Top 10 Best Tube Benders (Reviews & Buyers’ Guide 2022)

Best Tube Bender Overall

Tube and pipe bending can be easy and efficient with the right tools and the proper know-how. If you already have your eyes set on a project, then you’re probably ready to purchase a tool that will get the job done. Up for your consideration is the Hilmor CBK Compact Bender Kit—our best tube bender overall pick.

Specialized tools like tube bending kits can be daunting to look at at first. Like many other specialized tools, there’s a learning curve involved. However, this pick from Hilmor takes the guesswork out of tube bending with its unique ratcheting system and included dies.

This tube bender features an easy-to-assemble working design that lets users bend tubing and pipes to the correct specifications for the job at hand. The included seven tube bender dies can bend a variety of tubing sizes for your different projects. In addition, the mandrel and crossbar easily snap into place so you get the correct bend and shape every time.

The feature we like most about this particular tube bender is the ratcheting system. Instead of using handles to bend tubing, you use the ratcheting mandrel along with the crossbar to get the shape you desired. We have to praise the design for its ease of use and how it minimizes the effort needed to get kink-free tubing for different industrial applications. You can bend brake and fuel lines as well as heating and cooling vents all by yourself.

Another feature worth mentioning is the compact and portable design of this tube bender kit. Hilmor added a slider lock feature that lets users disassemble this tube bender kit and put it in storage in a matter of minutes. The carrying case also helps to keep things organized so you always know where to find the right dies you need for the job.

Best Tube Bender Runner-up

Snagging the second place on our list is this durable and high-quality option from Imperial Tools. The 370FH Triple Head Tube Bender is a tool for the tradesman who wants an accessible and versatile tool that you can carry anytime and anywhere.

The lever design of this Imperial tube bender makes tube bending instinctive since you don’t have to worry about using the right dies or other components for the task at hand. You simply have to know the size of the tubing you’re working on, select from the three built-in heads and you’re all set.

This pick is a great fit for HVAC technicians who work with a lot of fittings in their day-to-day jobs. The ¼”, ⅜”, and ½” heads can accommodate commonly used tubing sizes and materials. Bend copper, aluminum, and even thin wall steel tubing with just one tool. It’s perfect for tradesmen who go from one job site to another since they don’t need to worry about carrying heavy kits with components that they may not need for the job.

We like how straightforward this manual tube bender is. It will make easy work of different fittings in the right hands of a trained professional. At the same time, this can be a useful tool for the handyman who likes to work on different projects at home.

Other features of this manual tube bender include the 90-degree to 180-degree bending radius, cushion grip for ergonomic handling, and the adjustable hook that works with each diameter of tubing for perfect bending. It’s an affordable tube bender that is useful as it is versatile.

Best Ratchet Crossbow Tube Bender

We’re still looking at the top choices for the best tube bender and at number three, we have the CPS BLACKMAX BTB300 Ratcheting Tube Bender.

This tube bender kit is similar to our top overall pick for best tube bender as it shares a similar ratcheting design to bend tubes and pipes to the correct specs. However, this tube bender is priced a little bit higher and can be a little heavy on the pockets if you’re just a beginner who’s looking at learning the trade of tube bending. But if you’re a professional who wants a tool kit that can keep up with you and the demanding tasks of your trade, then this might be worth considering.

This tube bender from CPS BLACKMAX has seven included dies for different sizes of tubing and pipes. The variety it offers to the discerning tradesman is pretty decent considering its overall size. In addition, this tube bender has a reverse bending feature so you can work on more intricate shapes of tubing required for more detail-oriented jobs.

Again, it’s worth noting that this is a ratcheting tube bender so it requires less elbow grease to get the right bend or shape for your tubing. This is a lifesaver if you’re planning on taking on huge jobs that will require you to make a lot of fittings of different sizes.

One feature that we also would like to give focus on is the color-coding of the different-sized dies. This makes identifying the dies much easier, especially during busy and hectic days at the job site. You can easily spot the size you need for a specific tube or pipe you need to work on. It’s a small thing for some but professionals will surely find it helpful.

Best Tube Bender for Professionals

RIDGID’s tagline “Made for those who know” is perfect for their 600 series tube benders. These specialized tools are perfect for tradesmen who need a reliable tool that they can use day in and day out in their line of work. HVAC technicians, plumbers, and even serious DIY enthusiasts will love this tube bender from RIDGID.

The RIDGID 38048 Heavy Instruments Tube Bender is part of the brand’s 600 series of bender tools. They are dependable specialized tools that feature a lever design that makes bending tubes a hassle-free job. This one is for ½” tubing, a size that is commonly used in different industries like heating, ventilation, and air conditioning as well as plumbing. It can bend different materials like copper, stainless steel, and even titanium thanks to its durable construction and well-designed components.

We like the functionality of this pick from RIDGID. They really know how to make tools for professionals and they understand the need for quality results. One of the features that we like about this manual tube bender is its twist-lock mechanism that lets you do continuous u-bends (180-degree bends). Once you reach the maximum bend or shape that you want, you simply twist the working handle and it will reset to a position so you can continue your bend. It’s a simple feature if you think about it but it’s definitely useful if you’re a professional who wants to do things smoothly and efficiently.

And since this is a tool marketed to professionals, you can rest assured that it meets high quality standards especially when it comes to the materials used in making it. This RIDGID tube bender has stainless steel rollers, former, and handles so you know it’s durable all throughout. It’s the perfect tool for people who want a certain degree of quality in their tools and their work.

Best Heavy Rebar Bender and Cutter

A heavy rebar is commonly found on construction sites due to its inherent strength and numerous applications. If you’re a contractor and you tend to bend or cut rebar frequently, it’s only wise to invest in a proper tool that will help you get the job done. Introducing our number five pick, the BN Products MBC-16B Manual Rebar Bender and Cutter.

This rebar cutter from BN Products is perfect for bending and cutting rebar at construction sites. Rebar is tough in nature and can be difficult to bend into your desired shape without the proper tools. This pick solves that problem with its strong bender and cutter along with its durable construction. It will make easy work of bending #3, #4, and #5 rebar and can cut up to 60-grade rebar without issues.

We like how heavy duty this pick from BN Products is. It’s made for tough use so you can rely on its ruggedness and durability. The long handle gives you a lot of leverage to bend and cut rebar while the wooden plank base helps in keeping things secure and stable while you’re working.

We also like the easy-to-set bar selector so you can adjust your tool for the material you’re working on. All you have to do is pull the selector towards you and choose the correct cam setting for your needs. You have three options: 10mm, 13mm, and 16mm.

The cutter is also worth noting due to its power and versatility. There are two cutting slots to choose from: #4 and #5 can be found on top while the #3 cutter can be found at the bottom. Once you pick the correct slot, just apply pressure to the handle and the hardened forged blade will do the rest of the work for you.

This bender and cutter combo is a great tool for contractors, tradesmen, and serious DIY enthusiasts who want a reliable specialized tool that can bend and cut rebar efficiently.

Best Hydraulic Tube Bender

Keeping it simple when it comes to tools and tasks is always a good idea. As for tube benders, you can’t get any simpler with the Happybuy 12-ton Exhaust Tubing Bender that’s capable of bending ½” to 2” diameter tubing.

This tube bender is for the home garage owner who likes an easy-to-use tool that doesn’t require much preparation. This pick from Happybuy uses a hydraulic jack that pushes the tube upward using different-sized dies. It can make 90-degree up to 180-degree bends with ease. The hydraulic jack will do the work for you and not the other way around.

We like the straightforward design of this bender. It’s not portable like the other picks on this list but it is perfect for DIYers and tradesmen who tend to work with steel tubing for building racks, cages, and other similar pieces. The robust dies can accommodate commonly used tubing sizes so you can work on a variety of projects. The wide base, albeit lacking mounting tabs for permanent mounting, is adequate for frequent use. The weight of the tube bender keeps it stable even when you’re working with tougher materials like steel.

We highly recommend this Happybuy tube bender for people who want a reliable tube or pipe bender with a hydraulic jack.

Best Mounted Tube Bender

Tube bending requires leverage, there’s no way around that. While some benders have long dual handles to give you enough leverage to shape tubes and pipes, this pick has mounting tabs so you can secure it to your work table.

The Mophorn Pipe and Tube Bender is a useful tool if you’re planning to work on roll cages, handlebars, racks, and other fabrication projects. It can easily accommodate seven sizes of tubing, making it a flexible and versatile tool to have in your arsenal. Even DIYers and weekend warriors will love this tube bender, especially for hobbyist purposes. Although it is a specialized tool that’s meant only for bending tubes and pipes, it can come in handy if you need to work on specific projects like on your car or pipe fittings around the house.

We especially like the mounting design of this tube bender. While a lot of the picks on this list are handheld tube benders, this one goes the other route as it can be fixed on a work table. We’ve even seen an example of this being mounted to a piece of metal that is then clamped to a fixed position via a bench vise. It’s a pretty simple but ingenious design to maximize leverage and improve the bending capability of this tool.

Aside from the roller dies and mounting tabs, we also like the rubber grip handles that provide extra grip when in use and the durability of the 40CR steel used in the body of the bender. We highly recommend this for shop use especially if you’re planning to work on a lot of projects that require bending and shaping tubes or pipes.

Best Copper Tube Bender

Working with copper tubing for your project? Then check out this crossbow-type tube bender from IBOSAD.

The HVAC Reverse Ratchet Manual Tube Bender from IBOSAD is great for bending and shaping copper tubes that are commonly used in the HVAC industry. This portable tube bender uses a ratcheting mechanism to bend tubes up to ⅞” in size. It has a carrying case to house all the components so you can bring this along on job sites with relative ease.

We like how easy it is to assemble this tube bender. The parts are easy to identify and put together and you have seven dies to choose from so you can work on different tubing sizes. All of the parts fit nicely in the included carrying case so you don’t need to buy a separate bag for your tube bender kit.

Another feature that we like about this tube bender is its ratcheting mechanism. It is simple to operate and requires less effort compared to other tube benders that typically use levers to bend or shape tubes. Tradesmen and DIY enthusiasts can operate this tube bending tool with one hand, making quick work of copper fittings for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning projects. The kit also comes with a pipe cutter and a spare blade so you have additional tools to work with at no extra cost.

Best Tube Bender for Workshops

If you’re working on a variety of big projects like roll bars, cages, and even roof racks for off-road rigs then you probably need a bigger tube bender that’s up to the task. This is where the Woodward Fab WFB2 Tube and Pipe Bender comes in.

This square tube bender is perfect for larger diameter tubing that typically needs more force and bending power. Steel has material memory so you need something robust to bend it in shape and the Woodward Fab Tube Bender has exactly just that.

It is important to note that this tube bender does not come with the dies needed for bending nor the wide base stand. Those are sold separately but once completed, this is a true workhorse of a shop tool. The wide base stand will give you a proper working position so you don’t overexert yourself while working with tough materials like steel. The dies on the other hand will give you the capability of working with different sized round or square tubing.

We like the overall quality of the WFB2 from Woodward Fab. The components are CNC machines for more precise work including the calibrated degree dial. This is the type of square tube bender that will feel perfectly at home in a professional fabrication shop as well as in your home garage.

This Woodward Fab tube bender is a great option if you plan on working on more fabrication projects for different applications.

Best Tube Bender for Professionals Contender

As far as specialized tube benders go, RIDGID is a brand you can’t go wrong with. They have a dedicated range of bending instruments for the serious tradesman including this one—their 38043 600 Series ⅜” Tube Bender.

This is the smaller sibling of the ½” tube bender from RIDGID that we also have on this list. It can help you make intricate and precise bends using ⅜” tubing with its solid set of features like the stainless steel rollers, former, and vise clamp lock.

The steel rollers help with minimizing kinks and misshapen bends. Professionals know the value of doing high quality work as their reputation depends on them. For plumbing and HVAC trade, kinks and damaged tubing are a big no-no. The durable former and vise clamp lock also help with preventing kinks as they create the bend and help the tube stay in place respectively.

One feature that we like about RIDGID tube benders is their long handles that help in providing users good leverage. They make the work a lot easier which in turn produces better-looking bends and tube shapes, especially for projects that require detailed fittings.

Other features that we like about this RIDGID tube bender include the twist-lock handle that allows continuous bending without crossing the handles, the cushioned grips for added comfort and grip when working, and the calibrated graduation marks that help with more precise tube bending.