6 Best RJ45 Crimpers in 2026 (Kits Tested and Compared)

This is the only kit here that can complete an entire structured wiring job, and the reason is the 110/88 punch down tool included alongside the crimper.

That single addition changes what the kit can do. With it you can terminate keystone jacks at every wall plate and punch down a patch panel in the rack, which is how permanent runs should be finished. Without it you can only crimp plugs, which is the wrong termination for in wall cable.

The crimper itself handles 4, 6 and 8 position modular connectors, covering RJ11 and RJ12 telephone plugs as well as RJ45, and works with both standard and pass through plugs on STP or UTP cable.

The stripping suite is unusually complete: a coaxial stripper, a round cable stripper, a flat cable stripper, cutters and mini cutters. The coax stripper is worth noting, because home network work frequently overlaps with television and satellite cabling, and a proper coax stripper is much better than improvising.

Everything sits in a moulded case with protective padding, which matters if the tools travel. Loose tools in a bag blunt each other’s blades.

The kit ships with only 10 connectors and 10 boots, which is far fewer than the 50 in cheaper kits. Buy a jar of 100 connectors separately, which is what you would want anyway, and treat the included ten as a starter set.

For making patch cables, this is the kit that gets the details right without charging for extras you will not use.

The AWG range is the widest here at 23 to 28. That upper end matters more than it looks: 23 AWG is what Cat 6 solid bulk cable uses, and a crimper whose jaws are sized only for thinner stranded cable will not seat a 23 AWG plug properly. If you bought bulk cable for in wall runs, this handles it.

Both a spare crimping blade and a spare stripping blade are included. Blades are consumable, they dull faster than people expect, and a dull crimping blade produces exactly the ragged flush cut that stops a plug seating. Having replacements in the box means the tool stays useful past the first fifty crimps.

Fifty Cat 6 pass through connectors and fifty boots come with it, which is enough for 25 patch cables. The tester covers continuity, opens and shorts across RJ45, RJ11 and RJ12.

The 18 month support period is longer than most, and Brileine responds to queries, which is not universal in this category.

What it lacks is a punch down tool and a case. If you are only making patch leads, neither matters.

At $23.99 this is the cheapest complete kit here, and the build is better than the price suggests.

The body is heavy duty steel with a black oxide finish, which is a genuine rust and corrosion treatment rather than paint. For a tool that lives in a damp garage or a van, that matters. Cheap crimpers with plated finishes develop surface rust that eventually stiffens the pivot.

It handles Cat5e, Cat6 and Cat6a plugs including shielded ones, though the listing notes it is not compatible with AMP connectors specifically, which use a different profile.

The included tester has a scanning function alongside continuity testing. That lets you identify which cable is which in a bundle, by putting the remote on one end and sweeping the other unit along the cables. Anyone who has stood at a patch panel with twelve unlabelled cables will know why that is worth having.

Blades are high quality replaceable steel, though unlike the Brileine no spares are included in the box.

The main compromise is quantity: 20 connectors and 20 boots rather than 50. That is enough for ten patch cables, so budget for a jar of connectors if you have a real project.

Shielded connectors have a metal body with a dovetail clip that grips the cable screen, and crimping one properly requires jaws shaped for it. Most crimpers deform the metal body instead of closing the clip, which breaks the shield connection you paid for.

This Solsop kit is specified for exactly that, handling both shielded and unshielded modular plugs and calling out pass through plugs with metal dovetail clips. If your project uses shielded cable, this is the one that will terminate it correctly.

It also covers the widest cable range here, from Cat5 through Cat7, plus RJ11 and RJ12.

The tester is upgraded over the units in the cheaper kits, with a stated range of 300 metres. That is well beyond the 100 metre Ethernet limit, which sounds pointless until you are testing a long run that has been coiled, spliced or extended and you want to confirm continuity end to end regardless.

Fifty connectors and fifty boots are included, along with a mini wire stripper and a manual.

At $34.59 you are paying about $6 over the Brileine for shielded capability and a better tester. If your cable is unshielded, which for most homes it should be, that money buys you nothing and the Brileine is the better choice.

For twenty pence over the budget kit, this adds a carrying case, more tools and the consumables you actually run out of.

The adjustable blade depth is the feature worth understanding. Different connector brands sit fractionally differently in the jaws, and a fixed depth blade that cuts perfectly with one brand can leave stubs with another. Being able to adjust it means you are not locked to the connectors that came in the box.

The tool list is generous: pass through crimper, cable tester, wire stripper, mini cable stripper, cutter, diagonal pliers, 50 connectors, 50 boots, replacement blades and 100 cable ties. The diagonal pliers and cable ties are the things people forget to buy and then need immediately when dressing cables into a rack.

Anti slip handles with a safety lock keep the jaws closed in transit, which stops the blade edges being damaged in a toolbag and stops the tool snagging on everything.

Replacement blades are included, matching the Brileine on the one consumable that matters.

It has no punch down tool, so like most kits here it is a patch cable kit rather than a structured wiring kit. But for the price it is the most equipped of those.

The detail that makes this kit worth considering is small and genuinely useful: the T568A and T568B wiring diagram is printed on the tool itself.

Wire order is the thing beginners get wrong, and it is the thing you cannot check from memory reliably. Having the colour sequence on the tool in your hand, rather than on a phone screen that has locked itself while your hands are full of cable, removes the most common source of rework.

The crimper is compact with a non slip grip designed for one handed operation, which matters when you are up a ladder or reaching into a cabinet and your other hand is holding the cable.

Fifty connectors, fifty boots, a tester covering RJ45, RJ11 and RJ12, and a mini cable stripper are included, with replacement blades available separately.

It is the plainest kit here, without a case, spare blades or extra pliers. What it does, it does without fuss, and the printed diagram is the kind of small design decision that suggests the maker has actually used one.

Against the Brileine at $3 less, you gain the printed diagram and lose the spare blades. That is a fair trade for a first time user, who is more likely to be defeated by wire order than by a dull blade.