Lets Talk Benders!

[saybye]

So I just ordered my notcher from JD2. At $197 with free shipping it was a no brainer. Keep in mind Im not a fab shop, Im not doing this full time, but I am wanting to build the occasional bumper and sliders, maybe a couple a year.

Who on here has used the harbor freight benders? Their on sale right now for like $100 bucks. Ive read the reviews and watched youtube. Seems like they'll do the job for the occasional work type guy.

Just trying to decide if I should buy the harbor freight bender or spend the extra $200 and buy the $300 JD2 model 3 bender. A buddy of mine has it and boy does it work great! But at the same time he's building chasis and cages almost everyday.

What do you guys think?

 

[xcm]

Ones a tubing bender, ones a pipe bender that MAY be modified to work with a bunch of effort.

The jd2 will produce better, high precision,repeatable bends.
The HF is... well its cheap.

Since you have a buddy with jd3 m3 die's, its a no brainer to pickup the jd2 if its within budget.

 

[foxwar71]

If im not mistaken, that $300 price tag is just for the bender itself. You still have to buy the die from them which is like another $300. Build your own bender, look up Gottrikes. I have less then $500 into mine, and that's including the die, air/hydro ram, pins/bushings, and materials.

 

[saybye]

You'd be correct fox war, that doesn't include dies

 

[saybye]

Here's the link for the harbor freight one.

http://www.harborfreight.com/12-ton-hydraulic-pipe-bender-32890.html

 

[x-jay vision]

That's a pipe bender. You want a tubing bender. A pipe bender doesn't have a follower and will crimp tube.

 

[saybye]

Good point.

Guess it looks like Ill get the model 3 then!

 

[freerider15]

I would have to say avoid the HF Pipe bender.

Look into the gottrikes.com bender, or get a JD2 or Pro-Tools bender.

I've got the gottrikes bender myself.

 

[civic50]

I had a similar bender to the gottrikes version to start and the only issue I had was the fact that it bends vertically which was an issue with my garage ceiling. I now have the Protools MB-105 HD which is a horizontal bending unit and isn't an issue with the ceiling.

 

[xcm]

Once you factor in time, materials, and time spent tracking down materials, the got trikes is a waste of time IMHO, the jd2 bender is priced like gaming consoles.... Most of their profit comes from the dies, which you still need.

 

[crazymaci]

Go big and get the ercolina 030 megabender. That's what I learned on, and makes bending super easy. Lol

 

[freerider15]

Once you factor in time, materials, and time spent tracking down materials, the got trikes is a waste of time IMHO, the jd2 bender is priced like gaming consoles.... Most of their profit comes from the dies, which you still need.

There is a reason many go with the gottrikes, like myself.

With the gottrikes, I've got mobility and don't have to dedicate one spot to my bender.

This is essential since I rent my place (don't own).

The JD and ProTools benders are nice, but if you're bending a long piece of tubing, it can be a real hassle making sure nothing is in the way, and that you'll always have the head space for it too.

Me, if it is a long bend, I can simply wheel the bender outside and get the bend done. Once its done, I just wheel the bender back into its spot at the back of the garage.

:thumbup:

 

[DubbyDoo]

I picked up this bender http://www.affordablebender.com/ for 300$ with one die. Decent price but I has its flaws its hard to really make a complete 90 degree bend it can be done. The bottle jack had to be replaced when you start getting to a complete 90 it puts a lot of angled force on the jacks shaft cause the seal to go. All said and done I did this cage with it and im pretty happy with it
im in the stages of replacing the bed with a non beat to shit one and then gonna finish the back half of it. As for the notcher I went with this on good design cheap and well it notches.

 

[garrett83]

You can get the HF benders to work, but you will waste a ton of tube doing so. These benders will kink most bends past 30*. When it does go past 30*, it crumples the inside of the bend. It also likes to split the weld on HREW tube.

This is the best I was ever able to get usin the HF bender



With what you are looking to do, I would save the money and go use your buddies bender, or take you tube and measurements to your local fab or muffler shop and have the make the bends for you

I use a Rogue fab bender now. I'm really happy with it and it was the least expensive and easiest way to go hydro.

 

[XJEEPER]

I mounted my ProTools bender vertically on casters and added hydro assist. Roll it out of the garage for long tube bends and back into the corner for storage.