Which brand for pipe benders please?

I brought a cheap set and they were crap. I really would spend around £55 on them or you can get substandard results. Mine continually crushed the pipe. I sent them back to screwfix and got a refund. The record ones I now have are excellent.

Record or Rothenburger

I'd check out Ebay for a Record one secondhand - it's built to last. Couple of cheaper ones I've used were basically rubbish.

These purport to be Record at £ 49

That is the record one. I can only presume screwfix have changed the brand. The last one was about £36 IIRC.

How about the mini tube bender?

Actually, the formers are (deliberately) soft and easily damaged by dropping the tool or using them when dirty or with dirty pipe, which can cause grit to get embedded. That's what I would be very careful to check with a second-hand one.

I got my Record one from B&Q around 4 years ago, and it was about £50 then. No complaints and works very well. Make sure the box has a pair of straight formers in it -- I had to go through half the stock before I found a box which did as most were missing. Occasionally, plumbers merchants have them on special offer -- I kicked myself for not buying the Record one at a plumbers merchant 6 months earlier when I saw it much reduced.

On this topic.

What is the smallest radius of the bending for 15mm and for 22mm tha one can achieve with these benders

-- asalcedo

Hilmor GLM

See product code 7762 on

Just don't ever look up the price of spares for the Record bender, they make the original purchase seem the bargain of the century!

Bought a Rothenburger on a special offer , about 45 quid 10 years ago, never hesitate to use it and its still like new.

Right. I've found mine to be superb over many years use, but then I tend to look after tools. The formers look like ordinary cast alluminimum to me - are you saying better brands use something stronger?

I've got a Hilmor floor standing conduit bender and that uses a similar idea for the formers.

but also sell one for £23, which I think is likely to be by Silverline.

That's a big difference. Is it worth it?

Replace 'spam' with 'org' to reply

Never heard of this brand. Are they any good?

Also, anyone got experience of the Faithfull brand?

Rob

Replace 'spam' with 'org' to reply

The smallest is also the largest radius. Approx without measuring - 65mm for 15mm and

I could say whether that to the inside, centreline or outside of the curve.

They've been around for a while, & are well known!

Not for pipe benders but their Skarsten scrapers are good. Personally (despite the horrendous cost of spares!) I'd stick with the Record ones.

I bought the cheapo one for £23 from Toolstation and found it bent th pipe okay, but slightly on the skew. No good when you want to put double bend in a pipe. When released the sodding pipes would fly off i the wrong direction, hence to say ithis bender is now in a safe restin place......

the skip

-- Cordless Crazy