Certain tools are valuable to a construction site because they speed up tedious and repetitive processes, while increasing the safety of workers. One of these is the rebar bender, which makes it easier and quicker to bend reinforcing steel bars, which are used to stabilise and strengthen concrete structures. Without rebar benders, your workers could spend a lot of time manually bending the steel bars with old-school tools. They are compact and highly portable, too, so you can easily bring them from one site to another without worrying about them taking up a lot of space in your trunk or truck. But before you buy one, here are some things you need to consider to ensure the right product:
- Your Project – Think about how often you will need and use the portable rebar bender. If you are dealing with a one-time project, you may want to consider renting instead of buying. For long-term, multiple projects, buying one will be a good and cost-effective investment.
- Size – This factor is important in determining how portable the device can be. Make sure it will not occupy too much space and that it is easy to handle. Moreover, check the diameter of the steel bars that it can bend. If it is too big or too small, it may not be able to bend efficiently and that can compromise the strength of your structure. Consider a device with a minimum bending capacity of 6mm, and maximum bending capacity of 32mm.
- Bending Angle – Check the extent of the bending angle. Consider a rebar bender that has a range of zero to 180 degrees.
- Two-in-one – Some rebar benders have a cutter, which can be handy if you do not want to buy two separate devices. Just be sure to get the right size that can accommodate the steel bars that you need to work with.
