Daniels DMC AFM8 lower range aircraft avionics crimp tool, $.50

Made in the U.S.A. by the Daniels Manufacturing Corporation, this specialty tool is widely used in the aviation industry to crimp electrical ends onto wiring in aircraft instruments. Just playing with this tool, you can tell that it's nothing like those little hand crimp tools used in most consumer applications.

When you squeeze the handle on the DMC AFM8 crimp tool, you notice that the tool employs a 'ratcheting' action, which actually crimps the fastener onto the wire a bit at a time, over numerous squeezes of the handle. This tells me that just like a car jack, the tool is designed to accomplish an enormous task, one stroke at a time. And as you can imagine, this tool translates squeezes of the handle into lots of compressive force to make some fantastically strong connections between the wire and the connector. Incredible power that you can slip into your pocket isn't cheap.

You must be aeare of the fact that anything used in the aviation industry is going to cost lots of money, simply because it has to be made to the highest possible standards. Aviation tools intended for use on aircraft avionics and electrical systems can be such a great opportunity for you, because few people outside of that specific industry even know what the heck they are!  

I can't speak for you, but I can't ever recall seeing these tools at my local Walmart. This tool just didn't look like it belonged in the 'fifty cent' pile of tools at the yard sale where I found it, but I'm sure glad it was there. This tool sells for over $250 new and is still quite popular, so I shouldn't have much trouble recouping my half dollar investment.

This Daniels Manufacturing Corporation DMC AFM8 lower range crimp tool sold on eBay for $113.