Electric vs hydraulic conduit benders, and when to use each
By Andrew ·
Quick answer
Use an electric bender for 1/2" to 2" EMT, rigid and IMC when there are many bends to make: it sets up quickly and bends each one in a single motion. Use a hydraulic bender for 2-1/2" to 4" and heavy rigid. It takes longer to set up but has the force for big pipe. For EMT up to 1-1/4", a hand bender is often quicker than either.
The four kinds of bender
| Kind | Benders in BendMate | Conduit | Trade sizes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hand benders | 10 | EMT, rigid (RMC), and IMC | 1/2" to 1-1/4" |
| Mechanical benders | 4 | EMT, rigid (RMC), and IMC | 1/2" to 2" |
| Electric benders | 13 | EMT, rigid (RMC), and IMC | 1/2" to 2" |
| Hydraulic benders | 7 | EMT, rigid (RMC), and IMC | 1/2" to 4" |
The four kinds, and where each fits
- Hand benders take EMT to 1-1/4" and rigid or IMC to 1". No setup, no power, and the cheapest of the four.
- Mechanical (Chicago) benders turn a big shoe with a lever and need no power. The Greenlee 1800/1801 and Current Tools 750/751 take rigid and IMC to 1-1/2"; the Greenlee 1818 and Gardner Bender Sidewinder also take EMT to 2".
- Electric benders take 1/2" to 2" EMT, rigid and IMC, with a motor turning the shoe.
- Hydraulic benders use a ram, driven by a pump, for 2-1/2" to 4" and heavy rigid. Some take smaller sizes too: the Greenlee 882 from 1-1/4", and the push-type Greenlee 884/885 and Gardner Bender B300 from 1/2" rigid.
The table above shows the conduit and sizes each kind takes in BendMate. Hydraulic is the only kind there that goes past 2".
Electric against hydraulic
| Electric | Hydraulic | |
|---|---|---|
| Sizes | 1/2" to 2" EMT, rigid and IMC | Mostly 2-1/2" to 4", and heavy rigid |
| How it bends | A motor turns the shoe | A pump drives a ram that turns the shoe or pushes it into the conduit |
| Setup | Quick: fit the shoe group and supports, then plug in | Longer: fit the shoe, supports and pump, on level ground with room for long conduit |
| Best for | Many repeated bends in the middle sizes | Large conduit and heavy wall |
| Where the mark goes | A benchmark on the shoe, often the front edge of the hook | Table and cam-track: a benchmark ahead of the bend. Push-type: the middle of the shoe |
On cost, a hand bender is a personal tool and a mechanical bender a shop tool. Electric and hydraulic benders are major equipment, usually owned by the contractor or rented for the job, and they pay off when there are enough bends to make.
One-shot and segment bending
A one-shot shoe forms a whole 90° to its own radius in one stroke. Electric shoes work this way, and so do many hydraulic ones: the Greenlee 881’s one-shot shoes and the Current Tools 254 bend 2-1/2" to 4" to 90° in a single extension of the ram.
Segment bending builds a bend from several small shots spaced along the conduit. It makes a sweep with a much bigger radius than any shoe, and it is how a bender without a one-shot shoe reaches 90°: the older 881’s 45° shoes for 3-1/2" and 4" made a 90° in two shots.
each shot = total angle ÷ number of shotsWhere the mark goes
Most benders measure the deduct to a benchmark ahead of the bend, like a hand bender’s arrow. Push-type hydraulic benders are different: the conduit rests on two supports while the ram pushes the shoe into it, and the manual says to line the mark up with the center of the shoe. Their deduct is measured to the middle of the bend, so it is far smaller.
- Greenlee 881, cam track
- Radius 20 7/8", deduct 32 1/2"
- Greenlee 884/885, push-type
- Radius 20", deduct 6 1/2"
- Why they differ
- The 881 measures to its saddle edge, the 884 to the middle of the shoe
- What it means
- Never use one kind’s deduct on the other
BendMate knows which benders mark to the shoe center. For those it puts every mark on its bend’s center, and you line each one up with the middle of the shoe.
Every kind in BendMate
Hand benders are free: offsets, 3- and 4-point saddles, 90s and kicks, with no signup. Mechanical, electric and hydraulic benders are part of Pro, $5.99 once, with every other bend type, including the segmented 90, several bends on one stick and the rack builder. Every mark is worked out from the chosen shoe’s radius and deduct, and you can edit those numbers to match your machine.
Get the marks for your bender
BendMate works this out from your bender’s radius and deduct, flags a bend that won’t work, and shows you every mark.
Free for offsets, saddles, 90s and kicks with a hand bender. No signup.
Common questions
Is an electric or hydraulic conduit bender better?
Neither; they cover different sizes. Electric benders handle 1/2" to 2" quickly, and hydraulic benders handle 2-1/2" to 4" and heavy rigid.
Can an electric bender bend 2-1/2" conduit?
None of the electric benders in BendMate’s library go past 2". From 2-1/2" up, the benders that take it are hydraulic.
What is the difference between one-shot and segment bending?
A one-shot shoe makes a whole 90 in one stroke, to the shoe’s radius. Segment bending makes a bigger sweep from several small shots spaced along the conduit.
Why is the deduct so small on a push-type hydraulic bender?
It is measured to the middle of the shoe, where the mark goes, not to a benchmark ahead of the bend. A 4" rigid shoe on the Greenlee 884 deducts 6 1/2"; the 881’s, measured to its saddle, deducts 32 1/2".
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