Anyone got one of these? is it any good?

it's a bit cheaper than the Sykes one but I still want to be able to flare steel pipes with it.

Cheers

Mark

Yes.. Works for me, I don't think it's as good as a real Sykes one mine.. I have only used it on copper nickel and it's good for that, not sure about steel, I would ask them.

I have formed all the flares on the car with it with out problems (after a few test flares)..

The only trouble with it is knowing when the flare is formed as its "stop" is when the die and punch contact each other. If you over tighten it you slowly destroy the die (you can get spares though). To counter this I use a marker pen to mark the punch so I can see if the flare is complete/the punch has landed on the die.. Works for me... If you need more detail ask I will try and post some photos.

The other thing to remember is to degrease the die and pipe with some meths every flare else you will find the pipe slips though the die..

I think with steel pipes you might find it hard to tell when you get to the stop as the pipe will require a lot of force to form.

The other thing to note, you can use it on the car, but this is difficult as you realy need three hands (one to hold the tool, one spanner on the end and one spanner on the punch...).. Best use in the bench vice is possible..

If you are going to flare a LOT of pipes I would get a Sykes one, but for maybe 100 or so flares it's fine.

Cheers

Dan

[Edited on 11/3/08 by Bluemoon]

[Edited on 11/3/08 by Bluemoon]

for that sort of money, I think there are better tools.

I used cheapo MM tool with copper pipes -not had any ends fail yet.

2nd machine mart pipe flaring tool.
Easy enough to use, flares look good too.

Darren