The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The Tool Chest Double flare recommendations.

I’ve had it with the junk sets I have been exposed to. It shouldn’t take darn near 2 hours to do 1 line with 2 flares. With those cheap junk sets I had to improvise with my vise and CRANK the snot out of it to get the clamp to hold the line. I’m guessing I put 300 ft lbs on my vise to get that bugger to hold. I weigh 175lb and I put everything I had into it to get it to hold.

What double flaring tool are you using and is it great? I don’t want “it’s ok,” I’m going for top notch here.
Thanks.

I picked up a Snap-On DF set at an auction a few years ago and it's been great. However my advise is to not give up on your current set but instead try using nickel/copper tubing next time. It's much Easier to work with plus it won't rust.

Good Luck, RonR

We've been using the Eastwood Double Flaring Kit here at HQ (it's a group owned tool donated by Mario "Bread").

It's made by someone else, and Eastwood puts their name on it. Someone here knows the actual brand.

Having used it now, I can say it's well worth the money. A long time ago, I first purchased a harbor Freight tool (1st mistake). Then I bought a K-D kit from NAPA, then I tried the Snap-on one -- both are crappy. For the money I've spent on crappy flaring kits, I could've had this thing a long time ago. No matter how hard the steel, you will be doing perfect double flares by your 2nd try. Others here will back me up.

Pricey? Yes. Quality tools that do the job right on the first try usually are.

I had also tried a bunch of different flare tool kits with varying success...

Finally ended up with a Brakequip set (in a red box) and it is by far the best I've had, it works really great.
I've also used the kit John speaks of and it is either the very same make/quality or nearly as good.

Looking on the Brakequip site the tool has changed a little from the one I have but I expect it is still very good, now in a purple box.
http://brakequip.com/products/tools/flaring-tools/

I have not checked the prices lately but at the time I purchased Brakequip was the best value when purchasing direct, and even better pricing when buying several kits (your friends will want one too).

A fix you can try on your existing tool is to draw file the clamp where the pieces come together to make it a little tighter around the tubing. I have a parts store double flare tool that works fairly well. Maybe the tolerance on the clamp joint on yours is just a bit too loose.

X 10 on the Eastwood Professional Brake tubing tool. That thing is the cat's meow when doing flares. Super easy and straight forward. Comes in a nice plastic storage case too.

Oh and here's a tip that we could all use help remembering DONT FORGET TO PUT THE FITTING ON BEFORE YOU FLARE THE END

X10. on Eastwood also.

I’ve only forgotten to put the fitting on twice...three?...or 6 times...I’ve lost count over the years! 😀

That usually only happens on the perfect flare that you made.

Usually works like this --

1st time with the perfect flare ... oops, forgot the fitting ... do over

2nd time ... remembered the fitting ...again a perfect flare ... oops, fitting on backwards... Do over

Third time -- perfect flare and fitting oriented correctly ... oops, now the line is a tad too short ... Start over

4th time .... oops, forgot the fitting ...

Compost Happens. :-)

My dad has the Eastwood, I used it when doing the lines for my 58 2-ton. worked great!

Fox,

I have a very basic KD double flare tool and it works fine. It has serrations in the clamp halves that grip the tubing adequately without any muscle man stuff. It helps to remove the burr left by the tube cutter on the inside of the tube and to put a little oil on the dies to help them form the double flare. Also varying the amount of tube that protrudes above the clamp can help you make the perfect double flare.

Eastwood ordered. I showed my dad their promotional video. He is excited to see it and give it a go too.

For some reason now I am very nervous about bleeding my brakes...😕

I've had great success with my Rigid brake flaring tool. It clamps the line tight, and has worked perfect every time. I also ended up buying their 37 degree flaring tool for AN lines. Works much better than the cheap designs, and isn't that expensive. I probably flared 20+ leak free joints with this tool, plus a few that the fitting wasn't on.
https://www.amazon.com/Ridgid-23337...-5&keywords=rigid+brake+flaring+tool

Well, bleeding my brakes prove what I feared...leaks. A lot of leaks. My Eastwood tool arrived and I promptly ripped out half of the lines this evening and reflared each end.

...

Wow. This tool works beautifully.

Expensive? Yes. Worth it? Yes.

The only thing I’m not a fan of is the depth of the dies. The throat is quite deep and you need a long stretch to secure it in the die but I suppose that helps grip it for absolutely no slippage.

If I was building new lines from scratch that wouldn’t have been a problem but as I reused my previous lines, some of them had sharp bends near the fittings that I had to tweak to get into the clamp.

Initial rating: 9/10