This old format has run its course and the new site is now up and running. Articles here will no longer be kept current, or up to date. Eventually this site will go the way of the buggy whip. If you see this "WARNING" image, the article has been moved, updated and may have more added to it than you will find below.
IMPORTANT: If the first image of the article below features strikethrough; strikethrough it means updates or edits have been made and we are urging you to visit the new site for more current information.
Please change your bookmarks and please visit the new site. See new links below.
I own both the Ancor hammer crimper and the FTZ 94284 pictured here. The FTZ 94284 makes a beautiful 360 degree crimp that is very solid. In testing I have conducted it exceeds US MIL Specs. A full 360 degree crimp makes a truly cold formed connection between the wire and the lug.
I also own the industry gold standard AMP lug crimping tools, namely the AMP Bantam Rota-Crimp #601075 and the AMP Rota-Crimp #600850. Hands down the FTZ is the closest performing tool to the AMP tools out there. The AMP tools are the tools I use everyday but they cost 10-15X what the FTZ tool does which makes the FTZ tool a tremendous value.
I don't actually use the Ancor hammer crimper at all because in testing I conducted it performed rather poorly. For a DIY the FTZ rotating die crimper is just that much better and for not that much more money.
The Ancor tool makes a "dimple" crimp, also called a "staking" or "indent" crimp. Indent type crimp tools can damage conductors and still not make the best electrical connection. When I'm crimping cables that will start 800HP diesels there is simply no room for an "indent crimper" in my tool box.
I consider the Ancor tool an emergency, get you home, tool but not much more. Nice to own if you have extra boat bucks floating around but it's not a tool I'd use either professionally or personally. Marinco claimed/claims this tool makes a UL crimp. However, when I called them and asked them to furnish documentation of this, or any other testing conducted with this tool, there was a complete lull in any data coming out of them. I made three calls and got nothing out of Marinco to support thier UL crimp claims..
If someone can get this UL documentation, or any legitimate testing data from Ancor/Marinco on this tool, please forward it to me.
As I always say; "Tools are free if you DIY."
When you figure that an Ancor hammer crimper would cost you nearly $80.00 and the cost savings in battery cable from a place like Genuinedealz.com is so huge that the high quality crimper is almost no additional expense. This is man math at its best. Do not run this scenario by your spouse.. Wink!
The FTZ 94284, which is the non-ratcheting version of this crimp tool that I recommend using. I do not recommend the ratchet version, model 94285, especially for working on boats. The FTZ 94284 can be purchased from:
Sailboatowners.com is a very, very good source and one of my most a trusted and reliable chandlers. I buy LOTS from them.
The FTZ & AMP Rota-Crimps
So why is it that I believe the FTZ 94284 lug crimping tool represents one of the best values out there for the DIY or even professional electrician? It's simple, the FTZ 94284 is about as close as you'll get to the industry gold standard AMP Rota-Crimp 600850 pictured here with the blue handles.
The FTZ is an amazingly good deal & no one else has made a tool comparable to the AMP Rota-Crimp for anywhere near what the FTZ sells for. Sure in pull testing the AMP tools beat the FTZ slightly but the FTZ beats every single Chinese or competitors crimp tool I've tested it against using my 5000 pound rated digital load cell.
All one needs to do is a quick google search typing in; "AMP Rota-Crimp 600850" and you'll see why the FTZ 94284 is an incredibly good deal. Yes, the FTZ 94284 is now made in China, it used to be made in the USA, but in order to deliver value FTZ moved production overseas. If you desire the crimp consistency, pull out strength, repeatability & overall crimp quality the FTZ delivers you'd need the AMP/Tyco tools. Yes the Rota-Crimp tools are made in the USA, yet at a price of $1200.00 to $2000.00+ depending upon the source. Ouch!! Sure I love my Rota-Crimp tools & I paid dearly for them, and I use and abuse the hell out of them, but the FTZ is no slouch at all.
Pictured from bottom to top are my:
FTZ 94284 (6GA to 4/0) AMP Rota-Crimp 600850 (8GA to 4/0) Amp Bantam Rota-Crimp 601075 (8GA to 1/0) Rennsteig Hand Held Crimp Tool - Red, Blue Yellow Insulated Terminals (for size comparison only)
Pick Your Lugs
This battery lug is the wrong size for this starter terminal post.
Pick Your Lugs 2
This lug is the correct size for this stud.
Flared Starter Lug vs. Power Lug
Okay this is where it gets confusing. There are many different lug standards. The two most common for marine & trucking use are the Flared Starter Lug as seen on the left and the Heavy Duty Power Lug as seen on the right. Different manufacturers have slightly different names but FTZ calls them Power Lugs and Quick Cable calls them "Magna Lugs". It is important to note that the lug on the left is for 4 GA wire and the lug on the right is ALSO for 4 GA wire.
*WARNING These lugs use DIFFERENT DIES. When buying a crimp tool PLEASE be very careful you buy the right tool. There are many horrible Chinese "knock-off" tools out there marked for 6 GA to 4/0 GA wire that will not work correctly and do not come with the proper sized crimp dies. You are then left guessing which dies to use for the flared starter lugs and which tool for the heavy duty lugs.
The right tool will have labels for "Flared Starter Lugs" and for "Heavy Duty Power Lugs". There are only two relatively affordable tools I know of to meet this lug crimp standard and they are the FTZ and the Quick Cable crimp tools. Most of the other tools out there are made for the industrial lug standard or rather pethetic knock offs made in China that do not even come with AWG dies and are metric..
Heavy Duty Power Lugs will always be marked with a color code and have two letter embossed or stamped into the lug. If your "heavy duty" lugs do not have these colors and letters they are very likely not the proper size for the dies.
Many People have asked me where they can get FTZ lugs from. The answer is Sailboatowners.com
Starter and power lugs are VERY different. The heavy duty lug on the right is significantly more robust and has a much thicker copper wall. There is no flare at the end of a proper lug because they can actually bevel the edge. Due to heavy duty lugs thickness it does not need an external flare like the less expensive & less robust starter lugs do.
Even without measuring these lugs one can visibly see that there is no way to apply a "one size fits all" die to both of them. Tools that do not list the proper die selection for both starter lugs and heavy duty lugs should be avoided.
Power Lug Die Settings
Let's look at the settings for the 1/0 Heavy Duty Power Lug that you'll see crimped later in this article. The chart shows that you pick the lug with BLACK markings and adjust the dies to "E" and "A".
Please take note that in a 2 GA wire with a heavy duty lug the "H" & "H" dies and pink color code are selected..
Starter Lug Die Settings
Here is the same tool and the die settings for "Starter Lugs". If you remembered that 2 GA wire with a Heavy Duty lug took "H" & "H"/pink you'll see here that a 1/0 wire takes "H" & "H"/pink when using Flared Starter Lugs.
That is a two whole die size difference due to the quality and raw thickness of the lug. Same wire 1/0 vs. 1/0 but two whole die settings apart. Be VERY careful to NOT confuse flared starter lugs with true heavy duty lugs.
Once again true "Heavy Duty" lugs will be both color coded and die stamped. Starter lugs are flared at the end and simply marked with the wire gauge.
I personally try and use the heavy duty lugs when I can but there are some applications where their larger and thicker form factor is a poor fit. There are good applications for both flared and heavy duty lugs..
Lug & Die Marking / Settings
Industry standardized battery lug crimpers like the Amp Rota-Crimp, Quick Cable Tools and the FTZ have the die settings and the number of crimps required stamped on the crimp tool themselves. When you use quality marked Heavy Duty lugs like those by FTZ, Quick Cable etc. they will have all the information clearly marked on them as well.
Cheap Lug / Quality Lug
Not all battery lugs are created equal. The one on the left was purchased at an auto parts store and is cheap, thin & made of un-tinned copper. The lug on the right is made by FTZ Industries, generally higher quality than Ancor, and is thick tin plated copper. This FTZ lug is a solid connector with no voids what so ever.
Anatomy of a Poor Connection
In just this one photo we have; non adhesive lined heat shrink, non-tinned wire, wire stranding for battery cable that does not meet the UL Marine spec for number of strands, oxidation already beginning, too much exposed copper from the wire stripping and a rather poorly executed hammer type crimp.
While this fitting did and does work the question would be for how long, and when, not if, would it have let you down? It should be noted that this cable was only two seasons old, located in a very dry area of the vessel and yet already beginning to oxidize.
Crimper Dies
This is the head of the FTZ lug crimper. As you can see it compresses the lug in a circumferential manner (360 degrees) making the entire lug smaller and creating a true cold formed connection between wire and lug. Proper crimps lead to little to no resistance. A poor crimp can be a point of resistance and heat generation.
You can see the die heads have letters marking them. Each of these heads rotates and there are dies for many sizes of lugs.
Check For Depth
To get a rough idea how far back to strip the wire simply lay the wire next to the lug and mark it with a pen or pencil.
*******CLICK BELOW FOR PAGE 2*******
Make A Clean Cut
The tools they have at the marine store are often dull and cheap. It's a good idea to clean up the end before you begin your connection. I used my Klein High-Leverage Cable Cutter's Part No. 63050 to cut this 2 GA cable and they work very well for this.
A Clean Cut
Good tools make nice cuts.
This Tool Also Works
Don't tell my wife I stole her Fiskars Anvil shears from her garden shed. These work amazingly well for both stripping the wire, if you're careful, and for cutting it. I have cut up to 4/0 but it is more comfortable cutting 3/0 and down. Costs about $12.00 at Home Depot.
You may laugh but these Fiskars Anvil Pruners are my go-to tool for cutting and stripping large GA battery cable. I go through about two pairs per year but overall they cost less than large wire cutters that also go dull and need replacement. They also fit neatly into my tool bag. I have found them on-line for as little as $9.00....
Strip The Wire
To strip the battery cable simply close the wire cutters around the jacket and make a circle. Do not press to hard or you will damage wire strands. If you look closely you can see that none of them have been cut. There are many ways to strip battery cable I just find this one, with a little practice, to be the quickest and easiest. I think the Fiskars do a better job and that is what I use mostly.
My only suggestion here is to use proper wire cutters similar to the ones pictured or use the Fiskars. In this photo I've chosen to use my Klein High-Leverage Cable Cutter's Part No. 63050. They cost about $20.00 at Home Depot. Chanel-Lock also makes a set that are slightly less money but nowhere near as accurate. Klein Tools are fairly high quality and will hold an edge for a long time when compared to products like Chanel-Lock. The right tool, for the right job, is always well worth the expense, unless of course you discover a real bargain like the Fiskars tool..
Using a set of Diagonal Cut Pliers or "Dykes" as they are normally called will not make as clean or as nice a cut, or strip, as a good set of cable cutters or the Fiskars will.
Test Depth = Incorrect Fit
This is an incorrect fit. In this photo I have stripped the wire and inserted it until it bottomed out in the lug. It's always easier to strip off more than you need and then cut to length. I went a little overboard here for illustrative purposes..
Test Depth = Correct Fit
Here I have trimmed some of the wire off, with my Klein cutters, and re-inserted it. The fit is now ready to be crimped.
Install Shrink Tube
This is more of a good tip than anything. Depending upon your battery lug and wire size your chosen adhesive lined heat shrink tube may not fit over the lug after it has been crimped. Simply install it over the wire before you make the crimp. I usually cut my heat shrink to about two inches long for battery cable as it comes in 12" log tubes from my supplier.
Crimp Position
This FTZ Industries battery lug is industry standard black color code for 1/0 ga wire and is embossed with the letters E-A for the die settings.
This E-A embossing tells you the correct dies to use when crimping with industry standardized crimpers. The industry standard crimp tool for battery lugs is generally the AMP Rota-Crimp tool. While there is no standard acceptable range that I can find for lug crimping tolerances, the Amp is the tool of choice for many professionals, industrial plants, factories aerospace, trucking industry etc..
FTZ uses the *same rotating die standard with the same letter codes as the AMP tool. I have crimped Ancor, FTZ, Quick Cable, Molex, T&B, AMP lugs & more with the FTZ tool. It works tremendously well on all those lugs with minor manufacturing variations resulting in slightly differing pull out numbers. Apparently Ancor/Marinco is now sourcing whatever they can get for the least amount of money and the tolerances are often out of whack to the rest of the industry. Their "heavy duty" lugs are also not color coded or embossed with die settings. Sometimes their lugs are fine others they are quite different from the rest in terms of heft.
About as close as it gets I suppose, without patent infringement.
As you can see in the photo there are two positions separated by black stripes where your crimp tool is to make two separate crimps. In the picture I am in the position to make the first crimp.
Make The Crimp
Technically, with battery lugs, the first crimp should be made at the end of the lug closest to the wire. The second crimp is then made closest to the hole. I have done it backwards and never had a problem. This is backwards from the way industrial compression lugs are crimped. With industrial lugs you start at the stud hole end and work towards the wire. I have even seen some "battery lugs" marked backwards and other marked forwards. I guess if the industry can't agree why should we really care.
The reason it is suggested to crimp the wire end first, with battery lugs, is to keep the wire jacket distance from growing away from the lug. You're applying adhesive heat shrink so a little gap is no big deal.
I learned that with the diamond crimp tool you can get sharp edges on the non-rounded part of the die. In order to alleviate this I consulted with FTZ, AMP Tyco and Quick Cable and that two crimps in each spot yields a smoother formed terminal.
Make the first crimp with the lug parallel to the crimp head then, as seen here, flip it 90 degrees or vertical and make one more crimp in the exact same spot.
Doing this rounds over all sides making for a very neat and tidy crimp under heat shrink. While not necessary it does make for a neater and more professional looking job.
Round Side / Sharp Side
When the lug is crimped once it has two nice rounded corners and two pointy corners. By flipping it 90 degrees and making a second crimp you now have four nicely rounded corners to your crimp. Simple & easy..
First Crimp Done
Here is a shot of the first crimp after double crimping it and rounding all corners.
Finished Crimping
The finished crimp is well executed and well formed. The tool actually reduces the diameter of the lug similar to swaging standing rigging. The Ancor hammer crimper simply distorts the lug and puts a dimple in it.
*******CLICK BELOW FOR PAGE 3*******
It Makes A Beautiful Lug
Again here is a positive battery cable & lug made with the "rotate" method so all corners are nicely rounded. You can see how it physically reduces the OD of the lug.
I should mention that this tool makes such a perfect fitting lug that when I experimented and tried to also solder one, after crimping, no solder would flow beyond the first crimp band. This crimp tool makes a completely water tight and solder tight joint.
Shrink The Tubing
Here I have my heat gun and the heat shrink tubing in place ready to go.
Adheseive Lining
When heat shrinking battery cable it is always best to use an adhesive lined product designed for heavy duty use. By doing so you create a hermetically sealed connection that will allow no water or moisture to corrode or damage the crimped fitting.
You also need to ensure that the adhesive melts out of the ends of the shrunk connection. If you do not see the glue leaking out, as you do in this photo, continue with your heat gun until you do. Remember heat evenly!
The Finished Product
Good Luck!
EDIT:
After many requests I have added my *experiences with the Harbor Freight Hydraulic Crimper below.
Since writing this article many years ago I have also extensively tested a heap of other hydraulic and manual Chinese lug crimping tools. I've even tested tools by some, shall we say, less than ethical US companies slapping their sticker on unmodified Chinese tools, with metric dies, and calling them AWG. The bottom line? In all this testing I have still not found a better tool at a better price than the FTZ.
"Hey RC can I buy this from you?"
No, at this time I don't sell the FTZ 94284. I have provided a link to a reputable source. While they may not be the absolute cheapest they stand behind what they sell and are good guys to buy from.
I get no kickback from the business I send their way. Why? This is a very, very slim margin product. There is not even a 3.5% margin in it for me so it would actually cost me money to pay the interchange fee and box and ship it. Yep at my buying level I'd lose money selling this tool. For now I will let bigger companies with stronger buying power sell the tool.
If you want to support us, please use my DONATE button.
Harbor Freight Hydraulic Crimp Tool
Okay, okay I will finally publish my experience with my Harbor Freight hydraulic crimp tool.
I can sum it up in two words, VERY POOR..... Read on if you want the why behind my review.... (wink)
Please let's not misconstrue my review above. It is NOT to say the Chinese can't do things right, they certainly can, and they do every day, but when you send stuff out to the lowest, bottom feeder bidders, you often get what you pay for, as is the case here.
This tool was $59.99 and worth about what the corrugated box cost to ship it in. Go figure..
Lets get something out in the open, I LOVE Harbor Freight Tools, for CERTAIN things. I am not dissing all their products in any way... I recently bought boxes of nitrile gloves for a 1/3 of what I can buy them for at my local hardware store, and they were the same exact brand. I like their wrench sets because I lose lots of wrenches and consider them disposable. HFT is good for MANY things and they truly serve a purpose. You can't take that away from them. This tool however is not one of their better products. Why?
#1 The "AWG" dies are apparently from some mythical made up Chinese back room wiring standard I've never heard of...?. They are NOT AWG sized dies. I repeat, they are NOT AWG sized dies, despite being labeled as such! They are so bad, and so mislabeled, I suspect some poor soul in a dirty dark room, with no internet connection, actually made it up after complaints from US customers that the dies were not AWG sized?
#2 Apparently, with the earlier models of this tool, they were originally labeled in the MCM standard and now they are magically AWG yet the same sizes as the were before? Hmmmm..? I can picture the meeting at HFT tools now; "Oh yeah we can fix that, lets just re-label the MCM dies in AWG.". Sorry HFT, it doesn't work like that...
#3 Even when you do find a die that works okay they tend to fall out of the tool and into the bilge. My tool/dies are mildly magnetic but no where near enough to prevent the dies from falling out and getting lost..
#4 The dies are HORRIBLY machined, even if machined to a mythical made up wire standard...
#5 Can someone please tell HFT there is no 7 AWG wire in the US....
1/0 Lug In The 1/0 Die
Here we go, this picture is an HFT 1/0 labeled die with a 1/0 lug in it. Yeah, that fits....
I should mention that the lugs used in this demonstration were all starter lugs or the smallest OD lugs that will fit over 1/0, 2GA or 4GA wire.
The heavy duty lugs are considerably larger, OD wise. In fact a 1/0 heavy duty lug will not even fit between the jaws of this crimp tool when wide open!
Crimping The 1/0 Lug In 1/0 Die
Yeah right.....! Bad fit, wrong size, grossly mislabeled die, no good.....
Straining....
This 1/0 labeled die is so far off this is not even laughable.
Ouch.........
Beautiful alignment for the top and bottom dies. Should I go on.......?
OVER-CRIMP !!!!!!
This is NOT how a crimp should be made. Over crimping can fracture wires and drastically weaken the lug. Over crimping is as bad as under crimping.
So the 1/0 lug cost me $3.30 and the 1/0 wire about $2.00 so I am now up to $65.30 trying to figure out this mythical HFT/Chinese die standard.....
2GA Lug In a 1/0 Die..?
Well 1/0 wire and lugs did not work in the 1/0 AWG die so lets try skipping right over 1GA and go straight to 2GA...
Here is a 2GA lug & wire which is two full sizes smaller than the 1/0 die is labeled for.....
Think it will work??
Hmmmmm....
Crimp........
Holy Over-Crimp Batman !
Even a lug and wire two sizes smaller than the HFT crimp die is labeled for and this tool, and I use that term lightly, is still GROSSLY over-crimping. This is NOT GOOD. A crimp should never look like this, never....
So another $3.30 lug and $1.85 in wire ruined and we're closing in on $70.00............
Perhaps a 4GA Lug In a 1/0 Die ???
I am desperate now.... So let's try THREE SIZES SMALLER!!!!
1/0 = No
1 GA = No
2GA = No
4GA = Let's see.......
Much Better.........
Finally a crimp that looks somewhat acceptable. Only problem is this tool is sold to crimp UP TO 1/0 wire and it will only crimp to 4GA! Caveat emptor.....
You will ruin a LOT of lugs trying to figure out the mythical Chinese / AWG standard so factor that into your total cost of this tool.....
1/0, 2GA, 4GA - 1/0 Die
From top to bottom, using the 1/0 die, I tried:
1/0 = FAIL
1GA = FAIL (Did not need to physically test, knew it would not work.)
2GA = FAIL
4GA = PASSABLE
What The Heck is 7GA Wire....?????
They missed the mark so badly they actually made up a new wire size.
Commercially available 7 AWG wire simply does not exist in North America.... Doh'......
These are the standard sizes this crimper is designed / claimed to work with...
1/0
1GA
2GA
4GA
6GA
8GA
10GA
12GA
14GA
Chrome Plated Dies & 7GA Dies...?
That is some pretty odd chrome plating.? Also interesting to note they completely skipped over 1GA wire, which is readily available, but made up 7GA, which is not.. Wow!!!!
Until HFT can get the AWG die size conundrum sorted out I would advise buying a tool from a company that actually knows what they are talking about when it comes to crimping large gauge wire.
While it may not be a horrible tool for sizes smaller than 4GA, this is not a tool for anything larger than 4GA....
If you do decide to buy this tool there should be NO pinching when the lugs are crimped. It should look like the 4GA crimp shown.
You should also expect to burn through about $30.00 - $40.00 in wire and terminals figuring out what dies work with what AWG wire & lugs. You are on your own on figuring this out. I have given you the first one, the 1/0 AWG die works with 4GA starter lugs, but the rest are on your buck.. (wink)
It's Not Just Harbor Freight That Sells Crappy Tools
In my multi-year long quest to bring readers a better value than the FTZ crimp tool, I think I have finally given up. Each of the pictured tools was sold as AWG dies. NONE OF THEM ARE AWG.. Total SCREW JOB... Even when I buy from supposed American companies, that claim AWG tools, they are nothing more than re-stickered Chinese tools.
All three of these tools make HORRENDOUSLY BAD CRIMPS and none of the dies are properly sized for the AWG lugs we use. The tool on the right, I had the most hopes for, as it is an apparent knock off of a $3500.00 US made tool. This knock-off tool is so grossly unbalanced it literally makes it almost unusable and the dies, fit & finish are are HORRIBLE. Not one die in the 10 die set matched any of the AWG lugs I use despite the US "sticker application company" telling me the dies are AWG. I suspect he had no clue what AWG even was...?
Bottom line is you can spend a metric $hit ton of money, as I have, experimenting with cheap mysterious die standard tools, or spend the money and just buy the FTZ tool.
As far as I am concerned, after buying and testing at least 15+ battery lug crimping tools, the FTZ is the best value for the money. I do not sell the FTZ tool here because there is no room to make even a few bucks to support the site. Vendors like Sailboatowners.com are literally giving this tool away, so by the time I stock it, carry the inventory cost then use my labor to ship it, I make less than zero for the web site. I have been searching for a better value for over three years but I have yet to find it.
SITE PLUG:
My research and testing of tools like you see above are why www.marinehowto.com is still in the red and losing money. Please do your part to help support this site so it can remain FREE and hopefully break even or maybe even pay me a gumballs worth someday for all the time I give.
Click my donate button or buy the few products I do sell in my site store. The products I sell are only sold to support this site remaining FREE.
MAY-2006
Help Support This Site
Like what you saw or read in this article? Was it helpful? Could the information save you some money? Would you like to see more articles like this?
If so feel free to donate, support the site, and keep it growing. Please DO NOT feel obligated at all. If you like it and want to make a donation, please do. Your donations help keep the content coming and also help keep it FREE.
Click the DONATE button below if you would like to make a donation via PayPal.
