Are you a plumber--going out on calls and fixing things? Or, are you a wholesaler standing behind a counter? Some of the online sellers have hotlines and will help out the novice...
Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but not entitled to their own facts. When one has something to sell, and they won't sell it for whatever reason,
there will be somebody else to step in and make up for their shortcomings. For every plumbing wholesaler NOT wanting to sell this sacred Wirsbo/Uphonor "special PEX", there are a number of retailers online, at Amazon, or on eBay willing to step up and help. So, who's the winner and who's the loser? The customer is the winner and those who served him well are winners too.
@jeralmac did just that and his needs were satisfied.
We're here on the forum to help, and any attempts to explain or justify the actions of someone in the [wholesale] trade versus helping out someone who comes here looking for help,
doesn't help! I offered a solution, not an excuse. He went with one of the solutions, and he was helped. Problem solved. The losers? The two plumbing supply houses that need their attitude checked.
I get that Wirsbo or Uphonor or whoever they are, wants to "protect" the trade, but they are fighting a losing battle in a business model that's proven not to work. There's nothing that special about this product. This isn't rocket science. PEX in any of its forms, is pretty darn cheap per foot, and readily available. Old school plumbers may not like it so much when compared to copper, but it's here to stay. There are just three ways to fasten PEX: crimp, push and compression. All of them are pretty easy to learn, and a novice may make a mistake or two the first time with any of the fastening methods. Learn and move on.
I have purchased product from a number of plumbing wholesalers, and all of them have been far more helpful to me than retailers, because they know the products. Ditto for electrical wholesalers. And, the wholesale/retail thing has a playing field leveled by online shopping. While I may not have been offered the same pricing from the wholesalers as a tradesperson, the pricing given to me was competitive compared to any other source. My most recent experience earlier this summer, was one of the big box stores was "picked clean" due to the pandemic. I went to the wholesaler; they had what I wanted, the price was better than the big box, and moreover, they had inventory. "Next time", they said, "come here first, OK?" You betcha I'll be back!
Very happy that
@jeralmac found a friend at the local Ferguson. Where I once lived, there was a huge Ferguson plumbing supply. They closed it in the area, instead focusing on showrooms for appliances and such, and less on the pipe and fittings...but where there is one, it's a place I would visit based upon experience.
