Thread revival here. So, looks like the Eastwood brand is the best flaring tool? Would the hydraulic be any better? Sorry, I'm new to these tools.
I have the hydraulic tool but have looked at the Eastwood setup as well. I will say this that the hydraulic tool produces some of the best flares I have ever seen and they do not leak. That said, there is a learning curve as you can smash a flare if you really bear down on it which might be true for the other tool as well. The one thing that I like about the Eastwood deal is that you can bench mount it, the hydraulic requires 2 hands to operate in the "as delivered" state, however I did build a mount for it which I can put into any vise. The other things in that the hydraulic is portable so you can use on a vehicle if needed, although I will admit that this is easier said than done.
If my hydraulic died and I needed another flare tool I think I would go hydraulic again even though I like the Eastwood system. The hydraulic is more versatile and IMO more consistent (although I admit that I have not used the Eastwood version). I bought dies for normal brake lines as well as AN fittings so I am set. Not cheap but the product it produces is fantastic.