Thanks for the feedback. We switched to soldering the 3 pin wires on our new version of the vesc. Soldered connections are always better when possible.
I disagree. Most high end electronics and connectors use crimped contacts for a reason. Of course if you dont you a high quality crimper and stripper, your connections are going to be subpar and susceptible to vibrations and stresses
Non soldered connections always produce more resistance than their soldered counterparts. This is fairly common knowledge.
Another bit of “not so common knowledge” is connectors are usually only good for one connection. Once you pull the connector and reconnect you have lost some compression at the point of contact. Not all connectors behave in this manner. But most small connectors, jst ect… , are comprimised after several connection cycles.
Sorry but no.
“While most people assume a “crimp” is just a contact crushed onto a wire, giving electrical conductivity by means of pressure, real crimping involves “elastic” and “plastic” deformation and flow of metals resulting in “micro cold welds” due to “contact asperity welding” of the metal surfaces. During the deformation process the wire and connector are mechanically cleaned, usually making pre-cleaning of wire and terminal unnecessary. When done right, this crimped connection can be much stronger and longer lasting than a soldered connection, and have electrical resistance of the equivalent length of wire. A properly done crimp is also gas-tight as well, not allowing oxidation to degrade it over time.”
This all assumes that you are using the right housing, contact, wire size and crimper tool. The tools requred to do these kind of crimps run in the thousands of dollars for handheld crimpers that work with a specific die made for a specific contact. Big industrial crimping machines run in the tens of thousands of dollars.
I know because the place I work at owns several handheld crimpers to make such connectons and I bet you my crimped JST-XH/SH/ZH/PA connector lasts longer and has lower resistance than any of your soldered ones.
As far as your second point goes. Connectors usually have a connection cycle rating based on a properly done crimp.
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Well our crimper only cost around 500 dollars so you have me beat.
We are now soldering directly to the pcb so I have a hard time believing a jst connector is better at this point of contact.
You’re soldering the wire directly to the PCB? Yes, as long as your pad or through hole is larger than the contact area of the JST header, the resistance at that point is lower!
There are pros and cons to that too though. It’s a permanent connection, you can strain the solder joint unless you add strain relief, if the wire gets damaged you need to desolder it and resolder a new one on, etc. In the case of the OP, if the wire was soldered on to the VESC then he would have not been able to troubleshoot the cable without desoldering and possibly voiding his warranty or shipping it back to you!
Pretty hard to void our warranty… Either way we are happy @Mrmoonlight was able to find the issue and resolve it. 
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So far, I haven’t had any issues with the performance of my soldered connections. Plus it sounds like dropping a ton of cash on a crimper would be a bit of overkill.
Overall, I’m just happy my board works!
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I’m not saying soldered connections are bad! They’re great for hobby stuff, I did it for years! But a properly crimped connector is better.