Can we talk about how everyone acts like compression fittings are the only way to go now?

I've been running cable for 15 years and I still use crimp connectors on most residential coax jobs, even though every new guy I train swears I'm living in the dark ages. Back in 2018 I tried switching fully to compression after a bad batch of fittings from a supplier in Tulsa, but three service calls later I realized the issue was the cheap tool not the method. Am I the only one who thinks crimp is just as solid when you know what you're doing?

3 comments

3 Comments

drew96527d agoTop Commenter

Crimp gets a bad rap because guys buy the cheapest tool at the box store and blame the connector. I've seen compression fail plenty when someone over-crimps or uses a worn die, same as any other method. The real issue is people treat installation like it's one size fits all instead of learning the feel for each fitting type. If your gear is decent and you take your time, crimp holds up just fine on residential stuff. I'll take a properly crimped connection over a rushed compression any day of the week.

price.tara14d ago

Gasped when I read that part about sneezing while putting the die on. I actually had a coworker do that once, coughed at the exact wrong moment and crushed the connector sideways. Looked like a pretzel when he was done. We still joke about it every time someone brings up compression fittings.

the_jason27d ago

Man people really act like this is life or death instead of just screwing a wire onto a jack. I get that crimp vs compression is a real preference but half the arguments I see online sound like someone's whole career depends on proving their way is superior. What kills me is that 99% of home installations are gonna work fine either way as long as you don't use dollar store fittings. I've seen crimp joints hold for a decade and I've seen compression fail right out the gate because somebody sneezed while putting the die on. At the end of the day it's just coax not brain surgery so maybe chill out a little lol.