Does it need an air supply or is the vacuum created manually?

I just use a large syringe, nothing special. When i changed my lines to braided, i couldnt get them to bleed the normal way, I was done in 10 minutes doing it in reverse.

Just make sure you have the right diameter pipe for the bleed nipple, otherwise the pressure from the syringe might make it pop off. I used a little clip from a one man brake bleeding kit.

I use the syringe method too, tie the brake lever back and suck oot the air, I am quite lucky as my wifes a nurse and can get me the large type

Hadies wrote:Does it need an air supply or is the vacuum created manually?

No you manually pump it

It does work but i found it only lasted about a year or so and then the plunger began to pull out of the rubber bit and loose suction.

Its fine if you are reverse bleeding, that is filling the syringe and pushing th fluid up the kind.

Here's an update as requested;

Just 'reverse bled' my front brakes and I can't fault the method or equibment bearing in mind this has taken my bleeding virginity as well.
I had a dry system - new lines, reservoir pot, calipers to fit.
1. Hooked up the calipers and lines with new copper washers at every end of the braided hose fittings and nipped everything up tight.
2. I cable tied the hose onto the syringe to minimise the risk of it slipping off.
3. Rested a 10mm ring spanner on the bleed nipple and drew up a syringe full of fresh brake fluid. Attached the end of the syringe hose onto the nipple, loosened the nipple a quarter-ish turn and GENTLY pushed the fluid until it filled the reservoir.
4. Whilst pushing on the syringe, I tightened the nipple back up and removed most of the fluid in the reservoir with a pippette - this is still with the syringe and hose attached.
5. Once the fluid in the reservoir was removed, I continued to push in more brake fluid.
6. I did 2 x reservoir pot fulls of fresh fluid before repeating the same method on the other caliper.

I still had a very spongy lever after doing both calipers so I pumped the brake lever a ridiculous amount of times and then did the following;

7. Ensured the reservoir pot was full, attached the syringe and hose onto the bleed nipple, withdrew the plunger on the syringe to create a vacuum and quickly opened and close the bleed nipple.
8. I did the above on both calipers and the lever is rock solid after a few pumps.

Rock solid as in it broke the cable tie as I tried to tie it to the bars.
I intend to crack the banjo bolt on the m/c tomorrow too to remove the last bit of air in there.

I recommend this