A Milwaukee ProPress tool weighs about 8 lbs. Holding that above your head in a ceiling tile while balancing on a ladder for the 50th press of the day is a legitimate workout. A torch is light.
For a DIY homeowner, a $3,000 tool is insanity. Even for a journeyman, the ROI only makes sense if you are pressing 100+ fittings a week. The fittings themselves cost 3x to 5x more than a standard copper fitting. A ½” copper elbow is $0.80; a ProPress elbow is $4.00. propresser
ProPress doesn't make you a better plumber than the old-timer with the torch. But it does make you a faster , safer , and often more profitable one. In a trade where margins are razor-thin, that clicking sound is the sound of money being saved. A Milwaukee ProPress tool weighs about 8 lbs
If you mess up a soldered joint, you heat it up, pull it apart, clean it, and try again. If you mess up a ProPress joint, you cut it out. That fitting is destroyed. You lose an inch of pipe and a $4 fitting every time you slip. For a DIY homeowner, a $3,000 tool is insanity
Soldering requires: cutting, reaming, cleaning (abrasive cloth), fluxing, assembling, heating, applying solder, wiping, and cooling. ProPress requires: cutting, reaming (deburring is critical), marking depth, pressing. A skilled fitter can press a fitting in 5 seconds versus 60 seconds for solder.
At its core, ProPress is a flameless connection system. Instead of using heat and filler metal (solder), it uses radial compression.
If you do a lot of remodels, owning a ProPress allows you to have your laborers do basic water line moves without needing a licensed plumber for every tiny joint. However, check local code first.