Alden 8430P Pro Grabit Broken Bolt and Damaged Screw Extractor 3 Piece Kit

I read all the reviews before buying these and although I was leary, I'm satisfied with my purchase. I used it to take down some high shelving that was almost out of reach and it was hard to get good pressure on it. I used the first side for all the screws and then used the lefty drill side to remove them. The only issue I had was one kept spinning because I put it in reverse to fast so I just drilled out the next size up which completely removed the head so I could release the shelf bracket and actually take it out with a plyers, which was a combination of the screw cheapness and me going to fast. The next one I couldn't get the right leverage and ended up going in at an angle which broke the bit. I was mad, but drilled out the next one with the smaller then the larger to use the next size up lefty drill bit. I changed the setting to drill and went really slow and it worked perfectly as described. I was able to bend off the bracket off the jammed screw the bit broke off in so I can take it out with a plyers. I will be able to patch the drywall and all in all, I'm fine with that. It's down. The nice thing is I was looking online for warranty information and found the company will replace any broken bits for the cost of a stamp to send them in. That makes me feel better, although when doing a project broken bits will definately slow down the job. Here is the replacement info: [ ... ]Overall, it did what I asked...took the shelving down so I could patch the holes and move. :D I would have taken them all out with a plyers if the bracket wasn't in the way, so I was glad to find this product and get in a few days so I could finish the job. Note to self, buy better screws.

Saved me in removing 3 6mm screws ( with number 1) that nothing else could get out. Worked like a charm with a little heat and using a drill slowly in reverse. Really gripped the small fastener and pulled out all three in a row. Can't believe how will this worked compared to traditional screw removal tools.

I've never had much luck with screw extractors but these are the best I've used. They can usually get a screw out of wood but calling them "broken bolt" extractors is a little much...

In order to judge a product of this type, finding out that it works (for me) isn't good enough. Finding out that it works when other extractors fail is what makes the difference. I've used a variety of other extractors over the years, and by variety, I really mean different sizes or brands of extractors that are essentially of the same design. One problem I had was never having the right size. The other was that I often ended up drilling out the screw heads after giving up, and then untwisting what was left after disassembly.Traditional screw extractors have many issues. They have a gradual taper, making it difficult for them to grab after drilling out a shallow hole. They require something to hammer them in place, even when clearance may present an obstacle. Likewise, drilling is more of a constraint with traditional bits in a quick change chuck than with the Aldens, which are shorter. Finally, traditional extractors need something to turn them, and having the right handle from a die set is not always going to be the situation.The Alden set let me extract several cap head screws that an  Irwin Tools 53545 Spiral Flute Screw Extractors, 6 Piece Set  not only failed to extract, but had also made the problem worse. On one slightly stripped cap head screw, a minimal amount of boring with one end of an Alden extractor let me flip the extractor over and back out the screw easily. On one that had been predrilled for another extractor, I didn't expect the Alden to work. But I somehow managed to get it to bite in a hole much larger than it was designed for when I tilted it to the side.All in all, I like the design much better than anything I've used in the past. The only thing that makes it less than perfect is that it started showing signs of wear relatively quickly. The price per extraction is hard to say, and the bits that show wear may continue to work in the future. Nevertheless, the tool was not a bargain. But buying it before purchasing anything else would have changed that.UPDATE: After six months of owning these, I continue to be impressed by how well they work. I recently misplaced these and had to use the older style. I didn't get very far with it. After looking around and finding these, the job became a breeze. I had to upgrade the review to five stars because these are truly far better than any other solution.

Awesome

Just got this set yesterday afternoon. I needed it to back out three, 5 mm, .80, 16 machine screws. They were 3 of the six screws that held the plastic cowling to the steel deck on my battery powered lawn mower. In sptie of repeated applicsatuion of Liquid Wrench, the Philips heads has stripped.I read the directions very carefully, taking note that all actions with this product require the drill to be reversed (running counterclockwise). I also noted the instruction to use the minimum torque required and did so. I chose the right tool for the size of the screw.The first two screws came out with remarkable ease. I was already thinking about how I would word the glowing , 5 star review. That was before I took on the thrid screw.I approached the third screw exactly as I had the first two. My drill has torque seting from 1 to 15 , with 1 being the least torque. At the 5 setting, I was able to drill out the hole in the first step. Asa near as I can recal, othe fotrst two screws, I had to increase the torque to about 10 before it backed the screw out. On the rothrd screw, drilling the hole in step one went smoothly. However, that 3rd screw must have been more coroded than the other two. The drill clutch was slipped at 100 then at 11, then a 12. At 13, the screw won.The burred end that you use in step two sheared in two planes, much like the facets on a cut diamond. Only about 1/3 of the burred suface remained.So far as I'm concerened, if the tool breaks before trhe screw breaks, that is not a product I would buy again oo recommend.

This is one of those tools you rarely ever need, but boy are you glad you have it when you do. Doesn’t work so well on structural screws but for ordinary zinc or stainless it works each time, every time.