30 Inch Sheet Metal Bending Brake Bender

This unit does what it says, and does it very well. It allows me to easily bend heavy gauge (compared to sheet metal) flat steel brackets to custom angles; before it took forever using a hammer and the edge of a board. It allows me to form 30" sheet metal, which I found on the internet, with ease. Handles that screw in would be nice, but the handles so far have not fallen out. Of course you need to use C clamps to hold the metal in place, but most people doing this work already have such clamps. If you find this time-consuming, I suggest you upgrade your clamps to the ones that slide and lock into position for final tightening. It takes me about 30 seconds a clamp.This unit combined with an electric swivel head shear DEWALT DW890 18 Gauge Swivel Head Shear makes sheet metal work so much easier and faster. And the result looks much better.

I bought this bender for a particular job I wanted to do myself, rather than pay a shop. I had 2 materials to bend.a 26" run of .062 5052 aluminum @ 90 degreesa 7" run of .125 5052 aluminum @ 97 degreesBoth bends were successful, but not 100% perfect...as i somewhat expected from this manual brake.The 26" bend was fairly straightforward. The only defect is that the bend radius in the middle is slightly than the edges, but just slightly. This is due to the bend arm bowing in the middle.The 7" bend is obviously pushing the limits of its designed capabilities. Actually generating the force to bend .125 aluminum was not much a problem and i was able to get to about 95 degrees. The die used to clamp the material is slightly tapered so you can get a little more than 90. Also note, i set the material close to one edge when bending this one, not centered.So all-in-all i'd give this 4 stars. i'd be nice if the bending arm had a little more strengthening support in the middle to help reduce its flex and keep a sharp radius on longer bends...but for the price and overall quality, if your requirements are within or near mine, you'll be in good shape.For what its worth, this was my first attempt ever at using a bending brake. Its not what you would demand from a shop with a hydraulic press, but its pretty darn good for DIY.

People who have complained about it for not having the same accessories as a $600 machine have failed to appreciate the value of this item. Yes it doesn't have built-in clamping, but 15 minutes of welding and I added easy lock clamps. I am very happy to have a solid built heavy duty bending brake for such a small price.

I purchased this product based on the other reviewers recommendations and the price. However, I would have been better off to spend more for a quality product. The machining is good, but in order to use it you have to use C-clamps (not included) to press the "press plate" down on top of your material. You then have to line up the edge of the press plate and the marks on your material with the junction between the base plate and the plate that performs the bending. The overall process is very tedious. Higher quality brakes use press plate that is attached, you slide the material between two plates, then bend.I will probably weld a C-clamp on to each end of the base and then to the press plate so that it will stay aligned and be easier to handle. This product made in China would be nice if it came that way from the factory.

clamping down the top part, is time consuming. and i had to provide my own clamps.I can only bend thin aluminum, no steel of any thickness.wish I did more research and never bought it.

I just used this for a small sheet metal project.. building a heat collecting hood for my wood stove. You definitely need to use C-Clamps to hold down the steel clamping bar. This bar weight a LOT, but during the bending process will slip if not clamped down. Not a big deal, expected.Also, the steel bar that holds down the sheet metal, has a slight taper to it. Make sure the taper tilts back when using. This is so when the handles are pulled up, you can bend the sheet metal a little beyond 90 degrees. This way when the metal rebounds back, it will be at the proper right angle. The taper is not easy to see , but when angled properly it makes a big difference.Very heavy duty, did the job well.

This is a very cheap bender but it works just fine. If you need a simple bender for sheet metal it will work. Make sure to have enough c-clamps handy.

Works well for me and what I need it for. Price is good and item is very good materials.