Michael Alexander had been itching to try pressing but he didn’t want to go into debt to do so.
The owner of Palmetto Plumbing in rural Abbeyville, S.C., got his wish last fall when he got his hands on a Pressgun 6, the first pressing tool in North America to carry the Viega name. The Pressgun 6 and the compact Pressgun Picco 6 cost less than similar press tools from other manufacturers and are an affordable way for contractors to adopt pressing.
Since getting his, Alexander has used it steadily for residential construction and service work, primarily pressing ProPress Copper.
“This is so much easier. It costs a little bit more, but the time you save is more than worth it,” he said, adding that it has cut installation time by half on some projects.
“I’m faster now, which means less time on jobs which saves me money,” he said.
The Pressgun 6 is a no-frills workhorse that can press up to 4" ProPress copper and stainless and 2" MegaPress with the V2 actuator and rings, as well as 2" PureFlow. The Pressgun Picco 6 can press up to 1¼" ProPress with the C1 actuator and rings, 1½" PureFlow and ¾" MegaPress. Both tools are manufactured by RIDGID.
Both come with an 18-volt lithium-ion battery and charger, which offers 25% more presses per charge than the previous battery. The battery also features forward and backward compatibility with RIDGID batteries, chargers and tools.
A new Pressgun 6 has allowed plumber Kostis Pagidas, owner of Flush Inc. Plumbing and Drains in Toronto, to avoid frustrating and dangerous situations, like soldering inside the dry wooden walls of old homes and draining entire systems to fix leaks.
“It’s incredibly versatile,” he said. “Straightforward, easy to use and a charge lasts a really long time.”
Like Alexander, Pagidas is a one-man operation and the ability to press makes him more competitive with bigger shops.
“It’s a really good tool. It helps me finish the jobs quicker so I can move on to the next one,” he said.
The Pressgun 6 and Pressgun Picco 6 are making it possible for more contractors to realize the many benefits of pressing.