TRENDnet RJ-11/RJ-45 Crimp/Cut/Strip Tool TC-CT68 (Blue)
by TRENDnet
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List Price: Our Price: $13.27 You Save: $18.72 (59%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: Tools See more product details |
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Tools and Hardware Reviews of TRENDnet RJ-11/RJ-45 Crimp/Cut/Strip Tool TC-CT68 (Blue)
Customer Review: Great tool, has no instructions
Summary: 4 Stars
Summary: I needed a "does all" tool for making custom length CAT6 cables at home. This does it all, but it would still have been nice to have instructions.
I would normally not try to make my own ethernet patch cables, but for my home network I got tired of having a bunch of cable coils in my office. Additionally, since upgrading the family's computers, we are all able to run 1000BT. So, I thought this is the time to upgrade all the cabling to CAT6 for the speed and also get rid of the rat's nests of cables. My old crimper just didn't seem like it was up to the job, so I went for the Trendnet.
Pros:
It does all the necessary operations:
1. Cuts the end of the cable with a nice sharp blade which looks like it is both sharpenable and replaceable.
a. Note that this section of the tool is used for both cutting and stripping to bare wire. The action depends on whether you insert the cable from one side or the other.
2. Strips off the outer jacket wit a not-so-obvious indent and blade close to the blue rubber grip end.
3. As above, strips the conductor wires of their individual insulation if necessary.
4. Crimps both RJ11 (phone) and RJ45 (network) connectors.
5. Not too big.
6. Steel construction.
Cons:
1. OK, so I did figure it out, and it didn't take long (few minutes), but really - would it kill them to put a few instructions into the package?
2. There is a ratchet mechanism that helps keep the handles close to the closed position in order to save room in the toolbox. However, it is not well placed and I think a latch would have been better. This one tends to let the handles pop open for anything.
Conclusion:
I would get this again and I would recommend it to a friend who had home use of one of these.
Customer Review: Decent crimper for a great price!
Summary: 4 Stars
Crimpers are an amazing tool to have, especially when you work in a call center. We're constantly fixing cables and by doing so we keep our repair costs down. Why spend $15 on a new cable when we can spend $0.10 on parts to put a new end on the cable we already have?
This crimper in particular is a ratcheting crimper, which is the best kind in my opinion. As you crimp, the tool ratchets until you complete the crimp. Once you completely crimp the connector, the tool releases. This ensures you get a complete, full crimp every time. Non-ratcheting crimpers do not always produce full crimps because they will release the connector before the crimp is complete.
This tool is intended for RJ-11 (phone) and RJ-45 (data) but will work for any 8 position or 6 position connectors. In technical terms, it will work for: 8P8C, 8P6C, 8P4C, 6P6C, 6P4C, 6P2C, etc.
NOTE: Some crimpers will also crimp 4P4C and 4P2C, but this one does not! This crimper will only crimp 8 and 6 position connectors, not 4 position. 4 position connectors are what you would find on handset cords for office telephones. This crimper will not work for those. For a crimper which can crimp 8, 6, and 4 pin connectors, see this item: Paladin Tools 1556 All-in-One Crimper for WE/SS-Style Data & Phone Cable.
Customer Review: Great crimper, poor stripper
Summary: 4 Stars
This was my first attempt at crimping CAT5 connectors. I bought this item because of good reviews as well as because of its affordable price. As a crimper, the tool is excellent. It could not have made the process easier. Within 5 minutes, I already had my first cable complete. However, I cannot say the same of the wire stripping feature. The wire stripper was poor at best. When I used the stripping feature just as described on the packaging, I found that it would completely cut some of the wires, particularly those toward the edge of the casing. As a result, I found myself putting the cable toward the back end of the blade and manually rotating in to cut the casing, this worked wonders, but wasn't nearly as easy as it should have been if the wire stripper had actually worked correctly.
Overall, I'm very happy with the purchase. The price was great, and now I'm crimping cables like a pro. My only complaints were that the stripper did not work very well and it would have been nice if it included a diagram of the standard color ordering of a CAT5 cable, though I found a diagram very easily on the Internet.
Customer Review: Works well
Summary: 4 Stars
These RJ Crimpers do the job as expected and have a fairly solid feel to them. The ratcheting mechanism could be a little better, but for the price it does just fine. If you're a professional, you will probably want the Ideal or similar brand of crimpers for the hundreds or more of connectors you'll do a week. For all you DIY guys who will use them a few times a year, they are great and will do fine for your home networking projects. I never use the strippers or cutters on the tool as they never seem to do that great a job without more effort than a razor knife and wire cutters, but that is the same with all other brands of the same tool across the board.Customer Review: Got It To Work On First Try
Summary: 4 Stars
The crimper works well and seems very solid and heavy. Minus a star because the instructions included are minimal at best. I found a few videos online that were helpful. I bought this because it always ended up that on cables I would buy (from Amazon) would eventually wear out on the plastic part that is supposed to snap in to your ethernet socket. Eventually the snap was gone creating a loose connection that would easily slip out. This ends up being a very inexpensive way to have a 'new' cable. Since I have had no luck with wireless routers I'm dependent on ethernet cables and this is a great tool and money saver.