THINKWORK Screw Extractor/Drill Bit Set, 55 Pieces Easy Out Bolt Extractor Set, Broken Bolt Remover for Removing Stripped Screws, Studs, Fittings and Lugs Extraction

Screw extraction can be easy, or it can be extremely difficult. There are lots of videos online showing it being done successfully, but don't assume your case will be like theirs. My family owns a car repair business, and they run into broken-off screws on a very regular basis. They have a large bag of tricks for broken screw extraction, and sometimes they have to try all the tricks that can apply to a particular situation. When all else fails they may hog out the whole thing, retap it, and add a coil. (This can be scary in the automotive world because you may hit a coolant cavity.) I'm mentioning all this because no one can guarantee that this or any toolset will make it easy. Sometimes this one will, but a lot of times it won't. That's why you get some negative reviews. For me, the hardest cases are ones in which the screw breaks off at or below the surface. That's when you have to try to drill a hole in the screw, tap in one of the extractors (with a small hammer), and try to twist the extractor and screw out. The figure is from the very recent, first and only time, that I've used the THINKWORK set so far. The drill bits absolutely would not drill into the surface of the screw. I indented it with a punch; then I used a rotary tool with a tungsten carbide de-burring bit to create a dimple so that the drill bit wouldn't wander. The bits still just wouldn't cut it, no pun intended. The bits are stated here on Amazon to be M42, 8% cobalt. M42 cobalt is second in hardness to carbide, but a good set of solid carbide bits costs hundreds. The way I got a deep enough hole drilled was by going back and forth between three small carbide de-burring bits of differing shapes with a rotary tool at 5000 rpm keeping it wet with cutting oil. It took about an hour per millimeter of progress. You can read while you do this. When I was about 4mm in, I reamed it out with one of the cobalt bits, which did well for that. My rule of thumb was that I needed a hole that the extractor could bite into when hand-turned before I attempted to do the extraction. Once I reached that point, I tapped the extractor into the hole to get a stronger bite, and then turned it. Voila! The screw came right out on the first try. I had applied penetrating oil to the screw repeatedly over the six hours (!) that it took me, start-to-finish. I did not have to resort to heat. It helped that it was a straight machine thread: no taper, and it wasn't bottomed out. Some extractors included in the set are longer, left-hand spiralled rods for more reach. They look more like the conventional extractors you find at Home Depot and Lowes. That's the kind I used in the Army. Others are straight-fluted rods with nuts that slide over them. After you drill the hole, you tap in the rods and then twist with the nuts. Snap-On sells some like these, and they have a good reputation. My son has had good luck with that type ... sometimes. (Note that there are no instructions with this set. The Amazon listing give a lot more good info than you get with the set.) One "bit" of advice: Drill the largest diameter hole you can without risking thread damage. That allows you to use a larger extractor. The larger the extractor, the more torque you can apply to removing the screw without risking an extractor break. As for me, I'm ordering a some left-handed tungsten carbide bits. I'll use them for all the drilling when I can, and, when I can't, I'll use them for drilling a pilot hole -- I should say "try" to drill a pilot hole. There is a tradeoff in bid hardness: the harder the bit, the more brittle and prone to breakage the bit is. Solid carbide bits are prone to breakage for that reason. The hardness progression for readily available bits is high carbon steel, high-speed steel (HSS, M2), high-molybdenum (M7) steel, 5% cobalt alloy steel (M35), 8% cobalt allow steel (M42), and tungsten carbide ("solid carbide"). There are various coatings applied to bits that do help; I don't rely on coatings because I want to be able to sharpen my bits. Be advised that carbide bits are as brittle as they are hard; if you decide to use them, be careful not to break them off. You will NOT be able to drill through them. There's a lot of way-wrong info on the internet when it comes to drill bits. (For example, "If a bit comes from Harbor Freight it's no good." Harbor Freight seeks out bargains for us. How dare they? BTW, HF has M35 but no M42 and no solid carbide bits.) I've found that metallurgists and machinists get it right. So how do we rate the set? It's not the set's fault that M42 cobalt bits won't drill some extremely hard metals. That's nothing new, and I think they're the best choice for a set like this. I really like the multiplicity of extractor designs. The one in my picture looks very unlikely to break off, and it doesn't require a deep hole. The one in the picture is the smallest one of its type in the set. I'm easily going with 5 stars, because I think the set is truly first class. I'm buying one for my son.

The tool steel is holding up. Left hand drills bits are sharp and powered through bolts and cast iron. They included a couple of extra of the smallest bits (1/16 and ...), which I needed as I snapped one about 1/2inch deep. I have only used the spiral extractors. Strangely, the kit does not come with a T handle and, although the case organizes everything, the channels for the pieces do not grip them. So keep the foam sheet on top to hold most pieces in place.

I used the left hand drill bits to extract 3 manifold bolts. All three bolts are out. I used one of the extractors for the third bolt, other 2 just used the bits. I tried to use the drill guide but there isn't on fro the smallest size drill bit. I can't speak to longevity. Third bolt didn't drill as quickly as the first 2.

I was astonished when I received and used the 55-piece easy out kit. To my surprise, every bolt I attempted to remove came out effortlessly. The kit includes reverse drill bits, enabling some bolts to be loosened by simply using the drill bit, while others required the assistance of an easy out. In previous experiences, the easy outs I purchased would often break on me. However, these have proven to be exceptionally durable thus far, successfully extracting multiple bolts without any issues.

Absolutely perfect! Do not forget these are left-handed drill bits I was an idiot and forgot!