I'm not sure I'm so passionate on this issue of soldering crimped stranded wire. There are just too many variables for me to have a passionate answer. I have simply observed over the years that jobs I did 20 years ago with non tinned wire and off the shelf standard crimps I got to do again 5 years later. I also found during that period wires that had wicked corrosion 6 or seven feet into the wire in only two seasons on an exposed down rigger cable. I observed those installations and countless of those I inherited. I've certainly seen my share of broken solid and soldered cables too, so I know from empirical,observation that sold terminals can and do fracture over time, not just in theory. I also know from observation that we'll secured cables, soldered or not, and especially those that are sealed, soldered or not, are rarely in bad shape, even as the wire itself has lost its flexibility. So that's what I really pay attention to.
Here is what I do know. Having acquired high quality wire, terminals, crimpers appropriate for the terminals and wire gauges all the way up to 4/0, at no small cost. In the past 15 or so years that I have insisted on good wire, good terminals, adhesive shrink and we'll supported, I've only ever had to redo a connection where something was not perfect to begin with, such as a heat shrink that got nicked or split and I should have done it over right then at the start. Otherwise, I can pretty much forget them.
While there may or may not be benefits to solder a terminal. Depending on the situation, I could see it either way, and have acted on a case by case basis (voltage sensing terminations sometimes get solder), most don't. I just know that the real magic is not in the soldering, it's in the quality of the entire experience. If you pick good quality cable, terminals, tools and technique, the rest just won't matter that much. If you don't, soldered or not soldered won't matter at all, it's going to fail.
In short, the discussion as stated is nothing more than pot stirring, not learning.
Here is what I do know. Having acquired high quality wire, terminals, crimpers appropriate for the terminals and wire gauges all the way up to 4/0, at no small cost. In the past 15 or so years that I have insisted on good wire, good terminals, adhesive shrink and we'll supported, I've only ever had to redo a connection where something was not perfect to begin with, such as a heat shrink that got nicked or split and I should have done it over right then at the start. Otherwise, I can pretty much forget them.
While there may or may not be benefits to solder a terminal. Depending on the situation, I could see it either way, and have acted on a case by case basis (voltage sensing terminations sometimes get solder), most don't. I just know that the real magic is not in the soldering, it's in the quality of the entire experience. If you pick good quality cable, terminals, tools and technique, the rest just won't matter that much. If you don't, soldered or not soldered won't matter at all, it's going to fail.
In short, the discussion as stated is nothing more than pot stirring, not learning.
