Recommended Tools for building a quality solar power system
Do not buy cheap tools. You will thank yourself for years, and building a system will be MUCH EASIER.
Wire Strippers
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Precision Wire Stripper
Highest quality stripper I have owned. If you want to do a perfect job, use this. 8-22 gauge wire Click Here |
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Large Gauge Wire Stripper
Remove insulation on all wires up to 4/0 gauge! I only use it to strip insulation on extremely large wires, and use my automatic wire strippers for smaller wires. Lots of low quality strippers available. Avoid them and get this one. Dial works nicely and gives a perfect strip everytime. Click Here |
Crimpers
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Ratcheting Crimper
Works well for standard size crimp connectors up to 10 gauge wire A required tool for any system. Does not work that well with waterproof connectors. Use the blue crimper to the right instead. Click Here |
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High quality manual force crimper
I use this crimper when I am dealing with a non standard size connector. The long arms provide a lot of leverage and I can usually crimp nearly everything under 8 gauge. Not required if you are build a single system, but a great tool to have around. It can do everything. Click Here |
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Hammer Type Crimper
Can crimp up to 4/0 gauge wire and it works great! I bought a few industrial grade crimp tools for large terminals, and I still use this crimper with a hammer. I love it! Click Here |
Cable Cutters
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Triplett CablCut
Everyone needs these cutters. These are incredible. I use these everyday. Required for most projects. Click Here to Purchase |
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Klein High Leverage Cutter
For cutting large gauge wires. This tool will last forever. Can cut anything. Usually I can get by using the cutters on the left for most wires in solar systems, so this one is not really required unless you are building huge systems. Click Here to Purchase |
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Hakko Micro Cutter
Great for trimming small solder joints/ wire strands etc. Super useful to have around Click Here to Purchase |
Crimp Connectors
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Standard Size Crimp Connector set
There are cheaper crimp connector sets available, but they are junk! Spend the extra money and buy a high quality set of connectors. The cheap chinese ones will fail and I have had it happen before. This is what I currently use: Click Here |
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Large Size Crimp Connector Set
Use this set to connect large wires together, such as inverter or solar charge controller wires. High quality lugs compared to others available at this size. Highly recommend sticking to these. Click Here |
Heat Shrink and Heat Gun
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High quality heat shrink
with Adhesive Protect large and small terminal connector joints with heat shrink. Simply slip some on and heat it up with a heat gun. Click Here |
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Multimeters
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Budget Friendly Option:
This thing has everything! And its super cheap. About ten years ago, if I wanted the features that this meter has, I would have to spend 300 dollars. This thing is almost 20 dollars and has:
Click Here to Purchase |
High quality multimeter
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High quality multimeters can cost hundreds of dollars, but for under 50 dollars, you can have a really nice meter! It is a lot nicer than the meter above, but has the same features. The meter above works great for infrequent use, but if you want a daily use high quality meter, check out this one. I use it everyday and it is amazing!
Click here to purchase |