Appreciation post: That time I used a cheap crimper and regretted it for 2 hours

I figured a $12 crimper from the hardware store would be fine for a quick coax job last Saturday. But it kept slipping and I mangled three ends before I got one that actually passed signal. The customer's modem kept dropping connection until I went back and redid all four connections. Lesson learned the hard way: spend the $40 on a proper hex crimper if you're doing more than one cable. Has anyone else gotten burned by saving a few bucks on tools?

4 comments

4 Comments

iris_barnes872mo ago

Dollar store screwdrivers stripped out on me mid-job once and I had to borrow from a neighbor.

tessalane2mo ago

Had the same thing happen with a $2 set from Family Dollar. The Phillips head twisted into a corkscrew shape on the second screw I tried. Ended up walking to the hardware store two blocks away in the rain. Now I check the metal color before I buy anything. You can usually tell cheap silver ones from the darker steel ones.

adam1862mo ago

Yeah thats rough. Cheap tools never save you money in the end.

iris_barnes8717d ago

My Harbor Freight socket set once bent into an oval shape trying to loosen a rusty bolt... felt like I was fighting the tool more than the car. Ended up having to borrow a Craftsman from my dad and it came right off. Now I just stick with midrange stuff from Home Depot, it hurts the wallet less than replacing junk every few months.