This is another tool I have no experience with, I have not even seen in real
life.

I came across a few as "other items sold on EBay". The concept intrigued me
as, in future, I will have a need to bend pipes and solid rods up to 1/2" or
so into varying shapes.

I did a search and found a bewildering quantity of tools, all purported to
do the same thing:
-some were hand held and bent the pipe/rod in a fixed radius - these were
cheap
-some were floor/bench top mounted and had several dies, presumably to
provide different radii. Some of these had different attachments to make
rings, twist metal into corkscrew shapes etc. They varied between $80-$1000.
-some were hydraulic
-some were really, really big and expensive.

I could not find an article which would provide an overview of their use, a
review of different makes etc.

So the question is this: Does anyone here have an experience with this sort
of tool? Are there types/manufacturers to go for? Are there any caveats?

I am thinking versatility, low volume, low cost.

Any help will be appreciated.

--
Michael Koblic,
Campbell River, BC