oliver2•19d agoProlific Poster

Three years in this trade and I finally ditched my crimpers for fusion splices

I started out splicing fiber on a crew in Charlotte back in 2021. Back then my supervisor swore by mechanical crimps and told me fusion splicers were overkill for residential drops. Last month I finally borrowed a Sumitomo from a buddy and ran a 48-strand trunk in a new apartment complex near the university. The time savings were insane. I did in four hours what would have taken me two full days with crimps. Plus my loss numbers dropped from around 0.5 dB to nearly nothing. Has anyone else made the switch and found it changed how they bid jobs?

2 comments

2 Comments

garcia.laura19d ago

Wait is dropping from 0.5 dB to nearly nothing really that big of a deal for residential work though? I mean sure fusion splices are nice and all but half a decibel on a drop to a house isn't going to make or break anything for most customers. Seems like you're just bragging about fancy tools when the real savings come from knowing the run layout and having a good crew.

lisak2619d ago

I get what you're saying @garcia.laura, but let me tell you a quick story. A buddy of mine does residential installs on the side, and he had a job where he just crimped connectors instead of fusion splicing to save time. The drop was fine on a clear day, but after a big storm with wet leaves and some tree movement near the line, the signal dropped way more than expected. He spent a whole afternoon troubleshooting because that tiny loss from the crimp combined with the weather made the service unstable for the customer. So while 0.5 dB alone might not seem like much, it's all those little losses adding up that can bite you later. Good crews and smart layouts are important, but those small technical details can save you from a headache down the road.