Short answer
Choose swage terminals for lowest cost and a clean appearance where a rigger with a calibrated swaging machine is doing the work. Choose mechanical terminals such as Sta-Lok or Hi-MOD where fittings must be assembled without a workshop, inspected internally, or reused — which makes them the usual choice for offshore cruising yachts carrying spares.
Swaging compresses a fitting onto the wire under high pressure, producing a compact, inexpensive and visually clean termination. It requires a calibrated machine and an operator who knows it, and the result cannot be disassembled or inspected internally.
Mechanical terminals assemble onto the wire with hand tools using a cone and internal components. They cost more per fitting and are bulkier, but they can be assembled anywhere, opened for inspection, and in many cases reused on new wire.
The offshore argument favours mechanical. A yacht carrying spare wire and a few mechanical terminals can make a structural repair at anchor in a remote place. That capability is worth real money a long way from a rigging shop.
Both are proven when correctly fitted. The failures that matter come from wrong sizing, poor assembly, incompatible geometry and fittings that cannot articulate — not from the choice itself. See how to spot crevice corrosion for why a sealed swage hides damage.
Key facts
- Swage
- Cheapest, compact, clean; needs a calibrated machine; cannot be inspected internally
- Mechanical
- Assembled with hand tools, inspectable, often reusable; costs more
- Offshore preference
- Mechanical, so repairs are possible away from a workshop
- What actually causes failures
- Wrong sizing, poor assembly, fittings that cannot articulate
Full background: read the guide