Damaged Screw Extractor / Remover
You Will Strip Screws
It happens 5-10% of the time, more often with old hardware and cheap fasteners. Stripped screws are not a matter of if but when. Having an extractor set in your kit means the difference between a 30-second fix and a 30-minute ordeal involving drill bits, vice grips, and creative profanity.
Every pencil needs an eraser. Every kit needs an extractor.
How They Work
Screw extractors have a reverse-threaded, hardened tip. You press the extractor into the stripped screw head, apply downward pressure, and turn counterclockwise. The reverse threads bite into the damaged head and back the screw out. Simple, effective, and satisfying.
What to Buy
A 4-piece set covers screws from #4 through 3/8 inch. That handles virtually everything you will encounter in residential and light commercial work. Ditch the plastic case that comes with the set. All four extractors fit in a pocket or a small pouch in your tool bag.
Check screw extractor sets on Amazon
Quality Matters Here
Cheap extractors are made from soft steel. They work on brass and aluminum fasteners but strip out on hardened screws -- which are exactly the fasteners most likely to be stuck and stripped in the first place. Buy a set made from S2 or CR-V steel. The price difference is a few dollars. The performance difference is enormous.
Tips
- Apply firm downward pressure before turning. The extractor needs to seat.
- Go slow. Speed is the enemy of extraction.
- If the screw is really stuck, apply penetrating oil and wait 10 minutes.
- For very small screws, a rubber band between the screwdriver and the screw head can provide enough grip without an extractor.
