Hilmor 1838952 Orbital Flare 3/16” - 3/4”, HVAC and Refrigeration Flaring Tool for Copper, Aluminum, Steel and Brass, Gray/Black

This is one of the best flaring blocks I've ever used excellent quality tool

Excellent

Nice flare block, no leaks

Excellent tool quality

Well built flaring tool

Works better than expected. Pretty much fool proof if you have an ounce of dexterity in your hands

hilmor Orbital Flare, 3/16"-3/4", 1838952 I used this tool for a mini-split heat pump installation using 1/4" and ½" flares. Pros: - with proper use, it will create perfect flares in copper tubing - no leaks - easy to use -- particularly the excellent clutch mechanism that stops compressing when the flare is done Cons: - Hilmore says the “Tube-stop arrow slides to set height and positioning for precise flaring”. It does that by stopping the tubing at 3/64" +/- above the tool frame. The tube-stop works fine for ½ tubing, but stops 1/4" tubing a bit early, resulting in slightly undersized flares. As a test, I pushed 1/4" tubing against the tube stop and made several flares; these had an outer diameter of .362" (+/-). That’s large enough for a good seal I suppose, but insufficiently large to cover the entire mating surface of the male fitting, which is the whole purpose of a flare. I then inserted tubes 1/16" above the frame without using the tube-stop and made more flares – these had outer diameters of .393" (+/-). A flare up to .395" outside diameter fits 1/4" female flare fittings. These larger diameter flares covered the entire mating surface of a male fitting, and then some. So, for 1/4" flares at least, eye-balling the tube stopping 1/16" above the tool frame resulted in larger (fuller) flares then did the tube-stop. See Customer Image for comparison. A full flare makes a better seal then a flare that’s a tad too small for total coverage. A better seal means fewer leaks. Summary: The purpose of this tool is to create perfect tubing flares, which it can do if used properly. But for 1/4" tubing at least, eye-balling tube insertion results in a better flare. The tube-stop mechanism should be adjustable – one star off for that.

Works great, like most buyers this is for a mini split. Pictured out of the box with the test flare still in the jaws, and a picture of the first flare I've done with it. There is a bit of learning curve, it's a bit more fancy than the ancient flaring tool I'm used to, but did a great job.

Works well, depth setting slightly off on 1/2", perfect on 3/8".

Poor flares 1/2” and below

Very good quality, Makes perfect flare most of the time