More info on potential applications would be helpful but....

Any bender needs to be closely matched to the size of the
tube/pipe/conduit you are working on as well as the force needed to bend
it. Conduit is a funny size, pipe is measured by the ID (and a
standardized oddball OD), and tube is generally measured by the OD and
wall thickness.

Thin wall conduit is a very funny size, needs dedicated tools, but can
easily be bent with the bender head with a suitable piece of pipe for a
handle. $20 +/- depending on source and size. Conduit is nice for
prototypes to see what the shape will look like but it is very soft
material, should NOT be used for anything structural.

Pipe is heavy wall, ID is standardized for pipe sizes, needs fairly
heavy equipment to bend it: think 12 ton hydraulic pipe benders from
Harbor Freight for $100 or so. This is a press bender that pushes in
the center of the pipe. It works without too much crushing only because
the wall thickness to so heavy compared to the diameter.

1/8" to 1/4" range steel tube (brake lines) bend nicely with a hand
bender, kink quickly without. $10

1/2" OD to 1" can be bent on a bench bender from HF or Hossfield. $60 to
$600 depending on capacity, dies included, and manufacturer.

1-1/2" to 2" tube for roll cages really needs a decent hydraulic rotary
head bender to do well. http://www.jd2.com/

For production work, the sky is the limit: For only $100,000 you can get
a CNC bender that turns a 10' piece of 1"x.120 wall tube into a Bobcat
skid steer operator restraint bar with 10 bends in 45 seconds.



Michael Koblic wrote:
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.