Who loves their tester? This one's bad af:

[AveryFreeman]

Hey,

Just got through running some wire with a friend, and wanted to mention this tester I got that I absolutely love:

Amazon.com

It's my first one, so I didn't have anything to compare it to, until I tried my friend's today and man does it suck by comparison. I mean, it works, but it's slow, and it doesn't fit together nearly as nice, won't really fit in a pocket, etc.

This one, I think it's the Southwire M550, the part that goes on the end is in the bottom, it pulls right out and isn't heavy so it doesn't load the cable down very much, then you connect the main piece to the other end, hit the button and it gives you a read in about 1-2 seconds.

I'm not affiliated with the reseller or anything, I just thought other people might be interested if looking for a tester I can def personally vouch for that one. It's like night and day.

 

[Broachoski]

Have not but sure like that setup compared to my slip-together units that are a pain and not pocket friendly.

 

[Robert hocevar]

Hey,

Just got through running some wire with a friend, and wanted to mention this tester I got that I absolutely love:

View attachment 111817

Amazon.com

It's my first one, so I didn't have anything to compare it to, until I tried my friend's today and man does it suck by comparison. I mean, it works, but it's slow, and it doesn't fit together nearly as nice, won't really fit in a pocket, etc.

This one, I think it's the Southwire M550, the part that goes on the end is in the bottom, it pulls right out and isn't heavy so it doesn't load the cable down very much, then you connect the main piece to the other end, hit the button and it gives you a read in about 1-2 seconds.

I'm not affiliated with the reseller or anything, I just thought other people might be interested if looking for a tester I can def personally vouch for that one. It's like night and day.

These testers are great! I have them in all my trucks. I also have a fluke that cost 10 times as much and never use it. for the price of these you cant go wrong. and the battery lasts forever!

 

[weigle2]

I bought this set that does exactly what I needed at the time. Now, it's a bit of overkill. I really love the ability to identify POE/POE+ power issues as well as identifying which cables are which in a rats nest of cables. I paid $41.00 for the set, back in June.

Amazon.com

 

[Steve.L]

^^^ I too got that one, but just the handheld Emitter unit and the NF-488 Wiremap module. Seems to work great for the amateur work I've got going on. 36 bucks.

Amazon.com

 

[Kameraad]

I have the Noyafa 8601W, really like it.

It can test poe, length, ping, wiremap, tone trace and has 8 wiremap ends so if you pull multiple wires you can check which is which

 

[NickTheGreat]

I have the cheapo Monoprice one and it's the best tester I've ever used.

...it's also the only one I've ever used.

I actually like the idea of a better one that has some length or other capabilities

 

[IReallyLikePizza2]

Wait, you guys test your cables?

 

[Flintstone61]

i should probably buy one some day. So far the 17 cams I installed I had only one bad end of rj-45 termination. Operator Miswire. Me.
But I certainly remember using walkie talkies in the Hospitals and each guy had a tester end. and we'd try and systematically test all the drops.

 

[AveryFreeman]

Wait, you guys test your cables?

I might be a little OCD, but I make sure all my cables are labelled on each end with a labeller AND sharpie before they go through the run, straighten them as much as possible and I'll color-code them if I have different colored jackets, too

Those testers sure look fancy but I like how mine is tiny and fits in my pocket. Just the little tiny donglie thingy that comes out of the bottom to throw on the far end. It's convenient af. I don't really need to know shit about the cable except which one it is, and it works

 

[AveryFreeman]

These testers are great! I have them in all my trucks. I also have a fluke that cost 10 times as much and never use it. for the price of these you cant go wrong. and the battery lasts forever!

Yeah, you know what I'm talking about

What's up with "fluke" testing, anyway, is that really a thing? Can I trust cable mfgs when they say they did it, or is that horse shit?

It's only true when it's CCA, right?

 

[Steve.L]

...I make sure all my cables are labelled on each end with a labeller AND sharpie before they go through the run, straighten them as much as possible...

^^^ This

 

[Robert hocevar]

I might be a little OCD, but I make sure all my cables are labelled on each end with a labeller AND sharpie before they go through the run, straighten them as much as possible and I'll color-code them if I have different colored jackets, too

Those testers sure look fancy but I like how mine is tiny and fits in my pocket. Just the little tiny donglie thingy that comes out of the bottom to throw on the far end. It's convenient af. I don't really need to know shit about the cable except which one it is, and it works

I also label everything. it makes life a little easier when troubleshooting and testing cables especially on large jobs. nothing sucks more than standing on a ladder in freezing weather waiting for the other guy to find the correct wire to test.

 

[Arjun]

For coax

https://www.amazon.com/Locations-Explorer-Klein-Tools-VDV512-101/dp/B076DP1534

For ethernet, the Junior Scout should be sufficient

Amazon.com

The effects of inflation are real, the Junior Scout was $20 less years ago

 

[rolibr24]

I bought this set that does exactly what I needed at the time. Now, it's a bit of overkill. I really love the ability to identify POE/POE+ power issues as well as identifying which cables are which in a rats nest of cables. I paid $41.00 for the set, back in June.

Amazon.com

I just ordered that one last week on a whim. I havent tried it yet but I’m glad to see one known review.