IRWIN Tools Hanson Screw Extractor and Drill Bit Set, 35 Piece, 11135ZR

These extractors ARE made in USA. Some have complained the pckg. Said “Hanson” instead of Irwin. Irwin acquired Hanson in the 90’s. Hanson is IRWIN! Many people have rated these extractors poorly saying either the left hand bit or the extractor snapped immediately. Just because it says extractor doesn’t mean the broken bolt is coming out! These bits and extractors are hardened which means they are more brittle. If you throw too much torque on the bit or extractor it’s going to snap! You have to take your time with bit! “Let the tool do the work son!” A sharp brand new bit doesn’t need a lot of force. Let it cut. When you insert the extractor and first apply torque you have to FEEL the extractor. If you feel it resisting and not breaking loose STOP. Ion the photos attached I snapped a bolt off inside a washing machine transmission spindle. First I drilled a 1/8” hole in the 5/16” bolt. First attempt no go. The extractor was twisting too much. FEEL the torque. If it’s not moving step up to the next size. I drilled the bolt with the 1/4” bit and tried with the next size up extractor. NO GO STILL! But I didn’t just crank on it as hard as I could. I grabbed a small torch and put a 20 second shot of heat on the shaft. Put some torque on the extractor and bolt backed right out like butter! You have to understand how corrosion, heat, penetrating oil etc affect your metals. If the bolt is corroded badly you need a cutting torch not an extractor! This extractor by IRWIN/HANSON is top quality! Works great. If you don’t know what you’re doing and have no mechanical aptitude you shouldn’t blame the product. ;)

NOTE: I have not used the bits. But you probably aren't buying this for the bits. I have yet to break an extractor. Bits are made in Brazil, but the extractors are USA. The metal case they come in is very nice. Thought it was plastic from the image. Pleasant surprise. Let's assume the bits are just ok. If you are dealing with the occasional stuck screw or bolt, these bits will probably hold up just fine. If you are dealing with them on a daily basis, you might want to upgrade the bits or get an extractor set from Viking/Norseman or the like. Mainly because left hand bits are invaluable in removing a stuck screw. They often can break the screw loose or at least break the bond, making the actual extraction much easier. Regardless, for $20, in my opinion just the extractors are worth it. It's like getting the bits for free. As for this form of extraction, I love it. It works great for me. I haven't broken an extractor. If you go this route, use a center punch just to help line up your bit (even if you have the split ends that avoid "walking"). Then make sure you drill straight. Finally, if you are getting a lot of resistance with the extractor, make sure there is no material blocking the path of your damaged screw. If the path is clear, the extractor will not break and your screw will come right out. I don't know why nobody mentions this on the YouTube videos!! Last thing, don't try to turn them with a drill. I actually damaged the jaws on my cordless drill treating the extractor like a drill bit. Not smart, but that's how you learn. If you get a tap wrench, just note it will have to cover more than 1/2" tap size. The size of the extractors on the grip end is not the same as a tap size. The EX-5 is slightly less than the size of a 3/8" socket. Get an oversized tap wrench or just use a standard adjustable wrench.

I really didn't expect this product to work as well as it did. I had considered the cone shape easy out but I heard it compresses the threads more so I chose this style. I am not sure if that is true or not but it made sense. The half inch drive short one worked for my 2006 Jeep 4.7. You need to tap this in with a hammer. I used a flooring hammer that was around 5 lbs. If you use a regular hammer you are going to need to hit hard. Just enough to make sure it is set, no need to get crazy. I also blew out the hole with an air compressor to make sure no shavings got caught in there. I suppose you could use some type of vacuum but consider there is gas and oil in there, not much but some. A thread chaser would be good after you get it out as I did have more than normal resistance getting the new one in. I ran the spark plug in and out a couple of times to reset the threads and it was much better. Make sure to put some wd 40 or pb blaster or seafoam on the threads before trying this for better results.

This kit doesn't come with instructions and I have only used this kit once so far so I gave it 4 stars instead of 5. Here are instructions below from my internet researching on the subject: Got broken ford van broken exhaust manifold bolt out with this kit. The bolt broke flush with the engine block so I couldn't grab it with vice grips and it wasn't loose where I could spin it out with a pick.... Used smallest drill bit to drill through slowly about 30 min time, then when drilling with next size bit, the broken bolt came out. These cobalt bits are good, my titanium bits wouldn't touch the hard bolt metal, but these slowly and constantly drilled creating flakes and spirals of cuttings as they worked. Drilled about 90 rpm-just over 1 revolution a second, don't go fast or you risk dulling the tip and also breaking the bit. Oiled bit tip often. Apply just enough adequate pressure to cut-create consistent cuttings. Take breaks as arms tire out. I had to use a cheap harbor freight 90 degrees driver attached to my drill to give the proper space and angle to drill for the limited working space. Luckily the bolt that broke was accessible enough without lifting the vehicle body or engine. Before I drilled, I did heat the broken bolt with a propane torch (protect any flammable or wires if needed) and let cool to help loosen and sprayed for a week with penetrating oil. You must center punch as precise as possible in case you need to drill the bolt as big as possible before inserting an extractor. Don't jump bit sizes, work with each size progressing up. If this method will or does not work for you, the Internet says you'll have to find someone to mig weld on a washer and nut, using the special mig rod mg600 can even get out deeply broken bolts. When removing any frozen bolts/nuts Always heat to a dull red glow with a propane torch(a good 6 min) or use an even hotter oxy acetanin torch, to help expansion unseize-break rust-loctite etc, let cool, then hammer to shock threads, apply penetrating oil-up to a week if you have the time, then unbolt or break if still frozen(if it breaks, use this kit or weld).

Broken off starter bolt? Yeah, you need this. Saved my a$$ and corrected a BAD situation quick and easy.

First let me say these Extractors size 5 specifically helped me out of a Jam. It easily saved me over $1000 in a shop to have the heads pulled. This got the threaded part of a spark plug out in less than 15 minutes (not counting the overnight Parts Blaster Soak) I ordered these Straight Flute Extractors for work on a Ford Ranger where the Spark Plug HEX broke off in the Head. I had first tried Spiral Extractors however I couldn't get them to bite and pull. Since the spiral causes expansion of the threads it wasn't helping. So I looked online and found these. Wow they got here quick and the quality seemed fine. The prep work to use these was to soak the spark plug tube with Parts blaster or Penetrating oil overnight. I did that last night and just crossed my fingers that it would work. I found the size 5 fit the inside of the plug very well and slightly tapped it in. I had a 13 MM 16 point socket that fit the end of it very well. I took a half inch ratchet and started to turn and it turned but didn't bite. At this point I started to get a little discouraged that I was going to have to get it towed. On second try I hammered the extractor in there. Not very hard but enough where it straightened out and didn't easily move. I then sprayed parts blaster on it and waited 5 minutes. This time when I tried to turn it with the 1/2 inch ratchet it resisted. I put a little pressure and it gave. I though it slipped again but to my surprise it started to spin the threads out. I can no declare how satisfied I am with this product. QUALITY is an understatement. If you need to get out a spark plug and don't think it will work try this. 1. Soak the part for at least 24 hours. BE GENEROUS with with liquid wrench or similar product. It will burn off or evaporate when you are done anyway. 2 Let it sit at least overnight and maybe spray it a second time and let sit. PATIENCE IS THE KEY! 3.Get a size 5 extractor and hammer it into it. As I said no hard hits just tap it in as Happy Gilmore would say. 4. Find a good socket that fits the end of the size 5. For me it was a 13 mm 16 point socket. Turn it and see if it gives. If not try soaking longer and if needed use heat. I personally did not need to use a torch to heat it up. 5. Have an iced tea or Beer and feel relieved Good luck and don't question the product it works great!

I recently purchased the IRWIN Tools Hanson Screw Extractor and Drill Bit Set, 35 Piece for some challenging repair projects around the house, and I am thoroughly impressed. This set includes a wide range of extractor sizes, making it versatile for almost any screw or bolt removal job. The high-quality construction of the tools provides confidence that they can handle tough jobs without breaking or wearing out quickly.

This set is amazing. I rounded off the head of an external Torx bolt in my engine. This set worked exceptionally well to remove it. Here is my process. First, I cut off the head of the bolt using a dremel. Second, I made a point in the middle of the bolt with a punch tool and a hard strike of a hammer (a heavy one works best). Alternatively, if you don’t have a punch, you can make a starter hole with the smallest drill bit in this set. Or, you can create a slot (like a flathead screwdriver slot) across the bolt with a dremel tool. That will give enough indentation for the drill bit to grab and penetrate the bolt. Third, this set has a chart on the inside cover where you match the drill bit with the bolt you’re trying to extract. Pick the correct bit and start drilling at dead center of the bolt. Make sure you drill straight because if you hit the threads, you’re screwed. Since these are left handed bits, you have to drill in reverse for it to go in. I recommend you practice on a piece of scrap wood or cardboard to see what direction you need to drill for the bit to penetrate. In short, it is reverse on your drill. To drill the bolt you’re trying to extract, I recommend pulsing your drill to make sure you are keeping the bit center and not angling it into threads. You do not need to go super deep. Once you have drilled out about 1/2 cm to 3/4 cm, then get the bolt extractor that matches the bolt size. There are two types of extractors in this set. T-type extractors and socket type. The T-type require a T-tool or vice grips to manually turn the extractor. The socket extractors (shown in my pictures) are easier to use. They require an SAE 1/2” socket attached to a 3/8” ratchet. Take the extractor of your choice and use a hammer to hammer it into the hole you made with your left hand bit. A few hard blows should suffice. Then, attach the socket (or if you used the T-extractors, use vice grips or other tool) and slowly twist in a counter clockwise direction. Once the bolt loosens, you may often remove the rest by hand. If it, keep using your tool until you can pull out the bolt. Finally, to remove the extractor from the damaged bolt, you can use two vice grips or a socket and vice grips. Twist in opposite directions to loosen. Finally these tools are Made in USA.