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I tie 80 and then start crimping at 130. Smaller diameters such as 130/150 are much harder to crimp properly than 200 to 400 lb.
This sounds obvious, but make sure your sleeves and mono are correctly sized - there are variations between the different manufacturers. When your first starting out, its easiest to use momoi crimps with momoi line - jinkai w/jinkai etc.
Stay away from the brass crimps - they are just not as easy to use as aluminum, and imho are more likely to fail.
This sounds obvious, but make sure you are using the correct slot on the crimper - read the guide that comes with the tool. Over or Under compression is often due to using the wrong slot - sometimes the correct setting just looks wrong but isn't.
Basic Hand crimpers will all work, but they take some trial and error to know properly. Kind of a bummer when the error is a lost fish.
There is a new crimper out there made by Braid Products that is very easy to use if you are new to crimping. It is pressure loaded so that when you crimp down, it will automatically release at the proper compression. I own one, and its pretty much idiot proof. I also have the monster 16" Billfisher Model (weighs 5 lbs) essentially a hand held bench crimper - great for big mono and you can set it for the proper compression.
One more thing - make sure you leave a small flare at each end of the crimp - and on long sleeves, if you make 3 crimps - space them evenly. And if it doesn't look right - it isn't. Cut it off and start over, even if its the last crimp on a complete bar - you'll be pissed later if you don't.
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