Posted by It’s always good to have the best lug crimper for you on hand so you can make the essential repairs to your boat or other equipment when needed. If you’ve ever hooked your battery up or seen some of the power connections in your engine compartment, you might have noticed some rusted or corroded terminals on cables and wires! This can be not only an eye sore, but a show stopper when it comes to your equipment’s performance. The best fix is to replace the cable lugs at the very least, possibly even the cable itself.
With all of the different battery lug crimpers on the market, it can be daunting to try to figure out which one will work best for your needs.
When Should I Change my Cable Lugs?
The lugs, or sometimes referred to as terminals, on your boats cables have a very important role. They are the connection points for your electrical cables to transfer the required power to different components. This can range from the power to your engines starter, ground cables, a winch, a stereo amplifier, and many other components you might not have even realized.
When the lugs on your cables become corroded and rusted, the continuity between the component they are connected to becomes affected. With less metal to metal connection, there is additional resistance in the line. This can be cleaned up a lot of the times, but sometimes lugs and other terminals get damaged to the point of no repair. They may get pitted or brittle after years of use and cleaning. If the terminal is in overall good condition and structurally stable, you can always try to clean them first. Check out our other article on best ways to clean wire terminals here!
Sometimes the cable you are using can become damaged. If lucky, only the insulation is damaged and may be able to be repaired. This damage, however, could be even worse and go through the insulation and into the cable conductors themselves. Not only is a cable damaged to this extent bad, but it is also dangerous. This could cause your electrical system to short out, and possibly blow a fuse, arc and spark, and even worse potentially cause electrical shock if someone comes in contact.
There are many reasons why you may find yourself replacing a lug on a cable, or installing lugs to build a new cable. Whatever the reason, just make sure you do it before your equipment leaves you stranded or someone gets hurt!
Styles of Lug Crimpers
Before you look for the best lug crimper for your needs, it’s important to understand the different types of crimpers. Each has a unique style as well as different conveniences and price points. Read on to figure out what style might make the best lug crimper for you!
Hammer Crimpers
Hammer Crimpers are very simple, and among the cheapest options for a cable lug terminal crimper. It’s a simple die on a slide block that accepts a cable lug. The top of the slide is then hit with a hammer to apply the force needed to get the desired crimp.
Manual Lever Crimpers
Manual Lever Crimpers are a simple hand tool style crimper. They are non powered, and typically have longer handles to help leverage crimping power. The advantage to these crimpers is they are pretty basic and reasonably priced. They are not as expensive as hydraulic and electrical crimpers, and also do not have as many components that could fail or wear out in time such as seals or motors.
Hydraulic Crimpers
Hydraulic Crimpers use hydraulic clamping power with a set of dies to crimp lugs onto cables. Because of using hydraulic components, these crimpers are typically able to give the greatest crimping power without having to exert as much physical energy similar to what a manual lever style crimper might take. Due to their heavy duty capabilities and ability to give the most crimping power, these are typically slightly more expensive than your typical hand crimper. With having a slightly more complicated system, after many years of use you may also find the need to fix leaks, replace seals, and maintain hydraulic fluid.
When looking for something powerful to use on larger wires such as a 0 gauge lug crimper, a hydraulic unit is typically the unit of choice.
Best Lug Crimpers We Recommend
IWISS Cable Lug Crimping tool
Iwiss is a popular brand that makes tools for all kinds of wiring jobs. They create a great product for an affordable price, especially for the do-it-yourselfer and hobbyist. It’s tough to pass them up at the price they are able to offer. If you’re only going to be crimping wire lugs occasionally, it’s tough to justify paying an arm and a leg for a crimping tool.
Die Sizes (AWG):
- 8
- 6
- 4
- 2
- 1
- 1/0
Pros:
- No loose dies to keep track of, change, or lose
- Quickly change cable sizes with the easy to rotate built in dies
- Compatible with copper and aluminum lugs
- 100% mechanical mechanical design offers less parts to break
- Great price for a crimping tool
Cons:
- Two handle construction may make it tough to hold a cable in place and crimp at the same time
- Limited number of die sizes (6 total) that cannot be adjusted if a tighter crimp is needed
- Shorter handles make some larger crimps difficult
Usage Guide
Using the IWISS Cable Lug Crimping Tool is as easy as ever with its simple design. This is the best lug crimper for this price rang that has no free dies that need to be inserted or changed out. To change the size of the crimping die, simply press down on the spring loaded pin to enable the die selector at the end of the tool to spin freely.
The size of the die is neatly stamped into each size on the wheel so it’s easy to determine which you need to set to get the crimp you need. Once the proper size has been chosen, simply let go of the pin and it will automatically lock into position. Done! This needs to be done for each side, but only take a matter of seconds before you are ready to crimp.
TEMCo Hammer Lug Crimper Tool
TEMCo is another great choice of brand where you’ll find many of the best lug crimper tools. They make a variety of crimpers that will be sure to fit your needs. One of the most basic and affordable crimpers they make is the Hammer Lug Crimper Tool. This is perfect for someone who might only crimp a few lugs a year and doesn’t need an over the top overly sophisticated tool for what they are doing.
Lug Sizes (AWG):
- 8
- 6
- 4
- 2
- 1
- 1/0
- 2/0
- 3/0
- 4/0
Pros:
- Simple design
- Compact in size
- Virtually unbreakable
- No dies required
- Easy to hold cable and lug in one hand while using the hammer in the other
- 1 year free return, 5 year void free warranty
Cons:
- Not ideal for full time cable building and crimping
- Needs a flat sturdy surface to sit on while crimping with a hammer
Usage Guide
Using the Hammer Lug Crimper Tool is as easy as it gets. Simply load the desired lug into the tool by lifting up on the slide lever, setting the lug in place, and letting the slide rest on top of the lug. The weight of the slide will hold the lug in place.
Once positioned, insert the bare cable that has been stripped of insulation. When the cable is fully inside of the lug, hit the top of the slide with a hammer to get your desired crimp. The slide can be hit a few times as heavy or lightly as needed to get the desired crimp. If you like simplicity and durability, this is the best lug crimper for you!
TEMCo Lug Crimper Tool TH0012
Another favorite from TEMCo is their mechanical lug crimper. This crimper is 100% mechanical so there’s no worries of hydraulic leaks or anything breaking. This crimper is heavy duty and built for some serious action. One of the greatest things we like about this crimper is the fact that it is built like a tank! On top of that, it has a threaded adjustment to select the size cable and lug to be crimped.
We feel the best lug crimper should have the ability to crimp any size lug. With the threaded size adjustment, the user isn’t limited to specific sizes, but can simply adjust the size if a crimp needs a little more pressure, or a lug is a slightly different size. This often happens as lugs come in many shapes, sizes, and different materials. With this crimper, not only are you bound to get years of use without any failures, it can adjust to crimp any size with fine adjustment. You’ll never be left high and dry and won’t be disappointed!
Lug Sizes (AWG):
- 8
- 6
- 4
- 2
- 1
- 1/0
- 2/0
- 3/0
- 4/0
Pros:
- No loose dies to keep track of, change, or lose
- Quickly change cable sizes with the easy adjustment knob
- Heavy duty and extremely durable
- 100% mechanical mechanical design offers less parts to break
- 5 year warranty
Cons:
- Large and bulky
- Has some weight to it
Usage Guide
When looking for the best lug crimper it’s important to find something that’s easy to use. This particular crimper is great because you don’t need any additional tools such as a hammer, and don’t need to worry about changing out dies. One tool does it all.
Simply adjust the crimp size using the adjustment knob and the size chart on the side of the crimper. Once the tool has been adjusted to the proper size, lift the handle to open the jaw. Insert the lug and apply slight pressure to hold it in place by lowering the handle. Insert the stripped wire into the lug. Once firmly in position, lower the handle to crimp the terminal lug onto the wire. Inspect the crimp, adjust the crimp depth if necessary.
TEMCo Lug Crimper Tool TH0020
TEMCo has a second mechanical crimper that is very similar to the TH0012 model but includes even more sizes to choose from! There are an additional 5 sizes, mainly on the larger lug side. If you’re looking for something purely mechanical but has just a little bit more to choose from, then this is the best lug crimper for you.
Not only does the TH0020 come with a few additional crimp sizes to choose from, it also has telescoping handles that can be extended for extra leverage. That makes crimping a breeze especially when dealing with larger sized cables and lug terminals. The selection for the die size is the same easy to use rotary knob that is threaded to move the crimp block to the desired size. Check out some of the features below to find out if this is the best lug crimper for you.
Lug Sizes (AWG):
- 10
- 8
- 6
- 4
- 2
- 1
- 1/0
- 2/0
- 3/0
- 4/0
- 250 MCM
- 300 MCM
- 350 MCM
- 400 MCM
Pros:
- No loose dies to keep track of, change, or lose
- Quickly change cable sizes with the easy adjustment knob
- Heavy duty and extremely durable
- 100% mechanical mechanical design offers less parts to break
- 5 year warranty
Cons:
- Large and bulky
- Has some weight to it
Usage Guide
When looking for the best lug crimper it’s important to find something that’s easy to use. This particular crimper is great because you don’t need any additional tools such as a hammer, and don’t need to worry about changing out dies. One tool does it all.
Simply adjust the crimp size using the adjustment knob and the size chart on the side of the crimper. Once the tool has been adjusted to the proper size, lift the handle to open the jaw. Insert the lug and apply slight pressure to hold it in place by lowering the handle. Insert the stripped wire into the lug. Once firmly in position, lower the handle to crimp the terminal lug onto the wire. Inspect the crimp, adjust the crimp depth if necessary.
TEMCo Hydraulic Cable Lug Crimper
Another very popular style of crimper is a hydraulic crimper. These are typically found in more industrial settings where larger cables need to be crimped. The advantage of a hydraulic crimper is the force that can be applied to the lug can be very high with minimal effort to simply pump the hydraulic pump. This would be the best lug crimper if you are dealing with larger cables. The hydraulic lug crimper can still be used with smaller cables and lugs, it may just be overkill if that’s the majority of cables you are working with.
Some of the cheaper hydraulic crimpers we have reviewed had some users that had issues with leaking hydraulic components. One of the things we like about the TEMCo products is they offer a 5 year warranty on their products so this is something you won’t have to worry about. If maintained properly, you should see many many years out of this crimper as TEMCo has a quality reputation with their tools.
Lug Sizes:
- 12 & 12+
- 10 & 10+
- 8 & 8+
- 6 & 6+
- 4 & 4+
- 2 & 2+
- 1 & 1+
- 1/0 & 1/0+
- 2/0 & 2/0+
Pros:
- Less effort needed to create a crimp
- Best lug crimper for large cables and lugs
- Comes with 18 dies including half sizes for optimal sizing
- 5 year warranty
Cons:
- Multiple dies to keep track of and change with each cable size change
- Higher cost
- Hydraulic system seals could leak after a long period of time (if at all, this would be many many years unless there is a premature failure)
Usage Guide
If crimping large cables on a regular basis, this could surely be the best lug crimper for you, and it’s extremely easy to use. With the hydraulic pump action, you’ll be able to apply an extreme amount of force to crimp large lugs without the need to exert a large amount of energy and pressure. Just pump and let the hydraulics to the work!
The first step is to select the die set needed to crimp your cable. All dies are conveniently marked so there is no chances of getting them mixed up. Once the dies are installed, close the valve using the circular selector. You can now begin to pump the handle to close the dies. As with other crimpers, you can apply enough pressure to hold the lug terminal while you insert your wire, then can continue pumping until resistance is felt. Just like that, your terminal is now crimped to your cable!
Final Thoughts
Whether you’re a do it yourselfer or a professional looking for a crimper that fits your needs, there are plenty to pick from. We hope this guide has given you a good overview on what kind of crimpers are out there and how they can help complete your jobs around the shop and give you quality crimps for the right price.
Smooth Sailing Marine is powered by product recommendation partnerships.
If we have helped you in your product decision or marine project, you can help us by purchasing through our links. We thank you for your support, we couldn’t be here without our awesome readers!