I use a Weller Solder gun, they have been around for ever. It heats up quick and gets hotter than most small solder irons. All my connectors are soldered on with shrink sleeve over them. No breaks yet in 26 years. I use crimp connectors with the plastic sleeve removed. Bare connectors seems really thin and cheap, the crimp ones are thicker. Once slightly crimped, I solder them, then put shrink sleeve over the connector and down the wire a bit. It protects from shorts, and adds strength to the solar joint so the wires don't bounce and break the solder. Plus it looks much better then a crimp joint. I've been in the school bus repair business for 33 years, I've seen every kind of bad crimp joint you can think of so I've learned how not to make them. Cheap connectors are not worth using, and cheap tools are not worth having. Look at Klien tools, the pliers with two different crimps and end cutters. Also get a good set of Klien strippers, it will make your day go much smoother having good sharp cutters.
Last edited by Joe H; 07/17/2026 11:42 AM.
