Had to choose between two different wire crimpers for a job on a Citation X

I was working on a nav system upgrade last month and needed to replace a whole bundle of D-sub connectors. The shop had the old manual ratchet crimper we always use, but a guy I know swears by his new pneumatic one. The choice was spend half a day with the manual tool I know works, or try to set up and trust the air-powered one to save time. I went with the manual tool because I didn't want to risk a bad crimp on 50+ pins and have to redo everything. It took forever and my hand was sore, but every pin passed the pull test first try. Has anyone else used a pneumatic crimper for avionics work? Are they worth the setup time and cost for big jobs?

2 comments

2 Comments

zara_coleman2d ago

My buddy in the hangar next door swears his pneumatic crimper is a game changer for big connector jobs.

lisa_bennett2d ago

What kind of connectors is he using it on? I've heard they're great for big, stubborn pins but can be overkill for smaller gauge stuff.