There are two types of hand operated benders: hickeys and hand benders. While both are usually iron, hand benders are also offered in aluminum. The real difference between them is the size of the head. Hickeys are 60% smaller then benders allowing the user to make very tight bends close together. As a rule of thumb, you would use a hand bender the majority of the time and save the hickey for when you have to make a number of very tight bends that a hand bender simply couldn’t do. Hand benders, however, have the advantage in that they have degree scales and bending indicators etched on the side to aid in the bending process.