I shopped around quite a bit before settling on these, and I'm glad I did. When they arrived, I was surprised by the heft, nearly 15 oz. This indicated that they were probably pretty well built, and, after using them, that seems to be true. Most of its competitors in this price range seem to be flat, die-stamped, single-walled tools that I was concerned might splay while making crimps. I can't see how this tool would ever splay. The handles and body are very heavy duty and the dies seem to be solid cast metal.

There are YouTubes on best Molex crimping practices, but I'll just say this: When crimping, lightly put the Molex pin in the die of the tool first (with the "open" part of the pin facing up). Trying to put the wire in the pin first and then putting it into the tool without the wire falling back out will drive you crazy. Put the insulation-holding side of the pin in the left side of the die (if you look at the jaws, you will see that the left side of the upper and lower dies is wider). Squeeze the jaws until they release and you'll have a crimped pin.

The only problem I have found is that some sizes and types of pins will stay stuck in the die after crimping. When this happens, I simply twist a wide-bladed screwdriver just above the pin so that it pries the pin out. I can do this in just a couple of seconds, so it hardly slows things down at all. In a high-production environment, this might be an annoyance. I took off half a star for this.

I've used this tool only for Molex pins and have wasted zero pins. I've also seen YouTubes of people using this tool for Dupont connections, and they seemed to have no trouble. I'm not sure why some reviewers are having trouble. And no, this is NOT a fake review. I don't understand why the ad for this tool says it can be used for D-Sub. I don't see how this tool could possibly be used for D-Sub, which requires an all-around crimp.

Yes, saying "with interchangeable die set" is misleading, but I knew this from other reviews before I bought it. They are sold with that wording all over the Internet. Somebody needs to wake up and change the wording. I've taken off half a star for this continuing miswording of the ad. What they mean is "replaceable die set." If you look at the manufacturer's web sight, google Hanlong, you will see that they show the various dies but give no indication of where they can be purchased. Searching for "crimper die set" on Amazon shows various dies that look like they might fit, but who knows?

I'm happy with the HT-225D crimping tool because all of the crimps I've made are good, solid connections with the insulation also held tightly, and all of the pins have fit into the Molex connectors perfectly.

I shopped around quite a bit before settling on these, and I'm glad I did. When they arrived, I was surprised by the heft, nearly 15 oz. This indicated that they were probably pretty well built, and, after using them, that seems to be true. Most of its competitors in this price range seem to be flat, die-stamped, single-walled tools that I was concerned might splay while making crimps. I can't see how this tool would ever splay. The handles and body are very heavy duty and the dies seem to be solid cast metal.

There are YouTubes on best Molex crimping practices, but I'll just say this: When crimping, lightly put the Molex pin in the die of the tool first (with the "open" part of the pin facing up). Trying to put the wire in the pin first and then putting it into the tool without the wire falling back out will drive you crazy. Put the insulation-holding side of the pin in the left side of the die (if you look at the jaws, you will see that the left side of the upper and lower dies is wider). Squeeze the jaws until they release and you'll have a crimped pin.

The only problem I have found is that some sizes and types of pins will stay stuck in the die after crimping. When this happens, I simply twist a wide-bladed screwdriver just above the pin so that it pries the pin out. I can do this in just a couple of seconds, so it hardly slows things down at all. In a high-production environment, this might be an annoyance. I took off half a star for this.

I've used this tool only for Molex pins and have wasted zero pins. I've also seen YouTubes of people using this tool for Dupont connections, and they seemed to have no trouble. I'm not sure why some reviewers are having trouble. And no, this is NOT a fake review. I don't understand why the ad for this tool says it can be used for D-Sub. I don't see how this tool could possibly be used for D-Sub, which requires an all-around crimp.

Yes, saying "with interchangeable die set" is misleading, but I knew this from other reviews before I bought it. They are sold with that wording all over the Internet. Somebody needs to wake up and change the wording. I've taken off half a star for this continuing miswording of the ad. What they mean is "replaceable die set." If you look at the manufacturer's web sight, google Hanlong, you will see that they show the various dies but give no indication of where they can be purchased. Searching for "crimper die set" on Amazon shows various dies that look like they might fit, but who knows?

I'm happy with the HT-225D crimping tool because all of the crimps I've made are good, solid connections with the insulation also held tightly, and all of the pins have fit into the Molex connectors perfectly.

It could be a 2-4 star tool, depending on your needs. For me it did not work very well.
This is a review of the HT-225D Crimping Tool HT-225D Full Cycle Ratchet Crimping Tool with interchangeable die set HT-225D

4 stars for the ratcheting tool frame.
2 stars for the die

The ratchet mechanism is not one of the problems. It works very well, though the ratchet release could be easier to work for early release when needed with one hand. That would avoid over crimping without resetting and readjusting the crimp stop depth when changing wire gauge or insulation thickness. That is a pretty minor issue though. The ratchet mechanism overall would get a 4 stars for function and 4.5-to 5 if the depth and/or release were easier to control/change..

Using Molex open barrel pins there are a few problems.

The real issue is the die set. The surface finish on the die set where the tool crimps and contacts the wire/pin is too rough and frequently grabs the edges of the metal and rotates the pins resulting in an undesirable crimp. Often I need to secure the position of the wire/pin with another pair of needle nose pliers or very firm finger pressure.

It also does not have camel-hump face on the top to re-curve the pin tabs back into the wire/jacket so they are not as secure as they could be when using other crimpers. With only two crimp size options you might or might not have the right size for your needs. Some Molex pins are $0.75+ per pin so mistakes and poor crimps can add up. The IWISS Dupont Professional Pin Compression Ratcheting Tool (sold under various names) IWISS Dupont Professional Pin Compression Ratcheting Modular Insulated Terminal Crimper Pin Crimping Tool 2.54mm 3.96mm 28-18AWG 0.1-1.0mm2 with Wire-electrode Cutting Die is the same price generally, has 3 crimp size combinations instead of 2 and the die set has tighter tolerances and a smoother finish on the crimp faces. It also shapes the crimp much more like the actual OEM Molex crimp tools and the wire seems harder to pull free in my testing.

I also did not see replacement dies for other types of crimps being very available as others commented for the HT-225D.

So there is my experience with this tool.

It could be a 2-4 star tool, depending on your needs. For me it did not work very well.
This is a review of the HT-225D Crimping Tool HT-225D Full Cycle Ratchet Crimping Tool with interchangeable die set HT-225D

4 stars for the ratcheting tool frame.
2 stars for the die

The ratchet mechanism is not one of the problems. It works very well, though the ratchet release could be easier to work for early release when needed with one hand. That would avoid over crimping without resetting and readjusting the crimp stop depth when changing wire gauge or insulation thickness. That is a pretty minor issue though. The ratchet mechanism overall would get a 4 stars for function and 4.5-to 5 if the depth and/or release were easier to control/change..

Using Molex open barrel pins there are a few problems.

The real issue is the die set. The surface finish on the die set where the tool crimps and contacts the wire/pin is too rough and frequently grabs the edges of the metal and rotates the pins resulting in an undesirable crimp. Often I need to secure the position of the wire/pin with another pair of needle nose pliers or very firm finger pressure.

It also does not have camel-hump face on the top to re-curve the pin tabs back into the wire/jacket so they are not as secure as they could be when using other crimpers. With only two crimp size options you might or might not have the right size for your needs. Some Molex pins are $0.75+ per pin so mistakes and poor crimps can add up. The IWISS Dupont Professional Pin Compression Ratcheting Tool (sold under various names) IWISS Dupont Professional Pin Compression Ratcheting Modular Insulated Terminal Crimper Pin Crimping Tool 2.54mm 3.96mm 28-18AWG 0.1-1.0mm2 with Wire-electrode Cutting Die is the same price generally, has 3 crimp size combinations instead of 2 and the die set has tighter tolerances and a smoother finish on the crimp faces. It also shapes the crimp much more like the actual OEM Molex crimp tools and the wire seems harder to pull free in my testing.

I also did not see replacement dies for other types of crimps being very available as others commented for the HT-225D.

So there is my experience with this tool.

Does not do clean crimps on the official Molex mini fit jr. pins, regardless of whether the pins are male or female. Yes, I do know how to make proper crimps. I ordered another crimping tool from a PC modding site and the crimping ridge was much more pronounced, leaving me with a proper crimp, whereas this one I ordered here on Amazon did not.