Klein Tools 80024 Ratcheting Data Cable and RJ45 Crimp Tool with CAT6 Plug 50-Pack, Pass Thru Installation Tool Kit

Bought this to run Ethernet throughout the house. I didn't want to fight a cheap tool and I have no doubt this will last the rest of my life time. There is a slight learning curve if you have never done Ethernet cable before but its not bad.

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.

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!

Game-changer tool. Vastly superior way to make network connections right the first time

The crimper and connectors that came with this combo pack worked great. The combo pack also gives you a break on the cost if the connectors. This is the first time I used a pass-thru connector. It made making a network cable so much easier and reliably since the wire order can be seen before crimping.

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.

Makes crimping cables dead simple

I've been installing networks since 2000, and this Klein Tools 80024 is the best plug installation tool I have ever used! Make sure you get the pass-thru plugs which allow the wires to pass thru, because they are much easier (and faster) to install.