# Manual press tools on Amazon and ebay



## CaptainBob (Jan 3, 2011)

I was thinking of buying one of these as a backup to my Milwaukee press tool, you know, just in case it breaks right in the middle of a job and it's 5 pm on a Friday and you only have one more press joint to go...


https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01D177WR...olid=3PQDA0KWALP5U&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it











Here's another I seen on Amazon


https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07VFGRW2...olid=3PQDA0KWALP5U&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it











Cheap alternatives to buying another Milwaukee M12 press bare tool at $1300


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## The Dane (Feb 19, 2015)

If you want a solution for an emergency where propress breaks then why not just get a hand full of sweat fittings and call it good? I'm sure you carry a torch and solder kit.

Sent from my BLN-L24 using Tapatalk


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## CaptainBob (Jan 3, 2011)

Well yes of course I do, I have couple of torches, plenty of flux, solder (both 95/5 and 50/50) fire extinguisher, water bottles, a huge assortment of copper sweat fittings from 1/4" up to 2" as well as 35 years of soldering experience, but why not have a backup for press as well?


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## Venomthirst (Jun 20, 2018)

I'm sure that will come in handy at some point for sure... we did a few risers with the hand expansion tool... 

Told the boss that if he doesnt buy the powered tool will never be doing a riser again... it was on the desk the next day still have it for back up


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## CaptainBob (Jan 3, 2011)

I just recently bought this made in China Uponor pex expander tool off ebay











https://www.ebay.com/itm/142697277045


It works, just as good as the actual Uponor made tool, at less than half the cost, and a lot less than buying another Milwaukee Uponor tool at $400


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## V.A Hydro-ooter (Oct 14, 2018)

I've seen that tool at the only Lowe's in my area that sells press fittings. I've never used one but it looks like you'd need a lot of space to operate that tool.


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## ShtRnsdownhill (Jan 13, 2016)

I have backup tools for all the tools including specialized tools for the reason of being in the middle of a job and a tool goes down, ill just throw the extra onto the truck depending what im doing that day....


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## skoronesa (Oct 27, 2015)

ShtRnsdownhill said:


> I have backup tools for all the tools including specialized tools for the reason of being in the middle of a job and a tool goes down, ill just throw the extra onto the truck depending what im doing that day....







I was with a guy and the propress tool stopped working. Some of the propress fittings we were sent with we didn't have in sweat on the vans. So we took out the orings, used brake cleaner on them, and soldered them.


I decided to make a duplicate hand tools bag a couple months ago. 



It was a friday, half hour before quittin time and I am 50 mins from the shop, great. I am packing up and the shop calls, I have to hit one more. Literally our *wealthiest customer*, we do a ton of work for them, like many houses on the estate and recently a restaurant. *Well this dingleberry forgot his tool bag at the last house* so I show up to money bags house *without my hand tools*. Luckily it was just a clogged lav sink and I had a spare pair of channellocks in my wrench box.


I use a 16" bostitch toolbag. $23 at wally world and it will hold a couple 18's if need be. I keep a pair of 460s in the bottom now though. I always keep a spare of this bag in case it rips. So now I just keep the spare full of tools. Each bag lasts me like 18 months.








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## Tango (Jan 13, 2018)

dingleberry and money bags, now those are hilarious words! :vs_laugh:


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## skoronesa (Oct 27, 2015)

Tango said:


> dingleberry and money bags, now those are hilarious words! :vs_laugh:





Dingleberry is what you call the pieces of turd stuck in the fur on an animals bumbum.


It's also a term for a person who does something really consequential because they are a space cadet.








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## Tango (Jan 13, 2018)

skoronesa said:


> Dingleberry is what you call the pieces of turd stuck in the fur on an animals bumbum.
> 
> 
> It's also a term for a person who does something really consequential because they are a space cadet.
> ...



And another precious word "space cadet", my high school teacher would call us space cadets...:whistling2:


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## Tango (Jan 13, 2018)

Fleurrose said:


> yes it's true it was hard for me to work with


An intro is requested from all new members. In case you missed it, here is the link. https://www.plumbingzone.com/f3/.


The PZ is for Plumbing Professionals (those engaged in the plumbing profession)

Post an intro and tell our members where you are from, yrs in the trade, and your area(s) of expertise in the plumbing field.

This info helps members who are waiting to welcome you to the best plumbing site there is.

We look forward to your valuable input.

*This one is from me : Write more than one or two lines, elaborate. Are you proud of your trade? Show it! Talk about the jobs you've done, the path you took to get where you're at as a trades person, the amount of time spent in plumbing school(s) or years before you were eligible to take the journeyman exam etc.*

*Now that being said, you seem not to be legit so you have 1 hour to do what's asked of you or you will be banned.*


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## ShtRnsdownhill (Jan 13, 2016)

Fleurrose said:


> yes it's true it was hard for me to work with





speaking of dingle berries..heres a perfect example... :vs_laugh: :vs_laugh:


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## alson (Apr 18, 2014)

.......and back to the original subject. :biggrin:



Does the manual press tool do a good job? Is it a quality tool or just another DIY throw it away tool?
Is it easy to use or do you need Superman to do each crimp?
Does anyone in the forum have one and has used it?


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## goeswiththeflow (Feb 24, 2018)

V.A Hydro-ooter said:


> I've seen that tool at the only Lowe's in my area that sells press fittings. I've never used one but it looks like you'd need a lot of space to operate that tool.


That's exactly what I thought. And you know that the one last fitting at 5PM on Friday when the Propress breaks is going to be one that is in a tight space.

I know what everyone is going to say, but that sounds like a time for sharkbites. Yeah, yeah, I can hear it all now. I know guys who get all self righteous about them as vocally as the next guy. The same guys who I've seen break them out without reservation late in the day on Fridays, always justifying it, as if they somehow magically become acceptable when things go wrong FOR THEM, but everyone else who uses them is a hack.


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## skoronesa (Oct 27, 2015)

goeswiththeflow said:


> That's exactly what I thought. And you know that the one last fitting at 5PM on Friday when the Propress breaks is going to be one that is in a tight space.
> 
> I know what everyone is going to say, but that sounds like a time for sharkbites. Yeah, yeah, I can hear it all now. I know guys who get all self righteous about them as vocally as the next guy. The same guys who I've seen break them out without reservation late in the day on Fridays, always justifying it, as if they somehow magically become acceptable when things go wrong FOR THEM, but everyone else who uses them is a hack.





I only keep sharkbite caps on my van for emergencies and no I never leave them permanently or put them on if I know they won't send someone back to remove it. It's our policy not to use them permanently as we have had property damage from them.




If it's 3pm on a friday and my propress fails I am breaking out the torch and sweating the job no matter how long it takes if they need that water on before I leave. It ain't their fault the tool broke.


One of our guys brazed a propress connection where the pipe pulled out a bit as he went to crimp it. Cutting it out and repiping would have been hours as he was just finishing the day. It was a demo job. We came back monday and replaced it.










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## Tango (Jan 13, 2018)

I had to use a slip joint SB valve because the main didn't shut off completely and impossible to solder. The freaking SB valve kept drooping upside down with the bottom so I left it that way.

The guy was a little obnoxious" a know it all kind of guy", I should of asked the city to close the curb stop on an emergency call and charge the guy my time waiting for the city to show up and replace the main house valve.


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## Toli (Nov 7, 2015)

Tango said:


> I had to use a slip joint SB valve because the main didn't shut off completely and impossible to solder. The freaking SB valve kept drooping upside down with the bottom so I left it that way.
> 
> 
> 
> The guy was a little obnoxious" a know it all kind of guy", I should of asked the city to close the curb stop on an emergency call and charge the guy my time waiting for the city to show up and replace the main house valve.




Stick a piece of smaller copper down the pipe, tape your vac hose to it, flip on the vac to keep the water away, solder on a MIP, spin on a valve, done.


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## OpenSights (Mar 23, 2015)

Tango said:


> And another precious word "space cadet", my high school teacher would call us space cadets...:whistling2:


Off topic... One of my greatest teachers in high school used terms like “speed bump”, “Twinkie” and refer to girls as uncle and boys as aunt. I’d like to see that fly again today!

On topic.... I can see the advantages of propress, but in my opinion it’s butt azz ugly! I’m sure it can save a ton of time from draining down the system. If I come across one of those PITA solder jobs, there’s plenty of tricks.


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## PondthePlumber (Sep 2, 2018)

I've been curious about the manual press tools ever since my boss got a couple of press tools. Currently we have the M18 press, and a Ridgid 12v. Boss keeps the small Ridgid one on his truck, and the other isn't always at my site. Be nice to have one I could keep with my tools for times when I need to press a few fittings. Since I do 85% new construction , space to use the tool isn't as much of an issue. But I don't want to sink 200+ bucks into a tool if it is just a piece of diy junk. While I feel too cautious to just go buy it, last year I bought myself the IWISS manual expansion tool and have been satisfied with how it performed. So I am somewhat hopeful that the IWISS press might be of similar quality.


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## MASTRPLUMB (Mar 22, 2019)

When I had shop in L.A. my guys just finished a copper repipe on a house,
go to solder last fitting at meter, Tank ran out of gas, I had to run over with my M.C. Bottle to finish off, the following Monday my partner said to get extra 
spare Bottles for all our Trucks,


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## sofiajoferna (Jul 29, 2021)

This one you provided is pretty good, even though it's not produced anymore


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