Cal-Van Tools 165 Master Inline Flaring Kit - Double and Single Flares, Brake Flaring Tools. Professional Tool Kit

I’m completely new to making brake lines, and after a decent bit of practice and trial and error I was able to consistently make great flares. Another reviewer mentioned a couple tips including adding extra length to line and making sure edge prep is perfect. Using those guidelines will serve you well, as I noticed a big improvement after adopting those. A couple additional things helped me. 1.) Lube up everything except for the threads that grip the tube so that it moves smoothly and lasts. This makes it easier to completely press the die in all the way and break it loose. I saw that other reviewers had quality control issues, I didn’t have any using the 1/4 in clamp a bunch but the lube cant hurt. 2.) Make sure that the clamps are completely together! The included instructions say don’t use a wrench, I say screw that. You have to get the bolts pretty tight in order to get it completely on. The way I would check is by shining a light to see if there was space between the clamps. This ensured the clamps were on tightly and evenly. If you don’t do this, the first flare will come out lopsided. Just ensure you don’t abuse the screws too much and overdo it, they aren’t the strongest and stripping them out or snapping them would suck. 3.) Add extra force by holding the clamps together with a vise or with a c clamp to ensure there’s no slipping. I made a flare on the car using a c clamp, and while cumbersome it worked just fine. I will say my best results were on a vise. Though I used this at least 10 times and it held up fine, I can’t say how long it will last. I guess that’s the trade off for the price point. Good buy in my opinion.

Credentials: mechanic 23 years US Army, now that that’s out of the way I will say this tool makes descent flares but I could only use it on steel lines. I tried it on the copper lines and that was a big no go, line is too soft For this tool to grip long enough to form the flare and just pushes through. So if you have copper and would like a day of pulling your hair out and pithing this thing through the neighbors window this is for you. Helpful hint: bevel the end with a file/Dremel, soften the metal with fire to red hot put it in the tool while it’s hot and crank down snug. I’ve always done my flares this way it never lets me down. I would say this tool is way better then that cheap thing we all tried at least once. So I’d say yeah for steel it’s worth the buy, no for copper don’t waste your time.

For the price it's hard to beat. I've used it to flare lines both on and off vehicles and it works well. The tubing cutter that came with this kit had a hard time cutting through regular steel brake line, and the reamer supplied also had a hard time with regular steel brake line. I had a better cutter and a good reamer, so the lack of quality on these two pieces didn't really affect me. I'm still giving it four stars because it's so much easier to get a quality flare than with the old style flaring tools. Les

Had to replace My Son's brake line. I purchased one with that small horse shoe U bracket type and wasted so much line I had to purchase more line because the flare kept coming out crooked. Saw this one on YouTube and purchased it and watched the video a few times. And like magic and a half hour later two PERFECT FLARES. GREAT TOOL! Easy to use.

Let me start by saying I am very mechanically inclined. As a former military helicopter mechanic with an extensive history in mechanical repair, metal fabrication, and a hard-core DIY background, among other things, I am very well trained in the use of hand and machine tools. I researched this set as well as I possibly could prior to purchase and was very impressed by its design. It cost well more than other flaring kits, but it made some big boasts so I felt it was worth the money. I watched a couple of youtube videos demonstrating how it worked which convinced me that it was a good buy-Boy was I was fooled! A brake line on my truck rusted through (which is why I bought this confounded thing) and I paid next day shipping to get this kit in time to repair my truck by the weekend. I rely on my truck for work. The kit was delivered mid afternoon on Friday, and I have spent several trying to get this thing to work. It is now Saturday late afternoon and this tool has yet to produce a single passing flare. The 1/4-inch die doesn't get tight enough so the tube keeps slipping. If it can't hold the tube, how can it possibly make a flare? I've tried everything short of grinding the tool down to make it tighter. I don't want to risk not being able to return the stupid thing. Side note: the 3/16 die will produce a flare, but it clamps so tight it destroyed the outside of the tube! Overall, this tool suffers from very poor machining and little attention to tolerances! It's too tight on one size and not tight enough on the other. Apparently quality control is lacking at Cal-Van. They fooled me once. Shame on them. I can't imagine buying any of their products again.

I used this for double flaring stainless steel brakeline on the vehicle. It is far superior to the bar style flare tools that you rent from auto parts stores. It works flawlessly, but there are some tips that help: 1. Make sure your end prep is perfect. The included cutter will give you a great square cut. Forget about the included deburr tool for stainless. It won't work. I used a dremel with a grinding wheel to deburr the inside and add the chamfer on the outside. The chamfer outside is critical because it guides the material to fold over during the process. 2. When you put the clamp on, tighten it down just barely so it still rotates. Spin it around the tube untill you feel resistance and clamp it. That is your high spot and will provide the best clamping force. 3. Add another .05" in length to the tube end in addition to the length of the flare tool used to measure. It will help. 4. Once you get the clamp on and tight, double up with a C-Clamp over it. This gives more clamping pressure on the tube and provides a handhold when you are driving down the anvil into the tube.

I don't normally write reviews because most products are basic and there are other brands that do the same thing, other than price there is nothing to get excited about. However the Cal-Van 165 Flaring Tool is unique to the application, verses the typical bar style flaring tools. I had several lines to replace on a bus and rented a bar style kit from local auto parts store to do the work, the tool was new and I was using the correct die but it would not make consistent flares on 1/4" Ni-Copp lines and was next to impossible to use in tight places. I returned it and ordered the Cal-Van, it works well in tight places and makes a perfect dbl flare every time, no problems with the line slipping while being pressed, I checked all the clamping blocks with a file and they were all hardened well I don't see these wearing out quickly as others have mentioned. Overall this has been one of the better purchases I've made as far as the tool being way better than I expected.

It's very nice organized the container seems durable at first glance but some cars have brake lines that need to be fix at the tip of the pipe so that you do't have to waste the whole line with this said these pipe have some rubber coating in which you peel it off but once you start putting the block and as much I try tighten the two allen screw the block wo;t flush and I can't continue with the flare just because of that you won't be able to screw the rest and continue with the process, at the end is useless now I'm saying on this situation in which I bought this for but on a new set of pipes designed for brake lines thats another chapter. At the end I had to borrow tools to finish my job all that money was wasted and perhaps when will I use this tool again.

Hoy me acaba de llegar el producto al abrirlo me doy cuenta que ya había sido usado, venía maltratada la mordaza de 3/16-4.75mm y el complemento para avellanar, un botón de avellanar venía sin nariz. El producto se siente de buen material pero me tocó que me vendieran un producto ya usado y dañado. la devolución es muy complicada y hay que gastar para devolver la

the tool is very easy to use and makes a excellent double flare

Very well made quality product, save lots of money in long run if you are into car restoration

I followed the instructions and made two very decent bubble flares. This was done on steel lines also. The trick is to not tighten all the way. Stop when you feel the least bit of resistance. Tool works great as far as I can tell. I don't agree with the negative reviews.

I’m so disappointed with this product, is there any warranty for this because the tool has just broke on me just right now and also a first time use. I did not able to use it the day I got it because my customer decide to have the car done somewhere. Please let me know if either I can return it or have it exchange