Thomas & Betts 15500SS-K15 14 TON SS HEX DIE KIT 15 PIECE

It's a 15 piece set of hex crimping dies rated at 14 ton, sold as one kit (selling unit is each). The dies are for crimping lugs and connectors, so you get a range of hex nests in a single case rather than buying nests one at a time.

No. The 15500SS-K15 dies are 14 ton dies, so they're matched to a 14 ton tool. Dies are sized to the tonnage and die seat of the press they go in, so putting them in a lower-tonnage head won't give you a full, certified crimp. Match the kit to a 14 ton Thomas & Betts head.

Dies only. The 15500SS-K15 is a die kit, 15 hex nests for a 14 ton crimping head. You still need the tool itself, whether that's a hand, battery or hydraulic 14 ton press.

They are aimed at different connector types. The 15500SS-K15 is a 15-piece hex die kit rated for 14 ton tooling, used for crimping lugs and connectors with a hex compression profile. The Greenlee 45509 is a Kwik Cycle interchangeable die set for insulated terminals, so it is matched to insulated ring, fork and butt terminals rather than hex-crimped power lugs. If you are terminating large copper or aluminum lugs, the hex kit is the one that matches; for insulated control-wiring terminals, the insulated-terminal die set is the right family.

Not as a like-for-like replacement. The 15500SS-K15 is a hex die kit rated at 14 ton for lug crimping, with 15 pieces in the set. The Greenlee 45509 is from the Kwik Cycle series and is an interchangeable die set for insulated terminals, a different crimp profile and connector family. Both are interchangeable die sets, but they are not cross-compatible crimp profiles, so match the die set to the connector you are terminating and to the tool platform it seats in.

Hex. Each nest in the 15500SS-K15 kit forms a six-sided compression crimp around the lug barrel, which is what most copper compression lugs and splices specify. If your connector manufacturer calls for an indent or oval crimp instead, this isn't the die set for it.

Thomas & Betts publishes a spec sheet for the 15500SS-K15 kit at https://media.distributordatasolutions.com/ThomasAndBetts/2018q3/af2ff72214602f610f3fb41253fc95ed55027427.pdf. Use that against the connector manufacturer's crimp chart, since the correct nest is determined by the lug, not by the wire alone.

Order manufacturer part number 15500SS-K15 from Thomas & Betts. That single number covers the complete 15 piece kit, sold as one unit.

Yes, for insulated terminals a hex die kit sized to 14 ton tooling is more capability than the work needs. The Thomas & Betts 15500SS-K15 is a 15-piece hex die kit for lug crimping at 14 ton, which suits power conductors and compression lugs. For insulated ring, fork and butt terminals, the Greenlee 45509 Kwik Cycle interchangeable die set is built specifically for insulated terminals and is the closer match to that scope of work.

Yes, the 15500SS-K15 hex die kit is manufactured in the United States, which matters if you're buying against a domestic-content requirement on a public project.