I gave up on using 1 1/4 hand benders a long time ago...especially for rigid!
Cheap solution, which works fine for offsets and such, is the $70 hydraulig bender sold at Harbor Freight. The shoes are designed for thick wall pipe, and the instructions tell you to fill the pipe with sand...but I simply do even EMT 'as is,' by making my bends gentle, and in multiple steps.
Like you, I buy factory-made 90's and such.
