Just ordered a bunch of stuff to make up some wolf fangs with 1/8” cable. Aside from how the finished product looks, is there much of a difference in how you crimp your loop ends? I don’t own a swager but they’re not too expensive on that jungle site. Pros and cons of each method?

I smash 'em and have done so for years...never had a issue. But I use 3/32 7x7...the 1x19 cable might require a swager

I smash them and have no issues with them.

Thanks for the replies. I should have mentioned I’m using 1/8” 7x7 cable

I’ve been smashing my 1/8 7x7 cable with no problems

Smashed and cross punched is stronger than swaging.
Make some and pull them with your ball hitch-you will see.

The engineering behind them calls for swaging. Though I'm sure both work what I do know of from engineering is that for repeatable results EVERY SINGLE TIME you must use repeatable methods and force. I use a swager.

Especially since my only snare usage is 1/16 1x19 for beaver and if anything is going to slip it is that stuff.

All good info. Side question, how much tag end do you guys leave? Or do you flush them up where they loop back through and exit the furrel?

I use very little hanging over the outside of the ferrule edge.

I smash using a chisel I've dulled and rounded off just for the purpose. I do both sides of the ferrule.

I smash mine with a small cross peen hammer. 3 or 4 hits to smash, then flip the hammer to the peen side and two hits on one side of the ferrule, one on the other. Ends up looking similar to loosegoose.
I also leave a little, very little maybe 1/16” stick through. And more amd it tends to poke me. But I do think a little bit sticking out is a good idea because it splays a bit which might make it hold a bit better.

I use a bench swagger and I'd never go back to hammering them, but done properly both ways will hold just fine & anyone who says differently is full of it.

I smashed them for years. Thousands of them. 1/8” cable

I’d have loops pull through on 10-15% every year trying to pull them (my puller goes to 7’ with the cheater, you either get stuff back, or wreck something).

Since I went to swaging, I don’t ever recall having a loop come apart. Again, thousands of them. I’ve had the tabs on wolf fangs shear off, I fold a LOT of anchors in half pulling them, but the loops don’t give up!

Both are plenty strong for trapping purposes. But swaging (with the correct ferrules and tool), is stronger.

I swage mine.

If you are making drowner cables and will be handling these with rubber gloves on, you do NOT want any wires poking out past the double ferrule. If there are, you will eventually poke a hole in those gloves.

Interesting. Cant argue with that. But I would never have known because I have never had a smashed one come apart on a snared animal. I gues there is “strong enough” and then there is “stronger than that”!

Nailed it. That’s originally why I was asking about the tag end. Those suckers hurt!

For you guys who swage which gap on the swagger do you use on 3/32 cable?

Second notch from the tip on mine.

Only problem I can see with smashing with be to much smashing and end up breaking the Ferrell, but guess with enough practice one learns how much is to much