Flare nut wrenches?

[Strouty]

I agree with bigdav, the snap on flare/open end are not a standard open end, they are big and wide to protect fittings, especially brass ones. No flex to these open ends!





Just wanted to let people know that Photobucket can go and FU$%^ itself.

 

[BDT/NWMN]

SnapOn can be bought new or used, and one at a time as Your regular need for them becomes apparent... In the mean time; pick up some of the USA Allen, KD, Koblt, or Armstrong closeouts from Cripes.. The few dollars spent for these will cover your bases when getting started... In the long run, You will appreciate the SnapOn.
SK?? I would not shy away from the current Ideal stock SK; or the used older ones prior to those last "iffy" years before Ideal resurrected SK... But I would seek advice from GJ Members who are more informed on this issue. There are some "iffy" nos SK tools for sale from this era;
whether "iffy" flare nut wrenches are amongst the bargains?? This is why I suggest making sure any new SK purchase is indeed Current production.

 

[youngunn2008]

I have 40 years in working on trucks and i wouldnt recommend even buying line wrenches were do you use them. Trucks that i work on have big lines were you dont often if ever need one. I dont work on new trucks their old rusty ones. I cant remember ever rounding the corners on a big line with a regular open end.

I work on newer trucks. Dpf sensors, scr sensors, where everything is getting cooked at 1500 deg f, good luck with that open end wrench bud.

Also fuel injector lines on dd15s and Cummins, if you can't get the special tool on it, I'd rather have it than round it. Why gamble

 

[Finky198]

+50 on the snappys. They worth the extra dough or buy em used. I inherited my fathers 20+ year old sets ( I'm thinking I might retire them and get some shiny new ones in time ) and hang up the old ones in the man cave...

 

[pendragon1998]

Datapoint here:
My 10 mm Allen (USA) flare wrench rounded off a rusty brake line nut. The Allen was spreading. I bought an S-K flare wrench to see if I could salvage it. That sucker bit in so hard that I had to beat it off the nut (carefully) with a hammer and vise grips. Worth every penny.

I considered a used Snap-on, but I was concerned it might arrive spread by the previous owner. New, Snap-on was about $45, the S-K was about $20, so I took a chance on S-K vs Snappy.

 

[Mr_B]

toptul 5pc set pretty decent .

 

[geojag]

I work out of about 20 trucks depending on what is available (I manage but fill in when needed). We use a lot of line fittings. Trucks have everything from Snap-On to generic.

Even on line fittings, lubricant and heat, where safe, are pivotal.

I can't really tell a difference between the top truck brands an cheaper brands, as long as it isn't chinesium. Kobalt works as well as Snap-On if you clean, lubricate, and heat, where safe, the fittings.

Anymore, if I can fit a pliers wrench on it, I don't even look for tools. I just clean the fitting and use what I have immediately available.

What you are working on may vary, but don't over estimate the problem.

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[WWheeler]

As far as wrenches go I'd gotten by for several decades on craftsman raised panels. Then in the last few years I treated myself to sets of gearwrench 'long pattern' combination wrenches and several sets of gw ratcheting wrenches. For my uses at home both DIY-er level brands have done all asked without fail, .... all except for the line wrenches.

Turns out my usa-made crapsman flare nut wrenches were every bit as good at rounding six corners as they were at gripping five sides. Unfortunately I was a slow learner and got burned by them a few times before it finally sunk in that the high cost of a set of snappys really wasn't so high afterall. I definitely wound up spending more because I didn't have them, not to mention all the extra work.

 

[nbruno]

Do yourself a big favor, buy snap on line wrenches or flare nut crows foot. The first fitting you round off with budget line wrenches will convince you just a bit too late.
I prefer to pay now for the tools than to pay later by extracting nuts and bolts and re-flaring lines on a vehicle.

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[M6erfan]

I'm no Snap On fan boy, but their flare/line wrenches are really good. I'd venture to say the best, and worth the extra expense if you are going to be using them often.

 

[d.mcfarland]

For what it's worth, I bought the Tekton wrench set for like $15 (Made in Taiwan) and it worked fine. I don't use them heavily so keep that in mind, but I did use it on a rusty as hell brake line.

 

[Finky198]

Well 2 years after my orig post. I’m now a few pieces away form a what I’d call complete set of snap on flare tools. ( I’m still need a full sets of 4way wrenches) but as of now I’ve got Sae 6pt and 12pt and Met 6pt flare wrenches, 1/4 sae and 3/8 flare crowsfeet in Sae/met and a set of sae tubing wrenches approx 95% of it’s Snap on . A lot of Hunting on eBay finally paid off. Their flare stuff is really top notch. Across the board...

But no matter how good the tools are it’s all in the techniques as geojag stated...

And +1 on the pliers wrench another must have flare/plumbing and general tool...

 

[The Fall]

SK makes outstanding line wrenches at reasonable prices. I had a stuck fuel line flare nut that was starting to round with a Proto line wrench a few weeks back. I eased off, grabbed the SK from the tool box in an attempt to save the line, and got it off with some motivation from the dead blow hammer. I have some Snap-ons too. I can't tell the difference between the SKs and the Snap-ons, but I can tell the difference between those two wrenches and the rest. If I had to pay full price, I'd get the SKs and feel way ahead. Folks are right -- don't go cheap on flare nut wrenches. But from my experiences, SKs are very solid.

 

[Tonyuk]

I've had a set of Facom flare nut's for years, they were the first good quality flare nut spanners i bought and have been great, no spreading to speak of really, if rounded lines with them but i've seen others round them with the snap-on's Sometimes the fittings just too soft or corroded.

I ordered a set of SK's off amazon after reading about them on this site, and im also very happy with them;

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0002STULU/?tag=atomicindustr-21

It was a split between the above and ordering a set of the flex head gearwrench's which i can see coming in handy pretty often.

These are getting good reviews on a few sites;

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B003HKAGCM/?tag=atomicindustr-21

You might have something similar over there.

 

[dimichele]

I never had a problem with the us made craftsman pros.

 

[Tallpilot]

I considered a used Snap-on, but I was concerned it might arrive spread by the previous owner.

Has anyone actually encountered this problem?

 

[Tallpilot]

For what it's worth, I bought the Tekton wrench set for like $15 (Made in Taiwan) and it worked fine. I don't use them heavily so keep that in mind, but I did use it on a rusty as hell brake line.

Those are actually made in China...once I got my used Snap-ons I compared the broaching and the fit on a fastener and it was clear why they are no good for really soft or rusty stuff but if you live in the desert it probably doesn't matter.

Curiously enough MIT has stopped selling those. There are plenty of NOS available but my theory is they stopped because they know they are ****. I hope they find a better source.

 

[todd_fuller]

Wow thanks guys. I'll check out s-k and proto

I bought a metric SK set to overhaul my power steering rack. Not wanting to have to buy a new rack because I mangled the fittings, I thought a good set was worthwhile. I can say that all but one fit the fittings really well. The one that did not fit well was a bit of a surprise to me. I also got a flare nut crowsfoot set and that size was a perfect fit.

If I did it again, I'd just get the socket set and be done.

 

[sberry]

I am not all that impressed with the Proto I have. I can make it with most Cman tools but the line wrenches fall in behind the ratchet. This is a place there is a lot of good testimoney that a premium wrench is worth the investment.
I usually skip right over the wrenches and go to straight jaw vise grips for rusty brake fittings.
I have a 7/8 12 pt for some hyd fittings.
I made a 5/8 12 from an old WT Grant wrench that works well, fits mechanical temp probes.

 

[928'er]

Whatever you do, do NOT buy the Harbor Freight set, they are absolute ****!

My tools were in storage and I had to change the crossover pipes on a pair of Brembo calipers, so I thought the HF set might work for one-time use - wrong! The wrench I tried immediately began to spread and round off the first fitting I tried it on. Picked up an SK wrench & finished the job without a hitch.

When I returned the HF set, the girl asked me if there was anything wrong with them. I said yeah, they're JUNK! Got my money back.