# Anyone use Viega press system?



## RW Plumbing (Aug 16, 2010)

Does anyone use the PEX pressing system with the stainless steel rings? I like that if you buy a rigid propress tool although expensive, it would make a more consistant crimp I would think. Also with a quick change of jaws you could do copper too. The fittings are more expensive but, you save that on labor and It seems like a more fool proof system. Just wondering from the guys that actually use it, would it be worth switching from the copper ring system?


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## bigdawginc (Sep 6, 2010)

*propress*

how u doin! u r definitly on the right trac!! i just made the investment n the tool! u talk about a time saver u will do work that would have taken u 16 hrs. in 4 hrs. it is amazing what u can accomplish without a flame!!!!!! yo i do not have the jaws 4 the pex but i intend 2 get them!! good luck!


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## RW Plumbing (Aug 16, 2010)

I have lots of press experiance in commercial applications and, I think it would actually be great for service as it takes 30 seconds to press a fitting and the system doesn't have to be fully drained. Basically take the pressure off and crimp it. 

I was just wondering if the stainless pex rings worked the same as the copper rings and if you had to use viega fittings or could you just use standard copper ring fittings with the stainless ring and the propress.


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## nhmaster3015 (Aug 5, 2008)

For 1/2 through 1" I think using the pro-press machine is a royla pain in the ass. It's expensive, heavy the f'ing battery is always dead and it doesn't save that much time.


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## RW Plumbing (Aug 16, 2010)

nhmaster3015 said:


> For 1/2 through 1" I think using the pro-press machine is a royla pain in the ass. It's expensive, heavy the f'ing battery is always dead and it doesn't save that much time.


 This is exactly the thing I'm worried about. Using copper crimp ring Pex is pretty fast in itself. The only thing I'm thinking about is does the stainless ring create a better joint. It looks more foolproof because it has a stop. I would think it gets tighter also... Do you feel that is the case? 

I've been using the crimp ring style for a few years now without any problems. It still doesn't seem like the best way to put pex together. I like the expansion system of Uponor but, I am worried that with cold winters here and the pex sitting outside in my trailer, it will take forever to recontract before using. The stainless steel band type ring isn't allowed here, and the press system seems to be the sturdiest besides the Uponor.


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## plumbpro (Mar 10, 2010)

RW Plumbing said:


> This is exactly the thing I'm worried about. Using copper crimp ring Pex is pretty fast in itself. The only thing I'm thinking about is does the stainless ring create a better joint. It looks more foolproof because it has a stop. I would think it gets tighter also... Do you feel that is the case?
> 
> I've been using the crimp ring style for a few years now without any problems. It still doesn't seem like the best way to put pex together. I like the expansion system of Uponor but, I am worried that with cold winters here and the pex sitting outside in my trailer, it will take forever to recontract before using. The stainless steel band type ring isn't allowed here, and the press system seems to be the sturdiest besides the Uponor.


It does take longer to contract when cold, not bad though on plastic fittings. It was cold enough here last winter that I had to use s heat gun to contract the uponor on brass fittings


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## nhmaster3015 (Aug 5, 2008)

The SS ring is a bit more foolproof cause the ring can't get twisted and you don't have to mess with positioning.


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## JK949 (Mar 18, 2009)

Milwaukee should have their Uponor compatible PEX expansion tools out in October shipping with their new Red Lithium batteries. The tools have auto-rotate heads and the batteries should perform better in cold climates.


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## RW Plumbing (Aug 16, 2010)

JK949 said:


> Milwaukee should have their Uponor compatible PEX expansion tools out in October shipping with their new Red Lithium batteries. The tools have auto-rotate heads and the batteries should perform better in cold climates.


 Those batteries do perform well in cold weather. I have the auto copper cutter and the PVC shear. Last winter I got my copper cutter wet and it froze in the truck(oops). It worked right away as soon as I knocked the ice off. The 18V setup I have is terrible though, it takes forever to warm up enough to use.


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## pascone10 (Apr 4, 2010)

We use Propress from 1/2" to 4" copper. All in all the guys I work with are happy with it. I can think of maybe a handful of times where the joint did leak, in which case we had to cut it out and install a new fitting. This really screwed me up once when the joint was right next to an interior wall. I could not fit the tool close enough to the wall to make the joint the second time. Ended up soldering anyway.

It is however great if you need to add a valve and there is water in the line. We Propress quite a bit in nursing homes where the odor from brazing bothers the residents. It also saves us from putting the fire alarm on test and tracking out all the smoke heads that are relatively close by. I believe it is faster then soldering especially when working in drop ceilings..

I guess it depends on what type of work you intend to use it on. Hopefully my post helped a little. Good luck.


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## RW Plumbing (Aug 16, 2010)

pascone10 said:


> We use Propress from 1/2" to 4" copper. All in all the guys I work with are happy with it. I can think of maybe a handful of times where the joint did leak, in which case we had to cut it out and install a new fitting. This really screwed me up once when the joint was right next to an interior wall. I could not fit the tool close enough to the wall to make the joint the second time. Ended up soldering anyway.
> 
> It is however great if you need to add a valve and there is water in the line. We Propress quite a bit in nursing homes where the odor from brazing bothers the residents. It also saves us from putting the fire alarm on test and tracking out all the smoke heads that are relatively close by. I believe it is faster then soldering especially when working in drop ceilings..
> 
> I guess it depends on what type of work you intend to use it on. Hopefully my post helped a little. Good luck.


 I have lots of propress experiance with copper but none with pex. The copper is okay but, the fittings are so expensive when compared to sweat and they can make your pipe look like s*** if you're not careful. Pex already looks like s*** so that isn't a concern. 

Thanks for all your input everyone. I think I'm going to go with the uponor system if for no other reason than cost.


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