Greenlee vs Klein iron conduit benders

What the numbers show

Both makers print a deduct (take-up) for every head, and they agree on all of them: 5", 6", 8" and 11" for 1/2", 3/4", 1" and 1-1/4" EMT. Rigid and IMC ride one head up on both, in the groove of the next EMT size, so 1/2", 3/4" and 1" rigid take 6", 8" and 11" on either bender.

The radii are where they part. Klein’s current datasheets give 4 5/8", 5 1/2" and 7 3/8" for 1/2", 3/4" and 1" EMT; Greenlee’s use guide gives 4 3/16", 5 1/8" and 6 1/2". With the same deduct, a bigger radius means the bend starts closer to the arrow and sweeps wider, so the back-of-90 gain grows.

What changes when you bend

• 90s and stub-ups: nothing. The mark is the stub length minus the deduct, and the deduct is the same.
• Cut length of a piece with a 90: you subtract the gain, so a piece bent on the Klein is cut a little shorter for the same two legs.
• Offsets and saddles: worked from the radius, the distance between bends and the shrink shift slightly. The multiplier method ignores the radius and gives both the same marks.
• Back-to-back 90s and anything measured to the back of a bend: the gain matters here too, so use the bender you are holding.

Two things to check on a Klein

Klein prints no radius for its 1-1/4" head (56211), only the 11" deduct. BendMate uses the NEC minimum, 7 1/4", which is very likely smaller than the real shoe: on Klein’s other heads the radius sits close to the stub height less half the conduit. The 90 marks are right, but the gain and shrink for that head are estimates, so measure yours.

Klein’s older datasheets for the 56203, 56204 and 56205 list radii of 4", 5" and 7". The current sheets give the larger figures above, and BendMate uses those. If you own an older head, a test bend tells you which it is.

Which one to choose

The numbers don’t pick a winner. Because the deducts match, a crew can mix Greenlee and Klein heads and mark 90s the same way. Choose on what you can judge in your hands: the weight and balance, the handle, how clearly the arrow and notches read, and what your supplier stocks. Both have a 45° center notch for saddles, and Klein’s current heads add 30° and 60° center-of-bend notches.

Both in BendMate

Both benders are built in with every shoe in the table above, and hand benders are part of the free version: offsets, 3- and 4-point saddles, 90s and kicks, with no signup. Pick the one you own and every mark is worked out from that shoe’s radius and deduct. If yours bends long or short, edit its numbers in Bender Specs and the marks follow.