daverclasper Posted March 17, 2020 Report Share Posted March 17, 2020 Hi. A bit of a a (sad?) hobby of mine is looking out for the very occasional bargain on E bay. Any tips on buying one (suitable for Vitesse) second hand old school (heard modern ones at the cheap end are no good?). Never used one, so don't know first thing. Cheers, Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeaTear Posted March 17, 2020 Report Share Posted March 17, 2020 Avoid the useless effort sold by halfords I bought one in the link below, really easy to use and the flares seem decent but I havent been able to test how the flares stand up to normal use as of yet https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/173720909901 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Lewis Posted March 17, 2020 Report Share Posted March 17, 2020 Dave you need to have a Flare for these Ha ! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clive Posted March 17, 2020 Report Share Posted March 17, 2020 I have been using a kit like the one below for 30 years. Done full re-pipes on several cars as well as numerous singles. A bit of faff to use, but reliable enough. Of course, mine may be better having been made a long time ago... And I have only ever used the smallest die. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Brake-Pipe-Copper-Flaring-Kit-Mechanic-Plumbers-Tool-Set-10-pcs-Storage-Box/164121669112?_trkparms=aid%3D1110006%26algo%3DHOMESPLICE.SIM%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D225656%26meid%3Db54b379562124c608a13f520b67d0f5c%26pid%3D100005%26rk%3D5%26rkt%3D12%26mehot%3Dpf%26sd%3D113966965549%26itm%3D164121669112%26pmt%3D1%26noa%3D0%26pg%3D2047675%26algv%3DSimplAMLv5PairwiseWeb&_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Lewis Posted March 17, 2020 Report Share Posted March 17, 2020 i have a set like Clives and a second one thats very easy and cheap but very few pipe flares so cant say which is best its a infrequent use gadget but handy to have Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daverclasper Posted March 17, 2020 Author Report Share Posted March 17, 2020 14 minutes ago, Pete Lewis said: Dave you need to have a Flare for these Ha ! Pete, the only flare for anything Iv'e ever had, was in my keks, when I was about 12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iana Posted March 17, 2020 Report Share Posted March 17, 2020 Another vote for something like this. Its very easy to use, very impressed. Recently purchased one as I needed to fabricate some new pipes 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted March 17, 2020 Report Share Posted March 17, 2020 Those are good, I use one in confined spaces but if you can, get hold of one of the old vice-mounted tools. I bought one at the International a few years back for £40, mounts in a vice, brake pipe in one end, pull the lever and bingo perfect flares every time. Just so easy to use it makes pipe flaring a doddle. They come up on eBay all the time, so keep an eye out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NonMember Posted March 18, 2020 Report Share Posted March 18, 2020 I have a set like Clive's that I bought from Eastwood (shows how long ago!) and it's given very good service. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark powell Posted March 18, 2020 Report Share Posted March 18, 2020 I have an old Moprod Easyflare tool, much like Iana's choice. Still going strong after 30 + years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyman Posted March 18, 2020 Report Share Posted March 18, 2020 https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BRAKE-PIPE-FLARING-TOOL-VICE-MOUNTED-PROFESSIONAL-BRITISH-MADE/261943923368?hash=item3cfd1312a8:g:C20AAOSw3ydVgtxn I have one like this, except made by Churchill had it over 40yrs now and 3/16 1/4 and 5/16 pipes. It can be used under the car but needs two people and a stilson wrench. Tony. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yorkshire_spam Posted March 18, 2020 Report Share Posted March 18, 2020 16 hours ago, PeaTear said: Avoid the useless effort sold by halfords I bought one in the link below, really easy to use and the flares seem decent but I havent been able to test how the flares stand up to normal use as of yet https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/173720909901 I have one like that AND a huge "vintage" Skyes one. I use the new one far more than the Skyes one (in fact I can't remember when I last used it). I used to also have a "flaremaster", but sold it because I was so impressed with the new handle type one. @daverclasper whatever you do avoid the nasty horse-shoe ones - utterly useless and very poor quality/consistency in the flares, even if you buy a branded one. Nasty nasty nasty evil objects: 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted March 18, 2020 Report Share Posted March 18, 2020 1 hour ago, yorkshire_spam said: @daverclasper whatever you do avoid the nasty horse-shoe ones - utterly useless and very poor quality/consistency in the flares, even if you buy a branded one. Nasty nasty nasty evil objects: I agree. Never got the hang of them, nor this kind either, which I endured for a few years with varying results: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Sealey-Brake-Pipe-Flaring-Tool-Kit-AK5063/184177582791?epid=1840772885&hash=item2ae1d6e2c7:g:D8oAAOSwgFpeTXQl The one that Ian mentions is the one I use for confined spaces, and find it quite simple to use and good value, but still love this one: I pull the handle like playing a one-armed-bandit and get a win every time. Whichever you go for remember that you only need one or two flares in your entire lifetime, so any that come with a huge selection is just wasting money - however - you can buy them separately, so if you ever find that you need a particular one it's still available. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daverclasper Posted March 18, 2020 Author Report Share Posted March 18, 2020 Thanks a lot for all the input. It looks like the pic of Iana's has 3/16 stamped on it. Is that a standard size for our cars?. Cheers, Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted March 18, 2020 Report Share Posted March 18, 2020 1 hour ago, daverclasper said: Thanks a lot for all the input. It looks like the pic of Iana's has 3/16 stamped on it. Is that a standard size for our cars?. Cheers, Dave Yes, possibly the only size you'll ever need. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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