🔧 Gardner Bender GS-388 Electrical Pliers, Crimper & Cutter: Comfort Grip, 8 in. Hand Tool for Aluminum & Copper Wire (Red) Review

The thoughts that went into this tool came from people who obviously use it. The crimper is on the cutting side of the pliers, which makes handling much easier. This is also the full width of the tool, resulting in a better crimp. Convenient thumb closure for easy opening and closing. Not difficult to use like some other tools. Cuts, peels and bends with no problems. It's very hard to pull on the wire when stripping, so you have a good grip on it. I would buy another of the same GS-388 if I…

Three observations on the block of pliers, crimping and cutting tools. First off, it's half to a third the price of some others, but these others are really worth the extra price. Why? Reliability. They're pretty gross. They were "finished" on a very rough sanding belt and it really shows. The main problem, however, is that they don't crimp red (22 to 18 AWG) insulated connectors securely. Squeeze them tightly until the pliers go all the way down and the wires (yes, the right size) pop right…

This won't bother most and may seem insignificant but I bought this set over others because of the handle style. I prefer the old school style grip scales over the cheap plastic grips used on most modern models. I was surprised that the picture shown on this article is not the correct pliers. Please refer to the attached image for the correct style or visit the UK website: http://www.gardnerbender.com/en/gs-388. Also, as mentioned, the top processing is not perfect. There is a slight…

I can't find my pliers. A wonderful old set that my father used. My son probably used them and didn't send them back so I ordered different tongs. They are very similar to my dad's old set. Much better than the cheap crimpers I have as a backup. They provide a strong crimp by actually fusing the wires to the fitting. They offer great connectivity and are easy to use. I still want my dad's pair back, but these are at least as good, maybe a little better. I use them for insulated and…

I had a reliable GB crimping tool (same base model as this) for about 20 years which worked great but eventually wore out and needed replacing. I ordered it expecting it to be the same. However, when I received it, I encountered the same problem as the others: the jaws are severely misaligned and not suitable for crimping. I was very disappointed with this and expected the same quality tool that I have trusted for years. At first I thought it might even be fake. Not sure what happened to GB…

This is a Chinese made product in the PRC (Mainland) and unfortunately the workmanship isn't as good as my others in the US or Taiwan manufactured instruments (China). However, the kit I received had dies that were aligned and spaced the correct distance apart to properly crimp the various wire connectors I use in my HVAC classes and home repair jobs. The length and balance suit my hand and I love it. This is enough to give me the ability to put "good" crimps on the connectors. I've found that…

I use the GB GS-388 8 inch electric crimp tool at work. I bought these pliers to connect short ground wires deep in the back of a switch or outlet. with non-insulated crimp sleeves (splice tabs). But at the back of the box, that's not always practical. The crimp on my previous crimping tool was 1.125 inches from the nose. I wanted the crimping tool to go deeper into the box. 0.825 inches from the nose. That extra 0.25 inch makes a difference. Please note that use of this crimp tool with crimp…

After about 45 years I seem to have lost sight of my Thomas & Betts WT111M crimping machine and rather than keep looking for it and never get new cables on my trailer brakes I went to an inexpensive alternative. ..hope my missing pliers will show up again one day. The only minor criticism I have of them is that the shorter handles require a little more compression than the longer handles on my missing T&B crimper. Otherwise they do their job and the pliers/cutter at the top was very helpful…