We’re teaming up with IDEAL Electrical to share more about their 2025 Pro Tool Innovation Award-winning Guardian Benders. If part of your job as an electrician involves bending conduit, Guardian Benders offer a huge boost in efficiency. I’ll show you what’s so different from other models you might be used to and why our voting team selected it as the Winner in the Conduit Bender category.
IDEAL Electrical Guardian Bender’s Award-Winning Innovations
Bending conduit is a necessary part of the job, but watching a master electrician bend around multiple obstacles reveals that there’s an art to it that only comes with years of practice. Or does it?
IDEAL Electrical’s Guardian Bender design shortens the learning curve tremendously. While it can’t teach you the proper approach for each obstacle, it can ensure your bends are accurate and quick once you’re ready to make them.
The magic lies in the built-in stopper, which has stops at 10°, 22.5°, 30°, 45°, 60°, and 90°. In addition to having a wider range of stops than models like Klein offers, the stopper is captive, so there’s no risk of losing it. It’s also super-easy to move with just one finger. Even if your hands are full and you’re trying to make the angle adjustment, you’ll be surprised how easily you get it done as long as you have a finger free.
In addition to making bending easier for you, Guardian Benders are also more accurate. When you look at the head, you’ll notice the stopper seems to go past the target angle. That’s intentionally built in to help you deal with spring back, so you’re getting the right angle the first time. The time savings help drive higher efficiency, but the higher accuracy also means less wasted material, and that leads to higher job profitability.
On the occasion that you do over bend, IDEAL integrated an angle correction hole right into the top of the bender. Instead of flipping the whole thing around to use the wider hole on the handle, just slide the conduit in through the top, make your correction, and move on. It may seem like a small time savings for one bend, but it adds up over the course of the day. It’s also less effort for each correction, reducing the fatigue that builds up by the end of the shift.
Additional Highlights
- Bend Sights: Instead of looking at the angle markings on the sides, you can line up the sights by looking down the bender
- Recessed Markings: Won’t wear off over time like raised markings do
- Color Coded Handle Bands: Matches the conduit wrap (black for 1/2-inch, red for 3/4-inch)
- Durable Construction: Ductile iron head construction
- Upgraded Handle: Durable build with a design that doubles as a straight edge guide when working with metal pipes
- BILT App Integration: View interactive tool instructions, bending techniques, and view bending guides right on your phone
Ready to Buy?
Guardian Benders are available for 1/2-inch (~$100) and 3/4-inch conduit (~$120), and are backed by IDEAL Electrical’s Limited Lifetime Warranty. Pick yours up at your favorite IDEAL Electrical retailer.
Be sure to download IDEAL Electrical’s free Electrician’s Sidekick app for iPhone or Android. It’s been recently updated to include a ton of helpful information to assist you on the job, including circuit color code charts, bending calculations, a built-in level, and much more!
