Do Screw Extractors ACTUALLY Work?

[@ShopHumor]

Thanks for watching! More links in the description: * - Thosaf Drill Extractor:* amzn.to/3OPULBN

[@TheDailyKnife009]

Honestly I’m just impressed that a tap and die set lasted 50 years. That’s 50 years not never snapping half!😂😂 Edit: it is possible I just have a skill issue

[@burtbacarach5034]

But,the most important (and unanswered) question is.. Are they dishwasher safe?

[@ShopHumor]

Lmao. #1 meta comment.

[@brewswillas6635]

Just a tip for those folks planning to use one of these-go ahead and strip the screw head all the way before trying to drill it out. Otherwise, you're likely to snap the drill bit when it snags on the edges of what remains of the slot on the screw head.

[@osgeld]

yes that's been my experience with them, and I have broken the edges off a normal drill bit tip because of the same issue like 12-13 bucks at autozone gets you a set of left handed drill bits that you run in reverse, so with 1 thing you can drill and most likely grab the screw with

[@8alakai8]

i have never gotten a screw out with these things i did usiing a centre point and a hammer and tapping the screw lose or with a shizzle

[@newguy2794]

I bought a set of left-hand drill bits for this purpose. That way drilling doesn't tighten the bolt/ screw . Harbour Freight has them at a reasonable price.

[@ShopHumor]

I actually have a set of really old left hand drill bits and thought about mentioning them in the video, but I figured most people don’t have them and will probably be using standard drill bits. Good comment though, I appreciate it!

[@newguy2794]

@ShopHumor They work.

[@zazz69ed]

Actually depending.. it can honesty help to remove them if you run them in a bit.. especially corroded or rusted items...breaks it loose some which helps.. trust me...

[@JeffDM]

Better screw extractor sets include left hand screws. I've gotten lucky many times just needing the drill bits. Given how cheap left hand bit sets are at HF it's hard to go wrong.

[@newguy2794]

@JeffDM I agree. I bought 2 of HF's left-hand drill bit sets. They are inexpensive and come in a metal case. From my experience, HF drill bits work well. Have a great day.

[@TradeWorks_Construction]

I received a set of these as a Christmas present from my sister years ago. The brand was “EASY OUT” they were the non-titanium coated version but they looked identical and came with the same case. Much like yourself, I figured out very quickly that the drill end of the bits were worse then useless, they even had the tendency to work harden the surfaces never doing any metal cutting removal. Whether it was the brand or just a lack of QC, the extractor end of my set didn’t work either. The bits were most definitely tool steel and were had an ideal hardness rating so as not to lose their shape or break from being too hard BUT just like the drill bit side, EVERY EDGE, EVERY FEATURE that was meant to either bite and grab or cut had a smooth transition on its corner edges. Running my fingers across it the working ends of the bits felt glassy smooth. As if the forming die used to shape the ends was still the original 1st production die and it no longer had the ability to impart sufficiently sharp features into the bits. [Initially I was of the impression that the bits had been tossed into a sand or stone vibrator (then cutting geometry felt that smooth) possibly to remove scale after heat treating but I believe the die forming process causes extreme heat from the forming process such that a heat treatment process isn’t necessary but it most closely mimicked that kind of familiar process] So i’m glad that these newest brand actually aren’t complete garbage, though if I were to bet when the company has made its profits and is ready to abandon their brand, we will see a huge spike in products that cant drill or grab.

[@ShopHumor]

Thanks for your thoughtful and detailed comment. I appreciate it. That's disappointing that extractor end of the bits in the Easy Out set you bought didn't work at all. You'd think that would be something they'd have addressed in the design and testing phase of the tool! I'm always dubious of tool brands I've never heard of and based on the ridiculous number units that Amazon says these things are selling, I just wanted to try them out to see if they actually worked. I was pleasantly surprised, but I have no idea if 'Thosaf' will still be in business a week from now.

[@BrooksMoses]

Yeah, this sounds like one of the "for-Amazon" brands that only exists because Amazon won't retail things like this without a trademarked brand name.

[@BIGEUSMC]

They used to be “as seen on tv” like 20yrs ago. My grandma got me mine back then and it’s gotten me outta Jams many times

[@ShopHumor]

Pretty cool that they actually work if you use them correctly.

[@BrilliantDesignOnline]

soooo... what you are saying, is if I have a greasy sheared off-head bolt, which has been overheated, rusted and stuck in the block for 30 years, all I have to do is put the block in the lathe, carefully center drill the left over 2" hunk of threads with a professional machinists bit, so I can use the 'screw extractor' in a no name chinese low power cordless drill. It was all going well up to where I had the block chucked up in the lathe, but it kept falling out of the chuck when I got up to 100 rpm; so I just bought a new car. 🙂

[@ShopHumor]

Lmao, yes exactly. 😂

[@bennettrogers7921]

The obvious problem was that you needed to chuck the entire CAR into the lathe….

[@JeffDM]

You know it's good because they have "best tools" written on the case!

[@BrilliantDesignOnline]

I am just shocked they spelled Best and Tools correctly.

[@ShopHumor]

They wouldn't lie about something as objective as that lmao

[@ShopHumor]

Lmao

[@Tims0username]

What direction are you using the extractor drill bits? The ones I have used previously are reverse direction. Were you using them like normal drill bits and that’s why they didn’t work at all?

[@ShopHumor]

No they’re reverse as you said, and I was using them in reverse. I tried them normally just in case but that was even worse.

[@94nomad]

Pro tip for philips, robertson and allan head machine screws that are stripped: take the nearest size up torx and hammer it into the head, hard. It'll grip most of the time. Also using an impact instead of a drill helps a lot

[@ShopHumor]

Great tip, thanks!

[@rustycrustytriesstuff]

I’ve toyed around with the idea of picking some of these up. I have an old Matco bolt extractor kit that has left hand drill bits and extractors. About 85% of the time, the left handed drill pulls the broken bolt out. As long as there is minimal to no damage to the screw, they usually come right out. Might have to dig them out and do a video on the kit. These clearly won’t work on the wood or deck screws just because the size.

[@ShopHumor]

Thanks for the comment! If you do make that video you’ll have to let me know, I’d love to watch it.

[@rakanalajaji9404]

I just watched all of your videos keep up the good work , great videos 👍

[@ShopHumor]

Thank you so much! I'm pretty new to KZbin so I'm trying to get better at making and editing videos.

[@rakanalajaji9404]

⁠​⁠@@ShopHumor I'm glad I found your channel , even though I don't live anywhere near Harbor Freight or the states but I found your videos helpful and entertaining

[@ShopHumor]

Well thanks again. I truly appreciate the comment and compliment!

[@NWGR]

Thanks for this. I've been in the market for a set of screw extractors for a while now.

[@ShopHumor]

You're welcome! Hope the video was helpful.

[@mikehenthorn1778]

i have that set and the extractor does work if you can get the down force right. mine were from craftsman from way back. i tend to deal with really wrecked bolts and screws on hvac equipment. both residential and boilers and chillers where the bolts are really hard and messed up from the heat and chemicals.

[@ShopHumor]

Good tip TY

[@chesterwsmith]

Does the drill bit end just have a bad grind? Can you resharpen it?

[@ShopHumor]

I'm not sure what the exact issue is drill end, but all of the bits had the same issue so something with their design. I could probably re-profile them to see if they'd be more effective. Hmm..

[@zazz69ed]

torches and welders always worked good for me.. but I dealt with a lot different bolts than a deck screw LOL Might be great for stuff around the house especially at $10 bucks...Thanks!!

[@ShopHumor]

You're welcome! Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment. I appreciate it.

[@wastelander89]

I really enjoy your videos. Keep up the great work

[@ShopHumor]

Thank you so much. I enjoy your comment lol

[@TravisDoesGames]

Thanks for making this video i enjoyed it

[@ShopHumor]

Thanks for watching and taking the time to leave a comment. I appreciate it!

[@spamlessaccount]

Thanks for getting to the point without a lot of fluff.

[@ShopHumor]

You're welcome. Thanks for taking the time to comment!

[@yeroca]

Great video! You deserve more subscribers

[@ShopHumor]

Thanks! I’m still really new to KZbin so I amvery thankful for the subscribers I do have. I appreciate the compliment and that you took the time to leave it!

[@Hey_Its_That_Guy]

Hydrogen peroxide, vinegar, and salt? You MONSTER! 😮🤣

[@ShopHumor]

If you use it as a salad dressing, make sure you use a plastic fork

[@BenjaminMellor]

​@@ShopHumorSounds tasty.

[@BenjaminMellor]

​@@ShopHumorSounds t a s t y.

[@chadg739]

I have had great luck with the irwin set. I have purchased at least 5 sets to keep around

[@ShopHumor]

Thanks! Will check out that set.

[@Summit2012]

So, like with many tools, if you know how to properly use them and are patient, they work fine.

[@ShopHumor]

Yep. A little technique and knowledge goes a long way.

[@NoSaysJo]

Nice video mate, cheers

[@ShopHumor]

Thank you. I appreciate the comment and support!!

[@GrumpyIan]

From my experience with a similar set they work best with a hex impact driver not a drill.

[@ShopHumor]

Oh man, the only time I couldn't get an extractor to work was when I was trying to help a family member who only had an impact driver. Funny how that works. Just goes to show! Which set do you find works the best?

[@GrumpyIan]

​@@ShopHumor I have the easy out set (exactly the same set). What my experience with them is to pick the extractor size you're going to use and start with the smallest bit and work your way up so the hole is a bit bigger than the end of the extractor and is deep enough for about a quarter of the extractor to drill into. Then send it with the driver. Is it the intended way for these? 🤷‍♂ But that's how they worked for me. Also I'm pretty sure the drill bits on these are reversed because I remember them not drilling anything then I reversed it and they were able to drill into the bolt. Might be worth a retest in the future.

[@ShopHumor]

Thanks and yeah I did run these in reverse and they still didn’t work worth a crap. But good comment, I’m curious about testing them in an impact now.

[@drengskap]

I'm betting that a lot of those bad reviews are from people who didn't know how to use these tools properly.

[@ShopHumor]

I'm betting you're exactly correct.

[@demonicsquid7217]

IIRC the Amazon 'sales' figures includes items on lists, plus the sellers can combine total sales from all their products into one item. So the figure represents the total sales of the seller at best, not necessarily that one listing. How to manipulate these things was explained to me by a former Amazon manager a couple of years ago. Things may have changed since of course.

[@ShopHumor]

I'd be curious to see what the exact criteria is for Amazon to display a sales volume. When I first bought this set, Amazon listed 40,000 sold in the last month. By the time I shot the video it was 60,000, and now it's 70,000!

[@merikatools568]

Ive never stripped a screw but ive screwed a stripper

[@ShopHumor]

My goodness!

[@tpp4007]

Thanks, it’s user error or how they don’t know how to use it properly. Common sense is to drill a hole deep enough and then use it. Works 100% of the time!

[@ShopHumor]

That's my experience too.

[@BenjaminMellor]

There are times where I couldn't get the screw out because the wood is simply in the way due to going really deep. I didn't bother taking the screws out instead just putting in new ones.

[@ShopHumor]

I think that's the best solution. Only remove a screw if you have to lmao

[@MegaBalea123]

with a 50 year old tap set i would be scared to use it, dont wanna break history and stuff :D altough now that i think of it i guess some stuff my company uses could also be that old and i just don't know

[@ShopHumor]

I don't always use the 50 year old set, but sometimes I just feel like breaking it out you know? It's fun to use vintage tools especially when they just work really well.

[@jeffhiatt1682]

well done

[@ShopHumor]

Thank you!

[@osgeld]

I only on occasion and sheer dumb luck get those basterds to work, and a small selection of left handed twist bits cost about the same (at least with those you can fail and still drill the screw out)

[@ShopHumor]

Left hand drill bits are super handy for sure.

[@ktm42080]

Just proves you need to know what you are doing, and how to remove a stripped fastener properly.

[@ShopHumor]

I think a little technique and knowledge definitely go a long way. Thanks for commenting!

[@chrisose]

Like most knock off tools, it doesn't surprise me that these bits are less capable than the originals. Just another reason why I avoid Amazon.

[@ShopHumor]

I'm not sure who invented the original design. It's too bad that the drill end was so poorly made, because the extractor end wasn't bad at all.

[@chrisose]

@@ShopHumor As I remember the first set of these I had was Grabit by Alden. They worked well for me until I loaned them to someone on a jobsite any the proceeded to destroy them. Considering how many companies now have extractors of this design I assume that the original patent expired.

[@ShopHumor]

I think you're correct about that.

[@KorraTransPhoenix]

"a loose and sloppy hole" 💀

[@ShopHumor]

Lmao

[@northumbriabushcraft1208]

People are probably snapping them in an impact driver

[@ShopHumor]

You're probably right.

[@Ray-r5j9u]

🖖

[@ShopHumor]

Ayyy

[@BrilliantDesignOnline]

@@ShopHumor Arrgh, pirate be ye

[@unclerojelio6320]

Just get left-handed drill bits.

[@ShopHumor]

Nothing wrong with left handed drill bits. Everyone should have a set.

[@pocket83squared]

NO! Useless. These DO NOT WORK. Don't buy a set. You're better off using a spoon. Learn to use a rotary tool to make a screwdriver slot. That, and learn the golden touch of patience so that you don't break screws and bolts. Go slow and lubricate, young men. Pro-tip: drill a pilot hole when using an impact-driver for anything you don't want to snap off. _Better procedure beats better remediation._

[@ShopHumor]

Wise words from a man who knows how to lubricate.

[@The_Privateer]

Nothing worse than a loose and sloppy hole.

[@ShopHumor]

lol