I need to R&R my brake lines. Takes a 14mm and a 17mm flare nut wrench. I've heard that you should buy good quality tools that fit well for this repair that won't round off the nuts. That sounds like it eliminates the Harbor Freight brand (they don't carry them, I checked).

I stopped by a Matco truck today. He had them on the truck, however the 17mm was about $32 and the 14mm was about $28. Ouch! They were very nice with almost a 15mm height high grip area. Felt much better than a Craftsman brand, better finish and heavier.

Has anyone had any success with a Craftsman or other brand for this purpose. I hate to spend $60 for a pair of wrenches I might not use too often. Snap-On is about the same price as Matco. Grainger has the Westward brand (China?) set of 8 SAE/Metric for $36.95. Grainger has a 5 piece Proto metric set for $75.95. Grainger also has the Blackhawk brand 8 piece SAE/Metric set for $62.95. I'd more likely spend $76 for the Proto set than the $60 for just 2 Matco's.

The 13mmx14mm Craftsman is $14.00 and the 15mmx17mm Craftsman is $14.50.

Any thoughts? Craftsman good enough for this repair?

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84 300DT Puke Yellow. Totalled after 438,000
84 300DT Orient Red. 169,000 (actual mileage may vary)
2002 Explorer EB (wife's)

Craftsman is fine for the typical DIY applications. You can buy a set of wrenches for about the same cost as two at the individual price. Craftsman is not as good as some of the "professional" brands, but if you are not using the tools daily, Craftsman is a pretty good compromise between quality and price.
Also, you can use a box end wrench on the hose fittings at the caliper end, so you don't really need a flare nut wrench there. It is the flare nuts on the solid lines that you want to be careful with.

There's a reason good mechanics buy Snap-on, Mac, Matco, etc. Well worth it in the long run for tools you use regularly. For home mechanics, Craftsman are fine except when it comes to something that absolutely must not flex (such as a flare nut wrench). You might be better off getting a set than just the two wrenches. You might also look into SK-Tools which builds quality tools for a little less than the bigger guys.

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85 300CD
83 300TD
78 240D (daughter)

i've got some Craftsman flare nut wrenches I have been using for 20 yrs. No problems.
I just bought 2 complete sets of crows foot flare nut wrenches from Big Lots! You can't get any lower on the tool food chain than that. They seem to be pretty decent. In fact, they appear as good as Craftsman, perhaps better. Cost $10.99 for each set, Metric and SAE. Ask me in 20 yrs if I am satisfied.

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1977 300d 70k--sold 08
1985 300TD 185k+
1984 307d 126k--sold 8/03
1985 409d 65k--sold 06
1984 300SD 315k--daughter's car
1979 300SD 122k--sold 2/11
1999 Fuso FG Expedition Camper
1993 GMC Sierra 6.5 TD 4x4
1982 Bluebird Wanderlodge CAT 3208--Sold 2/13

I love Big Lots! My dad bought me some needle nose pliers from there and they broke one of the first times I used them. They have some decent, cheap carpentry tools. I bought my friend a storage cart there for his shop. It's cheap and works well. I think Big Lots is a place where you might get real lucky on some tools and the other stuff, well....

Scott

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Scott
1982 Mercedes 240D, 4 speed, 275,000
1988 Porsche 944 Turbo S (70,000)
1987 Porsche 911 Coupe 109,000 (sold)
1998 Mercedes E300 TurboDiesel 147,000 (sold)
1985 Mercedes 300D 227,000 (totaled by inattentive driver with no insurance!)
1997 Mercedes E300 Diesel 236,000 (sold)
1995 Ducati 900SS (sold)
1987 VW Jetta GLI 157,000 (sold)
1986 Camaro 125,000 (sold - P.O.S.)
1977 Corvette L82 125,000 (sold)
1965 Pontiac GTO 15,000 restored (sold)

I bought a set of craftsmen flare nut wrenches last year. for light duty stuff they're OK, but on tight stuff they splay out and jump the fitting head, luckily the thing spread so far that it didn't round the fitting head off. Next set is going to be snap on or hazet

---------Robert

HEy,
In case nobody know's this. All the Cobalt tools sold at Lowe's are made by Snap on.

Don't know what kind of flare wrenches they have though.

Floppy

I havn't seen any flare nut wrenches there, but the Cobalt ( or do they spell it with a K? ) tools I've bought so far are top quality. The high end screwdrivers are very good and the sockets and wrenches work great. They are handy when I only need a replacement socket or so .

---------Robert

KD and SK both make better than craftsman line wrenches. Available at many part stores and carry a lifetime warranty.

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1959 Gravely LI, 1963 Gravely L8, 1973 Gravely C12
1982 380SL
1978 450 SEL 6.9 euro restoration at 63% and climbing
1987 300 D
2005 CDI European Delivery
2006 CDI Handed down to daughter
2007 GL CDI. Wifes

You are replacing the brake lines and not saving the old lines to use again. Where I live in nova scotia the rust is pathetic. Flare wrenches do not cut it. We just break the line next to the caliper or whatever and drive a tight fitting six point socket on to the fitting and get a much better grip to remove them. The mechanical shock of tapping the socket on seems to ease the rust grip a little as well. Makes a flare wrench seem almost like a toy. We almost always are forced to use heat as well unless we are going into a rubber brake hose that we are reusing. The new brakeline nuts can be tightened up suficiently with normal wrenches without damaging the head. So if only doing brake work once in a blue moon flare wrenches really offer no noticeable advantage except to lighten your wallet. Now on cars less than five years old I will normally use flare wrenches to remove the fitting. . Of course if reusing the brake line I will use a combination of heat and a flare wrench to keep the line and fitting intact during removal when possible. Here the brakeline also seems to rust to the fitting as well and just wants to turn with the fitting. This must be one of the rustiest areas of north america.

Samstagsales.com sells many different German brands. One is Stahlville, about $20 ea. for the wrenches you mentioned. I have heard, personally, very good reports on this brand. Also, others here have recommended Samstag sales.

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Sam

84 300SD 350K+ miles ( Blue Belle )