TEMCo Industrial Hydraulic Cable Lug Crimper TH0005 V2.0 (11 US TON) 10 AWG to 600 MCM Electrical Terminal Cable Wire Tool Kit with 32 Die Sets

Does excellent job crimping battery lugs. Photo is marine cable in copper lugs.

I first was very apprehensive of using a new tool. After fiddling with it, figuring out the position of crimp release knob, I found the position where the crimp jaws would advance on pumping. After that knowledge it was no looking back. It made an EXCELLENT hexagonal crimp. With practice I will be able to make perfect hexagon edged crimp. For the first attempt it just came out NEAR perfect. I would 100% recommend this to for any novice or a beginner, which gives 100% professional results. This tool is definitely a keeper. Kudos TEMCo. Excellent product. Though the product that was shipped to me had a bit of rusted spots on the main cylinder body. That is absolutely nothing to worry about.

PROS: Low price, feels and works solidly (doesn't feel cheap). Nice case. Multiple dies. Crimps what non-hydraulic crimpers can never accomplish. One year no hassle warranty included. Comes with extra o-rings. Worth it to pay a little more for this one because the cheaper ones have those silver color dies that's are not as strong as these darker dies. Excellent value for the money. This thing is a beast!CONS: When crimping pure copper 1/0 lugs, the hydraulic strength isn't strong as I would like. I'd rather pay a bit more for one with a larger hydraulic cylinder. That's because when fully crimped, sometimes the lug is still slightly loose so you need to either crimp again (the dies should be wider because one crimp only covers 1/2 of the crimpable area) or use the next smallest die to crimp further. If you think you can make one quick crimp and be done with it, you will be disappointed. Also, the dies slide to the left and right too much so you have to check carefully while crimping to make sure the two die halves line up properly. Also, it's not a true hex crimp. After crimping, it leaves two flat "wings" on opposite sides of the hex (see pic). That made it difficult to slide on shrink tubing designed for that lug size. Also, the "wings" make it appear unprofessional. The major thing is when crimping large 1/0 pure copper lugs (pure copper is stiffer than copper coated zinc lugs), it sure takes a lot of muscle to fully crimp. I'm pretty strong but luckily i was able to rest one handle on the ground to get more leverage. If crimping large pure copper lugs, it would help to be a body builder. Keep in mind, for the price, I would still recommend this. It's way better than a non-hydraulic crimper and using the hammer crimpers make it impossible to crimp when the wire isn't on solid ground such as repairing a cable end under the hood. In summary, if I were on the design team, I'd make a more expensive model with twice the hydraulic tonnage with larger handles or maybe an option to purchase handle "extensions" - longer handles will give you more leverage while crimping (I'm a welder too, so I plan on welding on handle extensions). Also, it should have dies that are wider and fit tighter when inserted in the unit. If you are using smaller gauge lugs, I'm sure this will exceed your expectations, but my thing is the reason people buy these hydraulic units is to crimp large lugs. Remember, for the price, you will still be happy. I'm happy too that's why I gave 5 stars.TIPS: When holding the crimper, keep it horizontal, and the dies will seat themselves to make an even hex shape, which will solve the "loose dies" problem. Also, if you have trouble finding enough strength to crimp, just slip some short metal pipe over the handles to give you more leverage. Good idea to wear goggles because when you reach the end of the crimp, you will be exerting so much force (1/0 pure copper lugs) that the tool can slip and smack you in the head. Also, be careful to watch the dies when near the end of the crimp. In other words, once the dies meet each other, if you keep crimping, the force of the hydraulics may compress the dies onto each other, damaging the dies.

This is the 2nd product I've bought from this company and works excellent! as does the knockout punch I got , The quality is comparable to any name brand I've used before and this company is out of California so I belive its made in the US so I hope so because Id rather support A Smaller U.S owned company but this is a high quality product at a price I can afford. there were other Crimpers I looked at but I knew I was happy with the punch I got and this is as good quality-wise as the other product . I will continue to buy from this company . I did have an issue with the punch 1 time and they fixed it Immediatly because it was under warranty

Pros:Tool is sturdy and capable of pressing a crimp into large gage wire.Lots of die sizes to choose from. Not only are there standard sizes but there are several in-between sizes for non-standard wires and or lugs.Cons:Very heavy. Holding the wire, lug, and tool while pumping the handle can be difficult, especially for wire above 1AWG.Retaining pin for the cross bolt that holds the die in place can come out way too easily. Do not slide the bolt too quickly or the pin will come loose and fly across the room.This may be overkill for some users. The TH0006 model covers 12 AWG to 00 AWG and is less expensive.

So far, so great! This tool has saved me a lot of money and time on being able to buy bulk cable and connectors and crimp my own connectors as I worked to rewire my mid-80s sailboat. I also used to crimp some connectors on a car battery cable. Had a small issue with damage to the case and TEMCo made it right. Highly recommended!!