I thank everyone for their input on this.
I checked with the manufacturer the pressure gauge comes with calibrated certs good for 1 year. I can get it re calibrated each year. The purchase includes crimping jaws for tensile tests as well as a set of die's good for AWS, D1.1, 50ksi & under. I can also purchase separately the larger dies for higher tensile strength steels. Their plunger is long enough, which a concern. My coupons are 8 1/4" long and they will bend nicely inside the saddle without hitting the top of the plunger.
At this point anything will be better than the way I'm doing it now. It's too embarrassing to tell you. But lets just say it takes a minim of 3 guys sometimes 4 if someone is watching to bend one coupon. Don't ask me how long it takes.
![yell :yell:](/f2/epx.png)
So this purchase will be a cheep relief to all concerned. I'll let you all know how it all worked out when the bender come in.