Pro tip: I used to think fiber splicing tools were overpriced...

For years I was dead set on doing all my fiber terminations with mechanical connectors and a cheap cleaver. Figured the $3000 fusion splicer was just for the big guys who wanted to show off. Then last month I had a job in Phoenix where I had to do 48 terminations in a crawl space. After 12 bad mechanical splices and a lot of cussing, my buddy loaned me his old Sumitomo. First try, 0.03db loss, took me 45 seconds. I literally just sat there staring at the thing. Now I'm looking at used ones on eBay for around $1500 and kicking myself for wasting so much time on cheap gear. Any of you guys run a budget splicer that actually holds up?

2 comments

2 Comments

miller.eva17d ago

That line about "feeling like an idiot" hits home for me. It's the same pattern I see everywhere in my life - I'll fight with a cheap wrench or a dull kitchen knife for YEARS before finally buying the good one and realizing I just wasted all that time being stubborn. Sometimes spending money IS the smart move, it's just hard to wrap your head around.

gavin8017d ago

I was exactly the same, thought the expensive splicers were just flexing. Then I borrowed a Fujikura for a big job and felt like an idiot for all the time I wasted fighting with cheap connectors.