Best PEX bend support

The 550-MP2 is the bend support I’d grab first, and I’ve used it. Sioux Chief’s spec sheet says it secures PEX at wall or floor penetrations and forms a tight radius without kinking.

The plate is what sets it apart. It’s 18-gauge zinc-plated steel, 3¼ by 3 in., with ⅛ in. pilot holes around the edge. You fasten it to a stud, joist, floor or brace. That’s a 10 on our mount check.

Sioux Chief left one corner of the plate open. That lets you slide the tube in after the plate is up and after the tube end is plugged. On a rough-in, that means you can plate everything first and pull PEX later.

For slab work, there’s a 0.4 in. hole for a 3/8 in. (#3) rebar ground stake. Sioux Chief says it keeps the 90-degree bend in place before the pour; add tie wire or a cable tie if you need to.

The spec sheet lists a 2½ in. bend radius for the MP2 and a 17-gauge support. The MP2 fits 3/8 or 1/2 in. PEX; the MP3 fits 3/4 in. with a 4⅛ in. radius. Stating the radius earned a 10.

Here’s the catch. Viega allows 3.1 in. on 1/2 in. PureFlow with its own approved supports, and Uponor’s guide lists 3¾ in. as its 1/2 in. minimum. The Sioux Chief radius is tighter than both. The sheet doesn’t say where on the support it’s measured.

My call: use it on PEX whose maker doesn’t set a larger minimum, and ask your PEX maker before mixing brands.

Sioux Chief’s install steps are short: fasten the plate, push the PEX through its center, bend toward the end of the support, then bend the metal tab over to trap the tube.

It’s made in the USA under US Patent 6,352,224, and Sioux Chief packs it 25 to a case.

The 2850.1US is Viega’s drop ear bend support, and I’ve used it. Viega’s catalog lists it as plastic-coated steel, for use with Viega PureFlow PEX, in 3/8 and 1/2 in. sizes.

The drop ear is a flat plate with fastener holes, so it mounts to framing like the Sioux Chief. That scored a 10 on our mount check.

Its real value is in Viega’s PureFlow manual. Viega says PureFlow can be bent to 8 times its outside diameter by hand. With a Viega-approved bend support, it allows 5 times the OD.

For 1/2 in. PureFlow, that’s 5 in. free and 3.1 in. supported, per Viega’s table. Viega calculates those on copper tube size OD. A stated radius earned a 10.

Viega also says bends made close to fittings must be anchored with bend supports or tubing fasteners. For 1/2 in. tube, that’s any bend closer than 8 in. to a fitting.

Anything tighter than 5 times the OD should be an elbow fitting, per Viega. And Viega doesn’t allow hot bending.

Where it lost points: Viega ties it to its own PEX, an 8 on the PEX check. Viega’s product page has no downloads, only the catalog entry with material, weight and part number, a 7 on maker documents. It covers two tube sizes, an 8.

Viega lists the weight as 0.198 lb and the box quantity as 25. Amazon’s listing title calls it a ProRadiant part; Viega’s catalog lists it for PureFlow. Both point to the same 2850.1US number.

The same 5 x OD rule runs through Viega’s table: 2.5 in. on 3/8 in. tube, 4.4 in. on 3/4 in. and 5.6 in. on 1 in. This support covers the two smallest.

My call: on a PureFlow job, this is the support that keeps you inside Viega’s manual.

The F5200500 is Uponor’s plastic drop ear bend support, and I’ve used it. Uponor says it gives a rigid 90-degree bend and a connection-free stub-out from a stud wall or floor, for 1/2 in. Uponor PEX.

Connection-free is the point. The tube turns up out of the wall or floor in one piece, with no elbow in the bay. That’s two fewer joints behind the drywall than an elbow, our count.

Uponor lists the material as glass-reinforced nylon, 30% glass, and the weight as 0.06 lb. The drop ear mounts it to framing, a 10 on our mount check.

Uponor posts a submittal for it with a lettered dimension drawing. That earned a 10 on maker documents, the same as Sioux Chief’s spec sheet.

Where it lost points: the product page doesn’t state the radius the support holds, a 6. Uponor sells it for Uponor PEX, an 8. The line has two sizes, this one and the 3/8 in. F5200375, an 8.

Uponor’s installation guide fills in the bend rules. It says the minimum bend radius of Uponor PEX is six times its outside diameter. For 1/2 in. tube, with a 0.625 in. OD, that’s 3¾ in.

The same guide says bend supports are made for 3/8, 1/2, 3/4 and 1 in. pipe and can be used for 45-degree or 90-degree bends.

Uponor’s guide also covers a kinked tube. With the pipe not under pressure, straighten it and heat it with an electric heat gun, about 450 W, to roughly 265°F, until it returns to shape. No open flame, and the surface must not go past 338°F.

My call: buy the drop ears for stub-outs and the metal A5110 channels for turns in open runs.

The A5110500 is Uponor’s metal bend support for 1/2 in. tube, and I’ve used it. Uponor describes the line as zinc-plated metal supports that give a rigid 90-degree bend for 3/8, 1/2, 5/8 and 3/4 in. Uponor PEX.

That’s four sizes in one line: A5110375, A5110500, A5110625 and A5110750. It’s the widest line here, a 10 on our sizes check.

Uponor posts a submittal and a lettered dimension drawing for each. That earned a 10 on maker documents. The page lists the weight as 0.1 lb.

The drawing gives six dimensions, A through F, from 53/64 in. to 3-37/64 in. The page doesn’t say what each letter measures, so read the submittal before you plan a tight bay.

It’s a bare channel. There’s no plate or ear, so the support rides on the tube and you fasten the PEX on each side with your own straps or clips, my call. That’s a 7 on our mount check.

Like the drop ear, the product page doesn’t state the radius it holds, a 6. Uponor sells it for Uponor PEX, an 8.

Uponor’s installation guide sets the rule to work to: don’t bend Uponor PEX tighter than six times the outside diameter. For 1/2 in., that’s 3¾ in. For 3/4 in., 5¼ in.

The guide adds that bend supports can make 45-degree bends as well as 90s. My call: a metal channel like this one is handy where the tube turns down through a top plate or out of a joist bay.

Amazon’s listing title names fire safety, plumbing, and radiant heating and cooling. If you also pipe radiant floors, one support covers both jobs.

My call: buy these in a box and keep them on the truck for the turns that don’t need a stub-out.

The 23053 is SharkBite’s 1/2 in. stainless steel bend support, and I’ve used it. SharkBite says its bend supports allow 90-degree bends in PEX that can do away with extra fittings, cutting the number of possible leak points.

SharkBite also says bend supports help reduce noise and vibration.

SharkBite’s page doesn’t limit it to one brand of PEX, a 10 on our check. It lists ASTM F877-2011a and CSA B137.5-2009 under approvals and listings. Those are product page facts with material and listings, an 8 on maker documents.

Where it lost points: it’s a bare channel with no plate or ear, a 7 on mount. The page doesn’t state its radius, a 6. Stainless comes in two sizes, 23053 for 1/2 in. and 23054 for 3/4 in., an 8. SharkBite also makes polymer ones, 23050 and 23051.

SharkBite’s PEX install guide has the rules to bend by. Its minimum bend radius for 1/2 in. PEX pipe is 5 in., with a 0.625 in. OD. For 3/4 in., 7 in.

The same guide says to bend the pipe 2 in. away from a fitting, so the fitting isn’t used as an anchor point. Don’t exceed the pipe’s minimum bend radius.

SharkBite is firm on kinks: don’t heat kinked pipe to reform it. Cut the damaged section out and replace it.

The guide lists SharkBite PEX as certified to ASTM F876 and F877 and CSA B137.5, rated 160 psi at 73.4°F. That’s the tube’s rating, not the support’s, but it tells you which pipe SharkBite had in mind.

One warning about the Amazon listing. Its bullets talk about brass, push-to-connect seals and 200 psi. Those describe SharkBite’s push fittings, not this support. Go by SharkBite’s own bend support page.