which tube bender?

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alright so...iv been on the fence as to wether or not i need/want to buy a tube bender and iv finally decided to pull the trigger on one....i was going to go with the JD2 bender but came across a pro tools bender which looks like a fairly good bender as well....better package price though. i dont want to buy a lesser tool over 50 or $100 but at the same time....dont want to pay just for a name ect. anyways...here are the sites for each bender:JD Squared i am looking at the model 3Pipe Bending Machine, Tube Benders, Square Tubing Benderso....pretty much, im 19, starting to get a bit of a shop going, have welder, band saw, drill press ect for tools. would be used mostly for fabbing up 4x4 stuff at first i think. sliders, cages and the like and maybe using it to do some other jobs as i can get them. any thoughts/opinions? im actually kind of leaning towards the pro tools one...bit over my budget but it would allow me to bend as soon as i can afford the tube to put through it...where for a little bit less money i would have to make a stand ect for the JD2 one (there is no way im gunna pay $100+ on that stand they are selling when i can make my own with steel from the scrap yard)
Reply:Look at the prices for dies.  Thats where the money adds up.
Reply:Keith over on the OFN(Off Road Fab Net) did a camparison of the big three (JMR,JD2,Pro-Tools)Everything you'll need to know:http://www.offroadfabnet.com/forums/...ead.php?t=1668Also look into Bend-Tech for designing your tube projects.  FabCam(Cris)  on OFN (owns the site and also owns Bend-Tech Inc.) can answer all questions about that.-Jason
Reply:Yotawheeler, where are you located?? If you go on www.Dezertrangers.com , you will find a lot of very good condition used benders, for a good deal less than new. They last a long time, and are tough. Buying a used one should not cause much concern, I have bought several for friends, all were fine. I also bought my JD2 model 3 used with 3 dies for $500. A really decent deal.And then, after so much work...... you have it in your hand, and you look over to your side...... and the runner has run off. Leaving you holding the prize, wondering when the runner will return.
Reply:rojodiablo: thanks for the link, there is a bender on there right now, im located on vancouver island, canada so it would have to be shipped...but i am looking at buying direct from a manufacturer because of the high mark up on these thing here in canada...
Reply:Originally Posted by yotawheelerrojodiablo: thanks for the link, there is a bender on there right now, im located on vancouver island, canada so it would have to be shipped...but i am looking at buying direct from a manufacturer because of the high mark up on these thing here in canada...
Reply:www.hossfeldbender.com. look at this site. this is the kinda bender that i own and in the long run it is well worth the money. lots of good uses out of this machine. not a week goes by without me having to use it.
Reply:hhhmmm wow, nice benders. a bit to rich for my blood though. im just kind of getting into this stuff and at 900 for just the bender, no dies or anything is a little bit out of my league. if i were doing this as a profession to make a living i could justify that kind of $$ but being that this is for hobby use even a cheaper pro tools or JD2 is hard to save enough cash for. thanks for the link though
Reply:On a budget, take a look at the one Speedway Motors sells.  Doesn't have to be anchored to the ground, can be easily converted to air over hydraulic, and comes with five dies for about the price you'll pay for the other benders alone.  The downside or upside, depending how you look at it, are the dies.  They're aluminum and come in a handful of sizes, but the sizes are the most common ones for automotive use.  If you manage to break or crack the aluminum die somehow, they're cheap to replace too.  I've only seen a few pictures of how the bends turn out, but everyone that actually seems to have used it loves it.  They don't have as tight a radius as some of the dies available for the PT, JD2 etc, but the bends were nice and smooth, no kinks.  I'll probably go that route myself.  The only other downside is that it can only do 90 degree bends max, not 180, but I never use bends over 90 degrees when doing chassis work anyways (I just buy driveshaft loops with the quick release pins).
Reply:I'd go with a Protools, I built my own bender, and bought the dies direct from Protools, they were very helpful.Here's a pick of my setup, it all breaks down and stores in 2 transport cases Attached Images
Reply:Wow DR Shocks...lol that very impressive.Very nice weld it like you own it
Reply:Cheers, Ive just purchased a Wixey Rotary Encoder with Display.  To make things easier.http://www.machine-dro.co.uk/index.p...product_id=137 Attached Images