When finding the ultimate pliers for the job, it’s easy to get caught in the allure of big price tags, thinking that “expensive is better.” But let me tell you a little secret: while associating hefty price with quality is true most of the time, there’s a whole world of hidden treasures in the lower price range tools. This is why I recommend exploring cheap tools first and only upgrading those that you use more often with expensive quality alternatives.
In my quest to find the perfect budget wire crimper for automotive wiring and hobby electrical work, I bumped into the Preciva crimping tool kit, model no. PR – 30J. It is unbelievable what this crimping tool kit for insulated terminals offers at such a low price point, which is why I am sharing about it.
Preciva Wire Crimper Kit Review
The Preciva PR-30J wire crimper kit is an inexpensive pliers set for terminating insulated connectors. It includes crimping pliers and a ton of insulated connectors of different types and sizes.
Preciva Crimping Pliers
Key Features
- Length: 8-5/8″
- Ratcheting mechanism
- Crimping size range: 10 AWG – 20 AWG
- 350 pieces of crimp connectors
- Made in China
The pliers are a little over 8″ long and have a fairly smooth ratcheting mechanism that makes them quite easy to use. There is a lever that locks at each step to ensure that you only apply a little, progressive force to get a perfect crimp.
The handles are brightly colored and have an ergonomic shape that offers a comfortable grip. The tool is also built solid and has some good weight to it.
It has solid removable jaws that can crimp connectors for wire sizes 20AWG to 10AWG. The crimping dies are color-coded red, blue, and yellow for ease of use.
Because various sizes of crimp terminals might require different crimping forces, there is a pressure adjustment dial that you can turn to increase or reduce pressure at the jaws.
My favorite feature of these crimping pliers is the jaws because they are wide, color-coded, and removable. They crush connectors perfectly onto the wire without puncturing the plastic sleeve.
It is good to note that the crimper has a lock that keeps it locked and closed. This keeps the tool from taking up so much space in the tool box.
Crimp Connector Kit
The kit comes with an assortment of 350 pieces of terminal connectors distributed across 5 types, namely, spade (male and female), ring, fork, and bullet splice. The large collection of connectors allows you to conquer any electrical task with ease and finesse.
You get 2 major size ranges for all the connectors: 0.5mm2 – 1.5mm2 and 1.5mm2 – 2.5mm2. But for the butt splice and ring connectors, you also get a bigger size range for wires between 4mm2 – 6mm2.
The connectors are generally of decent quality all around and crimp properly. They are exactly the same as the other bulk packages you would purchase separately on Amazon or any other hardware store.
Preciva Crimping Tool Review (PR-30J)
Are you looking for a reliable wire crimper that you can use to install insulated connectors on stranded electrical wire ends? This preciva wire crimper tool kit is a great budget optionConclusion
Overall, I find these crimping pliers from Preciva ridiculously heavy duty and will definitely last a long time. The connectors too are enough to last through a couple of projects and the carry case can be useful for storing additional connectors.
However, if you care so much about the weight of a tool, you might find this crimper a little hefty and can fatigue your arm if you use it continuously for a long time on a large project. Also, if you are looking for a multi-tool that you can use to crimp, strip, and cut wire, this is not one of them. The Preciva PR-30J is only a crimper for insulated terminals. You cannot use it to cut or strip wire or crimp non-insulated connectors.
Nonetheless, this kit is great value for the money for any automotive wiring, panel wiring, and any electrical work that requires terminating stranded wires with crimp connectors.
So, next time do not let the modest price tag of some tools fool you. Some of them can rival expensive and popular counterparts and deliver impressive performance. For instance, I use this Preciva PR-30J interchangeably with my Klein and you cannot tell the difference in the quality of crimps.
But if you want a similar kit with a variety of different jaw types, check out the Titan terminal crimping set in this article.