Before you buy a bead roller you should know what kind of metal you’ll be rolling, whether you’ll need to roll tubing or not, and the size of the pieces of metal you’ll be rolling. All of these factor in when deciding which bead roller to buy.
Here are our recommendations for the 4 best bead rollers on the market:
Woodward-Fab Bead Roller Kit
This is the most popular bead rollers around. Not a lot of people are buying bead rollers, so when one of them has a ton of good reviews, it’s probably a winner. Woodward fab actually makes a few different bead rollers of various size, but this is the one most people buy. It can handle up to 18 gauge steel, and the throat is two inches deep. That means it can put a bead two inches from the edge of the steel plate.
It comes with 12 dies to give you lots of options for bead type, and there are a number of aftermarket dies available if you aren’t satisfied with the ones it comes with. This roller can only handle sheet metal, no tubing.
There’s no stand included, so you’ll need to figure out how to mount it. Some users report clamping in a vise on their work bench. Overall, though, this is a very affordable roller that doesn’t skimp on quality.
Vibrant Performance 2990 Manual Bead Roller
This roller is designed for use on aluminum tubing. In fact, it can only be used on aluminum and trying to run steel through it will void the warranty. That said, if putting a bead on aluminum tubing is what you need, you really can’t do better than this roller.
This roller (see full specs) can handle tubing up to 16 gauge aluminum, and will put a professional quality bead on it in no time. Every user reports that it’s a high quality piece of equipment and works with no problems, as long as you don’t try to run a piece of steel through it.
This isn’t the cheapest roller out there, but you get what you pay for. Bead rollers aren’t exactly mass-produced items with a high profit margin; unless it has a ton of great reviews, a cheap bead roller is almost certainly a bad bead roller. This one may have limited uses, but it certainly excels at the things it can do. With that caveat in mind, this is no doubt one of the best bead rollers for the money.
Baileigh BR-22 Heavy Duty Cast Iron Manual Bead Roller
This roller from Baileigh is designed specifically for use with HVAC materials, but there’s no reason it wouldn’t work in other applications, as well. It’s heavy-duty machine, made from cast iron and weighing in at 52 pounds.
The throat is 7 inches deep, plenty of space for just about any bead work you could be doing. It can handle up to 22 gauge steel, too. It’s made with a bench mounting clamp so you don’t need to jury rig one on your own, and you can mount a motor on it with a few modifications if you don’t want to keep rolling beads manually.
It comes with six die sets to give you plenty of options in terms of the type of bead you want: quarter inch turning, eight inch turning, crimping, wiring, burring, and ogee beads are all included. The material depth stop guarantees ruler-straight lines, too. If you’re an HVAC tech looking for a roller to carry around in the field with you, this one might be too heavy. Its great roller to have in the shop, though, and while it’s not cheap, it’s also not terribly expensive for a quality bead roller.
Baileigh BR-18E-24 Power Bead Roller Machine with Adjustable Depth Stop
The first and only truly motorized roller on our list, this Baileigh roller is for those who have serious, regular bead rolling needs. You control it with a variable speed foot pedal, leaving both hands free for positioning the metal while still giving you precise control over the speed.
The 24 inch throat depth (see full specs) means you’ll never have difficulty get to the middle of a panel; you can even use this for fabricating car hoods. It can handle 16 gauge steel with ease, too. The throat depth is adjustable, and the bead depth is fully adjustable, too. It comes with one set of dies, but you can order more either directly from Baileigh or from another manufacturer.
The roller has a built-in stand, so there’s no need to attach it to a work bench. The motor is 110V, and can roll in reverse, too. The stand has a built in die rack so you’ll never lose track of them.
This is the most expensive roller we’ve listed, but it’s also got the most features and it’s the only motorized roller on the list, too. This product is for those who do regular work with sheet metal and is one of the best bead rollers for that purpose around.
Bead Roller Conclusion
The difference in quality and features you find in cheap bead rollers compared to expensive ones is huge. The more affordable options we listed are all hand-powered, with shallow throats and in one case extremely limited uses. In contrast, the most expensive option can be used for almost anything because of its two-foot throat, and it’s motorized, so the rolling is literally effortless.
That being said, the right roller for you isn’t always the one with the best features. If you’re only rolling aluminum tubing, there’s no reason to drop thousands on a motorized roller when you can get the job done with a tool that costs just a couple hundred.
The key considerations for most people will be the type and thickness of the metal they’re rolling, and the size of the sheets or tubing. For most home projects, the cheaper units are more than capable of getting the job done and could qualify, despite their relatively low price, as the best bead rollers for your needs. Good luck!
