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Hydraulic crimping tool buying guide

Updated: October 2026

You are looking at a yellow case on amazon.co.uk whose title says hydraulic, 10 ton, and a cable size, while another listing is a U, TH or V jaw for pipe. This hydraulic crimping tool buying guide settles that split before any brand. Choose the joint, then the die family, then the force, and only then a row on the [hydraulic crimping pliers comparison](/hub/pliers/hydraulic-crimping-pliers). Products Compared compared these amazon.co.uk listings on 16 October 2026, with no laboratory test. A purchase through our links can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You are looking at a yellow case on amazon.co.uk whose title says hydraulic, 10 ton, and a cable size, while another listing is a U, TH or V jaw for pipe.

Our top picks

AMZCNC AMZCNC YKQ-70 hand hydraulic cable-lug crimper

Best overall

AMZCNC AMZCNC YKQ-70 hand hydraulic cable-lug crimper
9.2/10about £39.78
View offer
Solsop Solsop hydraulic hex crimper 4–70 mm²

Preis-Tipp

Solsop Solsop hydraulic hex crimper 4–70 mm²
8.8/10about £36.54
View offer
Vrietina Vrietina V and TH hydraulic pipe press

Alternative

Vrietina Vrietina V and TH hydraulic pipe press
7.8/10about £99.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Cable lug, pipe press, or neither
  2. 2.Size, metal and how often you crimp
  3. 3.What the £32–£41 kits do not include
  4. 4.When the buy is a hire or a named system

Cable lug, pipe press, or neither

Three families share this search, and only one belongs in the basket for a given joint. A cable kit uses hex dies on a copper or aluminium lug. A pipe press uses a shaped jaw on a press-fit fitting. Cembre splits the choice by connector type, then by how many joints you make. If the jaw you need is U, TH or V, a hex die will not form that contour. The scope we are using from BS 7609 starts at 10 mm² copper and 16 mm² aluminium. Below that, a small ratchet is the usual tool, not a hydraulic head. Once you are above that floor, Express Electrical’s point still holds: the lug and the tool should be a matched pair, not a random barrel from the lid. The stroke and the finished hex are on how to use a hydraulic crimping tool.

Size, metal and how often you crimp

The eight cable kits in this snapshot cluster on a 4–70 mm² copper claim. That window covers many leisure-battery and inverter lugs, which is the hydraulic crimper for battery cable page, and it does not cover 95 mm² or 120 mm² tails. Solsop, Faankiton and the Growlush YQK-70 stop aluminium at 50 mm² while copper is printed to 70 mm². If the conductor is aluminium, read that second line before you treat 70 as the limit for every metal. Force is the next filter, and the headline is not a certificate. Cable listings shout 10 ton. The pipe tools quote about 80 kN or up to 100 kN. Do not treat 10 ton as a tested 98 kN. The stored specification block for AMZCNC does not record a force figure at all. Buy the head whose dies match your lug.
AMZCNC AMZCNC YKQ-70 hand hydraulic cable-lug crimper

Testsieger

AMZCNC AMZCNC YKQ-70 hand hydraulic cable-lug crimper
9.2/10about £39.78
View offer

What the £32–£41 kits do not include

On the stored 16 October 2026 snapshot the eight cable kits sat between £32.29 and £40.99. The two pipe tools were £68.88 and £99.99. That cable band buys a hand pump, hex dies, and usually a case. It does not buy a calibration certificate or a guarantee that the engraved die matches the conductor. Reviews on TEENO, Faankiton, Solsop and the Growlush YQK-70 describe dies that sit loose. Every figure here is that snapshot, not a locked price. Who has the strongest review base, and which cheaper kit still does the same cable job, is the best hydraulic crimping tool page. A yellow case and a 10 ton sticker are not evidence that the die and the barrel were designed together.

When the buy is a hire or a named system

Cablectrix lists the Cembre HT131-C at £1,385 ex VAT and the HT45-E at £881 ex VAT, for work up to 400 mm². ETS describes the HT131-C as 10–400 mm² with a calibration certificate, and the dies are extra. Those prices are context, not a tenth row. If the cable is above 70 mm², if the work is a mains meter tail, or if the fitting is on a gas pipe, this amazon.co.uk set is the wrong buy. Hire a calibrated trade tool, or call the person who may sign that joint off. For leisure-battery lugs inside the printed copper range, settle family, metal and size first.

Common questions

Do I need hydraulic pliers or a small ratchet?
Hydraulic pliers are for the larger lugs this family is built around. Below the BS 7609 floor we are using, 10 mm² copper and 16 mm² aluminium, a small ratchet is the usual tool. A small die in the case does not turn a bootlace ferrule into a hydraulic job.
Is 4–70 mm² enough for my cable?
It is enough when the copper sits inside that window and any aluminium sits inside the narrower line, often 50 mm². It is not enough for 95 mm², 120 mm² or a 400 mm² trade lug. Measure the cable, then read both metal lines on the die.
What is the difference between 80 kN and 10 ton?
10 ton is a headline on many cable kits. About 80 kN, or up to 100 kN, is printed on the pipe tools. We do not treat 10 ton as a tested 98 kN. Use the finished joint, not the slogan on the lid.
Should I buy a manual pump or a battery tool?
A manual pump suits a handful of lugs. ITS and Total Connections point a battery tool at a full day or at overhead work. The £32–£41 kits here are manual.
Will a cable kit press underfloor pipe?
No. A hex cable die closes a lug. Underfloor and multilayer pipe need the jaw letter the fitting states, usually U, TH or V, and those jaws are a different listing. Matching the letter is the pipe-or-cable page. Using the cable kit because it was cheaper is how a loop fails to hold.
Does a cheap kit replace a calibrated trade tool?
Not when the joint needs a certificate, a named lug system, or a conductor above 70 mm². A kit near £40 can close a leisure-battery lug if you inspect it. It does not stand in for a calibrated Cembre system.

Related pages

Pipe press tool or cable crimper

Hydraulic crimping pliers

Hydraulic crimper for battery cable: dies and lugs

Best hydraulic crimping tool: review volume, faults

How to use a hydraulic crimping tool, step by step

Sources

Public UK sources checked for this comparison, plus the amazon.co.uk listing facts in the display file on 15 October 2026. Shelf prices and star lines are those UK figures. A later public snippet put the Solsop ASIN at £44.06, so the table price is the snapshot, not a promise.

  1. BSI, BS 7609:1992+A2:2009, code of practice for uninsulated connectors (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  2. IET Wiring Matters: will any old terminal block do? (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  3. ETS Cable Components: cable crimping and BS 7609 (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  4. E-Tech Components: crimping mistakes and good practice (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  5. HSE: fluid injection from hydraulic equipment (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  6. GOV.UK: General Product Safety Regulations 2005 (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  7. Z-Press: U, TH, V and M press-fit jaw profiles (retrieved 15 October 2026)