KLEIN TOOLSVDV226-110 Ratcheting Modular Data Cable Crimper / Wire Stripper / Wire Cutter for RJ11/RJ12 Standard, RJ45 Pass-Thru Connectors

Worked flawlessly on the first try. I made two cat6 cables quickly without any mistakes.This review is 4.5 stars (or maybe between 4.5 and 5) but Amazon only allows whole-stars. I decided on 5 because 4 is too low.The tool feels sturdy and the mechanism is firm but not tight (perfect). This is the first time I've used a ratcheting crimper, and I'm a fan over non-ratcheting crimpers (though it's been decades since I last crimped any RJ45 connectors). The sheath-cutter works surprisingly well, though you should always inspect the individual wires to see if you have cut their sheaths as well.If you have large hands, this tool will feel small, but there is no issue using it. This tool seems like it would be equally easy to use for right-handers and left-handers, though each would likely choose a different grip (thumb near the fulcrum for left-handers, thumb near the end of the handle for right-handers).This tool really is great, I only have a few small issues.My only real complaint about this tool is that it can't be closed for storage. It's got a ratcheting handle so you can clamp-down on the connector during crimping, but then it always springs back to its fully-open position. Imagine having to store all your scissors in the "X position" (open) rather than the "Y position" (closed). I guess I'll just get some twine to hold it closed when it's in the drawer.There is a "safety override" knob on the handle. It's labelled "override" on the tool and the instruction card helpfully clarifies that as a "safety override", and it's used to allow you to release the ratchet before it's reached it's final position. I kinda feel like the solution to the "won't stay closed" problem could have been solved using this same knob, but rotated in the other direction, perhaps.When inserting the RJ46 connector into the tool for crimping, the connector does not lock like it would, say, in an actual Ethernet connection. This means that you have to ensure that you really, REALLY made sure to push the connector all the way in, and that it doesn't move at all as you perform the crimp. The crimping operation does not push the connector either way, so you SHOULD be okay, but you are on your own to ensure proper alignment. The "crimp nest" appears to be a separate die-cast component and could easily have been designed to have a clip to ensure proper and steady positioning.This crimper unfortunately comes with no connectors, and the bundle with connectors is an extra $15 for 50 connectors. I decided to buy much cheaper connectors and they worked perfectly fine. I kinds thing think this too should come with some really small number of connectors, like maybe 4. Otherwise you have to buy a lot of them if you only need a few. I suppose if you are buying a crimping tool, you are not interested in making just one or two cables, but at least it would let you get a sense of what quality connectors you would need to buy, or to compare to others you might find.The wiring diagrams directly on the tool are great, but they are stickers. I suspect they will wear-off over time. Anything that won't last the life of the tool isn't really worth much. Sure, you can find the wiring pattern on the internet, but having it on the tool is SUPER nice.The instructions tell you to strip between 1.5" - 2" of the sheathing which I found to be way more than necessary, but it depends upon the type of connector and a few other factors. In my case, I decided to start conservatively and cut a full 2" off the end, and ended up with 3/4" or more of discard wire pieces being sheared-off during the crimp (which is the point of the "pass-thru" design). That seemed to me like a lot of waste. In one instance, the outer wires weren't completely cut during the crimp/shear operation, but I could just twist them off the end of the connector after I removed it from the tool. I think the blade could afford to be 1/16" wider or so.The instructions don't make this suggestion, but after you have straightened each of the individual wires for insertion into the connector, I would recommend trimming them all flush to make the placement easier. The cutter doesn't look like it would work well for this, but it does: just put the wires across the oddly-angled center of the tool and close the jaws.It looks like there is plenty of space to lose stray cut-ends of wire into this tool. I've only had it for 24 hours so I haven't had much opportunity to fill it up with junk and have to clean it. There are 3 pins holding the two faces of the tool together, and each of the 3 has a retaining ring on it, so I'm optimistic about the serviceability of this tool. Had them been rivets or some other permanent fastener, I'd be less optimistic.

All in one functionality with the RJ45 pass-thru technology that makes it faster, easier and more accurate crimps. It crimps and flush cuts the RJ45 wires at the same time. Makes it simpler and faster to arrange, align, cut and crimp. Durable construction and comfortable grip.

I was forced to terminate about 20 CAT6 ethernet lines (or pay someone $700 to do it for me), so I wanted to get a really quality tool to make this first time task as painless as possible.This is a great quality tool that has done a great job for me so far. I successfully terminated 8 lines so far and it was easy enough to do. This cuts the wire, strips it, and crimps the pass through connector onto the wire in a really solid way.Highly recommended.

New to passthough ends, this tool makes it very easy. I use this daily with no issues. Great all in one tool, cuts down on carrying other stippers and cutters. Easy to use with no failures.

Works great, the wire color chart is necessary for me and it’s nice to have, good size for both small and large hands, definitely worth the money for a quality tool.

At $50, this is an expensive tool to me. It is roughly twice the price of no-name alternatives. It's not like I'm making 100's of cables with it. I will probably make a dozen, but they will be of custom lengths for direct burial CAT6, PoE access points, as well as PoE cameras. At that rate, it adds about $4 to each cable I make with it vs $2. However, my time is also expensive to me too. With the right tool, the job of attaching connectors to the cable can go faster.I have used a non-pass through RJ45 tool to crimp cables in the past. Closed-end RJ45 crimping has several concurrent and frustrating challenges that must be balanced while crimping:1. Getting the wire ordered properly and keeping it that way while also....2. cutting the wires to a flat end to go into the connector...3. with the wires not too long so that the outer sheath won't get crimped to the connector...4. nor too short that it won't reach the blade conductors at the end of the connector either...5. without letting go of the 8 wires pinched flat to go into the connector...6. otherwise the wires get out of order and/or their lengths are no longer even and fit correctly into the connector.Mess up any of the above, and one wastes the time taken and often a connector and some wire. Trying to identify which end is bad isn't easy. Sometimes one must guess and then one has a 50/50 chance of doing 2 ends again instead of just 1. One must have a first attempt success rate in attaching connectors correctly better than 1/2 the time or one won't be able to complete a cabling job.At best, that is a frustrating art for me. My wife has helped when I've run cable for church and she is more patient and nimble crimping closed end RJ45. However, it is a challenge for her as well. At times, we found ourselves hitting that 1/2 time success rate. Trying to get a cable done could seem to take forever. At that rate, $2 or $4 per cable seems worth it.I'm installing CAT 6 at home and knew that I should get a different tool to deal with crimping the thicker cables. I found the pass through connectors and crimping tools and realized it should make the task easier as points 2,3, and 4 are no longer concerns. The crimping time is cut so that point 5 is no longer as critical. The 6th point also is less critical because if the wires are out of order then it will be evident before crimping. Pull the wires out of the crimping tool and try again.I tried a no-name version of the same type of pass-through RJ45 crimping tool first. It was about 1/2 the price of this one. After being very disappointed with the performance, I figured I would spend the extra money to buy this name brand version of the same tool. This tool performed much better and is adequate to do the job.The one disappointment with this tool was it could not strip CAT 5e with the built in stripper. This was a problem with the other pass through tool I purchased before buying this one. I used a small plastic tool with a blade from my non-pass through kit to strip instead. I suspect the built in stripper will work for CAT 6 or 7 as those cables tend to be thicker, but have not tried it yet.Critical improvements in this tool vs the other pass through crimping tool:1. The Klein tool cuts the pass through wires off at the end of the connector when crimping. The other tried, but couldn't. There was 1 wire in my test with the Klein tool that need a little tug to separate the waste wire insulation from what was in the connector after crimping, but that was all. The other tool required using a box knife as the blade on it did not make sufficient cuts to removed the excess with modest pulls. Not needing a cutting surface for the excess is not an absolute requirement, but it is important since the cable install location may not have such a surface.2. The RJ45 connector can be easily removed after crimping. A small pull was all it needed. The other tool would not release the connector after crimping. I had to use a jeweler's flat head screw driver to depress the tab on the connector inside the crimping tool's receptacle so I could remove it. Note that the Klein tool held the RJ45 connector latched in too--if it weren't crimped. That's a feature and not a bug. It helps free a hand from holding the connector in place before crimping. Pulling it out before crimping isn't a normal thing to do so it isn't a problem. Being able to remove the connector easily is not an absolute requirement, but a cable install location may not be well lit to see the tab to pry. The length available at a PoE camera drop or WIFI access point may not be convenient to be messing around with a small screw driver over one's head as one tries to poke and prod a connector out of the crimping tool that is being held with the other hand.If one is going to be making a dozen custom cables or more, I recommend buying this product. For the pro and the amateur, it will likely be worth the efficiency gained compared to the alternatives.

I have used this with normal plugs as well as passthrough plugs. Now it does work easier with passthrough plugs, but if you are careful you can use the normal plugs as well. You just need to make sure you watch how far you are inserting it. The grip is great the weight is not an issue at all, and ratcheting mechanism really makes this a great value for the money. I'd buy this a few times over, if I need too.

Good quality pliers/crimpers from Klein. The design makes it very easy to use and get a good crimp every time. Highly recommended if you're going to make your own data cables!