Line wrenches (flare wrenches)

[mayday0017]

My dad gave me a set of line wrenches about 15 years ago when I was 18 for christmas. Of course when I finally truely need them 15 years later he gave me a 3 piece set and not the 5 and I need the next size larger....

On the bright side they are not craftsman like I always assumed they were (never really looked at them). So now I am trying to decide... do I buy a set of Harborfreight line wrenches for $7.50 with coupon or a set of craftsman for $29?

Hopefully the craftsman are USA made... but regardless trying to decide if a tool that is used so rarely by me is worth spending the $$ on...

I am open to other brands that I can get locally too so make suggestions please....

 

[AndrewV]

If a rarely used tool, get the cheap ones. But you can look at used ones to.

 

[Richard Cranium]

if you can get usa made craftsman, I would go with the craftsman, A cheap wrench might open up while trying to break loose a tight nut, defeating the use of a flare wrench. Rich

 

[bonneyman]

I'd recommend Bonney flare wrenches. Though no longer made, they come up on the 'bay quite regularly. As double flares or combo box end/flare end. Very stout, very nice. However, they only made them in SAE.
So, if you need metric, Proto offers some in mm with a enhanced broaching profile similar to the old Bonney.

Here are some of the different Bonney's I have in flare end.

 

[u118224]

Harry Epstein has Bonney 6 pt. flare wrenches in 9x11 and 15x17. I'd stay away from the US made RP Craftsman flare wrenches because in my experience they spread. The SK made Craftsmans are good but you have to find used or nos. Stick with SK, Proto, Snap-On, Bonney, etc for flare wrenches. Just my .02.

 

[thesilverone]

snap-on

 

[Loscaldazar]

DO NOT get the Harbor freight ones. There are numerous threads (not just on here) of them snapping off they are so poorly made, most even have pictures as proof, and one guy has a video where with one hand he snaps several wrench in a row on a bolt. I believe he even snapped one using one finger to push the wrench (off to find the video!) They don't even spread, just snap. Get some better ones!

 

[dale500]

You might find some Craftsman USA made in the individual wrenches but all the sets are now china made. Since you just need the one to add to what you already have that's the path I would choose. It might be another 15 years before you need it again.

Hurry for best selection. The size options for all the Craftsman wrenches continues to shrink. They used to make extra money buy selling you a starter set cheap and then selling single wrenches to make a full set. It looks like they are now just stocking the same sizes that are in the sets so they can honor the warranty. Things are disappearing fast at the Sears stores around me. Craftsman Pro screwdrivers are gone/discontinued, the wrench selection is shrinking, the socket sizes are now shrinking, but the useless gadget tool selection continues to increase. "There's a sucker born every minute."

 

[1950mercury]

Id try to barrow one from a friend. Unless your going to gey more use out of it.

 

[paranoid56]

If a rarely used tool, get the cheap ones. But you can look at used ones to.

not when it comes to flare wrenches. all that will do is round off the nut. get a good pair and you should be fine.

 

[48RON54]

I have a craftsman set and they work fine for what I'm doing. I'm not building the next gen space shuttle though. I'm just fixing old cars.

 

[Gmonkee]

Another option is the local auto parts store house brand. I've had a few of those that were really nice and a few not worth the energy to put in the recycle bin.

As the ones I had would all be nearly a decade old now I can't suggest any, you'll have to throw the dice a bit but there are still good ones out there to be had.

I upgraded to Wurth metrics when I could and filled holes with 2nd hand SO I was lucky to stumble upon. And I don't use them anymore either......

 

[1969]

Snap-on.....

 

[RidgevilleRob]

DO NOT get the Harbor freight ones. There are numerous threads (not just on here) of them snapping off they are so poorly made, most even have pictures as proof, and one guy has a video where with one hand he snaps several wrench in a row on a bolt. I believe he even snapped one using one finger to push the wrench (off to find the video!) They don't even spread, just snap. Get some better ones!

Dude I've had a set of these for years and done A LOT of work with them without any issues.. If you have to push that hard on the fitting your doing somthing wrong..

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[908Jim]

You'll likely regret buying cheap line wrenches the first time you have a rusty fitting. You can fine open stock craftsman pro wrenches for about $10 each at sears, and I believe the OEM is SK on the US made line wrenches. Probably your best bet for a rarely used tool.

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[sonvolt]

I have an old set of SK and they are bulletproof.

 

[steveo3002]

my craftsman ones have done nothing but let me down , they must open up and ruin the fastener

get some used snap on ...or some other brand but craftsman are not good for this tool

 

[Farmall450]

Nevermind....

 

[rsanter]

Do not get the cheap ones, they will round off the flair nuts.
Get the non pro made in the USA craftsman ones new or used
You can also fine used proto ( old) ones for reasonable price

What size do you need. Perhaps someone here has a used one or a used set they will sell you.
I have some older photos I can part with

Bob

 

[RCStocker]

No brainer. Craftsman even if the are outsourced. the new ones will do the job and if the old ones need replacing you will get a new one. The stamping might not be as good but if the tool fails you get a new one no matter what. HF jaws can spread. Look for a good used set of SK

 

[franzdom]

You'll likely regret buying cheap line wrenches the first time you have a rusty fitting. You can fine open stock craftsman pro wrenches for about $10 each at sears, and I believe the OEM is SK on the US made line wrenches. Probably your best bet for a rarely used tool.

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This used to be true but in my humble opinion they haven't had the SK ones for almost 10 years. I am thinking about the pro line polished. Just get SK or SO.

 

[Super Sport]

I have a set of the older SK-made Cman that I was really happy with...up until the other day. I needed to get the wheel cylinder off on the rear drum on my Jeep. The nut is recessed slightly, enough that my non-offset flare nut wrenches would not work.

I'm now looking for a quality set that is offset.

 

[Super Sport]

This used to be true but in my humble opinion they haven't had the SK ones for almost 10 years. I am thinking about the pro line polished. Just get SK or SO.

It was about a year ago that my local stores got rid of (most of) the USA ones. I got a bunch cheap on closeout. A few stores around still have a couple sizes left of the USA ones, but it would be impossible for me to get a complete set. And if you're paying $10+ each, you might as well get the SK version.

 

[908Jim]

This used to be true but in my humble opinion they haven't had the SK ones for almost 10 years. I am thinking about the pro line polished. Just get SK or SO.

I could be mistaken, but I thought the professional line wrenches still were? The US made stock by me looks identical, although the combinations are the Armstrong style.

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[sonvolt]

I suggest SK, proto are excellent as well. If you only need SAE look at Bonney at Harry Epstein.

 

[motoretro]

I have a set of "Cal-Van Tools" Flare nut standard sized wrenches I purchased back in the 70's. Made in the USA, they've earned their keep over the years. they have a nice slender shank with lots of meat at the ends to avoid spreading when applying torque. I also have a single C-Man metric wrench, a USA made wrench which works well. Check out the used stuff, good buys out there.
Motoretro

 

[Canadian Charlie]

I have a Gray set in SAE and a Snap On set in metric. Still going strong

 

[dede2897234]

mayday0017,

The reasonable Husky flare nut wrenches available at Home Depot have gotten a few good reviews here. Check out this thread and post #27 in this other thread.


Dave

 

[Adam.C]

Snap-on.....

No doubt these are the best, but they are thumping expensive, even second hand. I lucked out and found an SAE set for about $100 on ebay. The metric set was nearly twice that used.

I don't recommend getting older Snappies, as the business ends can be worn or loosened up. If you are going spend for Snappies, get new condition tools. Otherwise, you may be just as well off with cheapies.

Another thing to consider is the Knipex plier wrench. That thing is simply awesome for this sort of work.

P.S. The high price for used SO line wrenches suggests the degree to which these are valued. Almost every pro I know recommends them, virtually above all other Snap On tools. One more tip from me, I've worked on foreign stuff that had inch size fittings. Not sure if it was a 19mm vs 3/4 thing or not. Regardless, I think you need both sets.

 

[bobcatdan]

No matter the name on wrench, brake lines can be a *****. Personally I have SO, but I don't automatically assume they will take off ever line I do after 15 years of Wisconsin winters. For a diy, anybody use Napa's Carlyle flares yet to give an opinion?

 

[Piles]

I bought a set of Expert branded ones last year for at home. And honestly they impressed the **** outta me. I got snappys at work and wouldnt hesitate to buy another set of the experts for at home if I ever needed. Got them for a song too.

 

[n8n]

I have a craftsman set and they work fine for what I'm doing. I'm not building the next gen space shuttle though. I'm just fixing old cars.

Meh, I had to give up on a job on a daily driver years ago (replacing a proportioning valve) because my Craftsman flare wrench spread on me. So not only did I have to pay a mechanic to replace my prop valve, I didn't have a flare wrench until I found a Sears that had another one in stock so I could warranty it. That same wrench (I want to say 10mm?) got warrantied at least three times over the years.

I've finally acquired a set of Snap-On SAE flare wrenches. Will probably get the metric ones as well. Flare wrenches are quite possibly the most important tool to buy the best quality that you can afford, unless you simply enjoy fabricating brake lines (and you have both flare tools and are proficient at using them.)

 

[n8n]

This used to be true but in my humble opinion they haven't had the SK ones for almost 10 years. I am thinking about the pro line polished. Just get SK or SO.

Even a year ago the Cman Pro polished line wrenches were offshore. Had to buy a set to do brakes on my friend's pickup as my own SAE flare wrenches were in "a very safe place" (read: in a toolbox in the back of my storage locker, and I wasn't sure exactly where) feel like I wasted my money, although to be fair, they did get wheel cylinders off of both his truck (1993) and my Jeep (1999) without messing anything up before I found my set again.

 

[908Jim]

I bought a set of Expert branded ones last year for at home. And honestly they impressed the **** outta me. I got snappys at work and wouldnt hesitate to buy another set of the experts for at home if I ever needed. Got them for a song too.

Expert as in Expert by Stanley Proto?

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[ijroorda]

I have the Gearwrench metric and SAE sets, purchased with this BOGO deal: 6 pc. SAE Flare Nut Wrench Set w/ FREE 6 pc. Metric Flare Nut Wrench Set

Allegedly they are the same as the polished Craftsman wrenches, with which I do not have any experience. The reviews on Amazon were good enough to give them a shot at that price; so far, I have not been disappointed. They fit tight and haven't let me down on some pretty ugly fittings. Your mileage may vary, but I would recommend them based on my experience thus far.

 

[Supe]

What are Matco flare wrenches like?

 

[Junkman]

I have a complete set of Snap On, but long before I could afford Snap On, I had a set of Herbrand, and they worked well. Just didn't have all the sizes that I needed, and that is the reason for having Snap On today. I buy mostly used Snap On at a pawn shop or eBay.

 

[BFHtime]

No doubt these are the best, but they are thumping expensive, even second hand. I lucked out and found an SAE set for about $100 on ebay. The metric set was nearly twice that used.

I don't recommend getting older Snappies, as the business ends can be worn or loosened up. If you are going spend for Snappies, get new condition tools. Otherwise, you may be just as well off with cheapies.

Another thing to consider is the Knipex plier wrench. That thing is simply awesome for this sort of work.

P.S. The high price for used SO line wrenches suggests the degree to which these are valued. Almost every pro I know recommends them, virtually above all other Snap On tools. One more tip from me, I've worked on foreign stuff that had inch size fittings. Not sure if it was a 19mm vs 3/4 thing or not. Regardless, I think you need both sets.

This times 100. I would look for a deal on a good set. The pliers wrench is much better faster and more leverage if you have the space to use it. The time this saves makes it a must have. Keep your eye out for a deal on a good used set of flare wrenches.

 

[AV tinker er]

The older MAC made wrenches are great, just watch eBay for them.

 

[sberry]

This is a place there seems to be real concensus, while there may be some good cheap line wrenches not any or all will do. This is a Sears sore spot only eclipsed by the ratchet. For brake work not much works as good as a 6 or 10R Vise Grip.