Anyone got or use a sykes pickavant flaremaster II?

I'm after a brake pipe flaring tool and have a choice of 2. A vice mounted SP 270 or the flaremaster 2.

FLAREMASTER

It's just for home use, I used to use a 270 on a regular basis when I worked in the trade but the flaremaster looks to be amore versatile tool.
Especially as I don't have a vice at the moment!!!

Does anyone know if it produces comparable flares to the 270?

I've had a look around and done a search but can't find any reviews of it. It looks as though it should produce accurate flares though??????

TIA

I should probably add that I don't want to start a debate on Expensive V Cheap tools

the II is designed to be hand held so should be more versatile - you wont get a better tool in my opinion

i appear to be starting a collection of them

on an aside.....

Dont ya just ****in' hate it when the computer thinks its cleverer than you

I just typed in "easyflare" into the ebay search bar, and lo - it says "you didnt realy want that - you wanted "easy care" - ~I can find 2000 entries of those"

No I bloody DIDNT!:MAD: - I WANTED "EASYFLARE" - THATS WOT I TYPED!!!!!

lots of proper tools on there for a change, including quite a rare SP one - last one

SYKES PICKAVANT Brake Pipe Flaring Tool in case. on eBay (end time 09-May-10 21:05:51 BST)

SYKES PICKAVANT Brake Pipe Flaring Tool on eBay (end time 09-May-10 21:00:59 BST)

Sykes Pickavant Brake Pipe Flaring tool. 270 Series. on eBay (end time 10-May-10 21:50:38 BST)

SYKES PICKAVANT BRAKE PIPE FLARING TOOL on eBay (end time 12-May-10 20:20:05 BST)

the prob, i see, with most of those, is cost. For someone who very rarely needs to make a brake pipe - that is a huge investment and doesnt compare with buying one made up.

I am a firm believer in buying good tools, but £120 - thats a lot of premade brake pipe .

OOT for footy results, perhaps - but peeps still bought them (ok maybe not just for the results)

The way i look at is I'm relatively young and do a fair bit of messing around with cars and bikes.
If I get 30 years of sporadic use out it then £120 aint too bad. I need to make a few lines for the disco and my transit which would cost a canny bit to get done at a garage.

Even the pre-made pipe sets aren't that cheap to my mind.

I hate feckin around with cheap and nasty tools, it just irritates me when I know there is a better alternative and one that doesn't waste as much of my life.

I can't view fleabay at work but I'll have a butchers at those links when I get back, Cheers Sean.

Sean said:

the II is designed to be hand held so should be more versatile - you wont get a better tool in my opinion

i appear to be starting a collection of them

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Do you know if the op1/op2 former can be bought seperate ?, lent a mate mine and it came back with the center pip bent .

Dent said:

Do you know if the op1/op2 former can be bought seperate ?, lent a mate mine and it came back with the center pip bent .

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not found anywhere yet, will make a few up when i get time as one set of mine went missing after loaning it to a "mate"

ere Sean - if yu have so much kit, are you offering a brake pipe manufacturing service?

The Mad Hat Man said:

ere Sean - if yu have so much kit, are you offering a brake pipe manufacturing service?

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ave offered that before when we was arguing about peeps buying cheap tools - i offered to do them for the price of the bits and return postage in the hope that it'd help stop peeps wasting their money on cheap and nasty tools

sounds like a good deal to me. Might take you up on that .

s'funny yer offer a service like that fer next to nawt and folk would rather pay motorfactor prices that get yer to do them ah dunt gerrit

Ordered one of THESE in the end. It's exactly the same as the one I used to use in the garage. The guy at HD tools said that although the flaremaster is a great tool the vice mounted units are stronger and more accurate.

It's made by the same british company that make the sykes pickavant tools and seems good value.

If anyones interested, Dave who owns HD tools seems a really knowledgeable chap and if it turns up tomorrow as promised also provides good service

Ive got a alightly older one of these Sykes Pickavant Automatic Brake Flaring Tool Master Kit on eBay (end time 12-May-10 16:19:04 BST) , got a few of the larger Die's missing tho now , But you cant beat them

Pigglet said:

Ordered one of THESE in the end. It's exactly the same as the one I used to use in the garage. The guy at HD tools said that although the flaremaster is a great tool the vice mounted units are stronger and more accurate.

It's made by the same british company that make the sykes pickavant tools and seems good value.

If anyones interested, Dave who owns HD tools seems a really knowledgeable chap and if it turns up tomorrow as promised also provides good service

Click to expand...

just got one of them my self, waiting for it to turn up some time this week

sypher said:

Ive got a alightly older one of these, got a few of the larger Die's missing tho now , But you cant beat them

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that's a 270, the punch and die sets for those are easy to get hold of - but who needs to flare 15mm brake pipe these days

Sean said:

that's a 270, the punch and die sets for those are easy to get hold of - but who needs to flare 15mm brake pipe these days

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True but used to work on old trucks , just would be nice to have the complete set again .

i got the same set as pigglet , with dies up to 1/2" fer £190

aint turned up yet