Let's Talk Flare Nut Wrenches!

[Etchase]

I like the Proto’s fit. I find the Snap On’s need to be pounded on. They are in spec, but the nuts are not. The Proto’s slip on and work without the hassle. Torque is basically the same amongst the top three. Proto could make the fit tighter and chose not to. Good decision.

 

[joel63]

I didn't discover the Bonney's until late in my career - perhaps the last decade I worked. But boy once using them I never could see doing the job without them.
However, they only made them in SAE - no metric. Fortunately the refrigeration stuff I worked on was SAE.
The DFE full polish, DFE satins, and flare/box end combos were great. From 3/8" to 1 1/8" depending on type.
Double ratcheting flare wrenches were nice with the carpal tunnel but quite bulky.

I always wondered how well 12 pt flare nut wrenches would work. Since I have complete sets of metric and SAE, I started to look at getting some metric 12 pt ones. Who knows? Maybe they'll save the day on a job when nothing else will work.

 

[Ohio Andy]

Are the USA made Williams equally good?

I really like mine from wright tool.

My Williams are the ratcheting variety, which I think are all made by the same company. I also have a Craftsman set.

Project farm tested flare nut wrenches, it is worth watching.

 

[Ohio Andy]

I have these

https://a.co/d/b2VKC8b

https://a.co/d/5K8d03T

https://a.co/d/8IAPjqS

The Craftsman tested well.

https://a.co/d/8qLbxWb

I won't bother listing my ratcheting flare nut wrenches. They are large and bulky

 

[dnschmidt]

I have TOPTUL, Bonney and Proto and I can't remember using any of them except for the 22mm TOPTUL which I use on oxygen sensors. My go to is a PLIERSWRENCH.

 

[pfbz]

11mm for me, which annoyingly is missing from this otherwise decent-enough inexpensive Pittsburg crows-foot flare-nut set...




11mm is however included in this also inexpensive but otherwise decent SEDY flare nut set. Bottom right, in the EZ-red magnetic holder (which ironically costs more than the flare nut wrench set)





I have lots of other high end wrenches, and an older set of Snap-On flare nut wrenches in SAE (which never use), but by definition, I'm using a flare nut wrench on a fragile fastener where the primary goal is to prevent stripping, and they almost never require big amounts of torque where wrench failure might even be a possibility, so I am ok with cheaper versions of these specialty tools... I guess if i was working on heavy equipment hydraulics in large sizes it would be another story...

 

[1Bad55Chevy]

Heat works.

How do you heat the nut?

I have always been scared of hitting a brake line fitting with a torch because brake fluid is flammable. Last thing I need is a customer truck on fire on my lift in my shop!

 

[liliysdad]

they almost never require big amounts of torque where wrench failure might even be a possibility, so I am ok with cheaper versions of these specialty tools...

The goal is to be able to apply a considerable amount of torque to a very fragile fastener without damaging it. The smaller the nut, the more important a quality wrench is, in my opinion. On larger nuts, an angle or open wrench typically works just fine.

 

[micromind]

I have a set of Armstrongs that I bought years ago. I haven't used them much but they seem to fit well and don't stretch out.

 

[98ssuck]

Are the USA made Williams equally good?

I have both the Snapon and Williams USA. They are made from the same forging. The Williams have rougher forged chrome finish. The snapon is the typical high chrome finish.

I find 6 point crowfoot sockets a good companion to the wrenches. The two plane offset on the wrenches can be challenging in some positions.

 

[KnurledNut]

I have both the Snapon and Williams USA. They are made from the same forging. The Williams have rougher forged chrome finish. The snapon is the typical high chrome finish.

I find 6 point crowfoot sockets a good companion to the wrenches. The two plane offset on the wrenches can be challenging in some positions.

There is no Williams USA metric option.

 

[98ssuck]

There is no Williams USA metric option.

You’re right I was talking imperial but forgot to specify. I only have imperial flare nut tools

 

[nicks78camaro]

No issues with my USA made SK flare nut wrenches

 

[bonneyman]

I always wondered how well 12 pt flare nut wrenches would work. Since I have complete sets of metric and SAE, I started to look at getting some metric 12 pt ones. Who knows? Maybe they'll save the day on a job when nothing else will work.

I used the smaller sizes quite regularly on evaporative coolers. The soft brass fittings would routinely get damaged and distorted because some prior tech was trying to stop a water leak and would resort to adjustable wrenches or Vise-Grips to tighten them. Yeah, they might get that pesky leak to stop (or not), but woe to the next tech out. I could get those things off with the Bonney's, then replace the fitting, and tighten it properly with the Bonney evenly all the way around the hex. My 1/2" x 9/16" Bonney's I could almost carry in my pocket next to the Swiss Army Knife or Leatherman they were used so often.

 

[Wrench97]

How do you heat the nut?

I have always been scared of hitting a brake line fitting with a torch because brake fluid is flammable. Last thing I need is a customer truck on fire on my lift in my shop!

When using a torch keep spray bottle near by, water, tire soap doesn't matter see a little flame squirt it.
I can burn the nuts off a exhaust stud and still reuse the stud, some of those can be in tight places with a lot of oil around and I use the spray soap ahead of time to wet the oily area down.
The only thing I've set on fire was a 74 IH 1650 cab while cutting it apart to scrap it, probably should have cut the seat in half with a hack saw......

 

[tak1313]

I have a set, but being DIY, I've pretty much have only had the need for M8 and M10 for brake work, and M18 (might have been M19) on a power steering fitting.

I also got a Knipex 87 41 250 when I had to deal with an old brake line with a lot of rust that had never been broken before because I had read that the Knipex really clamps down when turning - the only caveat is I believe the smallest it will go is 10mm. Didn't end up needing it, and have yet to use it, so I can't say for sure how well it works.

​

 

[Kscardsfan]

I didn't discover the Bonney's until late in my career - perhaps the last decade I worked. But boy once using them I never could see doing the job without them.
However, they only made them in SAE - no metric. Fortunately the refrigeration stuff I worked on was SAE.
The DFE full polish, DFE satins, and flare/box end combos were great. From 3/8" to 1 1/8" depending on type.
Double ratcheting flare wrenches were nice with the carpal tunnel but quite bulky.

I've got to find a couple of these for the box.

 

[bonneyman]

I've got to find a couple of these for the box.

They're kinda under the radar - you should be able to find some on ebay.

 

[Al Borland]

Have SK, some Craftsman, and some Huskys.
SKs are 25+ years old, don't like them. They spread.
Craftsmans are useless. also 20+years old. Spread AND peel chrome.
Huskys are Taiwan era, 15-20 years old. Better than the others...
Also have some Crows-foot line wrenches. They are a bit "Lobsterish" but if they fit, they work.

 

[Schurkey]

What size(s) you need depend on what flare-nut(s) you're trying to work with. The application determines the tool needed.

I frequently crack the nut loose with VISEGRIPS

Flare nuts are typically thin-wall, mild steel. A vice-grip merely distorts/crushes the nut, causing it to drag on the tubing. Using a vice-grip instead of a flare-nut wrench/crowfoot is asking for trouble. If a vice-grip seems viable, you need better flare-nut wrenches.

I wonder if the "line" wrenches that you all are refering to are what I know as "tubing" wrenches?

I'd have called them "Flare-nut wrenches". "Lines" are imaginary objects. What you're dealing with is not a "line", it's tubing with a flare on the end, held in place with a flare nut.

My biggest issue today isn't with rounding the nut off it's with the nut being corroded to the brake line. I deal with this on Dodge Trucks a lot where I brake the nut loose then notice the hard line is flexing with the nut. I try soaking them in oil and everything and nothing ever seems to work!

Oxy-Acetylene to the rescue. Potentially you could use one of the portable inductive heaters. The main problem I've experienced with heat on flare-nuts is when the flare-nut is what's connecting brake tubing to a brake hose. The hose is very likely to pop free of it's crimped fitting when the flare-nut is heated.

Mac USA are every bit as good (and even slightly better according to TTC's testing). Having metrics in Snap On and SAE in Mac, both are every bit as good as each other.

The single MAC USA COBR13MM flare-nut wrench I have is a thin-walled, flexy piece of ****. They weren't in the MAC catalog long.





Shorter length is rarely useful, more-often a detriment.


Lack of angled head is similarly a detriment most of the time.


Assorted scrap metal. 12-point flare nut wrenches may be useful in Aviation. They are a bad joke in automotive use. Thin wall-thickness makes a flexy, slipping wrench. Short lengths trade away leverage and control. The Craftsman and the NAPA units are the "best of the worst".


Potentially the worst-design of flare-nut wrenches are those that only have four "corners" to grip the flare nut. I first saw this on Hazzard-Fraught junk "tools"; but since then I've seen it on Proto, Urrea, and Sunex, and perhaps other brands.

A proper flare-nut wrench grips five out of six corners on the flare nut. Four out of six is just silly.

 

[KnurledNut]

I have the Ridgid Onestop wrench and its handy for doing some plumbing repairs. Its two wrenches that nest together with two open end sizes, and a 5/8 flare and a stub for positioning when tightening angle stops.

 

[Ohio Andy]

 

[B_Bimmer]

Wright are very nice. Also super cheap for smaller, more common sizes on ebay.

 

[micromind]

What about Wright? I don't know for sure but I bet they'd be near the top.

 

[Ohio Andy]

What about Wright? I don't know for sure but I bet they'd be near the top.

They are.... And that is my primary set in metric and SAE. My only complaint is that the smallest SAE wrench is 3/8", so I have 3/8-7/8 and 9mm-21mm.

Other sets such as Craftsman the smallest size is 1/4 and I think they have a 5/16 so keep that in mind if you need smaller sizes.

 

[NHtoolguy]

Bleeder screws I usually use a 6 point wrench or a 6 point socket to break loose.

Yes, that's how I always loosen difficult bleeder screws. A line or flare nut wrench isn't needed when you have full access to the end of the hex.

 

[bonneyman]

They are.... And that is my primary set in metric and SAE. My only complaint is that the smallest SAE wrench is 3/8", so I have 3/8-7/8 and 9mm-21mm.

Other sets such as Craftsman the smallest size is 1/4 and I think they have a 5/16 so keep that in mind if you need smaller sizes.

Original post edited: I've only seen/had one 5/16" flare - and it was a Snap-on. Flare/OE combination.
Never seen a 5/16" flare fitting but the walls were so thick on small stuck fasteners the two ends offered great grip and no flex.

 

[d42jeep]

Been using Snap-on flare/thick open end wrenches since the late 60s. Excellent tools. I’ve found most of mine at flea markets and estate/garage sales.
-Don

 

[bonneyman]

The wrench I was talking about was one like what Don posted. The altered box end wrench was a Williams. I've edited my previous post.

 

[GrayFlattop]

I didn't discover the Bonney's until late in my career - perhaps the last decade I worked. But boy once using them I never could see doing the job without them.
However, they only made them in SAE - no metric. Fortunately the refrigeration stuff I worked on was SAE.
The DFE full polish, DFE satins, and flare/box end combos were great. From 3/8" to 1 1/8" depending on type.
Double ratcheting flare wrenches were nice with the carpal tunnel but quite bulky.

Respectfully, I feel compelled to correct the record. Bonney did indeed produce flare nut wrenches in Metric:


I've had them for ages - as well as 6 and 12 point SAE variants from Bonney. It's a damn shame they are no longer in business as they produced an excellent product.

 

[GrayFlattop]

My general preference is for a flare nut "combination" wrench - flare nut style on one end and open end on the other.
Initially, I believe that Snap-On produced these, but ultimately others followed. Snap-on, Proto and Bonney all had very "thick" open ends, but the Williams (80's??) version had a thinner open end.

Here they are in the same order:

I haven't found many Bonney wrenches in this configuration, but honestly I've stopped looking. I already have far more flare nut wrenches than I will ever need. I used to have three sets of tools deployed across different locations, but they have all come home to roost in retirement.

Of course, the first ones I had were Craftsman from the early 70's, but they were "almost ok". I probably damaged as many nuts with those than I removed since I worked on a lot of old crappy, rust buckets back then.

 

[SouthernIllinois]

Mine
Old USA Craftsman
Work for me but then again, I don't do it for a living.

 

[bonneyman]

Respectfully, I feel compelled to correct the record. Bonney did indeed produce flare nut wrenches in Metric:

My statement wasn't very clear. I was referring to the Cam-Loc ratcheting flare ends. They weren't made in metric. The forged steel flare wrenches were available in metric - at least in 6 point. (Plain 6 point - no enhanced broaching). If Bonney had made 12 point Loc-Rite flare wrenches in metric, I'd have owned them.

 

[GrayFlattop]

My statement wasn't very clear. I was referring to the Cam-Loc ratcheting flare ends. They weren't made in metric. The forged steel flare wrenches were available in metric - at least in 6 point. (Plain 6 point - no enhanced broaching). If Bonney had made 12 point Loc-Rite flare wrenches in metric, I'd have owned them.

Ah. I’ve never seen the Cam-Loc ratcheting flare ends in metric either.

 

[oscarsnapkin]

I have a Craftsman Professional or whatever the full-polish set is. They have always worked fine, but I am in Georgia and work on almost zero rust.

I had those working on trucks in PA. I swapped for Snap On. They rounded off one too many fittings for me. I had lots of the Craftsman Professional stuff and for the most part I was happy with the lineup, just not the flare nut wrenches or the ratcheting screwdriver.

 

[oscarsnapkin]

Paid $35 on eBay for these USA Craftsman set

Their only use will be on a 1965 Corvair fuel and brake lines.

Who makes those wrench organizers? Opinion? Cost?

 

[SouthernIllinois]

Who makes those wrench organizers? Opinion? Cost?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C66KCZ3R?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[liliysdad]

Mine
Old USA Craftsman
Work for me but then again, I don't do it for a living.

Those were the line wrenches that made my buy SnapOn. I don’t live where we salt, and I don’t deal with much rust….but my God those things are horrible.

I am absolutely certain the open end of a WrightGrip is better than those things for soft line nuts.

 

[Ohio Andy]

I have wright tool stuff in a bucket boss tool roll. Metric on the right 9mm - 21mm and SAE on the left. The SAE I also have Craftsman mixed in there which is why you see so many wrenches. The Craftsman set goes from 1/4 - 7/8 and the wright goes from 3/8 - 7/8. The primary reason I have the Craftsman set is because wright does not have the 1/4 - 5/16.



This next picture compares the 3/8-7/16 And 3/4-7/8 flare nuts with wright on the left and Craftsman on the right. The Craftsman is just shorter and the Craftsman is difficult to read the markings. if you want to get into a tiny space, Craftsman might be easier (because wee bit shorter), but if you want to read the sizes on the wrench, for me, that means wright tool.



On a smaller wrench, the Craftsman is marginally thicker. On the larger wrench, the Craftsman is significantly thinner.