Warning: stop using that cheap compression tool for fittings (learned the hard way)

I used the same $30 Amazon compression tool for 5 years on cable installs around Denver, thinking it was fine. Last week it slipped on a RG6 fitting at a new build and I shorted out the whole line, cost me 2 hours of rework and a angry builder. Has anyone found a reliable brand that won't break the bank but actually holds up?

2 comments

2 Comments

sarahh4817h ago

Oh man, I feel for you. A buddy of mine had the exact same thing happen with a knockoff tool he grabbed off eBay, worked fine for a year then just crushed a fitting on a jobsite remodel. @sean_park8 mentioned the yellow one, my friend's was blue but basically the same junk. He ended up having to borrow a Klein tool from his foreman mid-job, said it was night and day for the grip and stability. Your mileage may vary on price, but anything with a metal head over plastic seems to be the safe bet from what he told me.

sean_park819h ago

Dude, same thing happened to me with a cheap yellow one from Amazon! It crushed the fitting on a second story job and I couldn't even get it off without cutting the whole cable.