is this pipe bender any good?
 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/16-TO...99211007QQrdZ1 just wondering if anyone has used one of these before and has any success?

Re: is this pipe bender any good?
 

i have the harborfrieght one just like that.

works great.

that will run u 200 bucks.. cause shipping is 100 bucks...

check out harbor frieght.. it cost me 110 bucks

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=32888

Qty Item Description Price Item Total
1 32888-1VGA 12 TON HYDRAULIC PIPE BENDER 99.99 99.99
Subtotal 99.99
Tax Rate 0.00000
Tax Amount 0.00
(MI) - (8.99) *Shipping 8.99
Handling 0.00
Total 108.98

cliffnotes johnny style.

---- ebay. buy it off of harbor freight.

Re: is this pipe bender any good?
 

What do you want to do with it? It will bend pipe, but not tubing.

Later
Randy

Re: is this pipe bender any good?
 

if it can bend pipes why wouldnt it bend tubes? and what is the difference between a pipe and a tube? i just need it to be able to bend charge pipes and exhaust tubing.

Re: is this pipe bender any good?
 

Yeah it will work awsome. Hell, buy 2 of em.

If pipe benders that worked well were $100, why then do people pay $15 per bend?

Thank you for showing us this bender. You have brought down the bend industry.

Re: is this pipe bender any good?
 

he doesnt need a tube bender. he needs a pipe bender.

here is a tube bender.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=40393

i think the reason people ---- up is they think a pipe bender is a tube bender so they dont buy it. tubing is ---- like electrical conduits and stuff like that.

pipes are ---- you use to make roll cages and exhaust from.

Re: is this pipe bender any good?
 

Sorry but tubing is what you make cages from, and here is a tubing bender. http://www.pro-tools.com/105.htm

The bender in the auction on ebay and at HF will not do a cage that will pass tech or look very pretty.
The mdoel 105 protools or the Jd Squared Model 3 are about the cheapest you can get when it comes to a quality bend. I have the model 105 and it it a great tool. I also have the cheap HF bender and it is junk.
Here is what I did with the pro-tool 105, it is made from 1 5/8" .083 4130 tubing
http://www.eville140.com/starlet10.html

And here is where you buy tubing for chassis fabrication
http://www.chassisshop.com/
http://www.chassisshop.com/pdf/tubing.pdf

Later
Randy

Re: is this pipe bender any good?
 

ok so will the one in my first post bend all the charge pipes and an exhaust made of the same pipes? im going to do 3" exhaust and 2 or 2.5" charge piping.

Re: is this pipe bender any good?
 

it will work on exhaust but it wont be like mandrel bend, it stretches the pipe when it bends is and the diameter at the bend will be smaller than the origional diameter you started with.

Re: is this pipe bender any good?
 

Like mentioned above, there is a reason why everybody buys j-bends for their exhaust and charge pipes. If they could be done with a cheap bender from HF everybody would be doing it. Save the money and just buy a few mandrel j-bends..you will be much happier in the end.

Later
Randy

Re: is this pipe bender any good?
 

i wouldnt know about passing tech. but my friends roll cage was built using one of those jack operated pipe benders.. his looked ok.
you have more expierience than i do. i worked as a contruction worker over the summer.. and we used that thing called a tubing bender to bend conduits.. thats why i thought that tubing was just that conduit stuff. that u can actually bend over ur knee.. unlike piping for exhaust.. that would take alot more force to bend.. but u just showed me otherwise.

thanks

the hf pipe bender will not pull off mandrel bends. its just for the low budget person looking to get things done cheaply.. mandrel bends allow a free'er flowing exhast/charge air.. but for mandrel bends.. you need a 6 thousand dollar pneumatically operated machine.. the dude wants it just for charge pipes and exhaust.. apprarently he doesnt even want it for a roll cage.. so the harbor freight will do just fine for him. but if i was him.. and i only had one car.. and not multiple projects.. i would just head down to the local exhaust shop. get the mandrel bends. and get it over with. since its only one project.

Re: is this pipe bender any good?
 

all the exhaust shops here dont want to ---- around with turbos and im not getting it done by a rice burner shop cuz they will make me pay up the ass. i want a pipe bender to do the exhaust from turbo back straight pipes and the people at the exhaust shops wont do it cuz its on the turbo they would do it if it was from the catylitic converter back though and they most definitly dont want to ---- around with charge pipes...and for about $15 a 90* angle id rather buy a pipe bender i can get 5' of 3" pipe for my exhaust for $20 and 2" for $17.

Re: is this pipe bender any good?
 

just make some templates of the bends you need. and have them make you the bends... i dont know if they would use your pipes or not.. but i think they would bend you the pipes you need. and u can just clamp/bolt your exhaust in if u dont have a welder. and use couplers for the charge pipes.

i assume you want them for your civic. for the chargepipes just buy a charge pipe kit. and for your straight back.. its only like what... 2 bends? lol

Re: is this pipe bender any good?
 

Pro-tools is really cool about just selling the shoes and dies you need to make your own bender. Less than $300 should set you up to do one size tube (1.5 pls - good for cages)

Re: is this pipe bender any good?
 

The civic exhaust for 92-95 (most common) uses more than two bends.

You will need 2 90s for your DP, 2 more 90's to go around the gas tank, and a compound bend to go over the rear LCA. It really isn't worth getting a machine for $100+, and it still makes an inferior product. If you owned a shop, then the professional grade bender is worth it.

If I could find a "cheap" bender to do 2.5", I would, but ya really can't.

Re: is this pipe bender any good?
 

i dont need a cage my car is never going to see better then a 13 flat.

Re: is this pipe bender any good?
 

A mandrel bender costs a little more than $6k.
You can easily spend $6k on the tooling alone.

For roll cages, the material to use is chrome-moly tubing.
It's very hard and very expensive.

Everyone, quit bugging about emptying your pockets for mandrel bends.
There will be a solution very soon :-*

Re: is this pipe bender any good?
 

Good luck bending 2"+ TUBE with something like that!!!
Even a mandrel bender will stretch the tube on the outer radius.



The HF press type of bender will not give a uniform diameter throughout the bend, because it will tend to crush the tube and/or pipe...and may even crush tube, rather than give a bend at all...depending on the thickness of it.

What's the difference in tube and pipe? Pipe is measured on the inside diameter, and tube is measured on the inside diameter (with some exceptions). Typically, tube will have thinner wall thicknesses than pipe.

And I agree that you're better off to buy the bends than buy the bender...unless you're going to be doing this for a living, and even then, the protools type of bender is still a half ass way to bend tube. Most professionals would still rather buy the bends. The reason is because you need the ability to make a cut in the center of a bend, rotate the pieces to any angle, and have them match up well...ROUND, not oval and opposite. Imagine two pieces of egg-shaped tube. They will only match up if you turn them both the right way. ANy other rotation and you have to ---- with getting them to match up by the use of clamps and ----.

Re: is this pipe bender any good?
 

Engloid I wish you posted on this site more.

Re: is this pipe bender any good?
 

lol. i didnt say bend tube with that.. i was saying. my freind uses this one

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=32888

he fabbed me an exhaust. his roll cage. and even a roll bar for a mustang convertable.

the hf bender is strictly for the budget minded person... its an alternative.. thats all..

Re: is this pipe bender any good?
 

hey moham, got any pics of the bent pipe that HF unit produces? Just curious as to how the bends turn out. I wanna buy one of those units for a project in mind.

Re: is this pipe bender any good?
 

Some difference.

You can fill the pipe full of sand, and minimize crush. Still not ideal, true, but I'd only use it for building cages... you can't do a tight radius bend with thin wall halfassed. You can get away with a shallower bend for your main hoop, and most of the rest of the bends in the car.

Video of the pro-tool bender being used is for a main hoop... not super high res vid, but not junk either. Pipe looks pretty good, I'd rock it.

Re: is this pipe bender any good?
 

Buk, post good quality pics of that HF bender in action. It *might* do a cage decently, but I see it as a recipe for disaster as the OD isn't fully supported after the manner of pro-tool unit.

Re: is this pipe bender any good?
 

ill be getting a camera soon. ill see if i can get pictures.

what happend was, my friend and i were looking for reviews all across offroad forums and ----. and everyone was loudmouthing the harborfrieght ----, saying ---- like yea there trash, beileve me i got one... and dont buy it.. ittl kink the ---- out of it.. all thease people were talking and no one was backing there stories up, somepeople posted proof it works


there were 2 other projects we saw online. ill try to find the links. that one i have cause its in an email my friend sent me..

all over thease offroad forums.. someone asks about the pipe bender.. and they get pissed on...

just found another guy.. he used one simular to the HF bender. just alot bigger


http://www.supermotors.org/clubs/sup...=23452#content

herre is it:
http://www.supermotors.org/clubs/sup....php?id=199528

his quote

so yeah.. if ur patient.. u can get things done.. who gives a ---- about mandrel bent exhaust if your working on a budget? the same way any other person working on a budget would run a log mani..

----...

Re: is this pipe bender any good?
 

ok. i just talked to my friend...

apparently.. tubing is measured differently then piping.. so a 1.5 inch pipe die.. will not fit a 1.5 inch tube.. he forgets if its .5 inch bigger or smaller...
works fine.. just dont expect it to be a 6000 dollar pneumatic... take it easy.. and patients is needed... well worth the money saved!

he also said it does not bend 90 degree angles! but very close to it... he also said that that jd2 tube bender is ok.. but when u look at the price.. you have to remember.. it doesnt include the dies which cost alot.. or any of the other ---- he says.. he says go check out there site and click pricing under the model numbers...

it kinks the first couple times till u get used to how it works..

so whats with all the people calling the hf bender ----? can u say bandwagon? ----..

cliffnotes johnny style

hf bender is for the budget minded person. kinks the first couple tubes u try to bend. works better for piping then tubing. works great for making exhaust/chargepipes!

Re: is this pipe bender any good?
 

Pipe also comes threaded and the threads taper out.

Re: is this pipe bender any good?
 

Buk, that guys doesn't have a whole lotta high res pictures, but this one makes it look like it could do a good job on a cage:

http://image03.webshots.com/3/5/60/8...lYZBgYt_ph.jpg

If it red x's, you should be able to click the red X to link to the pic.

Keep in mind, as good as that looks, none of those bends are tight enough for exhaust or charge pipe.

There's a HF store opening up mid-January here is -------, NC. I think I'm going to buy one of the Buk Benders, build a 10 pt cage for the CRX.

Re: is this pipe bender any good?
 

The HF bender is a piece of ----. Not worth the money at all. You will not get a decent bend with it at all with tubing.
It may be called exhaust pipe, but it is tubing. I have one of the POS and it is worthless except to hold my garage door open. Do a search on any of the offraod, 4*4, or rack crawling websites and you will get more and more people saying it is junk.

I will set mine up sometime this week sometime with a piece of 1 3/4" .130 steel tubing and show you how well it works.

There is a reason why the real tubing benders cost some cash. Just buy some pre bent tubes, it will be much easier and cheaper in the long run.

Later
Randy

Re: is this pipe bender any good?
 

jd. go to imageshack. and transload the pic. it will work. but when u click it it doest show up.

i transloaded it and it works.

http://img398.imageshack.us/img398/6...zbgytph5ay.jpg

that buggy is bitchin'

LOL, read my post! people talk out of there asses! u cant listen to everyone! all those people aint got ---- to back up there claims that its bs... everyone says that garage door joke too :P

like i said. it works well for tubing. but for piping u need to figure out which die is the tubing equivelent!

its for the BUDGET MINDED person!

the first couple bends will kink!

Re: is this pipe bender any good?
 

i think im going to just get prebent tubes. some people say the tube bender works good i guess i cant go wrong buying the tubes except for wasting cash.

Re: is this pipe bender any good?
 

since u only have one project. thats what i said ;)

Re: is this pipe bender any good?
 

Truth be known.....it seems to be really slow at times. I don't know why and don't mean it as a complaint.. just stating the fact.

thanks for the compliment.

I've never worked with 10" THREADED PIPE. ;D

Re: is this pipe bender any good?
 

holly ---- if thay made a 24 double x heavy pipe with threads me and most of the rig welders would be out of work

Re: is this pipe bender any good?
 

If you really need a TUBING bender go gangsta and build your own. Heres the same plans from two different sources.
ttp://www.metalwebnews.com/howto/tube-bender/tube-bender.html
http://favoriteprojects.com/how_to_b...ube_bender.htm

And for the sake of putting this out there, the concrete plant I used to work at had a tube bender much like the HF style, only thing is, it was so massive it layed on its side w/casters underneith it and it used a hand operated jack! The dye appeared to be 4" and it was so heavy I could barely roll it around, I used a forklift instead. I never did get a chance to mess around w/though.

Re: is this pipe bender any good?
 

---- making one it looks like it costs more then $200

Re: is this pipe bender any good?
 

$250-ish, those were the writeups I saw.

The Pro-Tool bender, which is trick and affordable compared to anything else out there comparable, starts at $450-ish of memory serves... and *then* you buy the dies at $70 to $250/set.

Re: is this pipe bender any good?
 

Well, I'm ghetto, and am proud to admit it... once my turbo kit is finally pieced together, I plan on using the pipe bender at work to make the charge pipes (Hydraulic, easy).... and all the welding for flanges on the aluminum and what not will be done by my boss at his house (he's got the aluminum welder), and the 3" exhaust will be done buying 90's and everything, and welding them, as I hate crush bent exhaust piping.... however I figure for the charge pipes it isn't going to make as much of a difference.... i hope.