Delphi Packard Five-cavity Wide-range Crimping Tool 22-12 AWG / 24-14 AWG

I am wiring a dune buggy using a PAINLESS wiring kit. I needed this crimping tool to assemble WEATHERPACK and PACKARD 56 connectors using 14, 16, & 18 gauge wire. The crimping tool arrived as promised. The tool is well made and the crimping dies mate perfectly. I tried a test crimp using the same wire as on my project. It came out 99% perfect so I decided to use it on the buggy. I say 99% because the largest die was a little small for the seal crimp - but still acceptable. In the past I have used a standard crimp tool and needle nose pliers to crimp these terminals which would create a sloppy and distorted crimp. With this tool crimping is a breeze. The actual crimp is a 2-step process that takes about a minute from stripping the wire to completing the second crimp. Here is the process I use: 1. Install the WEATHER PACK seal on the wire. 2. Strip the wire insulation back 3/16 of an inch. 3. Position the terminal on the wire/seal assembly. (I "tweak" the tabs in the terminal together a little bit to better fit in the dies) 4. I used the "14 - 18" die section for the seal. Position the seal in the die section with the tabs toward the "W" side of the die and preform the crimp. 5. Move the terminal to the "14- 16" die section and crimp the wires to the terminal. The tool is wide enough to crimp both sets of wire tabs. You'r done! I wish I had bought this tool earlier,it works great and I would recommend it.

This tool makes professional quality crimps on open barrel connectors. I have only used a few times so far to make new headlight harnesses on car that is being converted from the old style sealed beam to newer halogen capsules but it has worked perfectly so far. The new bulbs are a higher wattage than the original so I made new wires ran from a relay to ensure the bulbs got the required voltage and amperage to perform properly. It will normally use 60 watt bulbs that pull about 5 amps but the wiring is designed to handle 130 watt bulbs that pull about 11 amps if the customer decides to install them. I have no worries about the wire overheating due to a bad connection thanks to this tool. This is a must have if you want your crimps to be done correctly on open barrel style connectors as a regular crimping tool will not fold the ears over properly and force them to bite and grip the wire. This tool will give the right crimp to ensure a good connection for conductivity and making sure the wire does not pull out of the connector. If you regularly make or repair wiring on automobiles then you need this tool to make the correct crimps and ensure the job is done right and will last a log time. It will have your harnesses looking like they came from the factory!

They do a pretty good job of crimping the open ended non insulated terminals as used on many motorcycle applications. However, they would not fully close the heavier brass ring terminals that are used on ground wires. On the terminals I needed to crimp, it took some fiddling to get the crimped terminal out of the jaw but it's just a nuisance. If you're going to crimp a small amount of terminals, this may be the tool because of the price. Since I purchased this tool I purchased one of the ratcheting type with replaceable dies. That one is more cumbersome to use but produces a better crimp. One advantage of the cheaper tool is that you make the crimps on the wire and the insulation in separate steps so you have more control on the latter. I was not using the tool on delphi packard terminals so it may work even better on them. I was using it on terminals found in the motorcycle industry.

I have used these a lot since purchased. They provide a nice crimp, and are easy to squeeze. The handle is very ergonomic and feels good in the hand whilst squeezing an open barrel terminal. It’s easy to align the terminal in the jaws. Sometimes some terminals require two crimps to fully grip the wire, but it depends on how long the terminal is. These have lived their life in my tool bag and have held up really well. I have the weatherpack version and those are awesome too. I would say I have probably crimped about 500 terminals and not had one issue with wire pulling out.

I needed this tool for a very specific purpose of building a bussman RTMR box. It worked brilliantly! Was very easy to use and crimped each of the terminals perfectly! I will say I see a lot of people using a plier tool (needle nose or other) and soldering. Personally I wouldn't go that route because the crimp tool provides a better...well crimp (to me), but I also soldered my connections after crimping, so I did use the same followup measure. The tool is expensive and this (currently at least) a one time thing, so please consider that as well before making the purchase....but to me it was worth it because I only like doing something once and knowing it's right.

I like it. It work great on the weatherpac stuff and about every other Auto related pins that I have needed to crimp. I'd like the jaws to open a little wider but it crimps fine.

Have been looking for this tool for some time. I have no need for Weatherpack terminals, which is what this tool is intended for, but do like the open barrel type of quick disconnect because a well done crimp here seems stronger to my eye than a more usual insulated quick disconnect crimp.

As described, works ok on metri pack and weather pack connectors; definitely not the best product on the market for this task but for the money it does get it done. If you are installing metri pack, weather pack or packard 56 connectors a lot and/or professionally, spend the money and get a better product, it will save you a lot of time and wasted material.