Forney 57637 Lug Crimping Tool, Blue

Worked great on a bunch of 2 AWG wires for a solar system. It is a bit tricky to keep upright while you slam it with a hammer, but does the job great. Hit it, hard!

The tool works flawlessly and is very easy to use. It crimped 4 gauge lug and wire with no problems and in about 2 swings with a 21oz framing hammer. The striking area was marred as one can immagine it would and i believe that could be a source of rust over time. Something to watch for. The other issue is that it is so small it tips easily. There are metal tabs on the side and it could easily be bolted down to a work bench or have some feet tacked on for stability.For the price and effectiveness of the tool its inherent design annoyances are irrelevant. On a budget this is the right tool for the job and i highly recommend it.

My first heavy duty crimping tool cost $80 and took a hike after only a couple of years' use. This unit makes a good crimp and only cost a fraction of my original unit from the local Auto Parts store here in town. It arrived in short order and made near perfect crimps on the battery cables I've used it on.I have a fifty ton hydraulic press that makes this crimping tool work quite well without the hammering. I simply lay out the cable in the location where it will be used, make sure the terminals are in proper position, then carefully lay the cable out on the press. Then, simply put the crimp tool in place, lightly press and you have a nearly perfect joint without the solder. I've read where it has also been used in a vise with good results.

I'm often the first to complain about low quality tools manufactured in China but I have to admit, this crimper works quite well. I used this tool to make literally dozens of crimps to assemble three dual-battery systems with solar tie-ins and inverters on 4WD expedition vehicles. I used marine-grade ANCO tinned-copper fine-stranded wire from 2 AWG to 1/0 AWG with ANCO tinned copper lugs. I was impressed with this tool's operation and the appearance of the crimps.The biggest disadvantage of this type of crimper is that it usually cannot be used where the wire will be located - say, in the engine bay of your vehicle, because you need to get the wire down to a solid surface to make your crimps. This also makes it more difficult to crimp the lug for the best orientation to the terminal to which it will be attached, so the wire isn't twisting inside the lug when it is bolted to the terminal stud. My solution was to position the wire in its intended location, cut the wire to length, strip the end and then position the lug on the stripped end. Then, I carefully place the loose lug on the terminal, turning the lug on the wire so it naturally falls over the terminal stud without any strain or twisting. Then I use masking tape over the lug and wire insulation to keep the lug in position while I remove the wire and make the crimp. You can leave the tape on while crimping, making the job easier . . . but it's still a hassle. If I did more of this kind of work professionally, I would definitely invest in the professional tool. But for hundreds of dollars less, the hammer crimper is a good option.After having to discard a few of the crimps due to wiring-plan changes, I got curious and used a hacksaw to cut through the middle of one of my crimps to see how well the tool performed. See the photos of my project: now I understand the term "cold-weld"!I would advise setting up your crimping connection carefully, keeping the wire pushed firmly into the lug and using a solid surface. I used the concrete steps on my patio. I also used a solid 20 LB steel dumbbell (with some serious force) to come down on the crimping tool. If the lugs you are using have long enough sleeves, you can go the extra mile and crimp near the open end of the sleeve and then reposition the square bosses on the press closer to the ring end of the lug, effectively double-crimping your connection. This is easy and seems to work very well. Don't forget to use heavy adhesive-lined shrink tubing and terminal boots on all of your high-amperage positive leads (at least)!Far from elegant in appearance and operation, this tool does the job at a fraction of the cost of a professional tool!

Did what I needed it to do. I've used it to install 14 1/0 AWG terminal lugs and a 4 AWG terminal. Had no problems whatsoever when using a 10lb sledge. Held up and got the job done. I'm glad I bought this over some of the cheap hydraulic crimpers I was looking at. If there is one issue I can think of, it's not necessarily a problem with the tool, just a limitation of it. Depending on the wire and location, you probably won't be able to crimp a lug on in place. You need access to a flat solid surface to pound away on it.

Redoing all the wiring on my 05 ram 2500 with the cummins. Stock wiring is fairly corroded and these are known for being super picky about poor connections. Picked up pure copper cabling from 6awg to 2/0awg and crimped a few ends already while waiting for the other pieces to come in.This is super easy and makes excellent crimps with almost no effort!I HIGHLY recommend using a vice. I was going to use my press but it's not even required. Have a 5" vice and little bit of muscle and they crimp super easy. I can use one hand to hold the wire in tight and the other crimps. The spring in the unit holds the lug and then I just put the stripped wire end in and good to go. Then marine heat shrink to seal the ends.I'm sure the very expensive hydraulic units do a better job, but this unit can't be beat for the price for someone doing their own wiring.Think I'll be replacing some wiring on family members vehicles now since it will be so easy!

This is a great little crimping tool. I am in the process of rewiring the battery bank in my 5th wheel camper and installing 4, 6 volt batteries, solar panels and all the associated wires. I used this crimping tool this weekend to build 2/0 battery cables and it worked like a charm. A solid surface is required (I used a concrete patio) and a firm blow (2 1/2 # blacksmith hammer) and I double crimped each connector. Crimps were all solid and secure. I would definitely recommend this for the occasional small job.

It crimped some large welding leads with very little effort and good effect. I used a large sledge on it, worked better than a smaller hammer on the larger cables.

works very well!

This is a basic tool that does the job well. So far I crimped OO guage wire and a couple smaller ones using a bench vice with no problems. Tried using a c clamp too for covenience of mobility but I felt it wasnt strong enough To crimp. I like the fact that it is spring loaded to hold the lug in position. Way cheaper than hiring an auto electrician as long as u do it right

Nice tools. Works great

Great little tool, heavy duty and well made ,good crimper for heavier cable, very happy with purchase

Great lil tool.