Is one of these more commonly used than the other when running 3/4" or 1" EMT or does it purely depend of the circumstance? THanks.
1. Pull elbow
2. Bending
Bending is more common. I have done jobs with hundreds of bends and not so much as a single 'pull elbow'.
Pulling elbows are nice for going around the outside of a 90 degree corner. You will also see LBs used for the same purpose. If you try to go around the outside of a corner by bending, you end up with what is known as a 'Shepard's hook' bend, or a 90 with an offset. They don't hug the wall and are not the easiest to make look good.
On the inside of a corner, bent pipe is the norm.
Bending EMT is always preferred over using fittings unless there is a good reason for using them. Not knowing how to bend pipe is not a good reason.