A decent kit for stripping and terminating wires

In my opinion, what makes this set interesting is that it really is a set: everything you need to get to work is included, and it all comes packed in a carrying case.

It’s sold without any additional packaging—just the case with a product label stuck on it.


There’s a loop on one side. It probably wouldn’t be very convenient to carry it by the loop, but it would work well for hanging the case somewhere.
The case closes with a zipper. When it’s closed, the zipper pull is on the side opposite the loop.


The case is quite handy and looks sturdy enough.


I did find one drawback, though: when opening it, you have to pull the zipper all the way to the very end. That’s not very convenient, so when you open the case fully, the zipper pull reaches the end as a result of opening it.


Everything inside the case is secured in place. There are separate pockets for the extra dies, with hook-and-loop closures.


The stripper is held at the top by a fairly tight elastic band, and at the bottom by a hook-and-loop strap. There’s room for another tool to the right of the stripper, but it’s empty.
During use, I noticed that taking the stripper out isn’t very convenient. It has sharp parts that can catch on the elastic band holding it in place.


The main package includes:
1. Wire stripper
2. Crimper
3. Double-ended screwdriver
4. Set of four dies.

The package also includes:
5. Carrying case
6. Four spare screws.


All the tools are finished in black and yellow, which to me looks a lot like Stanley’s color scheme, though the yellow is brighter.


The screwdriver bit is double-ended: a Phillips head on one end and a hex head on the other (or, more precisely, everything else is a hex).
In theory, the Phillips screwdriver might come in handy in just one situation: there’s a small screw on the crimper.
The hex bit, on the other hand, may be needed fairly often, since it’s used to change the dies. The bit is very tight; I could only get it out with pliers. I think it’s just a matter of time before it loosens up with use.


I’ll start inspecting the tools with the stripper. I’ve known this type of tool for a long time, although the version I’m familiar with looks a little different.
This tool is used to strip insulation from wires. You can do the job with a knife, side cutters, or any sharp object, of course. But a stripper gives more consistent results, especially when the insulation is thick and the conductors are thin. It’s better suited to stranded wire, though it works with solid wire too.


Besides stripping insulation, this tool can also serve as a basic substitute for a crimper, but only a very basic one: the results will be worse, and it’s awkward to use.
There’s also a wire cutter just above it. It works, but the blade is integral with the handles, so if it gets dull, you can’t replace it.


This tool is clearly more complicated than a knife or side cutters.
You can see a small adjustment screw in the photo. It lets you change the clamping force of the jaws, but honestly, I didn’t notice much difference. It has the greatest effect when working with thin wires, up to 0.75 mm.
Turning it clockwise increases the clamping force, helping the tool strip insulation from thin wires more effectively.
If the tool cuts through some of the strands along with the insulation, turn the screw counterclockwise to reduce the clamping force.


The back is covered with plastic panels.


The operating procedure is standard for this class of tool and consists of the following steps.
1. Open, with the handles in their resting position.
2. Clamp the wire and cut into the insulation.
3. Pull the insulation off the wire.
4. Open, with the handles squeezed together; the stripped wire can now be removed.


There’s another feature besides the clamping-force adjustment: the jaws that hold the wire have different grooves. Also, thinner wires sit deeper in the jaws, while thicker ones sit closer to the edge.


Here are examples of working with wires of different cross-sections, taken from the store description. I think they illustrate it quite clearly.


By the way, speaking of cross-section. I think many people know that, alongside the familiar millimeter system, AWG is also used. Unlike our standard, the higher the number, the thinner the wire. This is because AWG indicates the number of drawing stages the wire passes through a die, and is called the gauge. AWG 1 is 7.35 mm or 42.4 mm². AWG 0 is 8.25 mm or 53.5 mm², but there are also sizes such as AWG 000, which is 11.7 mm or 107 mm².

As a quick reference, I trimmed down the full table, since the tool can probably handle wires in roughly this range. The table lists the conductor diameter, its cross-sectional area, resistance per 1 km, and maximum current calculated at 3 A/mm (used for winding wires).


The wire-stripping steps, shown with a 2.5 mm² wire.


Above, you saw me push the wire against the stripping-length stop, but the tool can strip wire anywhere along its length. To do that, turn the stop as shown in the third photo.


Near the beginning, I mentioned that I've been using a similar tool for many years. Yes, I have a locally made version of this wire stripper. Its design is completely different, but functionally it does the same thing.


With a proper wire stripper, the key is the sequence of operations and releasing the wire at the end. Here, that's handled by a spring mechanism and this automatic switch. There is one catch, though: with thin wire, it doesn't always engage.


Unlike the model under review, this one uses a blade with preset diameters.


But the stripping process itself looks almost the same.
1. Cut through the insulation
2. Clamp the rest of the wire.
3. Remove the insulation.
4. Release the wire, and that's it.


Before showing it in action, a quick aside: the wire cross-sections are marked on one side.
Not all of them are visible, and the layout isn't very intuitive, but the positions should correspond to:
1. 6 mm
2. 4 mm
3. 1.5–2.5 mm
4. 0.75–1 mm

In the test, I actually put the 2.5 mm wire into the 4 mm slot, because if you put it in the 1.5–2.5 mm slot, the tool nicks some of the strands.
The same goes for the model under review: I could describe the process at length, but you'll understand it faster by trying it yourself.


In action.


The result. The old wire stripper is on top, the new one below. You can see the difference in how they cut the insulation: the cut from our model is more even, while the one from the model under review looks a bit like the letter U.


Now I'll move on to the crimper. I actually have several crimpers in my toolbox: a couple for RJ connectors and one for BNC. The middle one turned out to be the most convenient for me, even though it looks simpler than the others.


When I saw this tool, my first thought was: Tyrannosaurus Rex :)


It has a ratchet mechanism that holds the tool in intermediate positions. Once the tool is fully squeezed, the ratchet releases and it opens again. To put the tool into its “travel” position, just don't squeeze it all the way to the end.


The mechanism is entirely metal, and the metal itself is quite thick.
One die is installed from the start; the other three are in the pockets. The top half of a die slides in easily, but the bottom half takes quite a bit of force.
The only thing I didn't really like is the plastic cover along the top edge. I have a feeling it could simply come off and get lost one day.


The teeth of the crimper's ratchet mechanism are what create the “steps” as you squeeze the handles.


While using it, you may find that you can't squeeze the handles far enough to reach the release point, and the tool gets stuck. If that happens, use something (a screwdriver, for example) to push the tab in the direction of the arrow. The mechanism will unlock with a click.


The crimper kit consists of the tool itself, four dies, and six screws. One of the dies and two screws are already installed; the rest are in the bag's pockets.


I'll try to describe what each die is for in my own words, but I haven't worked much with this kind of tool, so I may get something wrong.
First, the 1601-1.


It's used for crimping insulated terminals, such as these (marked НВИ), shown in the photo. At first I thought the colors corresponded to the contact size, but judging by the photo, that's not the case. The largest size on the die is blue, while the terminals in the photo are yellow.


Die JX 1601-06.


This will probably be one of the dies I use most often. It's used to terminate stranded wires with ferrules like these, called НШВИ.


For reference, here's a table matching the wire gauge to be crimped with the ferrule diameter.


In general, I think a different type of crimper is better suited to ferrules like these, but it's less versatile, so you have to choose based on what you'll be using it for.


Die JX 1601-08


This die is designed for flat or small terminals of this type.
I'm not entirely sure about the second option (photos 3 and 4), since some sources say to use the JX 1601-08 die, while others recommend the JX 2546.


And finally, the fourth type, which I'll probably use the least.
Die JX 2546


This die is intended for "tubular" contacts. For example, contacts like these are used in power connectors for "old-style" hard drives. People usually call them Molex, although Molex is the name of the manufacturer.
The connector types shown in the photo are NLSG-T and NLSW-T.


The store page also has a pretty handy, easy-to-understand illustration showing what each die is for. The tool description was a pleasant surprise too, so that's a small bonus.


Of course, I had to do a few experiments. I gathered a small assortment of bits and pieces. I also have some terminals with plastic insulation at home, like the ones I showed as examples for the first die, but I must have hidden them away pretty well.


The smallest terminals are tricky. First, they're short and simply awkward to crimp, and the results aren't always predictable: sometimes it comes out fine, sometimes the wire retainer bends the wrong way. I think the main problem here is my lack of practice, though the tool itself may not be quite right for the job either.


Once I moved on to larger terminals, the results looked much better—at least, I like them. I still need to get the hang of crimping them, though. At first, I squeezed the terminal a little, inserted the wire, then crimped it fully.


These ferrules are a breeze to crimp: clean, quick, and solid.


I couldn't find any 4 mm² cable at home, so I experimented with 6 mm² cable instead, removing a few "extra" strands. I also tried crimping two 1.5 mm² wires together.
There are special double terminals for the latter, but I don't have any.


Another example of crimping ferrules.


I even got a little carried away while testing it. The smallest terminals were the only ones that frustrated me; the rest were much more fun.


That's it. Here's a brief summary.
Advantages.
Comes with a bag
Crimps many types of terminals.
Sturdy construction.

Disadvantages
Difficult to crimp small terminals
The elastic is tight, making the stripper awkward to remove from the bag.

My verdict: I generally like the tool. There are a few minor quirks, such as the tight elastic and the difficulty of crimping small terminals. Well, I also wasn't too keen on the fact that one of the dies (the lower one) fits quite tightly, though perhaps that's intentional.
On the plus side, the kit is genuinely versatile, and it comes with a bag, so everything won't rattle around in your toolbox.


The manager provided the coupon HXFMTT4 for this review; with it, the price comes to $28.99, which seems quite reasonable to me for this kit.

That's all. I hope you found the review useful.