Why are battery powered copper press tools so expensive?

[infinkc]

I have aome copper pipe I need to attach in my attic in a very tight place. Was going to use sharkbite, but I keep hearing not so good stories.

Was looking at buying a press tool, but wow they are expensive. Don’t know anyone that rents them near me.

I don’t think I can get a manual tool in where I am doing the work.

Any cheap ones out there? I don’t plan on using it much ever after this.

 

[mike93lx]

Low volume and designed for professionals are the two big ones that I can think of, besides that they are probably expensive to make.

I want one too.

Manual ones exist, but they require tons of clearance, as you noted. SupplyHouse has a bluefin one for something like a buck fifty. For cordless, I know of Milwaukee and Ridgid. You can catch used m12 units for a grand-ish. Resale seems pretty strong, so you should recover most/all of the cost

 

[Sawmill7]

I have quite a few shark bites installed in my home and have never had one leak. I would not be afraid to use them anywhere

 

[LopezBart]

I've had excellent luck w/ Sharkbite fittings in our Airstream trailer. Just make sure you wiggle everything once it's under pressure to verify you seated the pipe correctly.

 

[ItsNemo]

I have quite a few shark bites installed in my home and have never had one leak. I would not be afraid to use them anywhere

I would, anywhere concealed at least...exposed is fine, but you have to remember these are o-ring seals that might last only 10-20 years depending on the water quality before failing.

 

[mike93lx]

I've used Sharkbites too, but it is not my desired approach when an alternative is available. Hard to argue with the convenience in transitioning materials or repair work when flow can't be stopped

I would never accept a pro using one though. They should have the tools and skills to do better.

 

[mike93lx]

I would, anywhere concealed at least...exposed is fine, but you have to remember these are o-ring seals that might last only 10-20 years depending on the water quality before failing.

O rings can last a lot longer. Viega is 50 years on their crimp fittings that use an o ring

 

[KnurledNut]

Why are battery powered copper press tools so expensive?

Hydraulics.

 

[nadogail]

My experience with Shark Bytes has been 100% good.

 

[Just_Steve]

Use Pex and not copper.

 

[danski0224]

I would, anywhere concealed at least...exposed is fine, but you have to remember these are o-ring seals that might last only 10-20 years depending on the water quality before failing.

The press fittings have O rings in them.

I have been on jobs with thousands of press fittings buried in ceilings and walls.

Some guarantees of a 50 year life mean little when the remodel is in a 50+ year old building, and the pipes are joined with solder. I personally do not believe the hype, but only long term testing... er, use, will tell the tale.

Burn permit requirements on commercial retrofit work is driving the use of press fittings. It is stupid easy to lose at least 2 hours of time just getting the permit in place and following the stop work times. Then there is the additional 8 hours of having a fire watch, that can't do anything but the fire watch job. Adds up really fast. press fittings are cheap in this instance.

 

[danski0224]

Any cheap ones out there? I don’t plan on using it much ever after this.

The answer to the thread title is: Because they can.

There are less expensive press tools, they can be found with an internet search. There really aren't any "cheap ones" though.

Then you get into possible compatibility issues with Brand X jaws and Brand Y press fittings. Yeah, maybe they are supposed to "be the same", but what if they aren't?

Some metal shielding and Cool Gel spray can help get into some tight spots without damage. Just have to be REALLY vigilant around paper faced insulation when using a torch. The fire concern is why press fittings are used so much on commercial jobs.

 

[nadogail]

Having had to replace a vinyl floor because it was scorched while soldering a fitting makes the price of a crimp tool much more reasonable.

The cost of Fire Watches and the difficulty of getting “Hot Work” permits would make the crimp cheaper than an insurance claim.

 

[LopezBart]

If you're worried about the o-rings in SharkBite fittings, the crimp-type Pex fittings also seem to work quite well. They are, of course, more difficult to use in remodeling/retrofit work due to clearance issues. My brother and I are reworking some of the plumbing on my parent's estate, and SharkBites + Pex are making our tasks a lot easier.

 

[Steve_P]

The tools are expensive because there was a lot of design and engineering work involved vs a tiny amount of sales in comparison to something like a drill, which probably took significantly less time to design. How many people have a cordless drill? How many have a cordless copper fitting press tool? 1000:1? In addition, there is more "going on" in the press tool, vs a drill as far as complexity and cost to manufacture.

 

[Under_Pressure]

As a plumbing/mechanical contractor, if the you think the press tools themselves are expensive, price out the jaws. Granted, a lot of the time when you are buying the tool you are getting it as a kit which includes the basic sizes of regular propress (for copper/thin wall SS tubing) so most people will never look beyond that. But if you buy a set of MegaPress jaws (for iron pipe) through 2", HVAC fitting jaws, or large diameter (2 1/2-4") copper jaws, each of those sets is probably going to set you back $2500. And if you want to get into MegaPress over 2", you need the press tool with a booster, which is a whole other level of expense. These things need to be pretty precise (because the stakes for a bad press are high) and extremely heavy duty (because the forces involved are probably a lot greater than you'd think), so thus far it's been pretty difficult to come out with a "homeowner grade" version, especially in an area where lots of potential alternatives exist for weekend warriors (such as Sharkbite and crimp pex).

 

[Rinspeed]

If you don't trust a SharkBite fitting buy a good quality compression fitting made by Swagelok or Hoke.

 

[honcho]

I have quite a few shark bites installed in my home and have never had one leak. I would not be afraid to use them anywhere I've had one sharkbite installation fail, likely because the installer (me!) failed to insert the pipe deep enough into the fitting. It has made me exceptionally cautious with where and how I use sharkbites now. I'm very interested in a cordless propress crimping tool but, as others have noted, the expense is high, especially for a home gamer. A family member recently had a utility sink installed in their basement and the plumber used propress. All the piping could have been easily soldered but I suspect using the pressed fittings made for a quick installation. Don't know what the job cost but I doubt any labor savings were passed on in the final price.

 

[Renegade1LI]

Maybe look at these smaller sets, it's perfect for residential. Try zoro, look for a 20% off coupon.

https://www.grainger.com/product/49EJ10?gucid=N:N:PS:Paid:GGL:CSM-2293:99F1R6:20501231&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiAzc2tBhA6EiwArv-i6fr7Drzi10ZeSclZZdzBgl6Iw1lzCD3T3CCJBAM-61XhVWOV0L_KYRoCxE4QAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

My mistake Sent the link to the pex tool

 

[Just_Steve]

Or depending on your ethics you buy one from Home depot use it and return it.

 

[Renegade1LI]

If you want to take a chance on vevor.

VEVOR Pro Press Tool, 18V Electric Pipe Crimping Tool for 1/2" to 2" Stainless Steel, Copper, PEX Pipes, Press Tool Kit with 6 Pro Press Jaws, 2pcs 4AH Battery, Fast Charger & Carrying Case | VEVOR US

Discover VEVOR Pro Press Tool, 18V Electric Pipe Crimping Tool for 1/2" to 2" Stainless Steel, Copper, PEX Pipes, Press Tool Kit with 6 Pro Press Jaws, 2pcs 4AH Battery, Fast Charger & Carrying Case, Powerful Propress Tool and Versatile 6-Die Crimping Tool for Pipes at lowest price, 2days...

m.vevor.com

 

[seber]

I agree with the pex suggestion. Especially since it will be in an attic. Typically unheated.

 

[housewolf]

My experience with Shark Bytes has been 100% good.

I’m guessing your sample size is pretty small. My experience (40 years plumbing) is probably 99.99% good but one of the (three) failures I’ve seen cost over $1M. Obviously we’d never install one but they do come in some drinking fountains. Other than a temporary repair, a sharkbite is never the best solution.

 

[acer66]

I have quite a few shark bites installed in my home and have never had one leak. I would not be afraid to use them anywhere

Yeah, I normally do not use them because of the bad press they get.

But the few times I used them they held up.

One was almost 10 years ago at a friend’s place and I still have to hear a complaint.

Just installed an expensive Rheem water heater and it came with them and one would think they did their homework.

 

[infinkc]

Well I bit the bullet and found one used for 900, figure I can sell and recoupe most if not all when I’m done.

 

[Renegade1LI]

Well I bit the bullet and found one used for 900, figure I can sell and recoupe most if not all when I’m done.

It's a nice tool to have, I'd hang on to it for awhile, you can always sell it.