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Rant: That 'universal' coax crimper set was a total waste of $45
The jaws were too soft to hold the connector right, so every crimp was either too loose or crushed the center pin. I had to redo six antenna connections on a Cessna 172 before I just went and bought the proper tool. Anyone have a go-to brand for RG-400 crimpers that won't bend on you?
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reeseanderson8d ago
Learned that lesson the hard way with some cheap coax tools a few years back. I've had good luck with the Paladin PA1410 crimper for RG-400. It's a solid piece of steel and the dies are machined right. Makes a perfect crimp every time.
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kelly318d ago
That "perfect crimp every time" claim is what gets me. I've seen those Paladin crimpers fail on older RG-400 where the jacket has gotten a little stiff. @reeseanderson, the die might be machined right for new cable, but it doesn't adjust for wear. You get one small piece of grit in there or the cable specs vary just a bit and your perfect crimp is now a loose connection. A good tool should handle real world conditions, not just ideal ones.
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