Tubing bender rogue vs Eastwood

[myrealtordebbie]

I need some help ... I want to surprise my husband and get him a tubing bender ... he has a 1969 bronco that he wants to make bumpers for ... but when I casually ask him which he wants he is Conflicted between the Eastwood https://www.eastwood.com/eastwood-h...UrammxTzSN2lsG5sGJ_VA5I0M2THJGDRoCRwIQAvD_BwE

And the other one is the

https://www.roguefab.com/product/tubing-bender-model-600-1-die/


The Eastwood comes with a hydraulics pump it’s looks like and the rogue doesn’t ... does anyone have any experience with either of these benders that can give me some advice on which is better to buy and value for the money so I can get one for him .... thanks in advance he loves this forum hopefully he doesn’t see my post

 

[Madgyver]

I'd be happy with any of them if it was a surprise gift to me.

i myself settled for a JD2 bender with the dies that I needed and bought the hydraulic set-up separately.
it was what I could afford.

If I was to choose one with no expense in mind I'd want the most complete bender and compact, mobile for big bends, and serviceable. Space will be a factor in my case.

 

[hyghlndr]

JD2 model 3 is the best on the market for the money. Can manually or do a hydraulic conversion. Can make bumpers, roll cages, pretty much anything.

 

[nvrstuk]

I know it's not either of the ones you listed but the JD2 model 3 is the best on the market like hyghlndr said... I love mine. Still get any part you want for it... even the 25 yr old models which is important if you want different dies or whatever in a decade or two...

Cool gift...

 

[langester]

I have no experience with either of the benders listed. I am with the others, I love my JD2 as well. They have more choices for dies as well. The Eastwood model looks very close to the JD2 as far as how it is made.

 

[73azbronco]

Just to confirm you are already married?

 

[Apogee]

I don't think you could go wrong with either of the units noted, however the JD2 Model 3 has been the most popular non-production bender on the market for the better part of the past two decades. My brother has a similar unit from 20+ years ago from PRO-TOOLS (105) that we've converted over to hydraulic and works similarly.

The Rogue Fab bender reminds my of the Tube Shark bender, and working vertically can have some advantages with certain bends since it can remove the floor as an obstacle, but as with most things, that can usually be accounted for with the design and repositioning tubes if needed.

There are two general options with respect to power units, you can either get air over hydraulic, which will require an air compressor (which I would assume someone considering a tube bender will already have) and typically run a little slower, or electric over hydraulic with a standalone hydraulic pump that just requires electricity to operate. The Eastwood unit above uses an electric hydraulic pump and it looks like the standard power option on the Rogue Fab unit is an air over hydraulic pump.

Last but not least, you need to consider which dies are available and how much they cost. I would consider a 1.5", 1.75" and 2" die for miscellaneous fab work to be necessary...there are various bend radius options to consider for each as well. Smaller dies (like 1" and 1.25") can come in hand for smaller stuff like grab handles, gussets, racks, etc.

The Rogue bender has a larger rated capacity considering it claims it can bend a 2" solid bar, whereas most of the other benders (JD2, Pro-Tools 105, Eastwood, etc) will be limited to Ø2x.125 tubing, or slightly larger on some of the upgraded HD models, so from a versatility standpoint, I would compare that and the JD2 Model 3 bender side by side and choose the one that best fits your budget and needs.

Good luck!

 

[BanditBronco]

I have a rogue and don't have anything bad to say about it. I don't use it a ton which is something I wanted to bring up. The amount of videos and directions for a newb bender that are available for it is pretty good. If you forget exactly how it is supposed to work, watch a quick vid on their website and you are good to go.

The Eastwood looks pretty nice for the money, my only question would be where is it made? It probably looks better on the internet than in real life. Eastwood is usually Overseas made tools with a decent price point. Rogue Fab is a small business with American made products. I own tools from both companies, I know for sure he will be happy with the Rogue bender, I can't say that for the eastwood.

 

[svastano]

My Buddy has the eastwood one and it is excellent