IRWIN Screw Extractor for Spiral Screws, 5-Piece (53535)

It snapped at an unacceptably low force level. My situation has gotten a lot worse since then! I wish I'd never seen this abomination of a tool in the first place.

Ryder Aguilar

| Feb 14, 2021

To use this extractor properly, you'll need a tap handle like the one shown in the picture. Use the extractor in a drill instead of a tap handle because you'll only get one shot at getting a tight hold on the extractor and a drill is less controllable. My only gripe is that the manufacturer's drill bit size-to-size recommendations aren't always followed. The drill bit is too big, and the extractor number does not appear to be correct. On their website, the manufacturer provides a detailed set of guidelines for different bolt sizes (called the Screw Extractor Selection Guide), as well as a brief list of "general" drill bit sizes to the Extractor Numbers on the back of the package. I advise buyers to print the instructions from their website for future reference. Take the following into account, however. My first encounter was with a snapped M6 bolt that still had about 14 mm of thread length. A 5/32 drill bit and a No. 1 drill bit were specified in the guidelines. Extractor with 3 Spiral Spiral Spiral Spiral Spiral Spir That drill bit was simply too large for an M6, causing thread damage, and the hole size necessitated the use of the No. To remove the bolt, you'll need a 4 extractor. Yes, it worked, but I'm going to start with a smaller drill bit size in the future, regardless of what the manufacturer recommends. You can always drill a bigger hole if you need to.

Turner Lamb

| Jan 21, 2021

Because they are seized in the hole, bolts often twist off during removal. Drilling through the bolt removes the bolt core as well as the thread tension that is causing the bolt to become stuck. I attempted to remove a high-strength grade bold with this product. The seized threads' grip was not weakened by drilling through. To reduce the strength of the stuck threads, I needed to use a bigger drill. The reverse screw extractor has a taper, which is a flaw in this product's concept. As you run it through the bolt to get a firm grip, it expands the stuck bolt, increasing the tension or grip the seized threads have in the hole. The deeper the tapered extractor feeds in, and the more grip the stuck bolt has in the hole, the more force you apply. If you drill a smaller hole and use a smaller extractor, the broken bolt core will not be weak enough to loosen the seized threads' grip, and the extractor may break. I ended up drilling larger holes until I reached the drill size that would be used to tap the same hole, then re-threading the hole with a thread tap. the hole should be tapped The tap was successful in removing the broken bolt's remaining shell and resolving the issue. If I had to buy a new extractor, I'd go with the one that comes with a straight non-clogging extractor. Extractors with tapered ends that resemble reamers.

Gustavo McFarland

| Oct 29, 2021

Before you use something, make sure you understand what you're doing. This should not be used with a drill (carbon bits should be predrilled first). These tap/die tools have a square base and are designed to be used with them. I was able to CAREFULLY remove a large broken off bolt from the spindle of a 1983 John Deere tractor, but it took patience. Decide what size screw extractor is appropriate, slowly drill a hole directly in the middle of the broken bolt, approximately 1/16 inch deep (the drill bit should be just less than the size of the screw extractor size), then drill down another 1/16 inch with a drill bit two sizes smaller than the previous drill bit. Attach a screw extractor to the handle (not included) and slowly remove the broken bolt; be patient and DO NOT use a drill to extract the broken bolt. The extractors are clearly cone-shaped, and the two separate holes, which were two different sizes and depths, allowed the extractor to bite into the predrilled hole right away. This was my first experience with a device like this, and I was blown away. Prior to removing the bolts, I watched a few YouTube videos and read a few articles, and I credit those videos/literature with my success.

Kimber Hicks

| May 08, 2021

This is fantastic. All you have to do now is make sure you drill the hole deep enough for the screw extractor to grab. The larger the extractor, the deeper the hole, but I'd start with a 1/2" hole. Also, don't use a drill or driver to extract the screws because it'll take longer. Instead, use a vice grip and slowly spin while applying moderate downward pressure. Don't forget to use a lubricant like WD-40. Before drilling the hole, blast it with a 40 or PB blaster. If you don't want to use the vice grip, you can buy Irwin's extractor handle instead.

Fox Galvan

| Jul 12, 2021

For the Ex3, I drilled a hole that was the right size. It grabbed on fine, and when I tried to run the extractor with minimal force, it snapped right off. Now that I've got a piece of tool steel stuck in the hole, I'm in even worse shape than I was before.

Alaiya Elliott

| Aug 15, 2021

This is a fantastic set of extractors for a small price. I had a bolt stuck in a carbon fiber mountain bike frame and needed to carefully extract the shaft using a pilot hole and two sizes of extractors before it caught strong enough to twist out the stuck bolt with no damage to the frame or tools. As others have mentioned in the reviews, it seemed to work better with vice grips than with a drill. In comparison to the one that comes with regular drill bits, this set appears to be a good value.

King Pratt

| May 07, 2021

I broke a bolt on my lawnmower while trying to replace a belt and ordered OEM parts to repair it as well as this product to remove the broken bolt. I drilled the size hole it recommended for the 3/8" bolt and hammered in the extractor. I gave it a turn and it turned like butter, but I soon realized it was the end of the extractor, not the broken bolt, so I had to dremel it out and use a bolt and nylock to keep the engine in place. If I had to do it all over again, I would use one of the larger extractors and drill a larger hole. The one recommended on the card appears to be far too small for the task at hand.

Willow Bowen

| Sep 05, 2021