Milwaukee M12 (2473) & M18 (2773) ProPress Tools

[Hamberg]

Like pulling teeth from Milwaukee , can any tell me the (functional) differences between the M12 & M18 units?

Anyone have experience with both?

50% swing in kit price!?

 

[Twowaxhack]

I’ll look and see if I see a difference.

 

[Twowaxhack]

I can’t find a plain 2773 kit. It always has extra numbers after the 2773. Depends on the suffix numbers the kit varies.

the 2473 comes with three jaws 1/2-1” but will only accept 1.25”!jaws max.

The battery power is obviously a difference.

I suspect the 18v kit will accept bigger jaws. It’s more powerful.

 

[Hamberg]

Sorry, meant the tools themselves. And yes, the M18 will do up to 4" copper, M12 up to 1.25". Just having a hard time understanding the price difference (comparing bare tools).

 

[Twowaxhack]

Sorry, meant the tools themselves. And yes, the M18 will do up to 4" copper, M12 up to 1.25". Just having a hard time understanding the price difference (comparing bare tools).

Well one will do big pipe and one won’t.

That’s the difference, plus the different boltage batteries they use. Obviously

I m pretty much residential now so I have no use for the 18v presser

I can’t bring myself to buy one. The fittings are expensive. I just don’t do enough of torch work to justify buying it. It’s nice tho, in some situations it would be great.

You press a lot ?

 

[Hamberg]

Me too, as a matter of fact the largest I've ever needed to use is 1"! Agreed the fittings are (much) more expensive but "I" think that is far outweighed by the time savings on existing copper. Plus there are jaws and fittings for iron/steel gas, PEX, stainless (which I've never used!), refrigeration.

Would be pretty sweet to just cut gas pipe to length and use fittings...

As an example, I had to replace a main shut off last week. The meter was out at the curb and (probably needed to be replaced) would not shut off all the way, I had to shove a piece of towel in the pipe to slow down the drip and it still took 35 minutes (with a MAP torch) to sweat the new shut off on.

Here is my justification math... the tool kit cost $2,000. @ an average bill rate of $100 an hour, if we can save 20 hours of time over the life of the tool (+/-5 years!?) it's paid for itself. That one job above (in total) would have saved 45 of those minutes!

Yes the fittings cost more but we can justify charging more for those fittings for a more professional (looking) job. (even if it's only perception from the customer's viewpoint)

Going back to my original question: is it worth an additional $1,000 bucks to get the M18 (volt) which has a larger selection of jaws avail (accommodates more types of press fittings)?

 

[Twowaxhack]

Underground gas I use HDPE. Above ground up 5/8” I usually flare. 3/4-1” I braze. We use 2lb gas systems so I’m rarely running 3/4 or 1”.

I mainly do repairs so there’s old copper I wouldn’t want to press.

no way I can justify it unless I bout it for a project. Plus I have shelves full of sweat fittings.

But I’m bit trying to convince you not to buy, you’re a Pro, you know what’s good for you.

Yoyre the only one who can answer that question.

 

[breplum]

I have the Ridgid 'compact' sets and a good friend/colleague has the Milwaukee M12.
We have worked together a lot and swapped tools as we work and the 12V does just fine for daily driving up to 1".
I have the Ridgid add-on kit for close quarters and frankly, I wouldn't want to be doing work without that kit also. I do not know if you can swap brands of heads but suspect not.
For schools, commercial and multi story, just the lack of dealing with flux residue/taste makes it indispensable.
Cost is not even slightly a concern because it is so fast to press and go.

 

[Twowaxhack]

I have the Ridgid 'compact' sets and a good friend/colleague has the Milwaukee M12.
We have worked together a lot and swapped tools as we work and the 12V does just fine for daily driving up to 1".
I have the Ridgid add-on kit for close quarters and frankly, I wouldn't want to be doing work without that kit also. I do not know if you can swap brands of heads but suspect not.
For schools, commercial and multi story, just the lack of dealing with flux residue/taste makes it indispensable.
Cost is not even slightly a concern because it is so fast to press and go.

You guys don’t filter your drinking water ?

 

[breplum]

We have incredible water here in the prime S.F. Bay area, but I still use a filter. Most around here have the naive joke of onboard fridge filter and still the water tastes good.
Really, since we have chloramine is hard or impossible to filter with simple activated charcoal.
Flux will trash a point of use filter pretty well won't it?
Twowax, I read about your bad Navien experience.
I have just the opposite experience and only install Navien, not that other brands are not fine, I just decided to specialize in what I still find to be a great product.
Though, I have to say, that they have blown the internal check valve design and most need replacement after three years on homes with external recirculation.
Likely, failure cause: chloramine damage of the tiny o-ring making it stick.

 

[Twowaxhack]

We have incredible water here in the prime S.F. Bay area, but I still use a filter. Most around here have the naive joke of onboard fridge filter and still the water tastes good.
Really, since we have chloramine is hard or impossible to filter with simple activated charcoal.
Flux will trash a point of use filter pretty well won't it?
Twowax, I read about your bad Navien experience.
I have just the opposite experience and only install Navien, not that other brands are not fine, I just decided to specialize in what I still find to be a great product.
Though, I have to say, that they have blown the internal check valve design and most need replacement after three years on homes with external recirculation.
Likely, failure cause: chloramine damage of the tiny o-ring making it stick.

I have nothing against the Navien product but rather the way their company handled troubleshooting a heater with a known defect to them without checking that possible issue first. They put these people through two weeks of inconsistent hot water and send part after part that passed all their tests......

I’ve never had a complaint about the taste of water concerning flux.

Most complaints I have on water quality are about a rubber hose taste from those stainless ice maker connectors that big box installs.

High chlorine levels also.

I filter all my drinking water with a few carbon filters but most of the time I just drink beer and let my liver filter itZ

 

[Hamberg]

I have the Ridgid 'compact' sets and a good friend/colleague has the Milwaukee M12.

is Rigid the gun style?