I used to solder every cable end until a shop vet in Phoenix called me out
For about 4 months I soldered every single cable end I cut, thinking it was the only professional way to do it. An old mechanic at a shop in Phoenix watched me do one and asked why I was cooking the grease out of my own cables. He said the solder wicks up past the cut, makes a stiff spot that snaps right at the housing stop, and a clean cut with a good ferrule crimped twice holds just as well. I stopped soldering the next day and started using the Park Tool crimper I already had sitting in my box. Two cable failures in 6 months went to zero, and honestly the ends look cleaner. Anyone else get talked out of a habit they swore by?