Can someone recommend me a good brake flaring tool?

[Fishyboy]

Hi all,
I have some brake pipes I need to replace on my car. Can someone recommend me a easy to use, repeatable and reliable brake flaring tool under approx £150?
I guess at that price its going to be a vice mounted type, but will happily consider other options.

Phil

 

[ajlelectronics]

Hi all,
I have some brake pipes I need to replace on my car. Can someone recommend me a easy to use, repeatable and reliable brake flaring tool under approx £150?
I guess at that price its going to be a vice mounted type, but will happily consider other options.

Phil

Once you know what you are doing and for occasional use, the cheap kits are adequate. I use a Machine Mart branded version and although they are fairly crude, I can make perfect flares in 3/16" with only rare distortion. It is all about getting the height in the clamp correct. I would love a S.P. tool but I can't justify the cost.

 

[optima21]

if its 3/16 pipe and copper or cupro nickel, I'd use a Franklin one like this

Franklin Tools AF2003 Hand Held Brake Pipe Flaring Tool 3/16" SAE - On vehicle 5016242028769 | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Franklin Tools AF2003 Hand Held Brake Pipe Flaring Tool 3/16" SAE - On vehicle at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products.

www.ebay.co.uk

I havnt tried mine on steel and they can be used in position on the car too.

there are copies about for arround £25 too

 

[MetalMonkey]

A lot depends on if you are doing steel, stainless or kunifer - and if you ned to do it on the vehicle or not.

Sykes Pickavant are really the gold standard.

They have two main types - the vice mounted one or the on-car (flaremaster II).
I have both, and they are far superior to any of the other styles. If you search around evilbay you might be able to pick up a kit for your budget.

There are lever operated clones of the bench style, I've not tried them but I don't see why they wouldn't work well.
I've tried the little generic on-car (block with a handle) style - although they work better than the traditional ones with the separate clamp and bar, I found the threads strip out easily - had it happen on three units that hadn't done much work.

 

[OJCar]

Had one of these for more than 27 years now, still works well. (£92 )

https://www.namrick.co.uk/acatalog/Professional-Flaring-Tool.html

 

[Rannsachair]

Hi all,
I have some brake pipes I need to replace on my car. Can someone recommend me a easy to use, repeatable and reliable brake flaring tool under approx £150?
I guess at that price its going to be a vice mounted type, but will happily consider other options.

Phil

I have. SP 270 series, a quality tool, regularly on eBay second hand, just make sure it comes with the imperial and metric dies you need.

 

[minimutly]

if its 3/16 pipe and copper or cupro nickel, I'd use a Franklin one like this

Franklin Tools AF2003 Hand Held Brake Pipe Flaring Tool 3/16" SAE - On vehicle 5016242028769 | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Franklin Tools AF2003 Hand Held Brake Pipe Flaring Tool 3/16" SAE - On vehicle at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products.

www.ebay.co.uk

I havnt tried mine on steel and they can be used in position on the car too.

there are copies about for arround £25 too

I had one of these for years - using it in hand under a car on anything but copper was difficult. In a vice it worked well, until I loaned it out and the idiot dropped it and broke the tip off the male former. Recommended though.
Then I bought a Sealey - big mistake. This one was so badly made it necked the pipe just under the flare - actually caused a failure on my race car. Another Sealey fail...

Now I have a Sykes picavant kit - it wasn't cheap but works well.

Hope this helps

 

[Fastdruid]

Hi all,
I have some brake pipes I need to replace on my car. Can someone recommend me a easy to use, repeatable and reliable brake flaring tool under approx £150?
I guess at that price its going to be a vice mounted type, but will happily consider other options.

Phil

For handheld stuff I use one of these. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Trident-413701-Brake-Pipe-Flaring/dp/B0105V0DDW

Beware of the differences between SAE and DIN however, you need to get the correct one.

 

[steveo3002]

if its 3/16 pipe and copper or cupro nickel, I'd use a Franklin one like this

Franklin Tools AF2003 Hand Held Brake Pipe Flaring Tool 3/16" SAE - On vehicle 5016242028769 | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Franklin Tools AF2003 Hand Held Brake Pipe Flaring Tool 3/16" SAE - On vehicle at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products.

www.ebay.co.uk

I havnt tried mine on steel and they can be used in position on the car too.

there are copies about for arround £25 too

this is all you need for diy stuff really...its great for the money , i also have the sykes bench mount but the cheapie is just as good really unless you run a production line

 

[zzr1200]

An SP copy.

Professional Flaring Tool for Hydraulic Brake Pipe Tube | Dies & Punches

Professional Pipe Flaring Tool | Suitable for Soft Copper, Cupro Nickel & Steel Brake Pipes The Pipe Flaring Tool Kit can either be mounted in a conventional bench-vice or on its own purpose built base plate. Brake tubing is held in split dies which are secured by an over head locking screw...

www.greasemonkeydirect.com

Pucker one S/H.

sykes pickavant brake pipe flaring tool 720 series 02700200 | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for sykes pickavant brake pipe flaring tool 720 series 02700200 at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products!

www.ebay.co.uk

 

[Munkul]

Another vote for Franklin/Powerhand type, they're easy to use on the vehicle and I've never had a problem flaring steel or copper with mine. Not as fast as a SP but it's not exactly a massive time saving type of tool anyway.

 

[Ruffian]

Sykes flaremaster 2.

Got one second hand a good while back. Wouldn't do without it now.
Great as can do pipes on and off the car, and also have a upgrade for stainless if needed.

 

[Anguz]

Can you get spare formers for the sykes stuff?

 

[steveo3002]

Can you get spare formers for the sykes stuff?

ebay has em

 

[MetalMonkey]

You could try bond engineering, they make the tools and dies for Sykes.
Not sure if it is only the turret one.

 

[premmington]

Sykes flaremaster 2.

Got one second hand a good while back. Wouldn't do without it now.
Great as can do pipes on and off the car, and also have a upgrade for stainless if needed.

+1 for the Sykes flaremaster 2.

I also got the 6mm dies and special ram to fit this to do Merc larger size pipes.

 

[Fishyboy]

Hi all,
I've gone for the SP Flaremaster 2 from Zoro using the 20% off code which is valid till 11th May.
Thanks for all your help.
Phil

 

[bricol]

Hi all,
I've gone for the SP Flaremaster 2 from Zoro using the 20% off code which is valid till 11th May.
Thanks for all your help.
Phil

I don't think you will regret it - I bought the first Flaremaster when I was in my early 20's - many cars and many,many brake pipes 30 yrs later, the only time is failed me was when I bought some under-sized brake pipe at an autojumble which slipped through the clamps.

 

[Joe 90]

if its 3/16 pipe and copper or cupro nickel, I'd use a Franklin one like this

Franklin Tools AF2003 Hand Held Brake Pipe Flaring Tool 3/16" SAE - On vehicle 5016242028769 | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Franklin Tools AF2003 Hand Held Brake Pipe Flaring Tool 3/16" SAE - On vehicle at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products.

www.ebay.co.uk

I havnt tried mine on steel and they can be used in position on the car too.

there are copies about for arround £25 too

I've the cheap one at £20 and its brilliant. I know plenty of professionals using the cheap one. I use it on all pipes including metal. If I'm doing metal I also clamp a pair of vice grips on it too help clamp the pipe. I've never had a problem. Brilliant for working at the pipes on the car.
I think Anything more expensive is money wasted.

 

[Nomad]

I picked up a £35 Clarke (Machine Mart) set last year and it worked fine to replace all the pipes on my 1970s restoration.
It takes a little practice to set the tool so you get a good flare - the main thing is to set the "stick out" length of the pipe right before forming the flare, it's not difficult but I'd recommend doing a few practise joints on scrap before you go near the car.

Clarke CHT229 Pipe Flaring & Cutting Kit - Machine Mart

www.machinemart.co.uk