Why does everyone keep using those cheap push-on connectors?

I keep seeing guys at job sites using those quick push-on coax connectors instead of taking the time to crimp a proper connector. It drives me nuts because every time I follow behind one of those jobs, I'm finding signal loss and loose connections within 6 months. I was on a job last week in a new apartment complex outside Denver, and the whole building was done with push-ons. They already had 4 callbacks for pixelation and dropped channels. A good crimped connector costs maybe 30 cents more and takes 10 extra seconds per end. How do you even sleep at night knowing you left a build that sloppy? Has anyone else had to redo a whole house because of these things?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_linda3d ago

Oh man, have you been following me around or what? I had the exact same thing happen at a complex in Aurora last fall. The whole building was wired with those cheap push-ons and within a year we had almost 20 service calls for signal issues. One unit I opened up, the connector literally just fell off the wall plate when I touched it. The center conductor was barely making contact, no wonder they were getting pixelation every time someone walked in front of the TV. The builder tried to blame the splitters at first but I showed them how the push-ons had already corroded inside, it was a complete waste of time and money.

lee.drew3d ago

Is it really that serious though? A lot of the new push-on connectors work fine for basic cable, especially in dry commercial ceilings where nobody's touching them. Maybe those callbacks were just shoddy installation or bad splitters, not the connector type itself.