What Is the Difference Between Ratchet Crimper and Non-ratchet Crimper?
A crimper or a crimping tool is one of the essential tools in electrical work: it helps form secure electrical connections by crimping terminals/connectors to wires. There are different types of crimpers based on different aspects, such as the type of terminals they crimp (application), crimping mechanism, source of crimping pressure, etc. Some common options for crimping tools include ratchet and non-ratchet crimpers.
What are the differences between these two types of crimpers? That’s what this post explores. It also briefly outlines how each of these crimpers works.
How a Ratchet Crimper Works
As the name suggests, a ratchet crimper uses a ratchet mechanism. A crimper has some kind of lever that helps engage the ratchet wheel once you apply pressure or compress the handles of the crimping tool. In this case, the handles are liable for activating the ratchet mechanism (action) to crimp.
The best part is that this kind of mechanism allows you to apply pressure consistently at multiple steps without releasing the handle until you have a complete crimp. Once you’ve completed crimping, the handle can move no further and automatically release. The main advantage of ratchet crimpers is that you can easily maintain consistent pressure.
Examples of ratchet crimpers include the iCrimp HSC8 6-6 Self-adjustable Crimping Tool Pliers and the iCrimp IWS-3220M Micro Connector Pin Crimper.
How a Non-ratchet Crimper Works
Non-ratchet crimpers are also called manual crimpers. While they may feature a similar design to ratchet crimpers, their crimping mechanism is quite different. Non-ratchet crimpers are manually operated and don’t have an automatic release that helps the crimping process.
With a non-ratchet crimper, you must manually apply pressure while holding the handles and complete each crimp in a single squeeze before releasing the handles. For this reason, using a non-ratchet crimping tool requires a bit of hand strength and control. However, it’s faster than a ratchet crimper that has to complete the crimping process in multiple actions.
Read more: Ultimate Guide on How to Use a Crimping Tool
Ratchet Crimpers vs. Non-ratchet Crimpers: Differences
1- Crimping mechanism
The crimping mechanism is the most significant difference between a ratchet crimper and a non-ratchet crimper. As outlined above, a ratchet crimper applies consistent and uniform pressure when crimping and automatically releases the handles once the crimping process is done. On the other hand, everything about a non-ratchet crimper is manual; thus, it requires a user to gauge the exact amount of pressure to apply before releasing the handles of the crimping tool.
2- Ease of use
Ratchet crimpers are much easier to use (user-friendly), especially for beginners who want to make reliable crimp connections. Non-ratchet crimpers are more skill-demanding since they need a user to control the pressure they exert to create a reliable crimp connection.
3- Consistency and quality
A ratchet crimper makes it much easier to achieve consistency and make high-quality crimps. Conversely, you can create quality crimps with a non-ratchet crimper, but achieving consistency is not easy, especially for beginners. However, with time, one can easily achieve both consistency and quality with a non-ratchet crimper.
4- Versatility
In terms of versatility, both ratchet and non-ratchet crimpers are equally versatile, but it mainly depends on the design of the crimper. For instance, in today’s market, it’s common to find that most ratchet crimping tools come with interchangeable sets of dies, thus allowing crimping of different sizes and types of connectors.
5- Cost
Ratchet crimpers tend to be slightly pricier than conventional non-ratchet crimpers. However, in terms of value for your money, ratchet crimpers have it.
Final thought
Ratchet crimpers have a mechanism allowing users of all levels to make reliable, consistent, quality crimp connections easily. In contrast, non-ratchet crimpers are straightforward but take some skills to create quality crimps; thus, they’re not a suitable choice for most beginners.
Are you looking for quality, user-friendly, and reliable crimping tools to help you make quality crimp connections? iCrimp is the ideal platform for all your cable and pipe crimpers, offering a wide range of ratchet crimpers for connectors/fittings of all sizes, including heavy-duty applications.
References
