back to article Luxe cable crimper

An outfit called Belden is about to release a new RJ-45 crimping kit. If its video is accurate, it looks like you'll be whipping up RJ-45 connections in no time - or at least a claimed 30-60 per cent less than is possible using other tools - with almost no fiddling about. Youtube Video Looks handy, no? To the comments, …

  1. kain preacher

    So how do I get my own infomercial on the reg disguised as an article ?

    1. jake Silver badge

      It's IT related hardware.

      Clearly on-topic, no matter how hard you squint.

    2. ssharwood

      I worried some folk might perceive it as a disguised promo.

      Our rule is we don't disguise promos. I thought this was interesting, but because it is All About A Product, and a product that needs to be seen rather than described, slipped it in as a news byte rather than a full story.

      Does that answer the question?

      1. Trevor_Pott Gold badge

        I won't speak for anyone else on this, but I'm super interested in this, and I thank Simon from bringing it to my attention. This like "by the way, fs.com is where you find super cheap cables that will save you tens of thousands of dollars". It's "infomercial" to fs.com's competitors, vital information to actual IT practitioners.

    3. Fred Flintstone Gold badge

      So how do I get my own infomercial on the reg disguised as an article ?

      If you have something that's genuinely interesting you just need to contact El Reg. After all, that too is news. Or is a new phone not a new product then?

      As for the specific product, it is definitely interesting. I have made enough connections over the many years using Ethernet to appreciate anything that speeds up the process and makes connections less of a hassle without adding too much to untwisted length - of course, assuming it doesn't double the costs of an installation. I'm going to have a more detailed look at this, thanks for the article!

  2. Kevin McMurtrie Silver badge
    FAIL

    RJ-45 plugs have already been solved using load bars or straight-through loading. They're much simpler than what's in this advert.

    I don't know about your jacks, but the Cat6 jacks that I bought for my house don't need the wires untwisted either. They're also simpler.

    1. the spectacularly refined chap

      I don't see much if any saving over regular punch down blocks either, and while the pairs don't need separating it subjectively appears that you end up with more untwisted wire in the completed cable.

      No doubt they also cost at least three times the price and the crimper is £100+. Somehow I don't think I'll bother.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Can you explain what you are talking about or better yet provide a link?

      I rarely make cables so I've never learned the tricks people who have made thousands would have learned, or looked for labor saving devices. So I looked at this and thought "awesome, where I can buy it?" If there is something even better I'd like to hear about it.

      1. Gene Cash Silver badge
        Unhappy

        Interesting to see that a bloke asking for honest on-topic advice gets downvoted in El Reg of all places.

        Edit: and I'm in the same boat, and would like the same answer.

        1. the spectacularly refined chap

          I assume he's referring to Kevin's comment about plugs rather than mine about jacks. He seems refer to the two part plugs which are a lot easier to wire than the one piece types because you feed the wires into a guide which then goes into the plug - a lot less fiddly since it is externally accessible and you can see what you are doing.

          1. MrT

            The Gillette moment...

            If they can develop a system that simplifies the more fiddly job of wiring up the sockets (wall mount, patch panels, etc.), once that's been learnt, the simpler job of wiring the plugs might as well follow the same method. I'm not sure it would win the other way round.

            Overall, it looks a neat solution. However, it's another set of connectors in each end of the cable. Something else to check if there's a signal dropout...

    3. Fred Flintstone Gold badge

      I don't know about your jacks, but the Cat6 jacks that I bought for my house don't need the wires untwisted either. They're also simpler.

      Do you mind sharing which ones you used? We soon may be looking for some new office space, and it widens our options having the ability to cable ourselves (not to mention that some runs must be under our control due to what they carry). I thought it looked interesting, but I share the suspicion with another commentard that the ones on display may be considerably more expensive (partly because we have to pay for that video :) )...

  3. hplasm
    Meh

    Aha-

    While it looks nice, it's another expensive (capex, so acceptable) way to replace expensive skilled cablemonkeys (opex, so unacceptable) with cheap unskilled cablemonkeys.

    Beancounter's delight.

    More cash freed up for the yacht fund! trebles all round!

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Aha-

      > it's another expensive (capex, so acceptable) way to replace expensive skilled cablemonkeys (opex, so unacceptable)

      Strange. Most companies I've worked in are the other way round: they will avoid capex at all costs, but are happy to replace with opex even if it's more expensive in the longer term (e.g. equipment leasing, cloud VMs, SaaS instead of software purchase, outsourced NOC, outsourced soft PBX).

  4. jake Silver badge

    After 30-odd years of crimping 8P8C and RJ45 (etc.) connectors ...

    ... I rather suspect that any new more complex tool would get in the way of my muscle memory. I am willing to be convinced otherwise, though. And what is the cost? What I use today can be replaced for about US$50 ... I'll put in a call to Grainger tomorrow out of curiosity, if nothing else.

  5. Alan J. Wylie

    Gillette invented this business model a long time ago

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Razor_and_blades_business_model

    Sell the holder cheaply, make your profit out of selling lots of small bits of steel/plastic.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Gillette invented this business model a long time ago

      Perhaps so, but if like me you rarely make cables even if it adds an extra buck to the cost of each cable you won't care if it means they are perfect every time without fiddling around and without testing, finding out got a couple wires crossed, and having to clip the connector off and start again!

  6. Missing Semicolon Silver badge
    Happy

    This is definitely news, even if it is a promo.

    Anyone who has crimped a normal RJ45 plug (the cheap ones) knows how hard it is to get a good crimp. The necessity to unwind the green pair and put them on either side of the blue pair makes for a fiddly job.

    This replaces the hard-to-crimp connectors with a compact easy-to-crimp one, plus a bunch of adaptors.

    Nice.

    Does anyone know of a cheaper way to get easy-crimp plugs?

  7. Darryl

    Did I miss something?

    The video I saw seems to be about a new RJ45 socket, not a plug. So it has nothing to do with making cables. This looks like they're trying to replace the standard punch-down

    1. DaLo

      Re: Did I miss something?

      Did you watch the whole video? They show both (in fact you can swap between).

      Not sure I like those big plugs though, however they seem to only promote them for fixed items rather than patch leads.

  8. Herby

    Size??

    This may be all well and good for the sockets (crimping those is a pain), but the plugs are a different matter. From the looks of it (using the 8P8C plug as a size reference), a plug combo is quite large and bulky. With today's thin lappys, there isn't much room for a big connector hanging out the side (maybe wireless is better here). The other problem is the specialized equipment you need to buy first (crimper) and the unique plug (probably over priced). The modular plugs are really cheap these days (less than a dime each), and if you are terminating a cable to a plug, paying for a fancy plug and an adapter (that is a big thing at the end of the cable) is inviting trouble.

    The next question I ask, is how does it survive being used by monkeys the user population that can barely get a USB jack plugged in right.

    So, I reserve judgement for now.

  9. JaitcH
    Meh

    And the big question ...

    the price!

    Better still, shoot the guy who designed the cable layout in the first place that makes termination such a pain.

    AMP will be coming out with their Rolls version, soon. I am still using a AMP tool for terminating cables that is 30 years old!

  10. Pirate Dave Silver badge
    Pirate

    For the jacks

    I want one. And a spare. And a box full of jacks. Unless it's stupid expensive, it looks like a good idea.

    Not sure about the plugs though. meh.

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