You say, " the author was using copper connections that were crimped in place." Well, Dear ÂWhere Am I, you are on the frontier of the 21st century. You are about to be catapulted into the new Millennium. You have just described the best little system that has been offered since copper systems. It is called, PEX.

PEX stands for Plumbers/Electricians/Crossover. (Not really.) You see, this is a system of running water like they said electricity works. If you wanted to run electrical cable in an old house, you would love to use the new NM cable . Similarly, the new, way-cool way to run water is like they do electricity.

The reason they use the "copper connections that (are) crimped in place," is that the miserable fact about PEX is that it must be connected mechanically, instead of welded, glued, compressed, etcetera.

PEX is run like cable; but at each joint, it must be crimped onto a metal connector. The preferred materials are copper and brass or bronze, and certain plastics. At this point in time, that is the only option. Knowing what I do, I expect that the day will come when PEX is welded with hot air.

But, the way it is done today, is pretty good. And the joints are easily changed and re-worked. Even so, they are mechanical joints and they are not as obviously qualified as threaded or sweated systems.

Keep in mind that PEX in the USA is fairly new. It is still unknown to most of the population. And like electrical work, it is not owner/user-friendly. It is still the domain of professional plumbers, because there are quality control requirements that are not self-evident.

I hope you realize that this system is still in development for the consumer market. Yet, it is ready to use with acceptance of the crimp methods.

Pinoke

I had to double check that book when I got home because it didn't look like a PEX system he was working with. It's called Propress. It's all copper, no tubing. I did a quick seach on the web and it looks like it's made by Rigid. Here's a link I found for it. http://www.propresssystem.com/

You are correct. Rigid has produced both the Propress crimps for copper and a similar type fitting for PEX, both of which are crimped with the Rigid cordless crimper shown on their website.

The PEX fittings have been widely accepted and the propress copper fittings have received some local approval but are still pending approval by the major national codes.

One of the principle downsides is that the cordless crimpers are $2,000 with a set of 3 different sized crimp dies and the tool may only be used on the Rigid fittings.

A $2,000.00 tool... GRRREEeeeat. Anything to keep the DIYer from doing their own plumbing. I just found some of the squatty 16.1 oz. propane canisters for my torch on sale for $2... that and 2' of lead-free solder (plus a dash of flux) and I am ready to take on Mr. Crimp-it. ;')

PS: I don't blame RIDGID, their tubing cutters and benders last forever, so they have to make $$ somewhere else, lol.

Don't miss understnd me here, while I do believe that $2,000 per copy is a bit out of range for a DIY'er who might only enjoy occassional use for a working plumber it is a bargain. The ordinary PEX crimpers are $125 each and you need a mimimum of 3 different sizes but really should have 5 or 6 sizes available thus you can easily tie up $750 to $1,000. Now add into the equation that when using manual crimpers on a long day operator fatigue results in imperfect joints that don't pass the guage test and must be redone and the Rigid tool becomes a bargain. Personally I would not want to be without mine but I don't think it practicle for the homeowner.

You are also correct that perhaps one of the key factors in the price is the "Rigid" name, but then that is also well deserved. For over 100 years Ridge tool company has set the standard by which other tools are measured by example, pipe wrenches are identified by their overall length measured in inches and Rigid Steel Pipe wrenches will average $1.50 per inch while their aluminum line will often cost $2 or more per inch. Laying out $54+ tax for a 36" wrench may seem expensive at the time but keep in mind that a working plumber will not wear one out in his/her lifetime. In fact, I have a number of Rigid plumbing tools that were originally purchased by my grandfather and they are still going strong. Not only are the Rigid tools nearly indestructable, you can still get replacement teeth or jaws for their earliest line of wrenches.

I think most working plumbers would agree with me, there are two classes of plumbing tools, 1.Rigid tools and 2. all that other junk.

Well, this is horrible embarrassing. I went and shot my mouth off and all thats left is the nose on my face. And that puppy is stickin right out there. Only once have I ever heard of this Propress thing and totally forgot about it. Ive never learned anything about it.

No wonder I read "PEX" into your question, wheredaphuquia. Sorry to get it so wrong. But on to the questions of tool cost. First of all, my father-in-law (a man true to my own heart) used to say, "Hard work never killed anyone." Im not sure what it was, but he isnt with us anymore. And sadly, most of his contemporaries are gone as well.

Tools have always been used to make human life more efficient and gain advantage over the difficult, even the impossible. So, no wonder a man and his tools are bound as if married. I dont believe I have any Ridgid Tools. (I used-to, sweetheart.)

Thats better than some folks. Theres people that have Snap-On Tools. So, Im better off than I could be. Having said that, it seems I learned, somehow, that Ridgid Tools has been bought by Home Depot. Notice, that they sell them exclusively. (The Big Blue, Lowes, sells a brand call Co-Balled, so it looks like they are in the same business, anyhow.

I dont know about this brand name business. Ever see one of them slip joint nut wrenches? Ever see a good one? They cost $10 and they are all junk. Then again, I used to buy machinists tools.

I paid the premium price for Browne & Sharp, Lufkin, Last Word. Today, you can buy digital stuff, up-load-able, that is the standard of excellence and the average apprentice cant read a Vernier caliper.

In other words, tools get better all the time. Id rather buy new every few years and have the latest than have a blow torch that my great-grandfather passed on thru the generations.

Used to be, a plumber was a person who worked with Plumbum. Today that would probably be illegal in California. So whats with the blow torch? It makes my thumbs ache, just thinking about it.

Probably, it doesnt matter much how to connect copper. The $2K tool will get cheaper. Next year, you can buy a knock-off at Harbor Freight. It wont necessarily work, but it will weight a lot. The important thing here, is that the price of copper is going thru the ceiling, so the expensive tool is cheaper just by comparison.

Its going to get where plumbing is all about, "what size galvanized-cans can you carry on each shoulder?" China will be plumbed with copper, and Americans will be carrying water in buckets. Fortunately the people that gave us that condition were provident in also giving us 1.6 GPF toilets.

BTW, FWIW, the crimp tools for PEX can be air-driven. No doubt Paslode with have an internal combustion version one day. I hope so. When it comes to plumbing, I just dont think "Ridgid" is the right word. I mean, doesnt PassLoad have an appropriate ring to it?

Then again, one of the great names in water supply is Moen. Now would that be a great name for a toilet or what?

Pinoke

Pinoke,,
Whoever told you that Home Depot owns Rigid is sadly mistaken. Home Depot is licensed to retail the a small porion of the Rigid tool line but in fact, they don't even have access to many large items under the Rigid brand.

They just used the PEX system on the weekend's episode of "Ask This Old House". Pretty cool. What a time saver!

This is an old thread, but I just thought I'd update to 4 years later... Propress looks like it has basically lost out to PEX systems. As far as PEX goes, I have been using it for about 4 years now, and I have not had a joint fail yet. Granted, I am not a full time plumber. But I'm still impressed. It's quick, easy, reliable and amazing. Cost savings are definitely in the labor though. Quality fittings are still a bit spendy.