Crimpers/ strippers..

[Rawr-DQ 10+ year member]

wrap a wet rag around the part of the wire you dont want to get too hot.

 

[mdillon 10+ year member]

i put the connector in a vise, stuff it with solder, and hit the ring end with a torch til the solder melts then i shove the cold wire in. the only part that melts is the stuff in direct contact with the connector, but it works out because it usually seals to the connector.

 

[snova031]

These bad boys will cut through 0ga like butter.

Can find them at Home Depot/Lowes, usually run $15-20.

When I was installing, this was probably one of my favorite hand tools, made cutting/stripping 4ga+wire much much easier.

 

[htownplaya456 10+ year member]

It doesn't matter if you melt the insulation off the wire unless it gets out of control. Just put some tape or heatshrink over it, it will be fine. Oh and you don't have to crimp it to get a good solder joint... even on 1/0. Believe me I do it everyday and have never had a problem.

 

[94Mazda626 10+ year member]

I'm an electrician and I'd use a knife to strip, cable cutters or hacksaw to cut, and if you know an electrician ask them to see if they can let you use something like this http://www.tessco.com/products/displayProductInfo.do?sku=54536&eventPage=1 , it would give a much better crimp than a hammer and the ground would. Soldering is also an excellent option, and like mentioned above if you wrap the insulation of the wire in a wet rag it would help.