Three months ago the folks at Milwaukee® send me one of their M12™ ProPEX Expander – Model 2432-22 tools to evaluate. This tool is used in the installation domestic water and heat PEX tubing.
I immediately handed it over to my brother who is a plumbing contractor to try it out on the job site and here are his findings.
The M12™ ProPEX Expander has auto-rotating ProPEX Expansion Heads that are designed for easy one-handed operation to install Uponor ProPEX® fittings up to four times faster than the old hand held tool that took a ton of time to use and fatigued the hands and muscles. Not to mention how difficult the hand held install tool was in tight spaces like crawl spaces.
The Uponor Wirsbo Expander system is the most widely used PEX system by plumbers in my area. Part of PEX installation means utilizing PEX Fittings, rings, and of course the PEX tube. The problem with this system is the for years the hand held manual tool used to install the fitting was hard to use, took a lot of time and was exhausting to use all day. As a result many plumbers switched over to other brands that utilize press fittings.
Using The Milwaukee® M12™ ProPEX Expander – Model 2432-22 :
The M12™ ProPEX Expander is built with all-metal gears and an integrated metal frame. It comes with three commonly used accessory heads: 1/2”, 3/4” and 1”. My brother did say he wished it also came with a 5/8″ head.
The idea behind this tool is to take the fatigue and time sink out of the installation process while still giving the operator an accurate and reliable installation. Milwaukee accomplished this!
The M12™ ProPEX Expander was fast, real fast. In fact it was so fast that it made the old hand tool look archaic and pore-historic. The old method of setting up the tool, using it and repeating the same steps over and over are gone. The best part of the tool was the ease of use and elimination of operator fatigue. that alone will save you time, money and carpel tunnel syndrome.
A useful LED light on the bottom angled up toward the expander head provides perfect lighting in tight spots and crawl spaces. The belt clip was handy and worked well.
The tool weighs 4.5 lbs and is a bit heavy but worth every bit of weight when you consider you can now consistently install PEX tubing faster, easier, and with no fatigue.
The M12™ ProPEX Expander has a built in fuel gauge that tells you the status of the lithium ion battery. My brother told me he found this feature very useful giving the example of checking the battery level before bringing the tool to the third floor of a job site and having to return for the second battery or charger if the battery died during that job.
M12™ ProPEX Expander Specifications (2432-22)
Capacity:3/8”-1”
Stroke Length: 14mm
Heads Included: ½”, ¾” & 1”
Speed: 60 SPM
Length: 7.5”
Weight: 4.5 lbs
Overall Impression:
The tool is a total time saver.
When I gave the M12™ ProPEX Expander to my brother he told me that he’s seen the tool at supply stores but thought it was a gimick. He also told me that he stopped installing the PEX system and went to a faster “press” system. He reluctantly agreed to test the Milwaukee M12 ProPex for me because he had a lot of PEX stock left in his shop. Now after using it he is going to go back to installing PEX tubing. He told me he is convinced that the M12™ ProPEX Expander is even faster and easier than the “press” system.