Platinum Tools 100054C Clamshell EZ-Rjpro Hd Crimp Tool

I learned how to install network in 1995 thanks to Anixter (at that time Cat5 was state-of-the-art.) Crimp tools were basic having a lineage that stretched back to Cat3 telephone cables...and they were expensive because the production was limited...and there were wiring standard competitions (A vs B.) My first crimp tool and scissors came courtesy of Anixter which other wise would have been hundreds of dollars. Several times since 1995 I've replaced my crimp tools. I stopped counting how many cables I have terminated and tested...I can't even look at an unshielded twisted pair without repeating in my mind the colors in pin order: white orange, orange, white green, blue, blue white, green, white brown, brown. I think I have seen ever defect in crimp tools that are possible --- didn't strip the wires well, they broke because of bad plastic, and on the metal tools the tolerances were so bad that after a little bit of use the crimp tool would lose alignment. In addition the process of properly cutting and inserting the wires to meet Cat5 tolerances to meet strain and crimp requirements was cumbersome. In 1997 and 1998 several patents were filed by Robert Sullivan. These patents became the first version of Platinum Tools' RJ45 crimp tool. By the way, this tool still is sold and has a suggested MSRP of $59.95. Keeping with traditions of innovation the third generation of the crimp tool was released to market in 2009. A call to the company revealed that this third generation tool is selling so fast that they are back-ordered. So how does it work? I didn't have access to the video when I first used the tool. It was very intuitive to use in part because the company has taken the time to laser etch the pin numbers and the Cat5 wiring specifications on the handles. The pass through plug connectors are amazing! With the older tools I would try to smooth and line up the wires and then cut them as straight as possible for an insert in the connector. This is a time consuming process because you want to keep the twist in the wires into the connector and because improperly seating a single wire strand leads to a bad crimp. Bad crimps mean having to repeat the process. And this means more labor and more parts. This `new to me' pass through connector makes it easy, I could run a single or pairs of the wire into it; this means that it is easy to get the pin placements correct...that was a bonus. More importantly it prevents a bad crimp which is both a time and a money saver. And the crimp tool makes it easy to insert and seat the connector prior to the crimp. With the standard diagram on the front side I could easily compare the wire colors to provide a second quality check that the connector was wired properly. The crimp tool's sturdy metal construction with ratchet action assures proper setting of the crimp. And the cut off blade cleanly sheared off all 8 wires. The tool is also capable of crimping shielded cables. The current crimp rating is for 1 gigahertz (GHz)...and there is a rumor that a 10 GHz tool is on the way. This is one crimp tool that will be staying in my tool box!

OK, I don't know why it took so long for me to find something like this. I mean, trying to cram CAT6 cables into an RJ-45 plug is awful. You have to line them up, trim them so they're even, and pray that you get them all in the right holes the first time. Sometimes you get it on the first try, and sometimes you're fidgeting with one termination for 20 minutes. It's like like trying to shoot billiards with a rope. On top of that, you don't know if you got it until you test the cable. Even then, you'll sometimes just barely hit one of the leads on the plug. It tests fine, but a little wiggling and the cable loses the link, usually for the boss, and usually during the most critical possible time. Well no more. With this crimper, you can put each wire in individually. (I find this faster and less frustrating than trying to get all eight in one shot.) You do lose an additional 2-3 inches off each end, so be sure to measure your cable appropriately. Also, and I found this out through trial and error, be sure that each cable is very straight before inserting it. Especially if you're terminating stranded cable. The natural waves in the wire from the twisting will play havoc on trying to put the wires in. Once they're all in, you can pull, not push, until it's tight, so as to minimize the untwisted distance of the cable. You can verify that it's correct, then crimp it, with the full knowledge that the contacts will all be correctly seated and secure. I've tested every cable I've made with this, and so far, not a single one has had any problems. Plus, if you utilize the whole EZ-RJ45 system, you also get strain relief boots for the cables. (Which is required for CAT6) This makes for accurate, factory quality cables each and every time. Of course the plugs are more expensive than standard RJ-45. Platinum Tools has patented a genius product, and they know it. It's one of those "Man, why didn't I think of that?" things. Plus, when you consider the time and the cost of re-terminating bad cables, it's more than worth it to buy into the system. It seems like a bit of a racket, but this tool really is top-notch quality. As good or better than any crimper on the market, and in fact, you can use it on standard RJ-45 plugs if you need to. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this system to anyone who makes cables. The extra expense saves time, money and frustration in the long run.

I have crimped quite a few connections, maybe 50 now and truly love the simplistic setup. The annoyance of aligning 8 cores in a row with perfect ease can be done as I have done so many times, but this tool takes the stress away from those "not so good" days. Pros: - Nice, heavy design. - The stripping score for the shell is real nice, right on the edge for the cat6 i was using. Place the cable in position and crimp down, then turn the device in a circular motion and release. I then grab the outer shell and pull it right off, every time. - I used the cutters a couple of times to cut the cable straight and flush, but I love my tools that I always use and rarely use that the cutters on the device for that function. They worked, but I have ways I like doing things. - With the EZ connectors, when pulling the wires nice and straight through the connector, the ends are cut super flush. This really does cut nice. I have only done maybe 50 crimps with this one and this has worked every time. - Close the handle near 100% of the way and the ratcheting holds the handle together until you finish the cycle. Not sure why some people are talking about this as an issue, maybe the manufacturer changed the design between my post and theirs. Mine stays together just fine. Cons: -- If you do not use the strain relief, the connector really does sink pretty deep into the head. The first time i used a small straight screwdriver to nip the release and get the connector out. You can lightly pull on the connector and the release seems to stick out enough to hit it but it surely doesn't give much room. -- The EZ connectors. The batch that I am running through is very tight on the 8th slot and makes threading it through pretty annoying. Once i get past that #8, the rest is easy.

I am a novice when it comes to terminating cat 6 wires. I needed to put plugs on about 15 wires (30 ends) and was getting a lot of stress about how I was going to get this done. I did a lot of research to find a tool that would basically make this process fool proof and came across this tool and the EZ-RJ45 Cat 6+ plugs. I read a lot of reviews and saw a YouTube video that demonstrated how to do it and frankly how even someone like me could put the plugs at the ends of my wires. I bought this and was instantly impressed by the build quality of the tool itself. It has a wire cutter, stripper and a crimper for RJ45 and RJ11 plugs with a wire cutter as you are crimping. The best thing about this is that it really makes this process fool proof as you are squeezing it to crimp your plug it has a ratchet. You just keep squeezing until all the wires fall off the end and you can't squeeze anymore. I also like the fact that the EZ-RJ45 Plugs allow you to pull the wires all the way through so you can confirm you have them in the right order as well as gives you the ability to push the plug all the way down to the outer sheath to get the best connection possible. I would highly recommend buying this. I was able to do my first plug in less than 15 minutes as I was being very careful with everything. I can now do another end in less than 10 minutes and still being very careful.

Really good quality 👌👏

I used the original RJ45-EZ crimper tool for years, and it always failed to cut the protruding wires flush to the plug head. The wires would still remain after crimping with the previous tool, and they'd have to be bent up and down a few times to break the wires off. The other problem was that the plugs would often not fully seat into RJ45 ports on switches, etc., because the wire stubs protruding from the front would often prevent the RJ45-EZ plug from clicking into a port or jack. This new RJPro HD model seems to have resolved that issue. The wires are now cut flush to the plug head, and they fully seat into ports and jacks. My only complaint is that the Cat6 plugs still don't completely follow the Cat6 standard of staggering the wires at the front of the plug face. The wires end up in a straight line, which was the Cat5/5e design. Proper Cat6 plugs are supposed to have staggered wires to further reduce any cross-talk of signal across the wires inside the plug. In most cases this is minor and won't likely affect the Cat6 plug's performance, but it's still something to take into consideration when using EZ-branded plugs in enterprise networks where 2.5Gbe to 10Gbe is used. Make sure that the plug is fully inserted into the crimper before ratcheting down on the plug, or you won't get a proper crimp and connection to the wires. I've used the EZ-branded plugs for years and haven't had any issues with them on gigabit Cat6 networks. For home or small business the RJ45-EZ system is probably the easiest to work with, as long as your Cat6 patch cables are 24AWG and do not have plastic splines running through the center of the cable. 23AWG wires tend to have problems fitting through the small holes in the EZ plugs. If your Cat6 cables have plastic splines, make sure that spline is cut back as far as possible inside the cable jacket or you'll have issues getting the cable to fit into the plug. Otherwise this is a great Cat6 product and makes life easier for those who occasionally make their own Cat6 or Cat5e patch cables. For professional use I would advise looking into industrial/commercial crimpers and plugs.

I love this tool. It is worth every penny. Has an integrated razor blade so, combined with the EZ-RJ45 connectors, you can crimp your cable connector and have the excess cable automatically chopped off when the crimp is complete. HUGE HUGE time saver!! Two things that I would improve on, though, are these... 1. This tool is incredibly top heavy. When holding the tool in your hand, the top of the tool is so heavy, it feels like it's going to fall out of your hand because it is so heavy, but this is just minor. 2. The other thing is that I prefer a separate wire stripper because if you use this crimper to strip ethernet cable, since the tool is a ratcheting tool, it is very hard to find that correct stripping spot whereas not to slice through the internal cable. I've used this a few times to strip ethernet cable and every single time, I've cut through the inside wires and I had to redo the cable. Neither of these things make me want to take off any stars though because the fact is, this is the best and most useful crimping tool that I've ever used.

I recently purchased these crimpers to replace the ones i purchased about 4 years earlier. Those crimpers started missing the crimp on pin 1. Once i got the new set of crimpers, right out of the box they would not crimp pins 1,2,and 8. Yes, I did use the recommended EZ RJ45 connectors. I tried calling Platinum Tools and got passed through their costumer service department until i finally got to a recording that said leave a message. I then wen to their web site and left a note as instructed by the VM message and have not received any communication, voice or written, from the Manufacturer. The original crimpers were a good product but it doesn't matter how good the product if you don't stand behind their product(s) then they're not worth a dime!