Those cheap coax crimpers on Amazon? I was dead WRONG about them.

For 6 months I swore by my $60 Klein tool and laughed at guys using the $12 no-name kits. Then my van got broken into and all I had was a backup from a gas station in Tulsa. I figured I'd be replacing fittings every week. Three months later and that $12 piece of junk hasn't slipped once on 50+ terminations. My Klein is back in my bag but honestly I grab the cheap one now for tight spots. Is the durability there long term or did I just get lucky?

3 comments

3 Comments

terry_lewis2127d ago

That line "I figured I'd be replacing fittings every week" really hit home. I had a similar thing happen with a $8 tire inflator I bought at a truck stop in Missouri. I thought it was gonna die after two uses, but that thing has outlasted two name brand ones I paid 5x for. It's got a weird plug that barely fits in the lighter socket now, but it still works. My guess is sometimes these cheap tools are made in the same factory as the expensive ones just with a different sticker. Could flip on you tomorrow though, who knows.

julia_patel27d ago

Did you ever check if they're actually the same OEM, cause sometimes the gas station stuff is just an old run from a legit factory with a different housing slapped on?

martin.paige18d ago

Wait, did your buddy actually trace the serial numbers back or just guess? One of my coworkers bought a $12 angle grinder from a flea market and it straight up lasted longer than his DeWalt. He even cracked it open one day out of curiosity and the guts looked identical to the Milwaukee he had at home, just with a cheaper shell. It's wild how @julia_patel is probably right about the OEM thing, because my friend said the only difference was the bearing quality, and the cheap one actually held up better somehow. I guess sometimes you just roll the dice and come out ahead lol.