Just yesterday Milwaukee Tools held a very nice event for the Tool/Construction Media crowd and provided a lot of hands on for current products as well as some products which will be coming out in the next few months. Everett from Pro Tool Reviews did a nice job recapping the whole event so we aren’t going to bore you with our version. We were really happy to see so much focus from the Red Team on Plumbers, Electricians, HVAC & Maintenance as well as their growing relationships with many of the governing associations for those trades. Probably the best example of that, which we took away from the event was in the new ProPEX tools.
The partnership between Milwaukee Tools & Uponor (see our previous post) is a significant union in our minds. The PEX technology is not exactly new but it has quickly become the standard while still continuing to find new applications such as fire sprinklers. Uponor, the makers of ProPEX, currently holds about 1/3rd of the market and with Milwaukee having strong relationships with the trade association and products in training facilities the future of the ProPEX product line seems very optimistic. Obviously we all want to be confident the building product we install now will be available 5, 10, 20 years down the road for repairs, additions, remodels, etc.
Milwaukee M12 ProPEX Expansion Tool Kit 2432-22 ($399, Ohio Power Tool) is a serious heavy duty tool for professionals installing lots of ProPEX. This M12 is very fast at 60 SPM and features built-in auto rotation which other versions of Power Tools for installing the ProPEX system that are more expensive and larger do not have. The M12 tool also features a built in LED and an overall capacity 3/8” to 1” for ProPex tubing. In the tool kit comes (2) M12 batteries, chargers, grease, case as well as (3) expansion heads in sizes ½”, ¾” & 1”. This tool will work with the M12 & Uponor heads up to 1”.
Milwaukee M18 ProPEX Expansion Tool Kit 2632-22 ($699, Ohio Power Tool) very similar to the smaller M12 version but this M18 tool can handle ProPex up to 1-1/2”. Actually slightly slower at 45 SPM it also features the built-in auto turning. The kit for the 2632-22 includes (2) M18 Compact Batteries, charger, case as well as 3 expansion heads in sizes 1”, 1-1/4” & 1-1/2”. This tool will work with the M12, M18 & Uponor heads up to 1-1/2”.
You may have noticed it mentions the M12 & M18 Expansion Heads separately. The M12 heads come in sizes 3/8”, ½”, 5/8”, ¾” & 1” while the M18 Heads only come in 1”, 1-1/4” & 1-1/2” but remember the M18 tool can accept either heads where as the M12 Tool cannot use the larger heads.
Here are some additional pictures of the ProPEX tools in action on this Facebook Album. You can expect to see the M12 2432-22 tool out first with a target launch at the end of August. The M18 2632-22 tool should follow in late September with the various expansion head sizes available then as well. Bare tools 2432-20 & 2632-20 will also be available shortly after the kits but will not include the expansion heads. If you have any questions about different PEX Connecting Tools do not hesitate to contact the pros at Ohio Power Tool 800-242-4424.
