The poppet link is much stronger than the split link.  The simple reason for this is that the poppet link is solid not split, therefore, all of the link bears the load of tube-bending instead of just half of it.

 The poppet link is more durable than the split link.  It is tougher and can absorb a shock better than the split.  This is because the split link, to make up for the lack of strength in design, must be made of harder steels that are brittle and so more likely to fracture.

The poppet link has a heavy-duty detent system compared to the split link.  The detent system makes the mandrel balls snap back into a straight line upon retraction from the completed tube bend.  Because the head of the split link is broken up into three separate pieces, there is no clearance for anything but a small detent system, which wears out faster than the detent system for Bend Tooling’s poppet links.

Because of these three factors, the poppet link has a longer life than the split link.

Because the poppet link is simpler in design, it requires less time to manufacture.  Therefore, the poppet link is considerably less expensive than the split link.

Longer life combined with lower price means that the per-bend cost of the poppet link is a fraction of that of the split link.

Also, the poppet link is easier to inventory than the split link.  Because of the lack of precision in its manufacture, each half of a split link must be matched with the other for proper assembly.  If the halves are separated and mixed up with others, the split link is no good.

Finally, the poppet link is easier to assemble than the split link.  It requires only simple, readily available tools – an arbor press, a ball-joint fork, and a pair of retaining ring pliers – all of which can be supplied by Bend Tooling.  Furthermore, because of the longer life of the Bend Tooling poppet link, the need for assembly is less frequent compared to the split link.