Conbraco Apollo PEX 69PTBJ0010C 3/8-inch - 1-inch One Hand Cinch Clamp Tool,Black

I bought this tool to change out the old copper distribution pipes in a mountain cabin. It did an excellent job on some 100 clinches with no leaks at all. My hands aren't big or strong enough to use it entirely one handed, but I found a procedure that worked well.For me, the easiest way to use it was to first squeeze the handles 3 or 4 times before putting the tool on the clamp. That reduces the number of squeezes needed to get the tool firmly on the clamp. Once on the clamp, I found that after the first full squeeze, letting the handles open only enough for one click sound (about half way open) allowed me to do the next few squeezes with one hand while using the other to hold things together. Once the clamp got tighter and firmly on place, I continued to open only until the first click and then squeeze the handles tight through 2 clicks with both hands. Once the clamp got tight, the handles had to be opened all the way to get the last click and then squeezed hard for the final step.Since the jaws of the tool squeeze the crimp until the indentions on the clamp touch each other, there is no way to overtighten the clamp. After releasing the tool, the indentions no longer touched, but that's normal. I found the blue light helpful at first, but after a while the battery ran down and I found it unnecessary, since I just cinched the clamps all the way each time.The tool was a great deal when I bought it a year ago, selling for about 30% less than now, but I'd buy it again if I needed to.

If you're wondering if this will get the job done for 1 inch clamps, the answer is a resounding yes. Our entire whole house filtration and softener system is 1 inch PEX-B. I wouldn't even say sqeezing this ratchet tool is that hard. Does it still take both hands? Yes. But it is easy enough IMO.Pros: Clamping 1" is no problem. Light is handy. It's able to fit in fairly tight spots.Cons: The light on mine is super dim. I've used this with 3 different brands of clamps, it seems to work best with Apollo branded clamps.

This Apollo Conbraco Pex Tool works well in tight places, (that is the big big benefit of this tool). It is the only Pex Tool I have and works on 3/8", 1/2", 3/4" and 1" Clamps. I have only used it on 1/2" and 3/4". The batteries also last a long time. Well built and easy to use. You can use it one handed if you are strong enough on the 1/2" clamps, 3/4" will be a little harder. Sometimes I need to use both hands when I get in a bad position. The light is why I bought it. It lets you know when you have crimped the clamp enough.One repair and it will pay for itself.

Lasted 5 months but definitely got moneys worth ordered two more

Love how easy to use this tool is vs some other crimping tools. One handed crimps are easy and doing multiple doesn’t tire your arms. The only thing I don’t care for is the size as this tool is much larger than I thought. Seems to be durable though as I have gotten it wet quite a few times.

Great product and made my job easy. Quality tool as well.

This tool is a great idea, but there is one major design flaw. It’s so bad and so obvious if you’re looking for it that someone should be fired at Apollo in their engineer in department.If you look in my picture, you will see that there is a spring which keeps the tooth engaged with the ratchet. See that little screw to the left? You’ll notice that the spring is mangled and stretched add a focal point in the middle. That’s the result of that little screw. All they had to do was machine the release as one piece with its shaft or use a set screw! The spring has to bend around the screw head and stretches it out. Once stretched there isn’t enough tension on the piece to keep everything balanced and working properly.The reviews that have complained that it gets stuck, or that it won’t clamp all the way, are due to this oversight. It’s not a matter of if yours will fail but when. I made it through approximately 30 PEX clamps before it started to fail.Now, what I did to fix it was take the handle apart, cut and shorten the spring, take the screw out, put it back in with loctite and then grind the head off (I didn’t have a set screw on hand). Once reassembled it works great again. But I can’t say just yet if it will have an issue long term since the spring isn’t its original length.UPDATE: within 10 minutes the spring broke. Also I noticed that it started to twist the clamps slightly which can’t be good. Compare the clamps in the photos I uploaded. One is twisted and one is still square.Stay away from this brand! I also have their regular 2 handed model to take back to HD because it won’t calibrate to a right enough crimp!

This hand tool is awesome with a light that shows you your clamp is tight.