Overheard an old timer at the supply house say he never uses impact drivers on coax fittings

I was grabbing some RG6 connectors this morning and this guy in his 60s was telling a newbie that impacts just crush the compression fittings. He said he's been doing this for 25 years and always uses a hand tool to tighten things... never had a call back. I thought about it and realized he's probably right. I've had a few fittings crack on me after a year or so and I bet that's why. Has anyone else switched to hand tightening and seen fewer issues down the road?

2 comments

2 Comments

brian_kelly916d ago

Oh man, I've been guilty of the same thing. I used an impact on some coax connectors once and my boss at the time just stared at me like I'd lost my mind. Now I'm extra careful about hand tightening.

williamd705d ago

@brian_kelly91 coax is actually 50 ohm, so impacts wreck the impedance for sure.