Question for you Electricians: What Electrical Connector and Components Do You Recommend?

[Bassman]

Question for all you electricians... What brand electrical connectors, terminals and heat shrink do you all recommend? All relatively small wire applications (10-22 AWG) for boat, truck and marine applications. I'd rather spend a little more per component rather than potentially have a bad connection that I have to diagnose. However, I have a hard time differentiating between various brands on Amazon and what is actually a "quality" component vs. mass produced junk. For what it's worth, I typically prefer using uninsulated connectors/terminals + dielectric grease + heat shrink. The Wirefy brand (link) caught my eye, seems to be a USA owned company and the description claims they are "thicker" connectors. Anyone have any experience with their wiring components or crimpers? The ratchet crimpers with interchangeable dies caught my eye.

Looking for recommendations (brand specific) on connectors, terminals and dual walled heat shrink from the experts. Any tips on how to differentiate and weed through the options would be much appreciated!

 

[GSPHUNTER]

Where ever possible I prefer to solder connections then use quality electrical tape, or heat shrink. Other than that I will go with heat shrink butt splice connectors. I use 3M Scitchlok heat shrink seamless connectors.

 

[NRA4LIFE]

For marine applications, especially salt water, familiarize yourself with liquid electrical tape, the white stuff.

 

[Marshfly]

Ancor is the gold standard. Terminal connectors from Customcableusa.com are fantastic for the price however.
You can get connectors with built in heat shrink with internal glue from both. That's what you want for wet locations.

 

[Holeintheheadgang]

I saw these on Amazon and tried them.
Worked well, solder melts easily before shrink tubing burns up with a small butane lighter.
Wired in some LED headlights on an ATV.
So far so good.

 

[Bassman]

For marine applications, especially salt water, familiarize yourself with liquid electrical tape, the white stuff.

Interesting, was not familiar with this. Is this used instead of heat shrink or in addition to?

Is this what you are taking about: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000QUOOPQ/ref=twister_B0C6HPHCT5

 

[Weldor]

Kimball midwest sells some nice assortments in drawers, they have standard and heat shink connectors.

 

[CCooper]

I have had great luck with Lawson brand terminal connections with the built-in heat shrink.

 

[Z Barebow]

Where ever possible I prefer to solder connections then use quality electrical tape, or heat shrink. Other than that I will go with heat shrink butt splice connectors. I use 3M Scitchlok heat shrink seamless connectors.

+1. Anything exposed to the elements I solder & heatshrink/tape. With connectors outside, it is not a matter if you need to repair, just a matter of how long it takes before it fails.

 

[gbflyer]

I saw these on Amazon and tried them.
Worked well, solder melts easily before shrink tubing burns up with a small butane lighter.
Wired in some LED headlights on an ATV.
So far so good.

Solder sleeves are solid products. Sometimes awkward to use in certain situations but when you can they are great.

 

[NRA4LIFE]

Interesting, was not familiar with this. Is this used instead of heat shrink or in addition to?

Is this what you are taking about: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000QUOOPQ/ref=twister_B0C6HPHCT5

I use it in addition to the solder sleeves or heat shrink wraps. But yes, that is what I was referring to.

 

[The_Jim]

Not the same but similar problems - When we do repairs on direct burial underground wire we:
1. Crimp
2. Tape with 3M black “33”
3. Heat shrink
4. Coat with a product called scotchkote. Don’t get it on anything you care about. It doesn’t come off.


You will probably get better products from an electrical wholesaler than you will from an auto parts store or Amazon.

https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/p/d/b40046251/

 

[11boo]

Ancor is the gold standard. Terminal connectors from Customcableusa.com are fantastic for the price however.
You can get connectors with built in heat shrink with internal glue from both. That's what you want for wet locations.

Those are all great. The cheap stuff rarely lasts. Just be sure to size properly to the stranded wire.

 

[Marshfly]

And if it's on a vehicle used in harsh conditions pay the little extra for fully tinned wire. Great connectors on regular bare copper wire is waste of money.

 

[shader112]

I use WAGO connectors at work and started using them around the house and on my boat. I put some dielectric grease in there before sticking the wires in and have had good luck. Quick and easy, and great for troubleshooting down the road just flip the top and wire comes right out

WAGO - Wire Connectors & Wire Terminals - Wire & Conduit Tools - The Home Depot

Get free shipping on qualified WAGO Wire Connectors & Wire Terminals products or Buy Online Pick Up in Store today in the Electrical Department.

www.homedepot.com

 

[displacedtexan]

Solder is great, it definitely has its place because of the solid bond.

Vibration is hard on solid bonds though. That's why OEM stuff is crimped.

 

[GSPHUNTER]

Solder is great, it definitely has its place because of the solid bond.

Vibration is hard on solid bonds though. That's why OEM stuff is crimped.

The wire has enough flex to eliminate and concern with connection due to vibration vibration.

 

[taskswap]

The wire has enough flex to eliminate and concern with connection due to vibration vibration.

Interestingly, there are actually MIL STD specs on wiring in high vibration environments that forbid the use of solder especially with stranded wire. In the experimental aviation community this is one of the first things taught for wiring a self-built aircraft. The solder can wick along the wires and extend the stress point out along the wire to a point where it's unsupported. That spot where it goes from rigid to flexible can stress-crack over time and lead to failures. It doesn't even have to be a total break. Just breaking a strand or two can reduce the overall ampacity of the wire and potentially even cause a fire due to local heating.

Solder is a rigid connection best used in rigid environments, like on circuit boards. I am personally a fan of those solder crimps as well and regularly use them in places where I shouldn't because let's face it, I'm going to tug the heck out of my trailer wires all the time, and if they last 3-5 years I'm way ahead of my average. But OP was asking for the best recommendations so from that perspective I guess a decent list would possibly be something like:

Wago - for Romex connections in a junction box in a light fixture or house. Electricians are having religious wars over these, especially since Leviton and others introduced this style directly in their outlets (and electricians were already having a war over "stab" connections so this was just more fun around the campfire)

Sealed crimp pin connectors - for automotive and trailer where you need a disconnect. Molex Mate-n-Lock, TE, Deutsch, these run hundreds of $ but you can find generics on Amazon almost as good. I love these and redid my truck with them recently but they're pretty overkill for something like a trailer.

Solder - Anywhere a wire connects to a board and will have vibration support PAST where the solder can wick, usually at least a half inch away. Simple, fast, cheap, and less prone to corrosion than other options.

Solder Sleeve - If you just need it to work fast, and you're tired of electrical tape. I do all my trailer harnesses with these even though you're not supposed to use them there. Get the adhesive-sealant kind. That adds vibration support and makes them waterproof. Worth the extra dollar or two per kit. These are PERFECT for emergency repairs because they're fast and melt at a low temp so even a lighter is usually enough to melt them. I keep a small baggie in every one of my vehicle gloveboxes/toolkits.

Crimp sleeve - oldies but goodies, they work fine and there's nothing wrong with them. The biggest mistake most folks make is trying to crimp them with pliers. Get the tool, it's worth it. To make a gas-tight seal you need to deform not just the sleeve itself but also the strands of copper getting crimped. It's really hard to do this properly with pliers because you need a sort of rounded surface pressing on the connector to do it right, it's not just about strength. Even a cheap harbor freight crimper is better than pliers.

Twist and electrical tape - hey, it's not "wrong", it's just "ghetto." It does work in a pinch...

I personally wouldn't use dielectric grease on a connection like this. It's meant to protect pins in terminals, not wire connections themselves. I'd rather use an adhesive solder sleeve even if it was "wrong" on paper.

 

[displacedtexan]

The wire has enough flex to eliminate and concern with connection due to vibration vibration.

That must be why so many engine manufacturers use soldered connections.