IWISS/iCrimp PEX Pipe Copper Ring Crimping Tool Kit for 3/8 in, 1/2 in, 3/4 in, 1 in Crimp Rings, Meets F1807 Standard (13" Combo PEX Crimper)

Very useful tool. Way less expensive than those in the speciality stores. Does the job very well.

As Described

I am very handy and have done 2 bath renovations that included copper plumbing, electrical, drywall, tile and everything else that goes into a bathroom rebuild from the studs out. I am in the process of doing a reno on a new house that has PEX and I wanted to learn how to do it. There are plenty of tools available for this at the local home stores, but after doing my research on the Internet, I settled on this IWISS tool as the best PEX crimper for my DIY needs. I am not disappointed. The tool is very sturdy and solidly built. I only needed 1/2" crimps but it also provides for 3/4" crimps. I did not foresee nor need anything bigger or smaller for my DIY needs. Being my first time using PEX plumbing, I did a test crimp. That first one was simple enough to do and I felt the satisfying click of the tool as it completed the connection. It also passed the inspection using the provided go/no-go tool. So I laid out the new shower valve and all the connections for hot and cold lines and the shower head and handheld. I cut all PEX lines to fit and dry fitted the fittings as well. I also thought about how to put the connections back together and the sequence of the crimps, because even though PEX is a lot more flexible than copper, it's still pretty stiff when you're working in tight quarters. In all, there were 22 PEX connections to be made, so I shut off the water to the house and started crimping the connections. I was done in less than 45 minutes with all 22 crimps. This included 15 minutes to redo one connection because I did not seat the PEX all the way into the fitting for my comfort and redo another connection because I could not get the other side of the elbow to go into a tight squeeze. Because I needed to reuse the PEX tube (it was already cut to size), I used a dremel to cut to copper rings enough that I could use a flat head screwdriver to split it. I stopped the dremel short of seeing the blue of the PEX line and copper is a soft metal to split. This job would have easily cost $150 or much more if a plumber or handyman came out to do it. With this tool, some elbows and copper rings, I did this for much less than half and I learned how to do PEX in the process. I think I like PEX now that the initial learning curve is done and I can appreciate why the trades like it so much over copper. It's much easier and so much faster to work with. If you don't do this for a living, this tool is great for the DIY'er. And it provides great bang for your buck.

Does what it should. Good crimps every time so far.

Bought these when I was in the process of changing out the toilet in our rv. It was plumbed with packs but the connectors didn't line up the same on the new toilet. This allowed me to fix this plumbing issues and even install a valve allowing me to turn it off should it leak in the future. Straight off the box every ring I used fit in the go side of my test gauge. It's nice that it has a dial that allows you to increase or decrease the settings of pressure as needed, which will come in handy as the tool gets used more. It is nice and heavy weight with a noticeable latching point when you apply a ring. Of the half dozen I put in all of them were leak free, which considering the angle that some of them had to be put in at was pretty surprising. This set will do half inch or three quarter inch rings, and I look forward to using it in the future. PEX is the way to go for running plumbing lines that may potentially be exposed to freezing temperatures. It came as a set with a go/no-go gauge and tubing cutter as well. Everything you need to get started except for the fittings.