Advice - DIY Grade Flare Wrenches

[absolutelybillsmood]

Looking for advice on a small set of flare wrenches. Looking for decent DIY grade to use a few times a year.
Thinking about ...
Craftsman
Duralast
etc..

 

[hell_fish_65]

Flare wrenches are one of those tools you can really tell quality. I use craftsman tools for most everything, but MAC or S.O. for flare wrenches.

 

[gpalmer77]

I have the Craftsman set, I consider them more than sufficient for DIY use.

 

[steveo3002]

my limited experience here

im a home tinkerer..my first set of flare wrenches were craftsman and i rounded off damn near every line i worked on (10 /11mm)

at first i assumed it was bad luck and the fixings were too far gone on my old car , but i got tired if it and purchased some used snap ons in those sizes and havent ruined another fastner yet

 

[rider9195]

I would look at SK with their sets, not too badly priced

Sent from my XT907

 

[Jim C.]

I have the Craftsman set, I consider them more than sufficient for DIY use.

Me too.

 

[sberry]

The Cman flare wrench is in second place behind the ratchet as about useless. Invest in 2 sets of vise grips instead,,, ha

 

[Stooge]

I've had this set for awhile now and use it pretty frequently, nice tolerance to keep from rounding, real nice finish, cant ask for too much more i suppose. 386 is the 15* offset set, 381 is the non
http://www.tooltopia.com/sk-hand-tool-386.aspx

 

[Jim C.]

The Cman flare wrench is in second place behind the ratchet as about useless. Invest in 2 sets of vise grips instead,,, ha

I've also been using craftsman ratchets for years with no real complaints. I'm actually very happy with the Craftsman 84 tooth ratchets. I guess it all depends on who you ask, and what their respective experiences have been with a particular tool.

Jim C.

 

[TwoInch]

i have been using the craftsman RP flare wrenches, they got a terrible rep here, but i have had zero issued with them. i just found a second set, full metric, for $2.50 at a local pawn shop.... snatched em up.

the polished craftsman chinese flare wrenches are junk. dont do it.

 

[dclassical]

I have an SK set but I have not used it that much, but when I did I was happy with it.

 

[bimmerZ5]

yeah... i too have been using Craftsman RP flare nut wrenches for years... at least 10 yrs now and although I don't use them every day, they've never failed me or caused any problems. not sure why so many other folks have had so many problems...

that said, for DIY home use... I think Gearwrench and Kobalt are also good brands that are affordable for those not so often used tools.

 

[FiendFX]

get the gearwrench flex ratcheting flare nut wrenches. they are awesome.

 

[bcradio]

my limited experience here

im a home tinkerer..my first set of flare wrenches were craftsman and i rounded off damn near every line i worked on (10 /11mm)

at first i assumed it was bad luck and the fixings were too far gone on my old car , but i got tired if it and purchased some used snap ons in those sizes and havent ruined another fastner yet

This is virtually to a 'T' what my experience has been. Hated the Craftsman after trying my Snap-Ons. Not a rounded nut since.

Just get them used and save some coin

 

[rodm1]

I have the Craftsman set, I consider them more than sufficient for DIY use.

I agree, But will upgrade to SO when replacements are needed probable never at my rate.

 

[ChevyEFI]

I have Napa SAE flare nut wrenches from circa 1997 or so. They've been okay, but on stuck nuts (that would wreck an open end, to be fair,) they do have some flex. They go from 3/8" to 11/16" IIRC.

I also buy SO flare nut crowsfeet which I buy as-needed for transmission and power steering lines in 3/8" drive 6point. No issues.

 

[hofferwood]

mine, no complaints

 

[ndoran]

I gave up on cheap flare nut wrnches a long time ago. I bought Snap On for the SAE fasteners about 25 years ago and they are amazing, I bought the metric ones last year and I have to say that while they are good they are not as good as my older SAE wrenches

 

[bimmerZ5]

I gave up on cheap flare nut wrnches a long time ago. I bought Snap On for the SAE fasteners about 25 years ago and they are amazing, I bought the metric ones last year and I have to say that while they are good they are not as good as my older SAE wrenches

i'm genuinely interested: what do you see as the difference between the 25 yr old vs the 1 yr old wrenches?

 

[NC-Fordguy]

I have mac, snappy, crafty, crafty pro, carlyle, s&k and gearwrench flex. No problems with any of them

 

[devoncoolman]

i like the snappy's with the open end on the one end. they are the cats meow. but ***** because you have to buy twice as many to get the same coverage as a regular double box set. i have both in snap on for my standards. and have matco's for my metric. can't complain too much about the matco's other than they arn't really worth the money. they look identical to my buddy's older craftsman pro's. only difference is i paid over $200 for mine and he paid about $50. but atleast if i get my matco's warrentied ill still get an american made wrench and no a chinese pos.

 

[Gotmayhem]

Just a warning to everyone to stay far away from the HF flare nut wrenches. My friend made the mistake of giving them a shot and they literally did not last one brake job.

 

[CWP1616L]

If you're a DIY, why get the whole set?

Each car has only one size flare nuts.

 

[devoncoolman]

If you're a DIY, why get the whole set?

Each car has only one size flare nuts.

thats pretty much a false statement. alot of cars have multiple sizes for brake flare nuts. ford likes to use different sizes.

 

[absolutelybillsmood]

If you're a DIY, why get the whole set?

Each car has only one size flare nuts.

I have a Cavalier and a Sante Fe, I need to be able to work on both.

 

[NC-Fordguy]

If you're a DIY, why get the whole set?

Each car has only one size flare nuts.

Wtf???

Current truck in my shop--

13/16 on the pressure line to PS pump

5/8 at the steering box

3/8 and 5/16 on the brake lines

7/16 and 1/2 at the master cylinder

1/2 on the ported vacume line

It's statements such as what's quoted that really makes me question the validity of what gets posted here

 

[CWP1616L]

It's statements such as what's quoted that really makes me question the validity of what gets posted here

On the superior GM product I drive, all the flare nuts are the same size, 15mm. I can't take responsibility for the other whacky vehicles on the road.

 

[BK13]

I have an SK set but I have not used it that much, but when I did I was happy with it.

Almost exactly describes my experiences.

 

[SMKS]

A good, affordable USA made example are the Blackhawk wrenches. They're actually similar (or identical) to the USA made Stanley ones shown above.

http://www.protoindustrial.com/en/s...awkByProto/subcategory-Flare Nut Wrench Sets/

Grainger says they're still USA made. This link also has a big pic of a wrench so you can see it:
http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/BLACKHAWK-BY-PROTO-Flare-Nut-Wrench-4AY51?Pid=search

Zoro Tools seems to have OK prices on them. I didn't do much shopping, so I don't know if you can find a better deal elsewhere.
http://www.zorotools.com/g/00032318...medium=referral&utm_campaign=AmazonProductAds


Here's a pic of one I have. You can see it's well used, but I don't think it's that old. I think this is still the design they use. It looks like the current pics I can find online.

It's marked "USA" on the other side.

 

[NC-Fordguy]

On the superior GM product I drive, all the flare nuts are the same size, 15mm. I can't take responsibility for the other whacky vehicles on the road.

This is a quality GM product as you say...

1971 blazer

I haven't taken the proportioning valve out yet but they are different sizes from what I can see. This truck as far as I know didn't come with factory disc brakes. IIRC that became standard equipment the next model year, so I am guessing some parts came off a later model year. Either way looks like different sizes on later model years as well

 

[jmm]

On the superior GM product I drive, all the flare nuts are the same size, 15mm. I can't take responsibility for the other whacky vehicles on the road.

I, too, drive a superior GM product. Couple different flare nuts, SAE. 95 K1500, one that's a serious pain to work on -- it's got its fair shair of those ubiquitous 15s, but it's covered in SAE too.

I had old Eascos before I got my current set: Snap-On (through 13/16"/21 mm) and Williams (through 1 1/8"/don't use larger metric flare nut wrenches...yet). Go for something like those used, and pay very little (see also Napa, Allen, etc). They never gave me any trouble, BUT the Snap-On set is miles ahead. The difference is minimal, but worth it if you're on the clock, trying to remove a seized, damaged line. Snap-On hasn't failed, while the Easco set might've (read: failed under these circumstances a couple times). Know what I mean?

 

[devoncoolman]

your always gonna find different sizes. even on just the brake system. gm likes to use unions so theres another size and the master cyl two different sizes most of the time. same with at the abs unit some manufacturers use 2 different sizes there. and if you have a 1/4 main line to the rear your nuts are gonna be bigger. you can't just buy one wrench and expect it to fit everything. most of the time you need metric and standard. ive found standard and metric on the same vehicle just on the brake system. same with running into rusted flare nuts sometime the standard wrench's will fit a semi rotted nut better thus giving u a better shot at getting it off with out rounding it off.

 

[devoncoolman]

i too drive all gm got a 02 2500hd dmax, 92 2500(plow truck), 95 s10, 84 s10, 05 cobalt, and 69 chevelle Yeah there is many different size flare nuts on them. Gm's are not superior to any other make. they have some of the worst brake line issues along with ford and dodge. hence every brake line on my dmax is new.

 

[ndoran]

i'm genuinely interested: what do you see as the difference between the 25 yr old vs the 1 yr old wrenches?

Apart from the appearance the differences I note are: the older Snap On are longer, a better fit and they seem to work better on the older rusty fasteners line nuts we see on our roads.

I have attached a picture of some wrenches: I also included other flare nut wrenches, but you can see the difference.

From left to right they are:

Gray, 3 X EASCO, 3 SAE Snap ON, 2 metric Snap ON, 1 X Kamasa

 

[steveo3002]

This is virtually to a 'T' what my experience has been. Hated the Craftsman after trying my Snap-Ons. Not a rounded nut since.

Just get them used and save some coin

glad its not just me ..id assumed they was good enough , but the amount of fasteners i ruined was getting crazy

good old used snap on and they come undone everytime , im no tool snob but they really are worlds apart , im guessing the craftsman open up when used on tight stuff

 

[Loscaldazar]

Used Snap On is pretty cheap on eBay....

Subaru is 10MM all around pre VDC (stability control) and then 12MM for brakes and 10MM for power steering after VDC was introduced. So easy to work on, especially because 10 and 12 MM are usually the same wrench so you only need one!

 

[Murphy4570]

I have Snappy metric flarenut wrenches and Craftsman Professional standard ones. Both work very well. The Craftsmans are actually fairly good quality. I think they are made by SK. Doubt they are even sold anymore, I think Craftsman dropped all of their "Professional" line of stuff.

 

[928'er]

Just a warning to everyone to stay far away from the HF flare nut wrenches.

I concur, HF flare wrenches are absolute junk - bought a set to try and they spread and started to round the first nut I tried them on. Took them back the same day.

I have a set of the old CM Professional line. Excellent quality made by (I believe) SK. The new CM flares are Chicom junk.

US made SK flare wrenches are available from Tooltopia at a reasonable price. Spend a few bucks and get a quality set. Flare wrenches are not a tool to cheap out on.