# Hand Benders?



## drsparky (Nov 13, 2008)

What ever the job provides is good enough for me.


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## TOOL_5150 (Aug 27, 2007)

I carry a set of blue ideals.. they work just fine for me.

~Matt


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## 480sparky (Sep 20, 2007)

I've gone exclusively to Ideal. I still have some old 45° GBs, but I never use them any more. I understand GB has finally seen the light and started making 30° benders.


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## cdnelectrician (Mar 14, 2008)

I have always liked Ideal's benders....for some reason I find Greenlee's and GB's benders do not make nice bends. And the conduit seems to always ripple where the rigid handle screws into the shoe. Anyone else notice this?


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## Charlie K (Aug 14, 2008)

cdnelectrician said:


> I have always liked Ideal's benders....for some reason I find Greenlee's and GB's benders do not make nice bends. And the conduit seems to always ripple where the rigid handle screws into the shoe. Anyone else notice this?


About the ripple at the handle. Did anyone by chance try to drive a ground rod with that bender? If so it distorts the shoe. You can clean it up with a file and make it good again.

Charlie


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## Mike_586 (Mar 24, 2009)

So long as it bends 30° with the handle perpendicular to the ground, I don't much care who makes the bender, though I do prefer the iron bender heads over cast aluminum.

I had never seen one of those 45° GB benders until last year after working several months of residential. When I tried making a couple of offsets it really threw me for a loop for a minute, I had no idea that there was anything other than 30° before that realization. I hated them instantly.


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## captkirk (Nov 21, 2007)

I do fine with the ideals.


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## kennydmeek (Sep 12, 2009)

Ideals are generally fool-proof...Have always liked 'em best.


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## rlc3854 (Dec 30, 2007)

G, get the original,get a Benfield:thumbsup:


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## william1978 (Sep 21, 2008)

I prefer the ideal benders myself.


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## Vintage Sounds (Oct 23, 2009)

Has anyone used an Ericksen Bender? Someone linked to it in another thread and it seems like it has some appealing characteristics. Mainly I'm thinking of the easier wire pulls the maker claims are possible.


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## slickvic277 (Feb 5, 2009)

Another vote for Ideal.:thumbsup:


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## mattsilkwood (Sep 21, 2008)

I use the ideals. They always seem to give me consistent bends. 
The greenlees are probably ok but I have never used one long enough to tell.

Ken, I have a 30deg gb that is pretty old, its the only one I've ever seen. It's actually not too bad of a bender.


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## Voltech (Nov 30, 2009)

480sparky said:


> I've gone exclusively to Ideal. I still have some old 45° GBs, but I never use them any more. I understand GB has finally seen the light and started making 30° benders.


The 1st time I used a GB bender was the 1st time understood the use of aclamp on level.


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## BP_redbear (Jun 22, 2008)

Pretty much any bender with the 'modern' benchmarks: rim notch (45 degree center), star (back of 90), degree indication marks.

My current shop sends out whatever happens to be at the front of the rack...

Benders with no markings at all (except for the arrow), plumb 45 benders, newer cast alum models, steel (cast) ones. You name it. I almost believe that I like the steel ones better than the aluminum ones, although aluminum is definitely light!!

Being in constr. elect. for only 2 years, I have had the opportunity to use many different brands and types of hand benders, so many that I can't say that I know which brand that I prefer, yet. (And, bender brands are not my choice).


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## nitro71 (Sep 17, 2009)

Some of the benders have tighter radiuses than others. GB has two different radiuses on their 3/4" benders I think. Going with the larger radius would reduce ripples I would think. I've got a big ben 3/4 that seems to ripple a lot. Think it's the smaller radius model.


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## running dummy (Mar 19, 2009)

hands down Benfield


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## user4818 (Jan 15, 2009)

Anything with the Benfield marks on it.


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## sparks134 (Jan 30, 2009)

I dont like my 1 1/4 emt GreenLee BENDER!


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## dowmace (Jan 16, 2008)

Ideal benders are the only ones to even look at in my opinion. I have owned full sets of klein, greenlee, GB, and Ideal. Ideals have made smoother bends and have been easier for the newbies to adapt to every time. Plus I think I may have paid less for them than I did the GB's


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## dowmace (Jan 16, 2008)

Vintage Sounds said:


> Has anyone used an Ericksen Bender? Someone linked to it in another thread and it seems like it has some appealing characteristics. Mainly I'm thinking of the easier wire pulls the maker claims are possible.



I've used one, and I'll say it's a very large kludge of a bender, it will make good bends, but the huge radius is almost never convenient. Plus you look like a crazy bending 1/2" EMT with it


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## Ampere (Jul 16, 2010)

I still prefer the GB with the cast aluminum shoes.. It's what I started with, and I think there's something to being most comfortable with that which you started with.. I guess I'm in the minority on this one.


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## Mike in Canada (Jun 27, 2010)

The ideals are good, particularly with the bender shoe on the bottom for the small sizes. Love that.
I bought a 1/2" G-B Big Ben and it tears the crap out of me when I do air bends. I don't like it any more.

Has anyone used the Hoppy Bender from the Rack-A-Tiers guys?

Mike


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## Frasbee (Apr 7, 2008)

Mike in Canada said:


> Has anyone used the Hoppy Bender from the Rack-A-Tiers guys?
> 
> Mike


I was waiting for someone to mention those.

I saw a demo video and liked what I saw.

I think it's important for people to learn on a bender without the crutch, but it definitely looks like the hoppy bender could improve efficiency. Maybe once I make journeyman I'll treat myself to one of those benders, if the word out there is good about them.


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## Lz_69 (Nov 1, 2007)

Either a Benfield or Ideal.


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## Lone Crapshooter (Nov 8, 2008)

I also like the Bendfield and Ideal. I am not a fan of factory handles. Two reasons flaird ends and length. With flaired ends you cannot cannot lay the bender handle along the back of a 90 and measure off the handle nor can you lay a offset along the handle and measure the depth of the offset.
If you need to take some out of a 90 you can place it between the hook and the shoe and shuv the bender forward.
According to Richard cox's book on conduit bending a bender handle should be the length from the center of your elbow to the ground. and I have found that works good for me.
Also when I starter a factory handle was unheard of we made our own.


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## Southeast Power (Jan 18, 2009)

I have Ideal but generally have no preference. They are all just fine except the 1/2" / 3/4" combo one someone came out with years back...
I just ran a few hundred feet of 1/2" EMT for the first time in a long time. It was for a couple of control wires. I thought it was kind of funny to bend such small pipe. It was like playing with tinker toys. I had saddles and offsets bent perfect the first time. I guess I remembered something... 

Then I chipped concrete and worked on that crappy 3-1/2" rigid for the rest of the week...


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## Big John (May 23, 2010)

Ideal or Greenlee. 

GB benders are paper-weights. Most of what we've got now are old GB benders. No freakin' marks on them, so I gotta eyeball everything. The pipes slip around in the shoe, and you're liable to break something if it comes flying out while you've got your weight on it. I don't have enough hate in me for those benders. :furious:

The Erickson bender looks neat, but I can't really see a practical use for it. I'm not usually running racks of 3 or 4 different pipe sizes. And that huge takeup looks like it could be a problem in tight spaces.

I've actually thought about buying a hickey because more than once I've needed tighter 90's than I could get with a shoe.

-John


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## Vintage Sounds (Oct 23, 2009)

dowmace said:


> I've used one, and I'll say it's a very large kludge of a bender, it will make good bends, but the huge radius is almost never convenient. Plus you look like a crazy bending 1/2" EMT with it


Yeah it seems like it would be a problem in some situations which would force you to carry two benders. On the other hand, we're doing some buildings where solid wire is spec'd along with dedicated neutrals. Some of the pulls have been brutal and wasted a lot of time, especially fire alarm cable because the jacket really doesn't glide too well. I wonder if this would have made some of that stuff easier. Also the foreman said we wouldn't be using any 1/2" pipe on the next building, which I am pretty excited about.


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## nitro71 (Sep 17, 2009)

They all have the same marks. Star, arrow, notch. They all are about the same. I honestly don't care as long as it hasn't been bending rebar and it's all bent up.


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## Mike in Canada (Jun 27, 2010)

nitro71 said:


> They all have the same marks. Star, arrow, notch. They all are about the same. I honestly don't care as long as it hasn't been bending rebar and it's all bent up.


 Some have a tear-drop instead of a notch. Same thing (center of a 60' bend).

Mike


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## John Valdes (May 17, 2007)

Ideal. All the time and every time.


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## Breakfasteatre (Sep 8, 2009)

they have a 1" ideal bender shoe in the clearance centre of a local homedepot, worth picking up for 22 bucks?

this particular one: 










we dont do much commercial but it may be more likely in the future


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## Frasbee (Apr 7, 2008)

Breakfasteatre said:


> they have a 1" ideal bender shoe in the clearance centre of a local homedepot, worth picking up for 22 bucks?
> 
> this particular one:
> 
> ...


I'd say!

I've worked with 1/2'' up to 1 1/4'' and I've never had a problem with Ideal's benders.


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## McClary’s Electrical (Feb 21, 2009)

Breakfasteatre said:


> they have a 1" ideal bender shoe in the clearance centre of a local homedepot, worth picking up for 22 bucks?
> 
> this particular one:
> 
> ...


 


They're about 80- bucks with a handle


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## 76nemo (Aug 13, 2008)

The only thing I'll add to this is if you are going to buy 1" or 1 1/4", definetly go with Benfields Powr-Jack benders. You'll never look back:


http://www.mytoolstore.com/klein/51205.html


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## Vintage Sounds (Oct 23, 2009)

Breakfasteatre said:


> they have a 1" ideal bender shoe in the clearance centre of a local homedepot, worth picking up for 22 bucks?
> 
> this particular one:
> 
> ...



Those are great, and you can make your own handle from a piece of scrap rigid pipe. Doesn't your company provide your benders though?


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## Big John (May 23, 2010)

76nemo said:


> The only thing I'll add to this is if you are going to buy 1" or 1 1/4", definetly go with Benfields Powr-Jack benders. You'll never look back.


 Maybe it shows my age, but I've never looked back to begin with, because I've never seen a 1 1/4" bender that didn't have a hinged shoe. I can't imagine trying to bend without it.

However, a hinged 1" bender is new to me. That might be nice.

-John


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## 76nemo (Aug 13, 2008)

Big John said:


> Maybe it shows my age, but I've never looked back to begin with, because I've never seen a 1 1/4" bender that didn't have a hinged shoe. I can't imagine trying to bend without it.
> 
> However, a hinged 1" bender is new to me. That might be nice.
> 
> -John


 
The Powr-Jacks help me alot with foot kicks, and with my little azz, that's grand. To alot of you guys, I'd look like a darned shabby weasle bouncing on a 1" - 1 1/4" shoe


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## slickvic277 (Feb 5, 2009)

I never really minded witch bender I used as long as it had the marks on it and the shoe was in good shape.

That was until I laid eyes on the _widow maker_. Well that's what i called it anyway. It was this old ass G&B 1 1/4'' hand bender. The shoe was just a touch to wide, the marks just a touch to faded, and there was no foot pedal

WTF!!! seriously there was no foot pedal!! More like a nub. I sent that back to the shop and got a new one. An ideal with a big ass foot pedal.


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## Geoff C (May 26, 2010)

I think the new Kleins are made in the same factory as Ideal. Home Depot used to have Ideal, now they have the new Klein. The tools are identical aside from different colored handles.


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## vos (Apr 1, 2010)

Heres a question that iv had for sum time. can u use a 3/4 in bender to bend 1/2 in EMT.
i am not trying to highjack this thread.


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## Vintage Sounds (Oct 23, 2009)

vos said:


> Heres a question that iv had for sum time. can u use a 3/4 in bender to bend 1/2 in EMT.
> i am not trying to highjack this thread.


I have seen it done in an emergency, but kinking is a risk. Use the right tool if you have it.


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## Schultz134 (Jul 25, 2010)

vos said:


> Heres a question that iv had for sum time. can u use a 3/4 in bender to bend 1/2 in EMT.
> i am not trying to highjack this thread.


I will actually do this on occasion when I am running a 1/2" and 3/4" side by side so that all the bends look very uniform. If I a lot of wires are going in it, or if the run is long, I don't do it.

For me I love the Benfield's. I use Ideal pretty much exclusively at work though.


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