Klein vs IDEAL hand benders: what the numbers say

Deducts: the same on every head

IDEAL’s bender guide gives the take-up marked on each ductile iron head, and Klein’s guide gives its own: both come to 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. IDEAL’s 3/4" EMT head (74-002) takes 1/2" rigid and IMC, its 1" head (74-003) takes 3/4", and its 1-1/4" head (74-006) takes 1"; Klein’s heads do the same. So 1/2" rigid deducts 6" on either.

Both heads also have a rim notch for the 45° center bend of a saddle, so a 3-point saddle is laid out the same way on each.

Radius: published on one, missing on the other

Klein’s datasheets give 4 5/8", 5 1/2" and 7 3/8" for 1/2", 3/4" and 1" EMT. IDEAL publishes no radius in its product pages, catalog or bender guide, so BendMate uses the NEC minimum for each size: 4", 4 1/2", 5 3/4" and 7 1/4". That is the tightest bend the code allows, not a measurement of IDEAL’s shoe, so the real radius is probably the same or larger.

The 1-1/4" heads show the same numbers in BendMate for the same reason: Klein prints no radius for its 56211 head either, so both use 7 1/4". Some distributor listings give a radius for IDEAL heads, but IDEAL itself doesn’t, so BendMate doesn’t use them.

What it means on the job

• 90s: identical marks. The stub length minus the deduct is the same on both.
• Cut lengths: these subtract the gain. With the NEC radius, BendMate’s IDEAL gain for 1/2" EMT is 1/4" less than Klein’s, which makes the cut that much longer. Measure your head before you cut to length.
• Offsets and saddles: radius-based marks move slightly with the radius. The multiplier method ignores the radius and gives both benders the same marks.

Measure the gain on your own head

1. Cut a straight scrap of the size you bend to a known length, such as 40".
2. Bend a 90 near the middle.
3. Measure each leg from its end to the back of the bend, and add the two.
4. The total minus the length you cut is the gain. Enter it for your bender in Bender Specs, and cut lengths and offset spacing follow.

Which one to choose

If you want published numbers for every calculation, Klein gives you more of them for the 1/2" to 1" heads. If you already own an IDEAL, nothing is wrong with it: the deducts are the same, and one measured 90 fills in the radius. Both are built into BendMate, and hand benders are free: offsets, 3- and 4-point saddles, 90s and kicks, with no signup.