looks like i'm gonna be gettin a bender soon. Had dinner with my mom the other night and we were discussin all the stuff she wants to do with her rig. She said she wanted some nice lookin tube bumpers with a prerunner style front end and i said i could build em if i had a bender and notcher. After i told her the general price of a bender she said " OK well if you'll build me bumpers I'll buy the tools". And i'm like :D:D:D:D:D:D

So now it comes down to which one. according to the sites the Pro-Tools will cost just a little more, but i remember some people talkin about the JD takin a month or more to get. are they still backordered or can i just call and get one now?

the Pro-tools bender with 1-3/4" die and JD2 notcher is $639
the JD2 with die and notcher is $614
since the price is close what do you guys think i should go for. Damn am i a happy man right now :D:flipoff2::D


Dallas

I have a pro-tools. I bought one as well because JD2 was going to take a month.

It's worked well. My experience is don't bother with the degree or stop rings, they're not accurate for 2" (which is what I bend). Oh, and get the 180 deg die.

Tim.

I have seen both and they look comparable. Most of my friends have JD2 but one of my buddies has the Pro Tools with all the dies! I would get the one that your buddies own so you can "borrow" dies. Although both the bender and the dies are portable enough to borrow either--the bender can be quite heavy in hydralic or set up on a heavy stand or cart.

Jason :)

heh if i had friends with benders i wouldn't need one. :p

Dallas

I just got my Pro bender (#105) ! It was on the door step when i got home !! I had ordered it last monday morning and it only had to ship from FL to NC.

4 of my friends had the JD2 and a few have the Pro model. IMHO they are very similer and comperable. BUT #1 the pro bender came painted not oil soaked...and it had stickers... woooo momma.

The bender was more $ but the dies were cheeper for the Pro Tools (last i checked)

I also had ordered a Pro die for a JD2 bender and i thoght it was a better machined finish than the same JD2 die (from a friends), not that some sand paper couldnt smooth it out.

The PBB write up rocks, it right on the money. Especially the part about "sharing". The supplied "destructions" with the benders suck and make a simple thing seem more complicated than necessary.

Pic of work we did last weekend at a friends house with his JD2
http://www.yager.net/zukin/new/zuke8.jpg

-yag

I dunno - but you can be dang sure before I do anything with my JD2 ( that just arrived after 2 months) I will be making 3 or 4 copies of it :D:D:D:D

so what one is better??

I want ot be able to do 180 without taking tube out.. and 90 with one shot


( I got the cylinder part # for that) but can you do a 90 withought repinning?


anyone
what is protools addy?

I have an older jd2 and I think it is great, it works great and mine came painted black but like I said it's 4.5 years old. I have a friend that has the pro tool bender he thinks his is great. i can tell you this jd2 is no longer going to make the 90deg. die any more I just got off the phone with them today. I ordered another die almost 5 weeks ago they promised it would be sent out 2 day air in the am I will belive it when I get it. I personelly would wait if you think about why are they so far behind if they were junk they wouldn't be selling any right. but if you are in a hurry bye the pro tools bender and get busy. Just my .02 cents worth.
Wilseya

Originally posted by Moab Austin

anyone
what is protools addy?

www.pro-tools.com

I am looking into getting a bender but I am on a tight budjet. And paying $235 for five pieces of metal and a simple little handle sounds rediculous to me, I know there is a little bit more than that to it but face it there very simple. If any one has gottin one and is feeling a little generous, could you maybe trace it and fax it to me withe a couple of measurements between holes and what ever I'd need to make it. I still plan on buying A couple of the larger dies but the smaller ones can be easily made on a lathe.
the larger ones just cost too much for the raw materials. I've ben thinking of just winging it and trying to make one with out a print but it would take a lot of the guess work out of it to have a draft of one.

Originally posted by JOHNS351C
I am looking into getting a bender but I am on a tight budjet. And paying $235 for five pieces of metal and a simple little handle sounds rediculous to me, I know there is a little bit more than that to it but face it there very simple. If any one has gottin one and is feeling a little generous, could you maybe trace it and fax it to me withe a couple of measurements between holes and what ever I'd need to make it. I still plan on buying A couple of the larger dies but the smaller ones can be easily made on a lathe.
the larger ones just cost too much for the raw materials. I've ben thinking of just winging it and trying to make one with out a print but it would take a lot of the guess work out of it to have a draft of one.

Hmmm.... Let's look at this for a second.

How cheap do you REALLY think you can build this thing for? I just got one, and yes - I plan to make a few copies "just in case" - but I am quite sure that by the time I figure in materials (plate, hardened pins, welding, time, cutting, consumables, etc.) That $235 is a STEAL.

Just assuming you can gather all the materials for a mere $50, are you saying the several days of designing, cutting, welding, and assembling are worth $185?

I don't know about you, but @ $20 an hour for my time, that means I qwould have to be done with it in a little over 9 hours of work time....

So even though I do plan to make a few copies of mine, I sure as hell am not dreaming that somehow that is cheaper than buying one... And you STILL gotta buy the dies and followers!

So just how cheap do you HONESTLY think you could build one for?

fawk man i could throw that thing together in like 20 minutes :rolleyes:

Dallas

I HAVE ALL THE MATERIALS JUST LAYING AROUND, SO I'd have nothing into materials plus I have acess to a lathe for the pins and I dont think it is necessary to have them hardened but it would be nice i could always upgrade. Or I could just use some grade eight bolts for pins. So with a hour and a half with a torch I could get the five bigger plates cut out. the handel wold take a little work and there realy isn't alot of welding to do so I think I could get the whole thing done in a day easily. and I'm from wisconsin and Icant count on twenty bucks an hour for my labor. If I can get 10 -15 an hour Im happy. i know It sounds cheap but thats the going rate around here. my thought is I have more time than money!
So if you could let me use your pattern I would be much apreciative. Thank You.......