The world is filled with specialized equipment so I’m not surprised when I stumble across tools I didn’t know existed–like these hydraulic pipe benders from Ridgid. They will bend various sizes and types of pipe but are primarily used for industrial applications–by boilermakers and people who need to bend heavy-duty gas pipe. I’ll probably never use or see one of these tools or see them in person but it’s still fun to see what they can do.
You can see the benders in the three videos below. It shouldn’t matter that the guy in the first one is speaking Chinese–if you understand tools and equipment you can figure it out just by watching him use an electric-powered model. The fellow in the second video is Neil Bruce, the manager of Toolstop and one of my favorite tool guys on the web. He demonstrates—rather humorously—a hand-pumped model. Being from Scotland, he’s only slightly easier to understand than the guy from China. Finally, there’s the fellow from the UK who gives an overview of various types and models of Ridgid benders.
