Customer Reviews

Neiko 10-Piece Alloy Screw Extractor Solid Cobalt Left Hand Drill Bits Set

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First time I tried the extractor, it busted off inside the bolt. Very hard metal, but so hard that it is quite brittle. Very little amount of free play, and doesn't let you put any torque on the bolt at all, so if it is rusted in there, forget about this set! Seems like a cheap knock off of the ever so popular "easy out" set.

Now I have to figure a way out how to get the stupid thing out of my bolt so I can drill a new hole and tap some new threads in. Can't drill it out because the metal is so hard, it is chewing up my drill bits.

I use these at my automotive school, notorious for un-calibrated torque wrenches and people who don't like reading directions. I would go with professional grade set if your working on rusted bolts, or in awkward or tight situations. Otherwise, for light to medium duty work: Buy 2 of these sets to save on shipping. You will need the extra set. The slightest vibration can snap the bits, they are very brittle. Consider your first set a 'learning set'. If you use them to remove another bit that has broken off in a broken screw, they grind into dust (Doh!). These work great on bolts which have been over torqued or snapped on re-install.

I ordered these with high hopes that they would do the job for me but it turned out not to be the case. The left hand drill bits did not seem very sharp at all and were not able to make any progress on the bolt which was stuck. The screw extractors were not close to the same level of quality of a standard Black and Decker one which could be bought at Home Depot.

I think I'm very good about preventing rounded heads on fasteners, but even so, it still happens on occasion. I bought this kit to remove some M6 allen/socket head bolts that had seized in place on an engine pulley and they were a pretty soft grade 8.8 bolt. In hindsight, more penetrating lubricant and time or some heat and a hammer probably would have helped, but I was impatient that day.

The reverse thread drill bit worked as good as I could have ever asked. I made sure to keep the drill bit going in straight, speed relatively low, and occasionally stopping to clean chips and lube the drill bit and it quickly cut through the bolt making very nice chips.

The extractor on the other hand, leaves more to be desired. I tapped in the extractor with a hard plastic mallet and used an adjustable crescent wrench to turn. The bolt did finally make a "snap!" and came out, but two other things also happened. The extractor, surprisingly, is a somewhat soft metal metal and twisted a little during removal. I'm honestly surprised the extractor hasn't twisted apart yet, as it has twisted about 20° right where the extractor goes into the head of the bolt, and this is only after two bolts. In addition to twisting, the extractor bent about 2-3°. This is possibly due to me using a crescent wrench instead of a tapping wrench, but not nearly as big of an issue as the twisting part.

All in all, it's still a pretty incredible value that you can get this entire set for so cheap. Definitely not what you want to get if you want something to last decades, but excellent for quick fix.

Good little set of reverse drill bits and corresponding EZ Outs. The #4 bit however, is a little short for the case, and if it is not closed properly, the bit will stick out of the case. This is how it was shipped, denting the case a little bit. The bit does not look damaged, but I have not used it yet.

Do not waste your money on this set! After an hour I had worn the smallest drill bit in the set down to a nub trying to drill through a small transmission bolt on my Pontiac Sunfire. I did get the screw extracted, however, the set was worthless by the time I got the screw out. Also, the extractors are weak. One will need a small torch to heat up the metal to loosen screws and bolts to keep from snapping the extractors.