Hobart 770122 Lug Crimper , Black

Being a DIYer, I undertook the task of installing new speakers, an amp, a new stereo, and a second battery in a 2020 SunTracker pontoon boat. I needed a reliable, functional crimping tool for several 4 AWG cables and lugs. This tool absolutely met my needs and expectations. I used a 3 lbs sledge hammer, struck the crimper 3-4 times, and never had a loose lug. I was impressed by its simplistic design and durability. I made 16 different wires and the tool never failed. It is a great product for creating your own battery cables.

OH, this and a four pound hammer are a perfect match for QUICK CRIMPS lolIt is spring loaded so once you set the lug in, the crimper holds it in place so you can give it a good smack and it is all over lolBe careful with those cheap China lugs though - this will CRUSH themDon't know why I ever did without one of these - it works GREAT and seems built well enough to last a long time ( now that I wrote that it will probably break :-P )QUICK SOLID CRIMPS - WHAT A GREAT TOOL TO HAVEand BTW this fits nicely in a toolbox - it is just the right size

I bought this item for the purpose of making large gauge (4ga+) size power cables for car audio projects. Compared to the large gauge handle crimpers that cost up to ten times as much to perform the same function, this little unit is absolutely awesome. Just add hammer!I wanted to use crimping rather than solder to attach my terminal ends to my cables, because large gauge wire soldering is a knack that I don't have. Also, I have small children who like to "assist" me with projects involving tools, so it's safer for me to hand my three-year old son a hammer and allow him to take a few whacks, than it is for me to hand him a large gauge wire along with a soldering pot or a torch...To this point, I've been extremely satisfied with ease of use and how well it accomplishes the task for which it is designed. I've been pounding away with bad intentions while adding terminal connectors to my 4ga grounding and power cables and it crimped a secure connection to the end of every cable thus far.Pros; very sturdy, does what it is intended to do. Fits into my toolbox - which is something that the large gauge handle crimpers would not do.Cons; a little tricky keeping the crimper upright while also keeping the terminal connectors properly placed on the ends of the cables. People who have a lot of thumbs and/or poor aim with a hammer should beware. Perhaps it would be improved with a broader baseplate or a built in mounting bracket that I could use to attach to my workbench in order to steady the mechanism.All in all, I'm very happy with the price that I paid for this crimper, and how well it performs what it's supposed to do. I can attest that it is very useful in the context of car audio cabling, and imagine that it would also work great for welding cables and other large gauge power wire crimping applications.

Shame on Hobart for putting their name on this product. It is made in China, in a factory with zero quality control.It is made well enough and from heavy enough steel to make excellent crimps, and it will surely last. The entire item is made from bar stock, and pinned and welded, so there is no worrying about the brittleness of castings. This is the primary reason I went with this crimper, over the similar alternatives. The alternatives I saw all used castings, instead of bent and welded bar stock. For an item meant to be pounded on with a hammer, I'll take bent and welded Chinese bar stock over Chinese castings, any day!The welds are super sloppy! Solid, but clearly done with no concern for anything but maximum speed. One of the corner welds on my crimper has extended below the base of the unit enough to create a type of "foot" on one corner. It's going to get some grinder love to make it sit flat, and clean up the sloppy welds in general. This should have been part of the manufacturing process, not my job. The example in the Amazon picture was probably the best of 20 crimpers, if I had to guess. The chrome on the die is clearly single plated, and thinly at that. The black finish on the body of the crimper(I hesitate to call it paint), is of a matte finish, and will likely provide little long term protection to the crimper. I plan on taking it apart and spraying it with a gloss black paint(except the jaw). The chrome die is attached to the body of the unit with a roll pin. Disassembly will require a steel punch. I will be tapping the hole for a stainless screw, to ease future disassembly/cleaning of the tool(a piece of rubber hose over the exposed section of screw will make it comfy on ur finger when opening the crimper). It should have come this way. There is an 1/8th of an inch gap on all sides of the chrome die as it sits in the body. I would have preferred a better fit, but it seems more than adequate to do the job. Tighter tolerances are probably not realistic in the factory of origin for this tool. The spring is nice and stiff, It should serve well for years to come.So all in all it's an okay tool. With a little extra work on my part, it will probably last me 20 years of light occasional use. If it had arrived in better finished condition and ready to serve, this review would be very different! Sadly, the next step up for large gauge crimping, is to spend a couple hundred on a long handled mama jama. If you are doing installs day in and day out, save yourself the heartache and go buy the right tool for your job. If you are like me, doing occasional big 3 installs, and other assorted large gauge jobs that come along, this hobart tool will get the job done, and it'll save you a couple hundred bucks!

Used the heck out of this tool. No problems at all. Very durable and well made. Money well spent product is a good price and is compact in size so fits into a small toolbag nicely.

This thing works so well it flat out amazed me. I love that it is spring loaded so it holds the crimp in place so that hammering the crap out of the crimp is much easier. All it took was a few good wacks and the crimp was one the 4 gauge wire for good. Seriously, you could go buy a more expensive wire crimper but just buy this and be happy you did.