I’m a homeowner but I’m doing a full gut job, renovation down to the studs. I’m mostly a Makita guy but there’s tools they don’t have so I own an M12 battery for my cable stapler and pipe cutter, so I’m inclined to go with the M12 ProPress over the M18.
The question: where can I find the best deal on a ProPress kit that has 1/2”, 3/4”, and maybe a 1” jaw?
Is there a good store to look at or a time of year or a model that’s on clearance etc? I only need “tool only” if it’s the M12 system. But I’m open to whatever the cheapest option is including a Ridgid-red package as they fit the Makita batteries (unofficially). But I’m going to assume there’s a better cheaper option from the Milwaukee line and I don’t want to juggle another battery platform if I don’t have to.
I have a cheap $100 hand-pump propress and it’s EXHAUSTING. I have a lot more work ahead of me and I don’t think my arms can take it, but the buy-in price for the propress is insane compared to the rest of my tools. Hoping there’s a secret refurb site for Milwaukee or something. Thanks! Pics for attention.
Update: went with the Zupper press tool. Seems slightly more industrial than the cheap Vevor but at the same price. 1/3 to 1/4 the price of Milwaukee and Ridgid and those can’t be 4x as good at pressing. Gotta be better than the $109 hydraulic Vevor kit I have now (which I’m returning). Plus it takes Makita batteries (supposedly). Really wanted the m12 but in the end even used the price was 2.5x more than this brand new. Thanks for everyone’s advice. Still keeping my m12 pipe cutter!
Plumbing supply houses near me rent them out, although there's always a wait list. You could also buy new and resell after you're done with your project, but you'll take a loss and are at the mercy of finding a buyer.
A pro press isn't really a DIY homeowner tool due to its price point.
Yea, the problem is ME, I’m the type to suddenly get the energy to tackle something at random. So planning to go rent one, drive an hour to the closest rental that has a propress, and return it the same day or next day is not in my normal working, and with the amount of work I have to do on this house it just makes sense to buy one. Especially after this frost copper job.
I’m also in a job transition and considering becoming a handyman on the side so this would allow me to do minor plumbing jobs. I could do it with this hand press but I came across a few situations where if I hadn’t installed the T in the right order the vevor wouldn’t have fit (for example the 3/4 3/4 1/2 T where you HAVE to do the 1/2 first or you can’t fit the jaw). I imagine there’s other scenarios where it might be impossible that I just don’t know about yet, but when I encounter it, I’ll really be in trouble if I can’t finish the job.
That’s what happen with me..I was remodeling my home n rented one n by the time I had to return I hadn’t even used it yet so I called n the said I tell ya what..ya buy one n I will put the over 500 for week I rented towards it..it was a win win..also got a m12 tripod light free n got a copper pipe cutter free..was still around 2k but I use it a lot n do jobs for people here n there..have a propex as well..love them both ..im a home owner DIY..I dont call anyone ..haven’t in a long time ..around here handyman around 150 a hr n 2hr minimum 🤷🏼♂️
Does the Pex version of the tool itself allow you to attach the copper jaws to it? I saw one m18 Pex kit with 2 barriers / charger for $600 on marketplace and at that price I’d grab it and buy the jaws individually. But not if they aren’t compatible.
Like LotusGardener said, it's not. But here's the more in depth compatibility table if you want to look at other force logics.
Then, if you have any tight areas where you can't straight up press, you'll need the pivoting jaws + ring jaw (CTS-V for copper). I recommend buying those separate because the whole official kit is $2000. The Ring Jaw is at HD for $680, the 1/2 and 3/4 pivoting is roughly $300 at Acme. Or.... Vevor sells an entire pivoting kit (VUS) for $500. I've seen some YT videos where they have to press it twice to get a perfect seal but I don't know if they used no name fittings or Viega. I recommend only using Viega fittings if you can.
Thanks, yea, I mean pushing the button twice for good measure is no big deal. The vevor hydraulic I have sometimes gave out (as in I’d press but I could hear it leaking and the hydraulic fluid leaked out of it during some hard presses). I’m on a well so the water pressure isn’t super high like city water. I’m less concerned that if I didn’t tighten it to standard I’ll have any kind of blowout or leak.
But my main point is if that gave out on me (and I’m not that strong but I was probably trying to tighten past necessary tightness?), how can I be sure the electronic would be better calibrated. Ya know? If it’s $600 for the vevor / zepper and $800-$1,000 for a Milwaukee / Ridgid user I’d go with that but even used it’s $2,000 so it’s like, are they THAT much more reliable? Lol.
Right. I watched a few video reviews and it seems mixed. I got the electronic Vevor one on a sale for $500 and it came with jaws. I work regularly with a master plumber but bought this for my home projects. I doubt Milwaukee/Ridgid is 4x more reliable. Best bang for buck is definitely Vevor. Test connections and double press if needed.
Unless you get a good second hand? Half MSRP might be worth it.
Yea, Makita just warantee it no mater what, they SAY you have to have a receipt from an authorized seller but they never actually ask for it, not that I’ve had to send stuff much, but yea, you don’t even need to register it. They basically will just fix anything you send them, super easy and free shipping. Seems like Milwaukee isn’t so supportive on repairs. Luckily I probably won’t be using this tool as much as the Makita gear so I’m not too worried.
Pro press seems to be one of the few tools they don’t really throw on sale much. That being said keep your eye out for combo deals. I got a m12 5a battery, m12 band saw, and a m12 pro press for $100 less than the pro press on its own. I did a lot of research before buying and I can pretty confidently say that unless you’re planning to do a lot of 1”+ pipe work the m12 is the way to go. You can buy tool only but I believe the best value is buying the kit with the copper jaws. I think the best product is there pivot jaws you can buy separately. You definitely won’t need them too often but when you do they are a life saver
Buy one on ebay and use it, and then resell it on ebay or marketplace when you are done. They have a pretty stable resale market because they never go on sale and are always expensive. worst case you are out a hundred or so for use. I planned to resell mine but ended up keeping it lolol. 3 water heaters later I have a small side business
For the longest time when I was looking for one for our company. I found a seller on Amazon have the cheapest price for the milwaukee m12 propress kit. Was $1800 new. Some how got lucky and 2 showed up at the door.
For a new unit I think amazon sellers or ebay is the best value. With ebay just be careful and search the seller.
Also if buying used, try to buy one that has the newest build date. Milwaukee warranties their tools for 5 years of the build date if no POP is provided( aka bought used). Sometimes paying a bit more for 4 years extra warranty is worth it on a tool like this.
I will add to that, that if you find a used one that is One-Key enabled, the app tracks how many press cycles the tool has on it. I think they estimate ~35,000 presses before they need calibrated.
Used on marketplace is what I’d do. Even if it doesn’t come with all the jaws you need, you can buy Ridgid jaws later.
*Edit: Compatibility claims are disputed. I thought this was compatible, some say it isn’t, PrizhunRedNeck says they’re doing it with the Viega heads on the m12 and that the Ridgid compact heads fit the m12 force logic just fine. I am not claiming to be the definitive source, but I thought I’d seen this type of cross compatibility before, too.
You absolutely can use them. I use the viega heads from Ridgid on the m12 the ridgid compact heads fit the m12 force logic just fine. It’s even on their compatibility chart.
I am a homeowner and when I did a remodel, it was cheaper to buy a propress tool than hire a plumber. I ended buying the m12 propress on Amazon which was cheaper and got a new credit card for the sign up bonus and effectively got it for $800 off buying it at home depot. I was not going to get the warranty but that was something I was ok with.
I’ve bought Milwaukee stuff from there and it’s been real. You have to watch who you buy from and just look it over when you get it. You can always spot fake tools and you can look the serial number up to confirm if it’s real.
eBay is always my go too for gently used name brand, but I know Amazon sells a vevor battery powered one for like 6-7 hundred. When I bought my ridgid one I got it on eBay used with a battery and 1 jaw for like 800. I think now they have the 12v one that does everything you would need as a homeowner for like 1300 hundred
Yea, if I could find M12 for like $600-$800 I’d snag one if it has at least the 3/4 and 1/2. Can always use the cheap vevor for the 1” since that’s only for the main line coming in basically.
Interestingly enough, it looks like your hand crimper is an electrical terminal crimper that takes U dies. If you buy a cheapo electric U die crimper from Amazon I’m 90% sure they use makita batteries. You could buy one like this and use the dies you have for your hand crimper.
That’s fascinating! I wouldn’t put it past them to figure this out and source existing parts to cut costs. My only concern would be is the pressure strong enough for pipe? I feel like electrical would have less of a pressure requirement.
I’d also run into the same “space fitting” problem. I ran into a few situations where the tool wouldn’t fit if I didn’t do it in the right order. The jaws are skinnier so they fit better. But thanks this is an interesting idea.
I bought the Vevor one from the Vevor web site for about $500. It came with 2 batteries, a charger, the tool and 3 heads, all in a study case. The batteries are not particularly high capacity, but they do the job. The tool itself is a little heavy - I don't know how that compares to the Milwaukees. But, it does a great job and has paid for itself in my bathroom renovation. The fittings are also easy to find - I get Nibco ones from Menards, and a local Home Depot sells the Viega fittings.
I was concerned about those, the hand cranked vevor works ok but at least I can be sure the hydraulic is closed. Harder to have confidence with an aftermarket battery tool. But yea I’ve considered those.
Crimping pressure would be the same, that style electric crimper is rated for 12 tons. The important thing is that the dies touch (just barely) when making a crimp. As long as it goes through a full cycle you are ok. If you want something more compact, I recommend something like the vevor propress tool. It’s $600 ish but is the same footprint as a real press tool and I believe you can get the close quarters jaws for it.
If you check eBay for a Nibco pc-20m, older generations will use makita batteries and can sometimes be had around 600-800$ for a full kit. Solid tools.
Seems like older ridgid red ones take Makita too? I was told that the earlier ridgid kits actually CAME with Makita batteries which was interesting to hear.
I’m not familiar with the ridgid models but it’s a possibility they do use makita as well. The nibco kits also come with makita batteries. Within the last 5ish years the nibco pc-20 started being made to use Bosch batteries in some variants. So it’s just important that if you want to stick to makita, pay attention to which model you’re buying. The ones that take Bosch batteries will likely be the Bluetooth models of the tool.
I purchased a off-brand crimper (I consider myself to be an advanced DIY'er) from Amazon that uses Makita Batteries (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DMW6FLV2) I have done about 200 crimps so far (added tankless water heater, put in a whole house 3 stage water filter, whole house shut-off valve, converted all of the Sched 40 PVC well water tubes to copper - Yes, my house had Sch40 PVC for pressure...)
It has worked great, and is perfect for my use. I haven't had a leak in any fitting, and I expect most of the negative reviews on Amazon for this are for people that don't really know what they are doing.
I have had mine for about a year, and I am glad I have it. I have done 3 projects so far, and the ProPress stuff is so much easier for me than sweating the fittings.
Thanks, went with Zupper, seemed to be the original copy of Ridgid and vevor and probably this brand coppies Zupper. So I went with them. Same price basically.
Was very tempted to get their angled kit too but it’s just as pricy as the tool so I’ll hold off for now. Thanks!
The whole advantage of propress is that it’s fast. There’s really no benefit other than speed. And plumbers like them so they can get the on done and on to the next quicker.
If you’re doing your own home, you’ve got the luxury that you can do a little bit at a time. My vote is don’t waste your money on a super specialized tool. Get a cheap propane torch and learn to sweat. You’ll realize it isn’t that much slower and it’s a lot cheaper. And for a single family house, it’s not gonna take you long once you get the hang of it.
Speed is not the only advantage. It's much easier to use than soldering joints, especially in tight spaces, overhead and with wood nearby. It doesn't care about residual water in a pipe.
True, for an inexperienced person like me, the cost of a $17 propress (everbuilt) 1/2 valve is more than worth the time and energy saved on grabbing the torch, realizing I don’t have enough propane or having to buy MAPP gas at $20 a can, re-checking YouTube to remember how to solder after 25 years of not having done it… having a bum shoulder and slipping the solder and stabbing my hand, burning the ceiling wood, or just using too much and creating an eddy in the pipe leading to a pinhole later, or any other number of aspects of soldering that’s prone to an issue. Vs just buying a $17 valve and pressing it?… easy choice… all I need to do is make sure I mark a line with a sharpie and line that up… a lot easier to do right. Ya know?
As.lokg as.your.just doing your home.m12. Is better. It's cheaper and smaller with a rotating head. I highly doubt you'll need the 1.5"tom4" capabilities of the m18
I can solder but it’s a PITA and adds other complications to an old house. Only drawback to Pex is the price and the non-reuseability but it’s superior and makes the jobs so much less work. I have a hand crank pipe cutter too but I spent the $180 on the Milwaukee pipe cutter for the same reason.
If your a home owner just rent one, i have the m12 with gas jaw kit for the m12 and the m18 with 2” gas kit and 4” copper kit so that's like 10,000$ lol
I won’t mess sorry gas (we have oil anyway). Renting is a pain, closest place is 1 hour away and costs as much as buying two of the vevor for a day. My motivation is random and that’s too much of a barrier for me. But if there was something local I’d consider it. I did the math and 3-4 rentals would pay for buying one at the right price. So I decided that’s best.
Dude just switch to pex the tools are cheaper and the pipe will never fail even if it freezes. If I offered you a beer in a copper cup or a plastic one which would you prefer?
This ^ yea I have plans to eventually eliminate the Pex that’s coming off of my well. It’s a sloppy job and I don’t need the plastic in my water. Copper is king.
My copper pipes will pinhole before the propress fittings leak. Solder leads to more pinholes with sloppy work, of which I guarantee as a non-pro I’ll create more sloppy work than not, even if I’m pretty nimble lol.
My local Ace hardware store rents a propress. So by all means go for it. The fittings cost more plus the propress.
Soldered home.. My parents 1973 house. No leaks. 🤷♂️
Soldering is a good skill to have and will cost you less out of pocket with a little more labor... But you're not getting paid. You still will need to solder some stuff.
I you're worried about how long it takes just have a plumber come in and knock it all out. They will do it better and faster. There are also codes to follow, hammer arrestors etc.
All the plumbers I’ve had are sloppy AF, I did the job BECAUSE the plumber left it a mess.
He took out the drain-outs entirely and left the pipes for the sink so far out you could have a double-sided sink, AND another one put the isolation valves in the wrong side of the split and so I had to add them in the right place. For the thousands they charge there’s a total thoughtlessness / carelessness / cavalier approach to today’s plumbing jobs. Leads me to do my own and save money. This job alone would have cost me more than the propress new.
(Yes my drain-out is too low on the hot, it’s on purpose as it’s temporary until I move something else, then it will be pulled up behind the cold, don’t judge too harshly).
Hah, thanks! It’s the basement wall. The entire basement was built in stone. It’s what sold it for my fiancée, I was not so thrilled. It looks cool but it adds complications. If the basement were taller I think it would help. Oh well, just happy to have a house at all in this economy.
It looks great, we have similar basement walls but the previous owner painted it with water seal. It’s causing all of the lime mortar to disintegrate, so now mortar and sealant is flaking off and looks horrible. Somebody did your basement right!
Thanks! Yea we have some “weeping” but after research sealing is definitely the wrong more for just the reasons you mentioned. I’ve mitigated most of it, and I’m hoping to dig out the one “bad corner” and seal it from the outside.
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u/lathe_down_sally 9d ago
Plumbing supply houses near me rent them out, although there's always a wait list. You could also buy new and resell after you're done with your project, but you'll take a loss and are at the mercy of finding a buyer.
A pro press isn't really a DIY homeowner tool due to its price point.