The best rebar benders will save time and effort on the construction site and make your job a whole lot easier. A quality rebar bender will enable you to bend heavy steel bars quickly and efficiently. Ideally, the highest quality and most versatile rebar benders should also cater to a wide variety of metals.
Industrial-grade professional rebar benders on the market today have dramatically improved over the last few years. Not only do they bend rebar quickly and accurately, but more importantly, they do so without compromising your safety or that of your workforce.
Purchasing a rebar bender can sometimes feel like bending a steel bar over your forehead. With all the choices and varieties out there it is hard to figure out how to find the best rebar bender. Also, it’s not a name brand driven market, so the options seem low quality.
But don’t worry, we have gone through hundreds of products and narrowed down our choices to the 10 best rebar benders on the market today. Your work just got a whole lot easier.
This list comprises the best manual rebar benders, portable electric rebar benders and the best portable rebar bender/cutters for construction workers. If you have used a rebar bender that you think should be on this list, feel free to leave a comment and let us know.
If you’re looking for standalone heavy duty rebar benders and rebar cutters, we have a review on rebar bending/cutting machines here.
Table of Contents
10 Best Rebar Benders
Best Electric Rebar Benders
1. Happybuy Hydraulic Electric Bender – Best Professional Rebar Bender
While not a household name, the Happybuy Hydraulic Electric Bender is a high-performance compact electric bender of good quality. It uses an 800W powerful engine that makes bending steel rods easier and quicker than ever before. It is relatively light and compact, especially when compared to other top rebar benders on the market.
Due to the powerful 800W engine used in the electric hydraulic rebar bender, the bending speed is faster when compared to many other products. It can bend 5/8-inch steel rods of rebar within a time span of five seconds. Not too shabby for a rebar bender at this price point.
The Happybuy Electric Hydraulic Bender also features an easy angle lock that can be used to repeat the same bending angle. This option comes with an on/off switch along with a set function that can be used to set the angle for repetition. This is handy when making repeated bends on rebar that need to have similar angles.
This hydraulic rebar bender is highly versatile and can be used for several purposes and particularly effective for road work, where is a high volume of rebar bending is needed.
We ranked this electric rebar bender as one of the best rebar benders for industrial jobs due to its high performance, durability and versatility. The only downside is that this rebar bender is limited to up to grade 60 rebar, so if you’re working with any rebar above this grade, you’ll need to look for another rebar bender.
2. Hydrafore – Best Hydraulic Electric Rebar Bender
The Rebar Bender from Hydrafore is an affordable yet powerful electric hydraulic rebar bender. This bender uses a powerful motor that can bend most, if not all, steel alloy rebars. It can easily bend steel rods of up to 5/8-inch size. It’s also lightweight for a hydraulic bender at only 35 lbs.
It features a hydraulic press that can bend prices of rebar in as little as 2.5 to 3 seconds. However, it will take longer if the rebar is thicker or made from sturdier material. If you’re going to be bending really thick steel bars it may be best to look for something with a little more power. If you’re bending thinner rebars this machine whips right through them with incredible speed.
It also features pads on the bottom that can be used to bolt the bender to the floor or workstation. This will allow you to work the bender with only one hand. The bolted mechanisms will also give you much more leverage than when it is not bolted down.
3. Generic – Best Portable Electric Bender
The Generic Portable Hydraulic Electric Bender is a serious contender when it comes to hydraulic benders that are compact and portable, even as a generic brand. It has a 110V engine powering hydraulic presses to do the hard bending work for you. It can easily bend thick rods and pipes at an angle ranging from 0 degrees to 130 degrees.
The speed of this portable bender is a major selling point. It can bend 5/8-inch rebars of steel within a matter of 5 seconds. You could easily bend 100 pieces of rebar within an hour. The 800W hydraulic press is also economical as it does not use a lot of power as compared to most other hydraulic presses.
The adjustable bender can be used how you see fit. You can easily adjust the mouth of the bender to set the angle for the bending process. To make it stop, you can just turn the power off and then remove the pipe or rod from the mouth.
4. Huanyu – Best Rebar Bender for Residential Construction
The Huanyu Electric Rebar Bender is the most versatile bender available on the market. It is a fully functional and automated bender. It is a light, portable and, quiet bender that is also very powerful in its functioning.
Two pedals are included with the rebar bender that can be bolted down to a workstation or the floor. This is so that you can easily use the bender without even using your body to bend the steel rods or pipes. The body of the bender is made from steel alloys that make the rebar bender sturdy and firm. While testing this bender, we found that the body is strong enough to withstand a lot of pressure and friction as well.
The mouth of the electric rebar bender is made from a carbon steel alloy that makes it strong and firm. You can easily adjust the mouth of the bender according to your wish and the hands-free operation will allow you to sit back and watch the bending process.
5. Metabo HPT Rebar Bender – Best for Bending Multiple Grades of Rebar
The Metabo HPT Rebar Bender is the most premium product listed but for good reason. It features a powerful 8-Ampere motor that makes the bending operation easier and quicker. You can easily bend the steel alloy Rebar at different angles of up to 180 degrees. The variable speed options present on the rebar bender come with a safety lock that can provide a manual-like output.
It can uniformly bend the grade 60 rebar with ease. You don’t have to worry about the thickness or material of the rebar with this machine. The really tricky part of the machine is to adjust the mouth of the bender in order to get the angle you want. Other than this, the operation is very easy and can be done within seconds.
A single dial is present that helps you pick out the angle that you want from the preset angles on the dial. This makes it easier for you to get precise bends without altering the quality of the rebar by bending many times to get the precise angle.
Best Manual Rebar Benders
1. BN Products: The Hickey Bar – Best Affordable Rebar Bender
The minimal tool on our list of top picks would definitely have to be the BN Products The Hickey Bar. It uses a sturdy steel alloy tube as a handle. This tube alloy is stronger than most other handles that may not be tubes at all. Many would think the tube as a handle is not a good choice as tubes can easily wear out and break. In our testing phases, we found the steel alloy tube to be much denser than it is given credit for.
The Hickey Bar can easily and quickly bend rebar of sizes 3, 4 and, 5. This means that you cannot use it on many other rebars of different sizes. You can rather use it on these three sizes but with great ease.
The handle is made to be 30 inches in length in order to give much more leverage when bending rebar in tighter places. This gives you a better grip and makes bending rebar a little easier with lesser manpower needed.
2. Apex Tool Group – Best Extendable Rebar Bender
The Apex Tool Group Rebar Bender is a highly versatile, compact and lightweight rebar bender that is very easy to use. While it does not feature a hydraulic press or powerful engine, it still proves useful in bending smaller and larger rods with ease.
The Apex bender uses an angled head for better leverage. This angled head is also indexed which allows you to adjust and extend the rebar bender according to your own ease of use. You can easily hook the bender to a steel or iron rebar and then use your feet to hold the other side of the rod down. You can then use your own strength and the leverage of the bar to bend the rebar as you pull the rod towards yourself.
The head of the Apex Tool Group Rebar bender is angled at the perfect position to give you more leverage when yanking on it. This means that with every bend, you will get maximum power. You can rest assured that this rebar bender will give you a lot of power despite the fact that it does not use hydraulics. Another one of the best rebars benders on the market, you will not be disappointed with this bender.
3. Steel Dragon – Best Rebar Bender for Concrete Reinforcement
If you’re looking for compact yet powerful rebar cutter and bender, the Steel Dragon Manual Rebar Cutter and Bender is definitely a product to suit your needs. With sturdy construction and material use, this rebar cutter and bender is made to withstand any pressure and hard conditions. It’s not just called the Steel Dragon for no reason.
This bender can easily bend grade 60 rebar at angles ranging from 0 degrees to 180 degrees. The 50-inch long handle uses strong rubber grips to provide a firm grip to the user. This means you don’t have to worry about your hands slipping up. The handle is deliberately made to belong in order to give much more leverage while bending pipes or metal rods. This means that you can get the job done easier and quicker than ever before.
The Steel Dragon bender can quickly be bolted down to a workstation or positioned on the floor for one-hand operation.
4. Klutch – Most Durable Rebar Cutter and Bender
The Klutch Rebar Cutter and Bender is definitely one of the most durable rebar benders. It features strong steel alloy cutters and allows for great leverage. It’ll make you feel like you’re not cutting thick rods, but instead slicing through butter with a hot knife.
The unique design of the Klutch Rebar Cutter and Bender allows you to bend steel rods and pipes at angles ranging from 90 degrees to 180 degrees. While testing this product out, we found that this bender is able to efficiently and quickly bend rods with ease. This is due to the long steel-tube handle paired with the heat-treated body. Even with this level of durability and strength, the body is still lightweight and stands strong without the need for any external support.
It is shipped with its own ring and chain mechanism that makes it easier to carry to and from the workplace. This works wonders because you don’t have to worry about the cutter opening up midway while you’re taking it back from the job site to the storage room.
5. DC Mach Hickey Bar – Best Made in the USA Rebar Bender
The DC Mach Hickey Bar is a sturdy and durable hickey bar for bending thicker rods and pipes. It is made from premium industrial grade steel alloys. The handle is 30 inches in length that add to the grip and provides leverage. The handle is pure steel alloy which makes for a sturdier grip and a sturdier handle.
You can rest assured that while bending the rods or pipes with the hickey bar, the handle will not bend or break on its own. No matter how much force you try to apply the handle it should be able to withstand it.
This rebar bender works well in open spaces and is ideal for concrete jobs as well as pool and spa installation. It is also lightweight and easy to carry around the job site weighing just shy of 4 pounds.
The biggest highlight is that if this rebar bender ever breaks a stud or it wear down, it is capable of being repaired using a welder and grinder. You can call the company and they will provide extra studs if needed. A great perk!
Buying Guide
Factors To Consider When Buying A Rebar Bender
1. Rebar Bending Angles
It is of crucial importance that you should have an idea of the kind of angles you’d want the bender to be able to produce for you. The bending angles are a major part of the benders as this is what the basic function relies on.
The bending angles are usually available from 0 degrees to 130 degrees. Depending on the kind of bending action you’d like to see on the machine, you can opt for a variant that only goes up to 90 degrees. Or alternatively, you can go for benders that offer up to 180 degrees of bending. It all depends on you and the kind of machine you would want to use.
Make sure that the bending angles are above 90 degrees at least in order to be able to use the bender for other rods and pipes where you would normally want more than 90 degrees. We would highly recommend you to go for benders that offer up to 130 degrees of bending angles.
2. Rebar Bending Style / Core Setup
Normally there are three options you can go for when you are looking to find a bender. You can either go for the manual benders, the hydraulic benders or the electric benders. All of these have their own pros and their own cons. However, we would definitely recommend hydraulic benders.
This is because the hydraulic benders provide the best kind of bending action in a little amount of time. It is also important to note that the kind of bending that the hydraulic benders offer is unmatched by any other bender. The hydraulic benders are quicker and more reliable as well in terms of wear and tear. This kind of bender is also very much energy efficient as it uses little to no energy.
The electric benders are powerful benders but we feel that they are not as energy efficient as hydraulic benders. They can be used when you want the work done in a lesser time limit. But, we would still not recommend it as it is highly prone to wear and tear as most of it is electrical wiring.
The manual benders are cheaper but provide a less accurate bend and might need you to manually bend them using your arms or legs. They are most useful when you don’t have thicker rods to bend.
3. Durability of Rebar Bender
In order for the benders to bend the metal rods properly, they need to be made from durable materials as well. This is important otherwise the bender itself could break or bend to a point where it won’t be usable anymore.
We would highly recommend benders that are made from carbon steel alloys. When they are made from carbon steel alloys, there is a lesser chance of them breaking or bending to a point where they are not usable anymore. Furthermore, the carbon steel alloy is a highly sturdy and firm material that is known to not break even under high heat conditions where most other materials give away and expand or contract due to weather conditions or working conditions.
However, if carbon steel alloy benders are not within your budget, then you may as well buy benders made from steel alloys. While steel alloys are not fully heat proof, they are much stronger than most other materials. You also have to make sure that they are not tubular as tubular steel is much more prone to breaking than any other kind of material.
Finding the Best Rebar Bender
Finding the best rebar bender that fits your needs can be a cumbersome task. However, if you stick to the buying guide and look for a rebar bender that fits the bending angles you need, fits the style of rebar bending you need, and lasts as long as you need it to, you’ll put yourself on the right track. Just keep these factors in mind when selecting a rebar bender for the job site. Hopefully we’ve provided you with a suitable list to choose from, whatever your needs are.
If you enjoyed this article, you may also enjoy our article on the Best Rebar Tying Tools for construction workers.