Mandrel vs crush bend; Worth it?

I was looking at the costs of mandrel bent pipes for my 65 273 cuda, and I checked out the cost of a pipe for a slant early dart, just for info. I forget which co. , but the headpipe ( engine back to muffler. was like $180 if I remember, the mom and pop shop cost me $120 for the complete pipes they did on a 65 slant dart...., ( I had muffler and flange). the shipping would add to that $180 no doubt.
I would say, if you are spending the $$ for a higher HP engine, the small extra costs of a single headpipe is worth it???