Side by Side Comparison of: GB Electrical vs Klein Tools

Crimps as expected, the cutting nose is very well designed for cleaning up the ends nicely to prevent excess, sharp edges on the wire (useful if heat shrinking your crimps to prevent penetration).

Using it to crimp some Anderson Powerpole type terminals. Works well for these (12 gauge size). First you crimp and then you use the all-round opening to bend the crimp back to a perfect round shape so it fits the connector. Much cheaper than the real deal tool for these.
If I did a ton of these, I would probably go for the official tool, but I only do them occasionally, this is perfect for my needs.

Very high quality product

I would give these 10 stars if I could!!!!

I'm no electrician, just a weekend warrior who loves working on his cars. My latest project is my jeep, and I've been hooking up auxiliary lighting, making a fuse and relay box etc.

I've used A TON of crimp on terminals. For the longest time I couldn't figure out what was wrong with me. I was using some of those all in one stripped/crimper/cutters you get at your local store. I could never get a good crimp. The connectors were falling off after a day or two.

Then I found these bad boys as a suggested item for me. Let me say I haven't had even 1 bad crimp after purchasing these!! Every crimp is rock solid and leaves me feeling good about the connection. They are built very well, no problems with them not being angled right as others have said. I can't believe I went so long without these!
Someone said they aren't good because the crimping surface is so wide. I have used these on several different size/types of crimp connectors and haven't run into any issues. The surface is very wide, but it provides a solid crimp and I haven't damaged any terminals or wires.

The best part is the price! Why buy anything more expensive? These are all you will ever need. Even if I somehow manage to break them which I seriously doubt, I will buy another one in a heartbeat.

I couldn't find any of my three other tools as I must be very disorganized. I read other reviews that said that the nub on the crimper was misaligned as is mine. I thought that alignment issue was small so when I crimped I made sure that the nub was lined up with the slight gap in the connector. Gave the tool a good squeeze and got a great crimp. as opposed to others I found the greater thickness of the tool a plus. in awkward places I have been known to crimp the plastic sleeve on a crimp connector and have to toss the old one. With this little beauty that is not an issue.

When I misplace this I will buy another with no second thoughts.

This is a high-quality RJ45 crimper. First, the cable jacket stripping function works great - blade is perfect and doesn't nick the conductors. The actual crimping function is perfect. Well made tool and I expect to get a lot of use out of it.

Professional tool, much better than the cheapo version. Includes the wiring diagram on side of it making it easy to use.

Klein quality. Works well. Sacrifices a little ergonomics for compactness,but still works well. A&B diagrams handy. I needed the compactness and am happy with the performance.

Works surprisingly well considering the size. Well made and plenty of leverage to crimp.

Very nice and fast shipping. Very well packaged. Good seller. Good Product. Thanks.

I have made about 15 patch cables since purchasing this tool. It is just what I needed.

I used these to punch down some wire tubes with clips for an arcade build. They take a little effort to get a snug fit, but once you get in a groove, it's easy to work these crimpers.

As others have stated, these come with the crimping teeth slightly misaligned. They worked well enough for me to complete the repair that I purchased the for, but I had to redo at least one crimp in order for it to feel secure. Overall, very usable tool for home repairs but professionals should probably skip. After purchasing here, I've seen this tool at the hardware store with the teeth aligned perfectly but at double the cost. The trade off works for me - I'll probably only use this tool a couple times a year at most for minor household repairs.

I bought two of these, one for me and one for a buddy. We're both electricians with 20+ yrs experience. We're both partial to Klein tools, and have always thought of GB as a generic wanna be...

But this crimper is better than just about every pair I've used, even those that cost 3× as much.

The jaws are about 3/8" thick, so it grabs the whole barrel of a spade connector and holds it square all the way through the squeeze - not something every crimper can say.

There are multiple crimps and a cutter at the end of the jaw.

I'm really impressed with these $8.00 crimpers. Oh, by the way...a 2-pack costs more than buying two individually. I don't get that

It is a PRC (mainland) Chinese made product and the finish, unfortunately, is not as nice as my other US or Taiwan (Chinese) made tools. However, the set I received had jaws that are lined up and with proper spacing to properly crimp the various wire connector I'm using in my HVAC class and home repair tasks. The length and balance fits my hand and I'm liking it. It is long enough to give me the leverage to put "good" crimps on connectors. I'm finding I'm using this more than my Ideal crimper, a much nicer and more expensive crimper, because the Ideal is a bit long to maneuver.

Unlike my Ideal brand crimper, it does not have markings identifying the gauge wire for each of the slots. You just need test crimp some connectors to see which works best for the size you are crimping.

I don't use the cutting function of this tool unless my wire cutting tool is not nearby. When I need to cut wire, it cuts ok. Although, not as clean as my Klein wire stripper/cutter or Greenlee diagonals.

If you want nicer finished tool, get the Klein, Greenlee, or Ideal brand. Do expect to pay twice to three time more for those other tools.

Good heavy construction. The cutters on my set at not the greatest, requiring additional effort to clip 16g wire. Since there are no strippers, I use a second tool that has a better cutter on it. This tool will crimp a fitting FOREVER though, with minimal effort. That is what I bought it for. No more snaking a hand in under the dash to tighten a terminal nut and seeing the bare wire end dangling when I finish.
One squeeze crimps the ends tightly, unlike the flat steel stripper/crimpers that require two settings to crimp a fitting and sometimes just manage to flatten it..

It works but my biggest complaint is that the mechanism that locks it in the down position gets jammed up frequently. You have to twist the tiny knob that says release on it. But, the thing is the knob is so small and has enough tension on it that you need a pair of needle nose pliers to twist it. The tool is well built otherwise and will do the job, but its not perfect.

Used this for cutting/stripping 23 AWG CAT6 cable. The cable fit and cut just fine. I've cut and stripped about 10 cables now. The problem now is that it is starting to stick occasionally when cutting and stripping. I feel like something is stuck in the mechanisms somewhere, but I can't find it to clear it.

Great tool for any networking bag. Just wish they could make a lighter version of it. About as heavy as my laptop.

came as described and all in order

Nice compact crimping tool. Tends to crush the retention tab a little, but many crimpers do, and it isn't nearly as bad as the Ideal 33-396 tool. Cable pair color codes on the side of the tool are handy if you are teaching new technicians. Yellow handle makes it easy to find in a bag and small size saves space. Has a separate position for 6-pin plugs which is appreciated for telephone cabling.

Good, easy-to-use tool. Only issue is that it nicks the inside wires of my CAT6 Solid 23AWG UTP wire. I've gone around that problem by cutting perpendicular to the x-shaped middle splitter. That seems to keep the wires safe.

They work just fine for barrel crimps, but had them in the toolbox for a week and started rusting like crazy. No big deal, but still wish they were coated or dipped so I don't have to keep polishing them every other week.

They work but came very roughly finished. Had to go at the edges of the tool with a file to remove all of the built up burr on the edges from factory. Some rust visible on the face as well. Otherwise works as very basic terminal crimpers.

It's not good for cutting wire larger than 10 ga. Crimping works well but too many choices (3) to where to put the connector, and confusing for insulated connectors. When the correct notch is chosen, it makes a nice tight crimp. If you choose the wrong notch, you may penetrate the insulation on the connector. Works best for all non-insulated connectors.

quality tool, but very wide. when it comes to crimping on a spade connector, I had difficulty trying not the get the wire pinched in another part of the tool. it is great for unions and butt-splicing, but not an all in 1 for sure.

Not a bad crimper, but not the best. One jaw is slightly misaligned from the other, but it doesn't seem to impact functionality. I ended up upgrading to a ratcheting style because this style is difficult to make small crimps (e.g. 26ga into a 1mm pin) with, and if you try to use it with Andersen power poles, it will work, but requires some fiddling.

Positioning edge cut-outs on the long blade were too small and did not fit around the posts on the crimper. Had to use a grinder to open up the hole in order to make it fit. The two shorter blades fit fine.

Nothing like my other crimpers($200+) but it's decent enough for the $28 I paid for it. Cheaper than Home Depot and works well as a backup crimper. I got this so My brother and I could both do cables for a security camera system at the same time. Just so many cables need to be terminated... Without going to extreme heights in price, you can't really get much better so I can't complain.

I use Klein 'Electrician's Scissors', ' Tester Kit' as part of my network crimping arsenal. This Ratchet is perhaps not worth the Klein quality for the reasons...1. Not made in USA.2. The ratcheting mechanism works well. Note: There is not much instructions on how to use the tool. Here is what I found a. Ratchet down and press to release the handle, else it would stay in locked position (this is kind of opposite to the typical double handled crimping tool) b. Push the RJ-45 into the slot fully. It fits quite snug, else you'll notice no crimping happening :).3. The sleeve stripping is not the most effective for a cat5e. But may work better on a cat6 cable i suppose. Once, I line up the wires by the required color, I use an 'Electrician's Scissors' to cut the excess off so that the wires do line up properly.Not sure if this is any better than the traditional 'Klein Tools VDV226-011-SEN'. But it's quite compact in comparison and may require a bit of getting used to.

This works to crimp RJ45 and RJ11 connectors. It cuts cable very well. It does not strip cat 5e cable--I tried many times to use the stripping function and found that it always cut some of the wires. This may possibly work for stranded cables, but did not work well for solid core cable.

With practice I can prepare the wires and crimp the connectors efficiently now. The "crimper" has work every time for me.The part of the tool meant for stripping the outer insulation from cat 5, 5e, or 6 almost always cuts a tiny bit to deeply and nicks a wire beneath even when one tries to strip it very softly. I have been using another method to strip the wire so I am not disappointed sometime during the process when I find a nick in one of the wires and have to start over.

My impressions after using this kit:* The crimper works well but it is no more no less than a generic Taiwanese import available from many other suppliers (e.g. Paladin, Fluke Networks, Knipex, Trendnet, etc) and even unbranded at as low as $ 12.* The Tester also works OK, but feels cheaper than the $ 5 testers available here at Amazon. And instead of using regular AA or AAA batteries, it requires FOUR small lithium batteries.* The Tester is also a tone emitter, but you can't use this feature unless you spend another $ 44 on the Klein Tone Tracing Probe...* The scissors are very sharp. Probably the best item in this set.* The pouch is far from practical. A zippered pouch would've been a lot more useful (like the Paladin pouch). The "pocket that will hold up to 25 RJ45 plugs" is just a joke... if you use that pocket for your plugs be sure you're going to lose ALL of them, because the pocket doesn't fully close, it only has a piece of Velcro at the center, leaving a part of the pocket opened when it's supposed to be closed... and no, there's no flap.* There's also a permanent marker (an essential part of the set?), and unlike the one in the picture, it does not carry the Klein Tools brand.

Too thick. I've you have to wire a NC block, these suck. Get a thinner pair, these are too wide. Also the cutters are useless. I tried to cut some stranded wire, solid wire(12, 14, and 10, 12) and these don't do the trick. I have to exert a lot of effort to cut something with these. I would be carrying these all the time, but they don't do the job.

I should have heeded the other reviews that said the quality had dropped from older versions. A friend who is a pro mechanic suggested these, his was the old version. The casting on my pair is poor- and some edges are bent over enough that the crimping leaves cuts. It also is not clear which part to use for different gauges. I will be returning this and happily using the ratcheting crimper I bought along with this.

I have purchased two of these and in a year of weekly use both have failed, One wore out and got loose. the other the cutting tip broke up while cutting 12 gauge copper wire. GB is an Ok brand. This is made in china and is not tradesman quality.

Decent well-made crimper, but as is the case with many of the low end cutters, they are twice as thick at the tip as a good pair of T&B or Klein crimpers. With the T&B or Klein crimpers, you get used to that thin end cutter to be able to get into tight places, but these cutters will not do it. Great for an extra pair in the toolbox, but you will always go for the T&B or Klein when you are working on something that needs a cutter in tight places, which happens to be quite often in electrical work. So fine for "bench work" or crimping loose wires, but not so great when working on wires inside anything [a car, electrical box, etc.].

This won't bother most and may seem insignificant, but I bought this set compared to others for the handle style. I much prefer the old school style handle coatings over the cheap plastic over-mold used on most today. I was surprised to find that the picture shown on this item is not the correct set of pliers. Please refer to the image attached for the ocrrect style or see GB's website:

http://www.gardnerbender.com/en/gs-388

Also as others mentioned the machining of the tip is not perfect. There is some slight misalignment of the crimping mating surfaces. That being said I don't think there is relay any performance loss or affect on its use at all. After all it is an $8 set of pliers.

Bought these because Klein products have always been well built and durable. These however, are poorly designed, and feel a bit cheap when you hold them. The glaring issue with these is the ratchet system between the handles. There is no opening so you can slip the wire in. You MUST thread it though the jaws. Problem with that is if you are cutting a cable off of a spool then one end is still attached to the spool and unless you want to thread your entire run though these crimpers you have 2 options. Option 1: loop your cable a little longer and thread the loop through the jaws which makes for a terrible messy end you cant work with and have to trim further, or Option 2: buy another tool just to be able to cut wire which I did HDE Universal Data Telephone Computer UTP Cable CAT5 CAT6 Stripper Cutter ToolI wish these had lived up to their namesake, they just aren't very good.

I purchased due to highly positive reviews AFTER I had already finished cabling all new cat6 runs throughout my house using a borrowed crimping tool. Fast forward two months, I'm now installing a patch panel and making the patch cables. After attempting 16 RJ45s, all failed pins 7 and 8 on the tester. The tool is super handy as other reviews mentioned, but with no ability to adjust the crimper and I'm out of the return/replace through Amazon, I'm left to filing a WRA with Klein.

I found that this model broke the RJ45 connectors we use. The RJ45 tabs that click in place were all crushed. It was not an issue on the Paladin 1556. I ended up throwing away this Klein VDV226-011-SEN.

Build quality appeared to be good but the dies actually shift when you crimp. I thought I was just doing something wrong until I let a couple of coworkers try them out. Everyone had the same issues with bad crimps. They tend to push the pins to one side causing them to miss the conductor completely. Frustrating when you are making dozens of connectors a day and have to baby the die to sit just right.

Over crimps and leaves my rj45's loose. Not happy with these. The 2 stars are because they strip and cut cables nicely. Not reliable ends in the end.

Found it very awkward to use sent it back

Horrible. It worked once. The second time I went to use it (a couple of months later) the handle snapped while crimping! That's right, the actual steel (or whatever weak metal they used to make this) snapped in half right about where the red insulation ends. I can't believe that so little pressure such as crimping a connect would snap steel in half! I know it has 1 year warranty, but it's not even worth the shipping to get another one. Stay away!

The crimping slots are out of alignment. Will have to return.

As many others have commented, the crimping jaws do not align. The weird part is that when viewed from one side the jaws line up, but from the other side they are 1/16 inch offset, so looks like the jaws were cut at an angle rather than straight. I guess if you get a good pair they would be fine, but due to poor quality control many will receive defective ones.

The Tongue and channel are not centered on either the large or small crimp area. This is one of the poorest tools made. Also, the cutter won't even cut a plastic tie wrap. It just "gums it a mean one". I have let Gardner Bender know, have ordered a different crimper from Amazon - and that one worked! Oerder the Vise grip - Irwin Industrial Tools 2078310 10-Inch Crimper instead.

I really love the idea of carrying less tools around so combining a wire cutter with a crimper tool sounded like a really good idea to me. I read most of the reviews and knew about the alignment problem, but what were the chances I would get one? Apparently pretty high because I received my order and sure enough the jaws was out of alignment poor quality control. Thank you Amazon for painless return. Oh well what's a guy gonna do? So I am still looking...

Gets stuck quite a bit

The only reason I bought this crimper set is because it is "made in the USA". I even asked the question on this site before I bought it. What a pleasent suprise; sure I will suport and American made product. I am a home owner; I do not crimp cables for a living. I just needed something to put a new terminal on the phone line. I could have got something for 1/3 the price for my simple needs. If I was going to spend this kind of money on a Klein Tools crimper, I would have bought the compact -107 model. It is a more compact tool, and it has the little stickers on the side to tell which wire to put in each hole. I also ordered the VDV992-818 Klein Coax Installation and Testing Kit as well as the Klein 2100-8 Stainless Steel Snip (electrician scissors). The truth is this - 817 kit is the -011 crimper which is made in Taiwn. By the way, I called Klein Tools (answered the phone very quickly), and they said the compact crimper -107 model is also made in Taiwan. The coax installation kit is made in China and Taiwan. The only tool I got made in the USA is the Klein scissors. Since this I went to Home Depot and noticed they sell Klein Tool. Turning over the packages, I also seen made in Mexico. Bottom line, Klein Tools might have their headquarters in Illinois or the USA, but their tools are not made here. They do make some things in the USA though. If you watch their vedo on all of these tools, one would assume that all Klein Tools are made in America, but that is a deceiving video. Furthermore, when I received this -817 kit, I finally found the Made in Taiwan in fine print under a very distorted piece of plastic (I think recycle symbol). Holding this pruduct up to the light, moving it up and down and side to side you could read made in Tawan. Moreover, you could clearly see the Taiwan in 2 other languages. I can not believe this is an accident. The description for this product is is pure fraud. Since I had to take time off from work inorder to catch UPS open, it cost more to return this item than what it cost (not to mention I still had to buy a crimper), but I could not keep this product that was only purchased because of their deceptive and fraudulent claims. A company can outsource or buy product from other companies and slap their name on it all they want. However, they do not have the right to lie or deceive people about their products. They have the choice to do what they want; we have the choice to buy or not. They just need to be honest about their products. Now you could claim that amazon writes the product description. However, that does not change the fact that they hid the product was made in Taiwan in an otherwise clear readable plastic container. Despite their deciving vedo, I am keeping the coax crimper. They did not say it was an American made product like this product did, although you would assume from this video that all their tools are.

Received the product today from China. Tool is a knockoff Klein tool and doesn't have the Klein logo anywhere on the product. The description lists it as a VDV226-011-SEN however this product has a product # of HT-N5684R. I am trying to return them now for a full refund without even opening. Klein tools work but I can't take a chance on these. Seems like a total scam....

These crimpers came from China and do not say Klein Tools anywhere on them. You can tell they are not genuine as well. Only buy them from a seller here in the USA or your home improvement store so you know you are getting the real deal.I tried these out and they do not work crimping RJ-47 heads. Will try to return and hope shipping back to China isn't expensive.

Ratcheting mechanism is playing up meaning it always jams and release has to be used every time, other times ratchet doesn't work at all. Prior to this I would have given it a good rating. It probably only did 100 - 150 crimps before it started playing up. Disappointing as expect good quality from klein

Seems cheap and a knockoff or fake because its flimsy. Would rather have greenlee or atp. Klein quality sucks now