Being an electrician may, most often than not, exposed you to condition where you deal with not just wiring, but also piping. To the untrained eye, this can easily make an electrician seemingly performing the role of a plumber. But trained electricians themselves know first-hand that dealing with conduits is a necessity when it comes to the secure installation of wires, especially with protection of the system’s important components in mind.
Whereas a plumber’s role is to establish a water system through a well laid out and connected pipes, an electrician, on the other hand, creates an electrical system which have wires inside a conduit.
Although flexible pipes often make a popular choice in certain sites for their ability to flex in any direction as needed, there is also no denying of the quality that comes with the rigid type for its relative durability and other peculiar perks. However, untrue to its name, it’s not as “unbendable” as it sounds like.
There are plenty of tools that make bending a rigid pipe a plausible feat. Of all these tools, no other class offers a level of precision and ease than the electric-powered kind. With just a single press of a button, you get to put a curve to even the most rugged of pipes. It is no wonder that electric benders have become the trend, especially in high production areas.
But a level of convenience as the aforementioned would usually come at a price—a hefty price tag.
Best Electric Benders for Electricians
Whether you are a hobbyist with a taste for the expensive stuff or an entrepreneur who is in the look out for the perfect tool for a certain business, an electric conduit bender truly makes for a good investment.
1. Greenlee 555 Deluxe
There are many businesses in the market of electrical tools and equipment that had lasted for so many years that they inevitably became a symbol in the trade. One of these companies is Greenlee, a monumental brand whose portfolio comprises a comprehensive list of high-end products and has been in the business for more than one and a half century.
Greenlee’s foray into the electric conduit bender business is not necessarily recent which makes the company an expert in this particular trade. One of its best entries is, without a doubt, the 555 Deluxe, also known as the “Triple Nickel”.
It has been many years already since the Greenlee 555 Deluxe since it was first introduced into the market; yet it still makes a significant presence to consumers who are looking for a piece of machine that simply gets the job done with relative ease. This is thanks to the combined powers of its exceptional functionality and other convenient features, like portability.
Another major boon about the 555 Deluxe, especially in 2019, is its toned-down price. While it is by no means “cheap,” it is still significantly more affordable now than when it was still a fresh face in the market.
2. Gardner Bender B2000 Cyclone
Yet another iconic brand among electricians, the Gardner Bender is a name known for producing high-quality electrical tools and equipment. Making an entry into the electric conduit bender market, the Gardner Bender B2000 Cyclone is released which, like many of its competitors, is aimed at making pipe-bending an easier feat.
Like others in its own roster, the B2000 Cyclone is designed with portability in mind as evidenced by its two sets of uniquely-sized wheels. Intuitively, this blueprint makes the moving of the tool from one place to the next a non-intensive task—perfect at work areas where pipe-bending is demanded in multiple locations.
But like any another electric conduit bender, the B2000 Cyclone’s convenient design is only second to what it is primary designed for—functionality. Unsurprisingly, it does deliver.
Although there are “theatrics” involved to every pipe-bending task such as setting the dial according to specifics, everything is soon made easier with just a simple press of a button.
At a cost not too dissimilar from Greenlee 555 Deluxe’s price point, the B2000 Cyclone makes for a great contender.
3. Greenlee 855GX
Coming from the same manufacturing company that brought us the “Triple Nickel”—or the 555 Deluxe—Greenlee introduces one of its more recent iterations for the electric conduit bender. Dubbed the 855GX, this rugged machine does not only feature power and portability as its main selling point, but also the brilliance of automation as well.
By incorporating the element of “smartness” by being programmable, the Greenlee 855GX makes for the ideal tool when handling mundane conduit-pending projects, marked by uniformity and repetition.
Out of the box, the Greenlee 855GX is capable of storing data for 3 out of 7 probable bends. But for those who are seeking to store “limitless” data, there is a USB slot that acts as portal to an auxiliary memory stick.
True to the ideals of automation, every output is identical if based on the same specifications which displays the machine’s reliability and accuracy in doing repetitive tasks, culminating to a boosted productivity of up to 4 times when compared to other means.
One major downside of the 855GX is that it can be incredibly costly on its current pricing.
4. Maxis Southwire PB2000 Bendmax
If you have been looking into the market for electric conduit benders, one feature which you will commonly not see would be the ability to adjust the height of the tool to facilitate easier work. The Maxis Southwire PB2000 Bendmax makes for the first to adopt this attribute, making a name for itself as one of the most convenient tools in the market for conduit-bending.
But the ability to adjust its height is just one part of the machine’s display of its overall sophistication. There are also other elements in its design that are conspicuously aimed for quality of work improvement, such as the added removable stand whose purpose is to provide a perfect perpendicular alignment to the pipe during bending.