Battery lugs

[Tristan Lall]

At one point, Home Depot sold a 24 in crimper with three fixed dies and a bolt cutter for about $40. Critically, one of the dies was the right size for the all-metal crimpable terminals for 6 AWG stranded wire (both ring and Anderson SB). It's the perfect tool for the job, and at that price, it's worth a visit to the tool area of your local 24-hour Home Depot right now.

However, last time I looked, they only had an inferior 18 in one, with fractional-inch-sized dies (which are not quite right), for about the same price. (It's listed as a swaging tool, such as for wire rope connectors.)

Fastenal has a version of the good one, for about $200. For an FRC team, it might not be a good investment at that price point. For more demanding applications, it's still a good deal, because it's ridiculously fast and apparently very reliable.

Also, whatever method you employ, pull hard on the connector and wire after you've finished assembling the cable. There is no shame in it failing now, during assembly; there's lots of shame in the wires falling out of your battery during a match.