Klein Tools VDV226-110 Ratcheting Cable Crimper / Stripper / Cutter, for Pass-Thru™

Pass-Thru only for RJ45. The VDV226-110 crimps and trims Klein Tools RJ45 Pass-Thru connectors, and the description states plainly it is not for use with standard (non Pass-Thru) RJ45 connectors. It does handle standard RJ11 and RJ12 modular plugs. If your crew is terminating conventional RJ45 plugs where the conductors stop inside the connector, this is the wrong tool for that part of the job.

All three. It crimps 4, 6 and 8 position modular connectors: 4-position 1-pair/2-conductor and 2-pair/4-conductor, 6-position 2-pair/4-conductor and 3-pair/6-conductor, and 8-position 4-pair/8-conductor. That covers voice handset and phone jack work through to 8P8C data terminations on one tool.

Cat6 and Cat6A are both covered, along with Cat5e and Cat3. The stripper and cutter are set up for round STP/UTP paired-conductor data cable and flat-satin phone cable, and the jaws take 28 to 22 AWG flat or round, solid or stranded. Note it strips and cuts, but Klein warns not to use the tool to pull the outer jacket off the cable, since that can damage the conductors and the tool.

No. The tool crimps and trims in the same stroke, cutting the conductors flush to the end face of the connector so there is no unintended contact between conductors. That flush trim is the whole point of a Pass-Thru workflow, and it is why a general-purpose crimper leaves you with a second step and a fingernail-catching stub.

The full-cycle ratchet will not release until the crimp stroke is completed, so every termination gets the same full seating of the contacts instead of depending on how hard the installer squeezed. On a jobsite with several techs pulling and terminating drops, that consistency is what keeps failed terminations off the punch list. There is also an on-tool wiring guide to cut down on miswires.

Yes, and that matters on a tool that trims copper on every crimp. The replacement blade set is Klein VDV999-076. Keeping a spare set in the van is cheaper than idling a tech when the trim stops cutting clean.

No. The VDV226-110 is not insulated and will not protect against electrical shock, and Klein's own warning says never use it on or near live electrical circuits. Approved eye protection is called for, since you are cutting copper conductors under tension. De-energize the run before terminating.

Pass-Thru RJ45 connectors, at minimum, since the tool is built around them and will not work with standard RJ45 plugs. Klein lists these companion items for it: VDV501851, VDV826702, VDV826703, VDV826763, VDV826729 and VDV826728. Add the VDV999-076 blade set as a consumable.

Overall length is 6.094 inches (15.5 cm), and it weighs 14.4 oz (408 g). Item dimensions are listed as 6.1 in depth, 2.4 in height and 1.11 in width. That is a one-hand tool you can work overhead on a ladder without a second person holding the cable, and the rubber grip helps on long termination runs.

Steel with a black oxide finish, with a rubber grip over the handles in yellow and black. Black oxide gives basic corrosion resistance on a tool that lives in a pouch, and the steel construction is what lets the trim blades be serviced rather than the whole tool discarded.