LANshack: A strong grip on hand-held tools

Hand tools and hand-held testers for low-voltage use continue to evolve in order to provide increased performance.

By Dan Carazo

Fortunately for the makers of network tools and instruments, there's been a definite increase in demand for their products from 2009 to 2010. "There has been an across-the-board increase in demand after purchasing was delayed in 2009 in all tool markets. Tools are being purchased now in order for work to move forward," said Matt Wil­lard, product market manager, application tooling, for Thomas & Betts. He noted that this increase has been driven by user demand, as op­posed to distributors replenishing stock. "There's more demand for lighter cordless, battery-powered tools, especially for crimping and cutting cables," he added. "A steady trend moving from manual tools to power tools is undeniable. Customers need re­peatable, consistent results and are demanding greater reliability, lighter weight, more compact size, and better safety and ergonomic performance."

Martha Kness, vice president of marketing for Greenlee, a Textron company, said that the company has also seen steady growth in its hand tools, including those designed for the VDV market. "As the residential housing market starts to re­bound, we are seeing an in­crease in the sales of all hand tools, as well as hole-making products such as auger bits and hole saws," said Kness.

Despite the soft economy, the video surveillance market has witnessed continued demand driving growth for CCTV/security system testers. "These hand-held devices allow the installer to test, aim, focus, and program cameras when working alone," said Dan Payerle, business unit manager, data­com test, for IDEAL Industries. "Testers eliminate the need for a second person to be stationed in the control room to verify functionality of each camera that is installed."

John Olobri, director of sales and marketing for AEMC, expects the U.S. market for the company's hand-held testers will prove positive in 2010. "Testers with the ability to store test results and print reports through the PC are growing fastest among instrument types," he said, adding that the most popular tester tools provide data storage and retrieval via wireless means. "These hand-held testers save time and eliminate errors resulting from illegible handwriting and transposition of numbers," he noted.

Tony Casazza, president of startup company QuickTreX www.quicktrex.com, a manufacturer of cabling, connectivity, and network components, expects tester capabilities to increase significantly while product price points decline. Casazza predicts the lines between certification, qualification, and verification testers will blur.

"Less costly testers will offer more advanced features," he said. "Up until now, a handful of companies offered certification testers starting around $5,000. Many offer qualification testers that do not certify a cable to a certain EIA/TIA standard. However, soon verification testers will provide advanced features like ‘distance to fault,' presence of cross-talk interference, and split pair detection for under $200.

"We see continued popularity for relatively inexpensive four-pair (Cat 5 and Cat 6) verification-type testers that have multiple remotes and calculate length and distance to fault, as well as tone and trace units that are ideal for alarm and security," he continued.

Tool manufacturers are beginning to offer crimpers specifically designed to work with the new snagless-style plugs, which are designed with features that significantly reduce the possibility of the retainer tab breaking. "Snagless plugs cost a nominal amount more than standard plugs, but they easily pay for themselves with fewer callbacks to replace broken plugs while raising the performance standards of field-terminated cables," Kness noted.

A worthwhile investment

Jim Crunk, broadband communications product group director for Thomas & Betts, noted that in many cases the installers for numerous VDV applications tend to hold on to their tools past their life expectancy. "The blades wear out on prep tools and the calibration of other tools needs to be checked after years of use," he said. "Tools are the craftsmen's lifelines. Why put your career at stake for a $50 tool? Investing in new tools is a career investment."

Payerle pointed out the importance of using the proper tools for cutting, stripping, and crimping the connector. "A majority of VDV malfunction problems are directly linked to poor termination. Electricians who are moving into VDV need to carefully select the tools they buy to ensure they are designed for specific cable types."