg wire to the thicker 18 awg of the pigtail wires ?

[@BobSmith-dm3vp]

Thanks for the vid! I have the same problem too with those small connectors

[@Holms]

for the insulated vinyl connector you need crimper pliers like you've used later in the video the sonic one. with such pliers vinyl connectors are great

[@spilledcoffee-gt1qj]

That crimp tool is cheap if you use nice butt connectors it actually works well and crimps good

[@Rhaspun]

Yes. Whenever I see some people pushing for soldering they will say they've seen many times where a crimped connection failed. I would like to see what kind of tool they used for crimping and whether it was a insulated type of connector. Even NASA likes crimping.

[@jake-mv5oi]

I've had good luck with the Klein forged pliers style crimpers using the small uninsulated butt splices. I use the uninsulated slot even on insulated terminals to ensure I get a good crimp.

[@Shoptoolreviews]

Klein makes great tools, and we do the same...but don't tell anyone. Some people will flip out and say you shouldn't crimp insulated connectors with those. :) Thanks for watching.

[@user-jk5ph7wc4e]

Used to solder everything, now I've switched to the high end "double crimp" Nylon insulated terminals. I use the non insulated die to crimp them. If they need to be weather proof they get 3:1 adhesive lines heatshrink. The Vinyl ones ( as shown here) are my least favourite, they very rarely crimp properly and or the vinyl falls off. Non critical moisture exposed connections I'll use the adhesive heatshrink style single crimp. You also can't crimp it and forget to put the heatshrink on, because everyone has done that at least a few times. Best advice though, always give your crimps a tug test, no matter what you use.

[@Shoptoolreviews]

Thanks for watching

[@jasonbabila6006]

I’ve been using the none insulated butt connectors and marine grade heat shrink tubing with the adhesive and I stagger the splices so there isn’t a big wad of splices in one spot.

[@james10739]

I use the non insulated crimper on insulated connectors its not like they were water tight anyway but i prefer the non insulated with marine heat shrink

[@hightttech]

You can literally bet your LIFE on proper crimp splices and terminations (S/T) if you use PROPER TOOLING and fill the barrel of the S/T's with wire strands as recommended by the S/T manufacturer. Crimping in automotive REPAIR has a BAD reputation due to idiots with idiotic tooling and junk S/T's. Put together a kit with respectable tooling and S/T's from manufacturers like AMP, MOLEX and 3M, follow their crimping guides for a specific product line, and BEHOLD the magic that is a crimped joint suitable for aerospace, aviation, military, marine, motorsports & industry... Oh yeah, and AUTO REPAIR 😆. It will cost a lot more than the Amazon crap, but the results are well worth it.

[@caffeinatedinsanity2324]

Amazon has a few rare gems. Got a Wirefy kit with 8 dies on a ratchet plier that served me well so far, or an oldie cheap Titan crimper that, while stiff, they do a good job. But I can imagine there are some garbage tools out. Crimp terminals though, always go to your hardware store. I got a Hilitchi kit and spades (both male and female) and butts are downright terrible.

[@olegserov6779]

Nice vid. I may be wrong but I suppose you need to adjust that gear looking screw on the ratchet style crimper to crimp more firmly. Mine's come with wrong adjustment and it was crimping even more loosely. I adjusted the screw and now it crimps perfectly. Good luck!

[@snwboardr9876]

I have now been looking for, no joke, the past four hours trying to find a good set of crimpers for 24-26AWG non-insulated butt splice connectors (probably what you used in the video). The set of ratchet crimpers I have spec that they are good for 22-16AWG but they pull out every. single. time. I figured maybe I need to jump to the next size down crimpers which is why I’m looking for a 24-26AWG but I can’t find any!! Recommendation please? Thank you for the video!!

[@satsumagt5284]

It’s been 9 months since your comment, are they still pulling out reliably or something happened along the way?

[@BobSmith-dm3vp]

Any future plans to review the GEARWRENCH BOLT BITER SCREW EXTRACTORS?

[@AndrewBrowner]

good stuff, that butane torch is pretty nifty, be awesome under a dash for not melted everything around your connection, once i found those low temp shrink solder seal connectors i havent looked back, wish they made those style connectors with spades and eyelets on them too, the only crimp connections i do now is for spades or eyelets when theyre required, i double up the shrink tubing on the solder seal connectors though as the let stray wires poke through them easy tempted to spend the coin on the milwuakee heat gun now, i need 120v to do wiring at the moment

[@Shoptoolreviews]

The Milwaukee M12 solder iron and the M18 heat gun are great little tools to have. I don't really like those connectors you're talking about. Here's a video of us using one today and it failing. instagram.com/reel/Cb-sXiigfWQ/?

[@hightttech]

You shouldn't have "STRAY WIRES" to poke through; if you're doing it right 😆.

[@AndrewBrowner]

@@hightttech the word is stray... like a homeless dog. and if youve ever used them youd know tiny copper wires poke through them like nothing, working under a vehicle in miserable hard to reach conditions you can twist twirl and splicer wires all you want there will still be a strand of copper getting out of line once in a while

[@hightttech]

@@AndrewBrowner: Thanks for heads up on spelling error; i fixed it 👍. Anyway, nicking strands during stripping and stray strands poking through heat shrink will never pass a critical inspection. Now i now from where sketchy splices originate.

[@AndrewBrowner]

@@hightttech its know with a K, you keep riding your arrogant high horse there Mr perfect i said i use 2 layers to alleviate this issue, doesnt happen on solder connections or butt splices only when using the solder seal connectors you have to heat them too hot for the insulation to keep its strength its not hard or expensive to add some shrink tube over it

[@aaronmoore5552]

I think if you do choose heat shrink whether you solder or crimp, you should choose clear heat shrink. If you ever have a compromised connection or heat shrink you can see it.

[@boosted2.4_sky]

TJ. LET'S GO 🏁

[@Shoptoolreviews]

Lol. Thanks brother.

[@AT-zc1ik]

Use quality terminals and tooling for anything that matters. For non-insulated butt splices, that means an indent crimper (not ez red). The anvil size needs to be appropriate for the splice and wire size. Quality tool mfg are pressmaster, wezag, sargent, etc. Much of it is rebranded by connector mfg (molex, te). Cheaper to buy tooling from the tool oem. Next level butt splice would be an environmental splice from Raychem. Double indent style, more money but worth it for critical applications.

[@mikehunter5539]

NASA, the FAA and marine regulations require crimping over soldering.... This guy is a genius!

[@Rhaspun]

Yes. If people would google "NASA crimping standards" people will find out what NASA is looking for on some pdf files. One is a shorter illustrated file and the bigger file is almost 100 pages with illustrations. They have specialized crimpers for aviation use. It does a double crimp on the connectors. The crimpers are expensive.

[@brianbanks3044]

i like the connectors that have the solder and shrink wrap all in one....lightly crimp it, heat it to melt the solder in middle and the wrap closes up around the wire....didn't see those, maybe because it said "no solder" but i hated the red and blue connectors for all the reasons you showed how they didn't work

[@Shoptoolreviews]

Here's a short vid of using one of those connectors you're talking about. instagram.com/reel/Cb-sXiigfWQ/?

[@hightttech]

You hate the RED and BLUE splices because mechanics give them a bad reputation. They use 💩 tools and 💩 technique and get 💩 results; then blame the connector.

[@the_game]

⚠ 8:40 LOL! 🤣

[@nitrorc4life1]

@3:25 this is not really an issue except for rare cases, and soldered and heat shrink will be far more compact then using butt connectors, if bulls a concern then THAT is a situation you want to solder instead imho.

[@onesikm3]

The problem I feel like with most of the information out there in regards to soldering connections when it comes to automotive wiring is people just really don’t know how to do it. Plain and simple over 95% of the population don’t know how to really solder and out of the 5% that think they do only maybe half of them actually know how to do it correctly lol!! And this is why I think you’ll hear a lot of companies insist to use crimps because they are dummy proof! And sorry guys don’t take it too personally I’m not calling anyone stupid, it’s just soldering is an art form all by itself!! I started soldering around the age of 8/9 years old when I built my first radio control car and I didn’t master my skills until I was about 12. but I’ve been soldering over 20 years now and I can tell you I’ve never had one of my solder joints ever fail on me but in my line of work I’ve seen thousands of poor bad connections that my customers bring back to me for help. The number 1 problem I see all the time with guys attempting to do it themselves is cold solder joints. This will of course crack and fall apart once you start pulling some amps thru that wire. The other contributor to a bad solder joint is people don’t properly Tin each individual wire before bringing the two wires together. I can’t tell you how any times I see people doing this wrong 🤷🏼‍♂️the list keeps going on honestly and another big issue is people use the wrong solder and struggle with the job time and time again. So yes I also advise people if you can’t produce a veteran style shinny solder joints that look better than what machines can do then stop right there and use crimps instead! The only reason I came to watch this video was to see which style crimp I should buy since I’m always soldering and this one time I’m getting lazy and old and don’t feel like soldering on my back in a weird space inside the trunk of my car wiring in this fuel pump relay for a Walbro 255 I’m tossing in. Anyone who might read this goodluck! PS. Throw that 99cent store 30watt iron in the trash and go get yourself atleast one that’s rated for 60w and you might notice your life getting a little bit easier haha but for those interested in learning how to solder better then get a station where you have a holder for the iron and and adjustable temperature knob to setup your desired temp range. You want to be soldering at a minimum of 650 degrees F. Thicker gauges wires 12 awg and lower I like to be around 750 and higher depending on the thicker wire 😉

[@caffeinatedinsanity2324]

I recently discovered that, but I had an Amazon kit of crimp lugs, and recently bought a hardware store brand of red butt splices. And there is such a thing as "good quality crimp connector" and "bad quality crimp connector". At first I thought i had a problematic tool, buy once I tested the Homepak butt splice, it became immediately clear tyhe Amazon kit connectors had problems. Just to test further, I stripped off the plastic insultation with an exacto knife and treated it as a non insulated butt splice (also tried on my hardware store ones). At least I was capable of getting them to hold tight on the wites, but it took me 4 crimps on both sides, compare to only 1 proper crimp on the hardware store butt splice (mind you i also only needed 1 crimp even with the insulation on and the proper die). And I can feel electricians rolling their eyes at the 4 crimps. Bottom line: don't he afraid of spending a little more on crimp terminals. It will serve you very well.

[@larrycroft470]

If Tim Johnson is going to review something....i am going to listen.

[@frediefarmer]

👍🏽🇺🇸👍🏽

[@BIGREDTECH]

Those black crumpets can’t crimp anything especially insulated wires. It’s safer to twist and tape then use them things. Seal a crimps is what I use. I can’t solder 90% of my repairs.. My opinion is soldering is great for certain applications on a unit.. anything in the elements and off road I’ll use butt connectors…

[@nitrorc4life1]

And you used the wrong size heat shrink, always buy quality heat shrink there IS a difference

[@kylefowler5082]

Dear world, please stop trying to crimp solid wires, crimps are only for stranded wire. It will not work, the connection will overheat and burn up.

[@Shoptoolreviews]

We didn't crimp any solid wires. Thanks for watching.

[@kylefowler5082]

@@Shoptoolreviews haha I wasn't calling you out, as an electrician I just see everyone else doing it with terrible results

[@Rhaspun]

Yes. NASA states in the crimping standards that crimping is not to be used on solid wires.

[@peteleoni9665]

Dude! Gloves? Why oh why?

[@athhud]

Surprise surprise, the one time you used the appropriate size butt connector for the wire you were using, the crimp held. Your EZ-Red crimps that you are so proud of look like hot garbage. A proper crimp isn’t suppose to look like you smashed it with a hammer and a slotted screwdriver.

[@jlrockafella]

Do it right, add wire & cut to length then solder🙄

[@BobSmith-dm3vp]

why the gloves?

[@Shoptoolreviews]

I'm ashamed of my hands. lol. I don't know, I just wear gloves most of the time. I can take them off quickly and mess with cameras/audio without the worry of grease or dirt getting on the equipment. Thanks for watching.

[@RWWarner3608]

Anybody doing any wiring and are using cheap crimpers doing work for money, needs to find another job!!!!

[@sdannenberg3]

Opposite. 99.9% of the time you should NOT use soldering for anything automotive.

[@U_ever]

Why is he yelling ? ? ?