Greenlee Gator Insulated Tools Make Cordless Convenience Safer for Electricians
Greenlee announced the release of the new Gator Insulated Series of cutters and crimpers, designed to help protect electricians from up to 1000V. The crimpers are UL and cUL classified with seven major brands of lugs and splices, and the new battery-powered lineup promises to help tradesman with precision and safety by reducing movement in hazardous and confined conditions.
10-Second Summary
- Each Greenlee Gator Insulated tool is tested to ensure 1000V protection
- Tri-insulated barrier impedes voltage from discharging between the head and body of the tool
- Brush guarded head helps to avoid accidental contact with conductors
- 360° rotating head improves function in confined workspaces
- Double-tap trigger option prevents unintentional operation
- Runs on Makita’s 18V batteries
- Intelli-Crimp feature
- Compatible with i-Press app
- Pricing TBA
Why Do We Need Insulated Tools?
“The U.S. Bureau of Labor reports that 96 workers were fatally injured by an electrical shock greater than 220 volts two years ago. We are passionate about producing tools that can help workers come home safely – which is why each Gator Insulated tool undergoes a dielectric test as part of our production process to assure this 1000-volt protection.”
—Ryan Berg, product manager for Greenlee, Emerson
What Greenlee Gator Insulated Tools Have to Offer
Using Makita 18V batteries as a power source, new Greenlee Gator insulated tools start with a tri-insulated barrier to impede voltage from discharging between the head and the body of the tool. A brush guarded head also helps to avoid accidental contact with conductors.
To help with work in confined spaces, the head rotates 360°. There’s also a double-tap trigger option to help prevent unintentional operation.
Impact-resistant housing protects the tool from drop damage and debris ingress. An over-molded grip makes the whole handling experience more comfortable as well.
The Greenlee Gator crimpers include an Intelli-Crimp feature that lets you monitor each crimp cycle to ensure enough force has been applied. If a complete crimp has not been achieved, the tool will notify you with an audible beep and a notice on the OLED screen.
The new tools are Bluetooth compatible and work with Greenlee’s i-Press app. This platform lets you view the battery charge, last service date, last five pressure measurements, tool temperature, and the number of cycles completed by the tool. You can use the app to create a project, save and combine crimping operation data, and track tool performance. From there, you can print out a PDF of the overview report.
Thoughts on Greenlee Gator Insulated Tools
With how long insulated hand tools have been around, it seems a little odd that we’re seeing the first insulated battery-powered hydraulic tools. But if you think back, we haven’t had battery-powered cutters and crimpers all that long.
Greenlee’s partnership with Makita as a power source isn’t new, but it’s worth mentioning. You can get Makita batteries easily and their Rapid Optimum Charger needs just 45 minutes to fully a 5.0Ah battery. 2.0Ah batteries are even quicker, so you should be able to drop a little weight by using the compact batteries without interrupting your workflow to wait on a charge.
As these roll onto jobsites around the country, it will be interesting to see which electrical contractors adopt them early, if we see building contracts specifically require them, and if OSHA begins to develop any new regulations.
We’re still waiting on Greenlee retailers to get their hands on the new insulated tools to see how they compare to non-insulted Gator tools.
You can learn more about the new line of Greenlee Insulated 18V Hydraulic Cutting and Crimping Tools by visiting the website here.
We’d love to hear what you think about Greenlee Gator insulated tools. Feel free to leave your constructive comments below!
