IRWINTools 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. ;)

So, I watched a few videos on bolt extraction for my classic car. They all seem to show an effortless removal of stuck bolts with a left left-handed drillbit. After working through five other brand drillbits that all broke, I just received this set today and within five minutes, had my problem resolved. My stuck bolt was rusted and below another piece of the frame (it’s hard to get at, but the drill bits went right in). Highly recommend.

High quality set. I use regularly and all is as it should be. I have no complaints. I definitely would buy this set {f you find yourself needing to extract bolts/screws regularly

I havn't had to use it much to be honest but when I did it worked well. Seems to be great Irwin quality I have come to expect. I left one star off only because one drill bit broke on the first use...

The media could not be loaded. It worked well! You need to make sure you use the appropriate drill bit and extractor size to avoid braking them.

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.

It was the easiest broken headbolt I've ever taken out. The drill bit is sharp and is still sharp and the extractor eased the broken bolt right out of the block. It came backing right out, and I thought, is it coming out or slipping, this is too easy. I soaked it overnight with Blaster and put a Torch to it before unscrewing and more Blaster. Easiest broken bolt ever. I've had about 3 in my lifetime, at 63.

Nice looking kit. But with little use and I mean less than 2 minutes two of the drill bits used snapped in two places leaving three broken pieces(Tip, middle section and base still remaining in the drill) Never have really seen that happen before.