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Is anyone able to recommend a good quality screw extractor set suitable for general diy and cycling stuff (so 3mm-8mm range)?
The cheaper kits get poor reviews but some of the pricier ones do too!
I was looking at the Saxton ones but I’d happily pay more (£20 ish) as I prefer to buy decent tools that last a long time
I have a cheap Screwfix set that work ok, and would expect you're better off spending on decent drill bits to get the starter hole made reliably without snapping and creating a bigger problem.
Are you looking for something to remove rounded-off hex bolts?
https://www.machinemart.co.uk/p/laser-7-piece-damaged-hex-bolt-extractor-set/
Couple of nights ago I was watching a recommended YT vid on just this subject 😀 See if I can find it again.
Here we go 😀
I spent way too much time procrastinating over this question myself recently and ended up buying this Clarke kit... https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00DM8QO7A?ref_=pe_3187911_248764861_302_E_DDE_dt_1
...took seconds to extract the offending bolt and left me wondering whether my procrastination time was well spent or wasted... still can’t decide 🙂
Left hand drill bits ime. That gets most out.
It’s a poor site but a good product.
Trouble is with small bolts, the tools get very delicate and if you snap them, you still have your stuck bolt and now it has a really really hard to drill through tool stuck in it too. IME they are a last resort, for anything under M8. Bearing in mind that the bolt is obviously sufficiently stuck that the original head broke or rounded, which means you need the tool to be stronger than that.
Left handed drillbit, yes. Bolt specific extractor like the Irwin and Laser ones posted, oh god yes. (torx is a decent substitite for cap heads) Cut off top of bolt, remove all the other ones then molegrip it out once the tension's off, sometimes. Cut a slot in it and screwdriver it out, sometimes. Heat, penetrating oil, almost goes without saying. If you can weld then whole new set of rules... And then after all that, extractor tool.
Dremel a slot on small stuff has worked for me.
Dormer for recessed holes, angle grinder/stilsons/tig welder/Irwin Bolt grip for anything external/proud.
If you snap a large Dormer you'll then need to find someone with a spark eroder machine to remove it.....speaking for a friend
I had a proper stuck and rounded pivot bolt on my Aeris frame
Tried the ‘tap a bigger hex key in’ method and heehaw
Used the Lazer extractor bolts and it shifted and came out first time
Good bit of kit
Thanks all, really useful. Agree with the comments re being last resort but sometimes it gets to that point
Probably a daft question but would an impact driver be better than a drill? The sharp knocks maybe more likely to budge the screw than a constant torque from a drill
Having said that my impact driver is rated at 200nm, so not sure a 4mm bit would survive!