# Propress



## Buddy (Oct 25, 2009)

Hello Friends,

Hoping to get your opinions. Went to the Supply House yesterday to purchase a 40 gallon gas Bradford White along with some copper sweat fittings for the install. The counterman who I consider a friend, and I think he was trying to do me a favor, was telling me that almost everybody is using the Propress now and always ask for Propress fittings when they come in. I truly think he was trying to give me some good advice. He told me that for $150 a day they rent out their Propress for somebody that doesn't already own one. However, he would lend it to me for the day for free because he was sure I would like it. My question is this - am I the only one who doesn't own the Propress. He said he would hook me up with a sweet deal that goes from 1/2 inch to 2 inch. I am a small shop and I really don't do anything over one inch too often. In your opinion, would it be a good investment? Again, I pretty much believe what the counterman is telling me and along with your opinions if they are good, I wouldn't even bother borrowing it for a test run, I would just purchase the kit. I appreciate your input. 

Thanks Again. Buddy 

PS: I started to do this about two years ago but someone else told me that since I am just a 2 man shop,and most of my work is residential its not worth it. Now I am reconsidering.


----------



## ShtRnsdownhill (Jan 13, 2016)

I dont own one and dont think I ever will..hes just trying to make a sale, im sure it has its place, but there is nothing wrong with sweating copper..how many years has it been done that way...in your case it would be a waste of money, if you did a ton of commercial retrofit then maybe, you have to ask how much would you use it and would you get your money back...


----------



## Fatpat (Nov 1, 2015)

I use propress for everything I can, fast as duck.


----------



## moonapprentice (Aug 23, 2012)

The shop I work at is converting over to pro press. My guess is labor time is quicker, and must pay for the tool quickly over time and the time makes up for cost of fittings too.

They are also in trial mode now for pro press on iron pipe for gas piping too. 

It must be Better? Cheaper to do with less labor time. Or its a wash but can move onto other jobs quicker and get more jobs in.

Solder and proper threading is what I would put in my home. 

But as a business prospective for profit and with fingers to point at if something fails is a different rational too.


----------



## jnohs (Jan 27, 2012)

The speed of pex. With the quality of copper.... also after approximatly 30000 gitting in a 20 story building we had minimal problems.... I have 3 of them 2 12volts and 1 18v. They are amazing..... amazing... amazing... no more hot as$ torch. No more flux on your hands no more solder drippi in hurtfull places.... I only do residential and it is crucial to my jobs. I charge additional ifbi have to torch something now....
I have not used my tirch to solder a fitting in at least 2 months...


----------



## jnohs (Jan 27, 2012)

In ny you can not use the mega press on gas pipes...


----------



## jnohs (Jan 27, 2012)

It is easier.... if some on is not good at soldering they will be just as good at pressing... how many times through out your carrier have you removed an old soldered joint to see that it was never fully penetratedwith solder. And then you say wow cant believe that held for so many years... and or how many homes or buildings have u ruffed where in the end you get 1 or 2 leaks fix and move on. The only way to find out if you did a good job qas to try hard and hope a phone call doesnt come in about a leak.. and the only consolation to ease your mind at this point is the long experiance we carry qith us from solding fittings over and over... the propress eliminates all the question marks... leaving you your company and the customer with standardized quality pioing that ever one can trust. At the same time eliminating the 1 or 2 mistery fittings.... you know the o es i am talking about the fittings that seem to need extra hest or dont run properly at first.... all of that gone. So is a fire watch guy if you are over 4 floors. Hospitals exclusivly use pex now and so doo schools... lack of vaper fumes being the reason. I have only had one propress fitting fail me in a residential setting and it was because i forgot to clean it before pressing. . Also converting to pex is easy with a standard fitting x pex adaptor pressed into a propress coupling... vouila pex x propress. although i never use pex at All. unless abasolutly necassary for the application..


----------



## ShtRnsdownhill (Jan 13, 2016)

so what is the cost for a press system to handle up to 1 1/2 inch copper? and the cost of fittings compared to sweat copper fittings? can you get into tight areas like you can sneak a torch into? and do they make a manual press? so if that expensive press breaks your not stuck and out of luck...


----------



## dhal22 (Jul 30, 2010)

We rarely solder. Propress gets it done quickly and it works.


----------



## jnohs (Jan 27, 2012)

It is similar to the application of PEX pipe. Just like with text so sometimes you can not get deep into a corner with the tool but with some smart engineer step approach 99% of the time you can get the tool deep in the corner like I said I haven't had to use my torch in at least two months. Usually when pipes are installed vertically and or horizontally they are installed relatively straight parallel or perpendicular to the building structure. When cutting pipe you must take an engineering approach do it right so make it easy for you the same thing you need to do when using the torch albeit when using the torch you need to worry about flames and Fire and with the pro press you just need to worry about getting the tool where you needed to do the job boat equally as easy or difficult 2 engineer again the only difference really is how great and consistent the pro prices. I always get questions about the prices. I will say the same thing I say every time the price of materials is insignificant to getting the job done as best as you can. My customers use me because they want a great job I charge them accordingly never been at prices. It would not be fair to my customers if I let the price of a fitting dictate my decision the only thing is the quality of the item that I'm buying.


----------



## ShtRnsdownhill (Jan 13, 2016)

jnohs said:


> It is similar to the application of PEX pipe. Just like with text so sometimes you can not get deep into a corner with the tool but with some smart engineer step approach 99% of the time you can get the tool deep in the corner like I said I haven't had to use my torch in at least two months. Usually when pipes are installed vertically and or horizontally they are installed relatively straight parallel or perpendicular to the building structure. When cutting pipe you must take an engineering approach do it right so make it easy for you the same thing you need to do when using the torch albeit when using the torch you need to worry about flames and Fire and with the pro press you just need to worry about getting the tool where you needed to do the job boat equally as easy or difficult 2 engineer again the only difference really is how great and consistent the pro prices. I always get questions about the prices. I will say the same thing I say every time the price of materials is insignificant to getting the job done as best as you can. My customers use me because they want a great job I charge them accordingly never been at prices. It would not be fair to my customers if I let the price of a fitting dictate my decision the only thing is the quality of the item that I'm buying.


ok, but my pex tools cost me under $200.00 for 1/2, 3/4 and 1inch pipe, I have been sweating copper or over 35 years with no issues...so what does a propress set up cost with all the needed parts and pieces ?2k, 3k or more?? can you give me a number on that? thanxs


----------



## jnohs (Jan 27, 2012)

Cost is the wrong word because it is an investment... investment dont cost they pay..
. General the up front investment is $1850 for a 12volt tool up to 1 1/4 plus fitting stock.... my guy john that works with me is one of the best copper solders i know..... when he started with me he was also very dismissivebof pressing... he said na... ill just sweat it.... i told him gove me a month we will see whats up after that...... a year later he is a press head... and admitts that solding sucks and when or if he needs to solder it is at an additional cost..... imagine an attic with old insulation in the meddle of the summer... you want to use the torch. Good luck not me... it is like copper, pex, and shark bites got toggter and had the perfect baby.... it is called propress..... water in the pipe no problem... need to cut a tee in on a line that wont stop pouring water no problem... drop the fitting in water... ut is cleaner....


----------



## ShtRnsdownhill (Jan 13, 2016)

jnohs said:


> Cost is the wrong word because it is an investment... investment dont cost they pay..
> . General the up front investment is $1850 for a 12volt tool up to 1 1/4 plus fitting stock.... my guy john that works with me is one of the best copper solders i know..... when he started with me he was also very dismissivebof pressing... he said na... ill just sweat it.... i told him gove me a month we will see whats up after that...... a year later he is a press head... and admitts that solding sucks and when or if he needs to solder it is at an additional cost..... imagine an attic with old insulation in the meddle of the summer... you want to use the torch. Good luck not me... it is like copper, pex, and shark bites got toggter and had the perfect baby.... it is called propress..... water in the pipe no problem... need to cut a tee in on a line that wont stop pouring water no problem... drop the fitting in water... ut is cleaner....


Thank you for the info, but could you please please please use spell check, its really hard to figure out what your saying sometimes....


----------



## Buddy (Oct 25, 2009)

Thankyou everyone for your insight about purchasing the pro press.It seems as though most of you really enjoy the convenience of the tool.Today I spoke with another plumber and he told me that he has used his when installing retro fitting tub /shower faucets.I did not ask any questions about that but we know how tight those areas can be.I am still kind of shaking my head on that one.I also do work at a day care and have often wondered if someone will ask me why I have a fan blowing on me and also wearing one of those cheap dust mast. Understand I always do that type of work on weekends but someones imagination could run away with them.If I make the purchase, I will post it to let you know the cost. Thank you again. PS: This site is fantastic and a great learning tool.

Buddy


----------



## dhal22 (Jul 30, 2010)

ShtRnsdownhill said:


> ok, but my pex tools cost me under $200.00 for 1/2, 3/4 and 1inch pipe, I have been sweating copper or over 35 years with no issues...so what does a propress set up cost with all the needed parts and pieces ?2k, 3k or more?? can you give me a number on that? thanxs


Just ride with a plumber that has a propress tool.


----------



## plumbdrum (Nov 30, 2013)

My 2cents, when I was in business I had a pro press tool. I used it a lot because of the type of buildings I was working in (govt Bldg, hospitals) that required hot work permits. It is a great time saving tool especially for pipe over 1". Did I use it all the time, no, but for certain jobs it just made sense. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## ShtRnsdownhill (Jan 13, 2016)

dhal22 said:


> Just ride with a plumber that has a propress tool.


hmmm, any volunteers, ill buy lunch............:yes:
my question or worry would be if the tool dies on the job, your done unless you have a back up and at $1850.00 in change to have a second standing bye, now for a big outfit its no issue, I carry 2 sawsalls and right angle drills along with several torches, but they are all just a few bucks each compared to a propress..does any other brand than ridgid make propress tools?


----------



## jnohs (Jan 27, 2012)

I have 3 propress tools..... no back up needed just one of my others off a different truck if one of tbem fails..... witch hasnt. Happend yet i 3 years.....


----------



## ShtRnsdownhill (Jan 13, 2016)

if it was 10 years earlier, I probably would buy one, but at this stage of the game, I pipe most of my waters and heat in pex, so very limited copper...and the copper I do is mostly tap ins to connect the pex, and I have a large supply of sweat fittings, so to start over and try and sell off or just put in storage all the sweat fittings, isnt worth it at this time..but ya never know, if a big commercial copper job comes around ill take another look at it...


----------



## dhal22 (Jul 30, 2010)

jnohs said:


> I have 3 propress tools..... no back up needed just one of my others off a different truck if one of tbem fails..... witch hasnt. Happend yet i 3 years.....


Same here, I have 3 pro presses in 4 vans, we move them around as needed. Waiting on Ridgid to make a small one like Milwaukee.


----------



## dhal22 (Jul 30, 2010)

ShtRnsdownhill said:


> hmmm, any volunteers, ill buy lunch............:yes:
> my question or worry would be if the tool dies on the job, your done unless you have a back up and at $1850.00 in change to have a second standing bye, now for a big outfit its no issue, I carry 2 sawsalls and right angle drills along with several torches, but they are all just a few bucks each compared to a propress..does any other brand than ridgid make propress tools?


My big pro press is 5 or 6 years old. No issues at all. Nothing like a press when you need it. I've pressed 2, 2.5 and 3" many times in high risk/demand situations that would been misery in solder situations.


----------



## GREENPLUM (Jul 27, 2008)

dhal22 said:


> Same here, I have 3 pro presses in 4 vans, we move them around as needed. Waiting on Ridgid to make a small one like Milwaukee.


Ridgid does have a small one...its the 200-b, it does up to 1 1/4" , much lighter then my 340, and gets into tighter spaces one handed. I've had for almost 2 years now. Must have

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk


----------



## dhal22 (Jul 30, 2010)

GREENPLUM said:


> Ridgid does have a small one...its the 200-b, it does up to 1 1/4" , much lighter then my 340, and gets into tighter spaces one handed. I've had for almost 2 years now. Must have
> 
> Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk


I have 2 of the 200-b's and the monster 330. Milwaukee makes a press even smaller than the 200, I'm hoping ridgid comes out with a similar size.


----------



## WashingtonPlung (Jul 25, 2016)

Buddy said:


> Hello Friends,
> 
> Hoping to get your opinions. Went to the Supply House yesterday to purchase a 40 gallon gas Bradford White along with some copper sweat fittings for the install. The counterman who I consider a friend, and I think he was trying to do me a favor, was telling me that almost everybody is using the Propress now and always ask for Propress fittings when they come in. I truly think he was trying to give me some good advice. * He told me that for $150 a day they rent out their Propress for somebody that doesn't already own one. * However, he would lend it to me for the day for free because he was sure I would like it. My question is this - am I the only one who doesn't own the Propress. He said he would hook me up with a sweet deal that goes from 1/2 inch to 2 inch. I am a small shop and I really don't do anything over one inch too often. In your opinion, would it be a good investment? Again, I pretty much believe what the counterman is telling me and along with your opinions if they are good, I wouldn't even bother borrowing it for a test run, I would just purchase the kit. I appreciate your input.
> .


$150 a day? Does that come with an apprentice to hand you fittings for that price?

The local supply houses for me only charge $50 a day. And at that rate I'd have to use it 100 times to make it pay for itself. ( But I work for a school district so its different)

My last job we had a 4 story building where we did water shut offs all the time. Propress was the only way to go. Time alone it would take an hour to drain down the building to a manageable amount of water to propress in a fitting. I couldn't imagine how much a pain sweating in a fitting would be.


----------



## ROCcity88 (May 13, 2016)

9 times out of 10, I will usually just sweat my fitting, but I love propress for water heater installs, saves me some time when I'm running 4 other calls besides that install job.
Not to mention I have enough situations where it's impossible to drain all the water out of the house and i simply cannot solder. Just bust out the propress and be done with it


----------



## N.N plumber (Oct 30, 2016)

For 250-350$ depending on what one you get bare tool or kit you can get the Milwaukee pro press. I would say it's a must have. If you do one re-pipe the tool has already paid for itself 10 times over in labor and it's much cheaper than copper so you save more money there.I got into Pex in 2006 and would train The older guys who were stocking their old ways with copper and once they found out how easy it was it was a no-brainer to them. Don't give me wrong copper still has its place but plumbing is shifting into saving companies in guys time and money. Right now since I went out on my own I'm a one-man shop and have a part-time guy and do a re-pipe every few months or so and I have a propress and rehau kits and they have save me so much time and money over the past years. I highly recommend it


----------



## ShtRnsdownhill (Jan 13, 2016)

why do you need a propress for crimping copper crimp rings on pex? they crimp easily with any hand press...unless you have a hand injury then yes, but you can get great quality hand presses for cheap...just using pex instead of copper saves you a ton of labor on any repipe job...


----------



## dhal22 (Jul 30, 2010)

Sometimes those ProPress pex crimpers are handy. Of course in tight spots.


----------



## mtfallsmikey (Jan 11, 2010)

Wish we would have had Propress 40 yrs. ago. Would not have had to mooch a piece of bread from a customer when trying to solder with water/moisture in copper lines...


----------



## ShtRnsdownhill (Jan 13, 2016)

dhal22 said:


> Sometimes those ProPress pex crimpers are handy. Of course in tight spots.


I have the offset hand crimpers for pex that get into some tight spots, how small are the jaws on the propress for crimping the pex rings? can you post a pic of the jaws on the propress?


----------



## ShtRnsdownhill (Jan 13, 2016)

N.N plumber said:


> For 250-350$ depending on what one you get bare tool or kit you can get the Milwaukee pro press. I would say it's a must have. If you do one re-pipe the tool has already paid for itself 10 times over in labor and it's much cheaper than copper so you save more money there.I got into Pex in 2006 and would train The older guys who were stocking their old ways with copper and once they found out how easy it was it was a no-brainer to them. Don't give me wrong copper still has its place but plumbing is shifting into saving companies in guys time and money. Right now since I went out on my own I'm a one-man shop and have a part-time guy and do a re-pipe every few months or so and I have a propress and rehau kits and they have save me so much time and money over the past years. I highly recommend it


do you have a link to buy the bare tool for the price you mention?


----------



## dhal22 (Jul 30, 2010)

mtfallsmikey said:


> Wish we would have had Propress 40 yrs. ago. Would not have had to mooch a piece of bread from a customer when trying to solder with water/moisture in copper lines...


I haven't used bread since I bought my 1st Propress.


----------



## Buddy (Oct 25, 2009)

*Pro press*

Thank you for all of your opinions about pro press.I see a lot of you like pex tubing and copper rings and the hand crimper. When pex first started up several years ago here in Phila. the rep that came to our supply house to teach us told us never to use anything other than copper crimp rings and demonstrated to us how to crimp the ring being sure to leave about 1/8 inch of the tube showing and then ALWAYS finish the connection by testing with the GO-NO GO tool. Also he said that at some point the tool will have to be recalibrated . My point is I have always followed his advice and I do not have any problems and I know it slows me down some but I am ok with that.What I wonder about is when I see Others intalling pex and I can see like a 1/2 inch of pex showing and one guy who has been around for years and he told me he never heard of a GO-NO GO gauge I am Baffled by this workmanship Won,t there fittings eventually leak?Again Thanks for your point of view Buddy


----------



## ShtRnsdownhill (Jan 13, 2016)

Buddy said:


> Thank you for all of your opinions about pro press.I see a lot of you like pex tubing and copper rings and the hand crimper. When pex first started up several years ago here in Phila. the rep that came to our supply house to teach us told us never to use anything other than copper crimp rings and demonstrated to us how to crimp the ring being sure to leave about 1/8 inch of the tube showing and then ALWAYS finish the connection by testing with the GO-NO GO tool. Also he said that at some point the tool will have to be recalibrated . My point is I have always followed his advice and I do not have any problems and I know it slows me down some but I am ok with that.What I wonder about is when I see Others intalling pex and I can see like a 1/2 inch of pex showing and one guy who has been around for years and he told me he never heard of a GO-NO GO gauge I am Baffled by this workmanship Won,t there fittings eventually leak?Again Thanks for your point of view Buddy


like every trade or industry, you will have guys that take pride in their work( sounds like you) and guys that dont give a rats a$$ how it comes out...dont change your ways and bring down the trade, a few extra minutes doing something right will pay off in the end...the extra little pex showing probably wont leak if you have enough tubing over the barbs and the crimp ring is crimping fully over the barbs on the fitting...ill check every few weeks the go no go gauge on a few crimps, if its ok ill go to town crimping..


----------



## The Dane (Feb 19, 2015)

Buddy. The 1/8"-1/4" pex might be ideal and be considered correct install by the manufacturer but you can easily make a lesser crimp like you describe and it will still hold. I would personally not trust it. When I bought my pex hand crimpers they came with a go/no go gage and I check every few weeks and if it's still good then I keep going for a few more weeks. You will mostly be able to feel if it crimps a little weak or not. I had to adjust my crimpers when I switched brands of pex tubing once. We hand crimp now but I would love to crimp the stainless steel sleeves from Viega with a Milwaukee m12 propress. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## rwh (Dec 17, 2014)

If doing much production, I would check my go/no go more frequently. On the pro press, I can't wait for the failures! Lots of money to be made there.


----------



## brass plumbing (Jul 30, 2008)

*Propress and Pex Crimp Rings*

Is there a Milwaukee M18 Propress kit that can install propress fittings & change jaws to pex crimp rings? That would be getting total use of the equipment for the investments. I'd buy that right away.


----------



## The Dane (Feb 19, 2015)

brass plumbing said:


> Is there a Milwaukee M18 Propress kit that can install propress fittings & change jaws to pex crimp rings? That would be getting total use of the equipment for the investments. I'd buy that right away.




I have tried both the m12 and m18. You need the m18 for anything over 1 1/4" since the m12 only goes up to 1 1/4". I don't see why the m18 would not use any of the same jaws that the m12 uses so you should be able to get the normal pex jaws for it. I would though say that the m18 is too big and heavy to be practical for work 1" and under. I would get the m12 for residential and only get the m18 for bigger commercial work. Maybe rent a big propress if a job came along where it made sense. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## jnohs (Jan 27, 2012)

ShtRnsdown
hill;1035138 said:


> why do you need a propress for crimping copper crimp rings on pex? they crimp easily with any hand press...unless you have a hand injury then yes, but you can get great quality hand presses for cheap...just using pex instead of copper saves you a ton of labor on any repipe job...




shut the fU#$ up!!!


----------



## ShtRnsdownhill (Jan 13, 2016)

jnohs said:


> shut the fU#$ up!!!


another update from the drunken plumber..you should change the name of your company to " drunken ducky"...or is it named that because when you get done working in the house there is a foot of water in the basement??:laughing::laughing::laughing::laughing::laughing::laughing:


----------



## dhal22 (Jul 30, 2010)

rwh said:


> If doing much production, I would check my go/no go more frequently. On the pro press, I can't wait for the failures! Lots of money to be made there.


Similar to polybutylene and galvanized, we put it in then get paid to replace it a few years later.


----------



## rwh (Dec 17, 2014)

I am seeing it misapplied often. Probably fine for d.c.w. for many years of service. Hydronic systems, maybe even d.h.w., failure looming. Especially when you account inevitable reduced craftsmanship. Joint will eventually fail, for the same reason as a terminator valve, or a dielectric union. There is rubber making the joint.


----------

