LM- Brake Flaring tools and such

Restoring a nearly 50 year-old vehicle predictably results in a need for a brake line refresh; if not for leaks then at least for peace of mind. 

My plan is to rebuild the master cylinder, calipers and wheel cylinders, and replace all the hard lines and soft lines. What is the GRM recommendation for tools and hard line material?

Some helpful info from the back catalog: 8 secrets to bending and flaring pro-quality brake lines. 

Mastercool is the gold standard for flaring tools if you have the taste for top quality. I've been very pleased with mine. It also does quick connects for fuel lines and all the modern varieties of tubing fittings, bubble flares, etc.

I tend to buy my brake line from Summit because they're local to me an I'm over there periodically anyway. 

Mastercool kit is worth 2x whatever you will pay for it in lack of struggle and frustration.

The Eastwood flaring tool has worked very well for me.  The only disadvantage is it needs to be held in a vise, so you can't do lines on the car like the Mastercool, but it's ~ 2/3 the price.

In my shop with 7 techs the Eastwood does 95% of the work and the Mastercool only comes out of the drawer for the few rare flares that have to be done on the car.

I don't know if it is just me but I feel like I need at least one more hand when using the Mastercool. 

Trent said:

I don't know if it is just me but I feel like I need at least one more hand when using the Mastercool. 

It's not just you. Clamping the tube at the correct depth in the split dies is cumbersome.

What do you guys like for tubing? Is NiCopp worth it? I don't really want to use steel, and stainless is a right bastard to work with...

With the Eastwood tool or one of its $100 Amazon knockoffs, Stainless is just a little bit more arm effort than Nicopp/CuNiFer/EZbend.

I will caution against the cheap Amazon Nicopp line. It has a thinner wall and the hole is usually off center which makes it a both too easy to bend and difficult to get a good sealing flare with.  

The less expensive stuff Summit Racing sells is quite good for the money you spend. The spools I get at the local hydraulics shop are excellent but 3 times the cost of Summit. 

I recommend Nicopp for most use cases

I have also had good results with Nicopp.

I have a manual ridgid flare tool and I really like it.  I've not tried nor priced any mastercool  competitors/knockoffs so maybe there is something better cheaper?

but it can be used on or off the car, makes good flares and was a lot cheaper than a mastercool when I priced them. 
 

make sure you have a good cutter and deburr the cut really good.  also,  triple check that you put the nut of before you flare!

Nicopp is the way to go.
 

I have been using an old school bluepoint double flair kit/tool for 30 years. Never really wanted or needed more.  It has replaced the lines in so many cars and trucks I have lost track.  

In reply to jfryjfry :

Do you have the model number for it?

I use/have hex clamp nut vs the winged junk manual tool. As for lines, I have a 25' roll of line I bought from the dodge dealer years ago.

Recon1342 said:

In reply to jfryjfry :

Do you have the model number for it?

I am pretty sure it is part 345.  Iirc I paid about $100 for it several years ago.  Looks like they've gone up a little bit but after struggling with cheap flare tools and cutting off every other one to re-do, it was a God-send to start getting 100% success with the flares. 

Another vote for both the Eastwood flaring tool and NiCopp.  I used the SUR&R stuff from Summit.