DEC MMJ, eBay madness

[Tothwolf]

On Wed, 24 Jan 2007, Sridhar Ayengar wrote:
> Tothwolf wrote:
>
>> If you think the Ideal Crimpmaster was expensive though, these are what 
>> I'm currently using:

>> The prices are fairly average, sometimes you can find them for $10-20 
>> less for the tools, though I've yet to find the AMP dies for less than 
>> $35-40 retail. I still need to buy a long body plug die for my AMP 
>> tools as I have a couple boxes of AMP long body plugs that I found 
>> surplus last year that I can't yet put to use.
>
> That's actually not that bad.  My brother paid $350 for my Ideal 
> Crimpmaster set.  He got me *all* of the available dies.  It was a 
> *really* nice gift. I've saved a small fortune on BNC-terminated A/V 
> cables alone.

Well, now he can look though the Paladin and Greenlee dies too *grin*

One thing I really like about the GMP tool is the single die. Since it 
only has one part that needs to be changed, its very handy and take up 
little room in the leather holster. The plastic kit case is pretty massive 
though.

The AMP tool does use two dies, but they drop into the top of the tool and 
there is only one small screw to hold the captive die. I actually prefer 
the older AMP tool frame though. The older AMP frame handles were made by 
Sargent Tools, but after Tyco bought AMP, they switched to a different 
handle design that is harder to squeeze. I've resorted to combing eBay 
from time to time for the older frames to keep spare parts on hand.

When it comes to coax dies, I do still use my Paladin 8000 frames for 
those, though not as much as I used to for F connectors. These days I'm 
mostly using Thomas & Betts Snap-n-Seals and use the SNSIT for bulk RG6 
connector installs as it has a ratchet. For one offs, I carry a SNSUTL 
tool for RG6 as well as a L3011B for RG11 drops. These tools are made by 
Sargent Tools for Thomas & Betts, so you can often find the Sargent 
branded tools for far less than those rebranded for T&B. My favorite coax 
strippers for these connectors are currently the CablePrep CPT-6590 
(RG59/RG6) and CPT-1100 (RG11). I have some other CablePrep CPT tools, but 
those are the two I use the most.

For linear compression type BNCs and RCAs, I use a Paladin Tools 1555 
SealTite Pro. Its fully adjustable and will handle pretty much any brand 
or style of connector, but I find it especially useful for linear 
compression BNC and RCA connectors.

I keep thinking about buying a set of Canare tools, but so far the price 
tag has kept me away. I haven't had any requests for Canare connectors 
yet, but I expect someone will want them eventually.

-Toth