00:00Alright, so if you've ever crimped an RJ45 connector and ended up with a flaky connection
00:04three days later, you know the pain, bad terminations are the number one reason Ethernet
00:08runs go bad. I dug through a ton of listings and found the best deals for the top 5 RJ45
00:14connectors for clean Ethernet runs, and honestly, some of these are cheaper than a coffee.
00:19Let's get into it. First up is the Holmx tool-free connector,
00:24and this thing is a game-changer if you hate crimping. No crimp tool needed at all,
00:29you just strip, load, and snap it shut. It works with Cat 8 all the way down to Cat 6,
00:35it's shielded, and it's reusable, so if you mess up a run you're not tossing the plug.
00:39At $3.95 with a 4.9 rating and nearly 5,000 sold, it's the easiest way to get a
00:45clean,
00:46solid termination every single time. Next is the 20, 50, or 100 pack of Cat 6 connectors
00:52with gold-plated contacts. These are your classic crimp-style crystal heads, rated for gigabit
00:58speeds, and the gold-plating really helps with corrosion resistance over the years.
01:03You can grab 20 for just $4.43, which works out to around $0.20 a plug, that's absurd value
01:09if
01:10you're wiring up a whole room or a small office. Nearly 4,800 buyers agree, rating them 4.9.
01:18Number 3 is super similar but tuned for Cat 5 and Cat 5e cable, perfect if you're re-terminating
01:23older runs or working on budget installs. Same bull-plated contacts, same solid 1,000
01:29megabits per second performance, and you can pick your pack size too. It's $4.23, also sitting
01:36at a 4.9 rating with over 4,600 sold. If most of your cabling is older Cat 5e, these
01:43are the
01:43ones to keep in your drawer. Now, if you're running shielded STP cable, you can't use regular
01:49connectors, you need these. Number 4 is a 50-pack of shielded Cat 6 plugs with proper 8p8c terminals,
01:56so your grounding actually works and you keep that shielding intact end-to-end. They're built for
02:02switches, modems, and patch panels, and they terminate cleanly without fraying your shield
02:06braid. At $6.63 for $50, that's a fair price for keeping interference out of your network.
02:13And finally, the heavy-hitter, a metal-bodied, tool-free connector rated for Cat 8,
02:18Cat 7, and Cat 6a. This one handles up to 2,000 MHz and 40 gigabit speeds, works with 22
02:25-24 AWG
02:27conductors, and like the Honks, it's reusable, so you can redo a termination without cutting the
02:32plug off. If you're running 10 gig or building for the future, $5.16 for this is a steal, and
02:38the 4.9
02:39rating backs it up. So those are my top 5, whether you want tool-free convenience, bulk value packs,
02:45or full Cat 8 metal plugs, there's something here for every run.
02:50All the links are in the description below, so go grab the one that fits your setup.
02:55If this helped you out, smash that like button and subscribe for more Network Gear Reviews,
02:59thanks for watching, and I'll see you in the next one.
