We are still working our way through all the great new products we had the opportunity to see at the 2012 Milwaukee Media event last month. One of product groups we have not seen much coverage on but should be a big deal for plumbers are the cordless M12 & M18 Press Tools. Copper tubing installation may be down overall with a low number of housing starts and a rising trend of other plumbing technologies like PEX tubing. That being said however copper tubing is not going away and with new, faster, more secure pressing techniques Milwaukee Tool may be in a good spot if/when new housing starts pickup.
The new pressing tools go right along with their commitment to making professional plumbers jobs easier. Not to long ago Milwaukee introduced the M12 PEX 2432-22 ($399, Ohio Power Tool) and M18 PEX 2632-22 ($699, Ohio Power Tool) tools which have been incredibly popular and all the reports we have heard have been very positive. As you might suspect the M12 Press Tool has a smaller capacity with 5400 lbs press force which handles up to 1-1/4” CU. While the M18 Press Tool goes up to 4” CU with a total press force of 7200 lbs.
The closest competing units, in the market place right now are the Ridgid press tools with ProPress 210-B ($1989, Ohio Power Tool) at a press force of 5400 lbs and 1-1/4” capacity. They also have a larger ProPress 330-B ($3014, Ohio Power Tool) with a press force of 7200 lbs and 4” capacity. Since the press fittings are made by third party companies such as Elkhart, Viega, Tyco or Nibco and require precise pressure to seal correctly it would make sense all fitting tools would be set to provide very specific pressures.
One interesting consideration that we see often in construction is issues of who will cover the warranty if the product is installed incorrectly or in this case water begins to leak after a week, month or year. Is it the installation tool manufacturer or the fitting manufacturer or both? We have actually heard of cases where the Ridgid ProPress Tool (designed & warrantee to work with the Viega fitting speifically) actually used other brands of press fittings and when there were issues neither manufacturer would warrantee the claim. Just something to consider for any system installation like this with multiple manufacturers involved.
Milwaukee has made some very smart moves over the past few years with integrating their products into the education and training of many professional trade associations. We can easily see these pressing tools becoming the standardized way the next generation is trained to connect copper pipe. We hope to see these tools launch in the next 30 to 60 days and of course you will be able to find them on the Milwaukee Tool page of OhioPowerTool.com.
Specifications (2473-22)
Capacity: ½” – 1 ¼” CU
Press Force: 5400 lbs
Cycle Time: Approx. 5 seconds
Tool Weight With Battery: 3.8 lbs
Length: 12.6”
Width: 2.75”
Jaw Sizes: ½”, ¾”, 1", 1 ¼”
Launch Date: August 2012
Includes 2473-20 M12™ ForceLogic™ Press Tool, (2) RED LITHIUM™ M12™ Batteries, ½” Jaw, ¾” Jaw, 1” Jaw, 30-Minute Charger & Hard Carrying Case
Specifications (2673-22)
Capacity: ½” – 4” CU, ½” – 1” SS
Press Force: 7200 lbs
Cycle Time: Approx. 5 seconds
Tool Weight With Battery: 8.0 lbs
Length: 16.8”
Width: 4.8”
Jaw Sizes: ½”, ¾”, 1", 1 ¼”, 1 ½”, 2”
Ring Sizes: 2 ½”, 3”, 4”, Ring Jaw
Launch Date: August 2012
Includes 2673-20 M18™ ForceLogic™ Press Tool, (2) RED LITHIUM™ M18™ Batteries, ½” Jaw, ¾” Jaw, 1” Jaw, 1 ¼” Jaw, 1 ½” Jaw, 2” Jaw, Multi-Voltage Charger & Hard Carrying Case
Specifications (2673-22XL)
Capacity: ½” – 4” CU, ½” – 2” SS
Tool Weight With Battery: 8.6 lbs
Jaw Sizes: ½”, ¾”, 1"
Ring Sizes: 1 ½”, 2”, Ring Jaw 2
Launch Date: October 2012; additional specifications available at launch
Includes 2673-20XL M18™ ForceLogic™ XL Press Tool, (2) RED LITHIUM™ M18™ Batteries, Multi-Voltage Charger, Hard Carrying Case and Jaws