When it comes to assembling performance hose and hose ends, the barbed, push lock-type fittings were created to be the easy option. While they aren’t as pokey as braided stainless hoses, or as finicky as PTFE assemblies, they can still be a challenge to assemble, still requiring a vise and significant hand strength to properly seat.

Whether you’re just trying to save some effort on a few hose assemblies, or a full production run, Koul Tools’ EZ-ON hose press goes makes the task impressively simple. Using the concept of working smarter, not harder, Dick Raczuk developed the EZ-ON press to makes quick, light work of push-lock hose assembly, regardless of the brand and type of hose and fittings used, as evidenced by the above video, and several others from Koul Tools.

The overall concept is surprisingly simple, based on a typical screw-drive mechanism. The real magic is in the EZ-ON’s hose clamping mechanism and the fitting clamp design. By securely clamping the outside diameter of the hose body, for a significant length, the system prevents kinking or collapsing the hose. The same goes for the fitting mount, which uses a mandrel that fits into the ID of the fitting to retain and guide the fitting into the hose during assembly.

From there, Raczuk uses a cordless 3/8-inch drive impact gun to rotate the main screw drive, forcing the hose and fitting together in a smooth, apparently effortless motion. For 90-degree fittings, Raczuk shows his prototype that he developed (the production version is more refined) and the concept behind it is as simple as the mounting for the straight fittings.

Designed to handle 1/4-inch to 1-inch diameter hoses and fittings, there is also an even larger EZ-ON press model designed for big-boy hoses and fittings up to two inches in diameter. So whether your hands just aren’t up to large runs of push lock hose assembly, or you’re just trying to save them, this ingenious tool uses engineering to make a straightforward task even easier.

Installing hose on 90-degree fittings required a little bit of ingenuity on Raczuk’s part. While the production solution is a little different, the concept behind the design is the same.