I’ve had two occasions recently to use my set of Alden proGrabit® broken screw extractors, and both times it worked like a champ. The first time was on some — apparently cheap — 6-32 Phillips screws in an outdoor electrical box where the heads were quite dinged up (probably during installation). A quick touch with the drill bit side while reversing the drill created a cavity in the top of the screw. Then, with the bit flipped around to the extractor side and continuing to run the drill in reverse, I easily removed the screws. The second time was on a broken 5/16″-18 brass air-release screw in a pneumatic telescoping mast, and the process went just as smoothly.
The 8430P three-piece set pictured above can be found for a bit more than $14. Two-piece and four-piece sets are also available along with single units.
Was I just lucky, or are these bits as good as advertised? What have other Toolmongers experienced?
proGrabit® Pro-Grade Extractors [Manufacturer's Site]
Alden 8430P Via Amazon [What’s This?]
Street Pricing [Google Products]