Rant: That $600 battery crimper was a complete waste of money

I bought a fancy hydraulic battery crimper last spring thinking it would speed up my installs. Cost me $600 from a supply house and the thing broke on the third job. The pump started leaking and the dies got stuck halfway through a crimp. Had to borrow a manual crimper from a buddy to finish the job that day. Ended up tossing it and went back to my old $40 ratcheting crimper that just works. Anyone else get burned by expensive tools that should have lasted longer?

2 comments

2 Comments

kelly_nelson951mo ago

That's on you for buying a cheap hydraulic crimper. $600 is entry level for that tool, not top tier. The real professional grade ones from brands like Burndy or Greenlee are over a grand and actually hold up. I've had my hydraulic crimper for 5 years now, hundreds of jobs, and it's still going strong. You got what you paid for. The ratcheting crimper works fine for small stuff but try doing 4/0 cable with it all day and your hand will be wrecked. Sometimes spending more upfront saves you money in the long run.

grantschmidt1mo agoMost Upvoted

Right? Sounds like they just bought a shiny paperweight lol.