Hi johan
I had the same problem and For better bends I started to play with 0.11..not less because of the neck and not to lose to much sound. bends were great but on the flip side my guitar seemed (at least to me) muted. I mean lack of soul..so I back to 012.

I think it depends on the guitar..So try and see what you prefe more..let us know what solution you ll come up with
If you struggle with bends let me suggest you to play with more slides
Cheers
Ale

I suppose Johan what level of sound you want from your acoustic, I use 10’s on my acoustics. The certainly wont bend like electric strings but they are a bit easier on the fingers..
Good luck finding what works best for you.
Billy

I use 11′ with a plain 18 for the G string. My Taylor came with 13’s. The dreadnought body style is hell to get use to. (kept a shoulder ache for the first month) but I have great tone and can bend almost a easy as my electrics

I switched my acoustics over to semi-flat 10s. Yes, they are quieter, but play more like an electric. And one of my guitars is a Taylor GS mini with their specially designed pickup, so loss of volume is not such a problem – just turn up the volume on the amp.

Also, from a technique perspective, add fingers when you can to assist the bend. Helps a lot. Strength does grow with practice. I’m bending better than I used to while staying with the same .12 light strings.

I use .12s on my acoustic, and often think I should bump them up to .13s

I have had teachers at both extremes. Dom Minasi played a D’Angelico archtop that he put .14s on the high e string. Don’t think he did a lot of bending. Rick Ruskin played parlor sized guitars and OOOs with .9s. Both were capable of getting nice sound and volume, but their guitars were really different as were their styles.

Personally, I would stick with heavier gauge if I were you, because it will help you develop strength and control. And personally, I think acoustic guitars sound better with a heavier string driving the top. Same doesn’t apply at all for electrics.