Today, we’re looking at the last set of pliers in our series on the new Southwire Made in America line of electrician’s tools. If you’ve been keeping up with what’s going on with everything else in this particular lineup, nothing of what’s about to be said should come as much of a surprise. The Southwire Made in America Terminal Crimper employs a simple design that doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel.
However, where this hand tool does excel, like the rest of the Made in America line, comes down to the quality of the workmanship along with the country of origin.
Southwire Made In America Terminal Crimper Highlights
Like the other pliers in this series, Southwire uses drop forged steel in the manufacturing process. Basically, Southwire applies a hydraulic press to the red-hot steel during the forming of the pliers. This presses out any imperfections in the steel, such as air bubbles or fissures.
It also features hot rivet technology, which joins the two plier pieces using induction heating. This results in a flush joint that provides longer, smoother action than your traditional cold rivet. If you’re still using a cold rivet design, it’s a difference you’ll notice immediately – and you’ll never go back by choice.
The Southwire Made in America Terminal Crimper can crimp insulated and non-insulated terminals and connectors. The dipped handles have a bit of extra length to help with leverage. These combine to make for a more comfortable crimping experience.
The crimper wraps a wire cutter into the design. Southwire induction hardens and hand sharpens the blades. It’s a handy addition to give them more function. I’d love to see a wire stripper, but there’s only so much you can do without making a significant change to the entire design. Part of that design is to taper down the nose, making working around tight spaces a bit easier.
The Southwire Made in America Terminal Crimper will retail for around $30 and comes with a hassle-free, lifetime warranty.
Final Thoughts
Southwire is now making a real and concerted effort to move more of their manufacturing operations back over to the States. There doesn’t appear to be a definite ETA on when they will begin manufacturing all of their tools domestically, but the wheels are in motion. The Made In America line of hand tools is a step in the right direction. Considering the Southwire terminal crimper costs about the same as other models on the market, the choice to support American business and the American labor force seems like a no-brainer.
Southwire Made In America Terminal Crimper Features
- Model Number: Southwire TCC9D-US
- Made from American forged steel for durability
- Crimps insulated and non-insulated terminals and connectors
- Specially hardened wire cutter in nose
- Tapered nose for working in confined spaces
- Price: ~ $30
