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It seems to push the contact areas on the connectors (where the network card makes contact with the connector) down too far so that the network card's contacts can't reach the contacts on the connector. The other functions like stripping the sleeve off the CAT-5 cable seem to work fine but it doesn't perform it's main function very well. I have tried to use this crimper to make my own CAT-5 cables a few times and I have never had success. I have tried not squeezing too hard and it seems to still have the same problem.
Buying a 10' cable would have cost me $10, now with the cable I already had, and some ends I also bought, I have been able to make them so easy. Very happy with the purchace. This product not only met my expectations, but exceeded them. Shipping was very fast, had it about 3 days after I ordered it.
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. 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. 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. 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.
Would recommend to anyone who needs one of these. I figure if I need to cut a Cat5 cable I'll just use a pair of pliers, so I'm not too concerned. Excellent build quality, especially for the price. Wire stripper works well and the crimping part, well, crimps, but I can't testify to the cutting portion that another reviewer complained about. The major thing is that it crimps RJ-45 and RJ-11 connectors to their respective cables, and it does this exceedingly well.
I used a small wire nipper for this, not a wire cutter designed to cut 12-18 gauge wire. I didn't see this noted in the limited documentation. That blade cuts through the insulation, and reasonable care must be used not to nick the wires within. This feature actually comes from better-quality tools. It does exactly what the casual user needs. Close them all the way, and they will spring open again. 1) It cuts and strips flat cable, and the cutting depth for the stripper is adjustable.
The lower quality construction is evident, and the documentation poor. 3) The feature that "locks" the handles for storage is not correctly described. The purpose of the feature is to require the operator to fully close the handles during crimping. The point is to ensure that the connector is fully crimped. If you want to /store/ the tool, close the handles most of the way, and they will stay closed. I removed more of the insulation than I thought necessary, then trimmed the excess once I had the wires all lined up to go into the connector. This feature doesn't work all that well on this tool, in my opinion, but the tool still makes good connections. I store mine in the package it came in.
If you close these handles all the way, they release, just as the better-quality tools do. That said, this is a very nice product for the price. 2) It will cut the covering off of round CAT5/6 cable, but one must be careful, and there doesn't seem to be a way to measure how much of the insulation to remove.
I would trim some anyway, because the wires are not even after they are fanned out to go into the connector. If you are in the business, spend a lot more; I don't think any home user will regret this purchase. I used the tool to make RJ45 connections, and had no faulty connections, so I give this a 5 for doing the job, and less for the overall quality of the tool and the poor docs.
I have experience with similar, higher-priced versions of this tool. It is a round opening in one of the handles with a cutting blade in the other handle. The handles are supposed to release when the connector is fully crimped.
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