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Reviews For: Andy Crimp from Quick Silver Radio Products

Category: Tools & Test Equipment for the amateur radio work bench

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Review Summary For : Andy Crimp from Quick Silver Radio Products
Reviews: 6MSRP: 129.73
Description:
Our new prep, strip, and crimp set is just what you need. Includes our full
cycle ratchet crimper specifically designed to install coax connectors. Crimps
RG-8, 213, 8X, 58, 174, 316, 59, 6, 11, LMR-400, LMR-240, 9913, and
others. Strippers included for all of the same cables. Plus a high grade
cutter for clean, square ends. PLUS! It includes our exclusive Andy-Crimp
Pro™ Powerpole die set to crimp 15-30-45-50-75A Powerpoles, Molex
Connectors, insulated and uninsulated terminals. and more. All in a sturdy,
custom designed ABS case.
Product is in production
More Info: http://qsradio.com
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
0064.2
W6BP Rating: 2013-11-23
Excellent Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
This is the best ham-radio-related tool I've bought in 20 years. It's made the unpleasant task of assembling a coax cable into something fun. I was also able to replace a soldered PowerPole connector that never worked very well with a crimped version that exhibits much greater retention force.

I bought my crimper from High Sierra, which partnered with QuickSilver Radio to produce this tool. Nice job, guys.
WB6OCA Rating: 2013-11-23
Buy something else Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
*Instructions are poor. There is an adjustment wheel on the side of the tool, but no mention of it.
*Cannot close dies on the larger wire sizes by hand. I put one handle on workbench and pushed down with both hands, and all my weight. That worked.
*No guide to set barrel position in the jaws.
*No guide to keep barrel from rotating relative to the tongue. The crimp tools shape the barrel area to be square-ish. If the contact is not in the same plane as the flat bottom on the contact, the tongue cannot be pushed through the narrow slot in the center of the housing.
* Tongue/contact is bent "down" by the tool. Must be straightened before inserting.
* About half the time the contact would not insert. In a couple cases I spent over a minute bending contact, inspecting housing, pouring scotch, trying different housings, and eventually it would go in.
*Required total focus for Crimping and Inserting.

I had over a hundred contacts to crimp and this was not working for me. I purchased a Tri-Crimp (Available with several names) and life is now good. I found that I could crimp a couple dozen contacts while focused on the TV, and the contacts inserted easily. For each contact size, the larger wires still require more effort than the smaller ones, but it is now manageable. Perhaps due in part to longer handles.
W2DL Rating: 2013-02-27
Does the trick! Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I buy my coax from a very reputable firm. I used to buy it with the connectors pre-installed. Then, a slight tug while installed a 40-meter dipole and off comes the connector. That's it! Time to learn how to assemble my own. Enter the Andy Crimp. Now I install all my own connectors and am all the better for it. Done right the first time. Can do field returns. Can make my own jumper cables -- the exact size! Yes, a slight learning curve -- but search YouTube for tutorials. An excellent tool at a fair price.
N2HTT Rating: 2012-12-31
It has changed my life.... Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I used to go to any lengths to avoid having to terminate coax. No matter what I did, soldering the shields was always difficult, and often resulted in cooked cable. Spent lots of bucks on pre-made jumpers etc. Now that is all changed.

I bought the tool with additional dies and a bunch of connectors from QSR, and have used it now for numerous coax jumpers using RG8/X. Perfect every time - the crimps look good and feel very solid. The PL-259 connectors look like they are very high quality, with a nice silvery finish.

I understand this thing does Anderson PowerPoles too, but I have not as yet tried those dies. Die change-out is fast and easy, as the tool came with the PP dies installed.

I do a lot of QRP, and frequently have the situation where the radio has a BNC termination, and the the other equipment, (tuner, balun, amp...) has SO-239. Now I can easily make custom jumpers with a PL-259 on one end and BNC on the other.

Don't wait - save yourself some aggravation and get one of these.
KB1PFL Rating: 2011-10-16
great product Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
The best crimpers i've had for the power poles just purchased these at Nearfest "Andy-crimp pro". They are a racheting type crimper that does 15 through 75 amp connectors. Has an adjustable compressioner so you can adjust for different manufactures of the connectors I guess?a little light on instructions but after a few test crimps works flawlesly! just insert terminal seam up facing the knife edge make sure face of terminal is flush with the outer edge of crimper squeeze and your done!
W9PMZ Rating: 2011-08-21
The best crimp solution yet!!! Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I purchased just the connector kit at Dayton this year. This tool set is the greatest thing yet for installing RF connectors. The instructions are a little sparse but once you have used it you will wonder what you did without it.

Use heat shrink on the cable to connector area for additional protection.

I now have also purchased the power pole die set, these are great also. The West Mountain Radio crimpers have a tendency to bend the contact. These crimp and die set for now is working much better. Also does 75A contacts to boot. Wish they had a 120A die as well.

This tool set is a great lifetime investment.