They're not exactly new, I've used them for years. Panel mount versions have been out just as long.
I absolutely love them in some applications. I find that they're especially useful in panels, which can be difficult to terminate with solder, or in other applications where high heat might be undesirable. They're obviously great for areas where soldering is impractical, or when you're doing a very small number of connectors and don't want to whip out the iron. I find that they're very durable. I tend not to heat shrink the ground conductor, but I occasionally (rarely) do in some situations. I really like the crimp connectors though.
The terminals won't take 2 conductors very well, so you can't use them for quad cable or Y adapters, things like that. They can sorta do it if the wire is really small, but I really don't recommend it.
The male connector inserts are the same as the solder version, which can be handy. The female obviously aren't. They say the connector inserts are reusable, but really only the male ones are. You can occasionally remove the female pins from the housing, but not reliably. The male ones will pop right off with a little effort. I'd recommend having a few spare pins on hand, just in case.
Panel mount connectors:
https://www.neutrik.us/en-us/neutrik/products/xlr-connectors/xlr-chassis-connectors/dlx-crimp-seriesI find it handy to have a pair of forceps or small needle-nose pliers to help align the female pins while inserting. Also, occasionally the tab that locks the female pin in place will flatten out, but a quick levering with a knife pops it right back out.
I use a Mini Stripax to strip the conductors, since it's hard to reliably do by hand. The ideal strip length is about 3/32", and the Stripax give you a consistent strip length. Expensive as hell but I love them, and not just for these connectors.
The ground conductor doesn't have a jacket (unless you heat shrink it), so it takes a little concentration to get it the right distance in to the terminal before crimping. The jacketed conductors are a little easier in that regard.
I use Amphenol crimpers, not the Neutrik branded ones. Looking at it now it says K 1152 on the handle and 58495-1 on the die.
