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Screw extractors

CAINCAY c-6 set with magnetic bit holder

Double-ended extractors: drill with one end, reverse the bit and extract with the other — which is what makes a set usable in one chuck.

CAINCAY screw extractor set with magnetic bit holder

CAINCAY c-6 set with magnetic bit holder

Double-ended extractors: drill with one end, reverse the bit and extract with the other — which is what makes a set usable in one chuck.

Material
HSS 4341 steel; chrome-vanadium adapter, stated
Set
6 extractors in 5 sizes — #0, #1, #2, #3, #4 — plus 1 adapter, stated
Design
Double-ended: one end drills into the damaged screw, the other extracts, stated
Holder
Magnetic bit holder and socket adapter, stated
Amazon reference
B0BYN6M67K
EAN
0662987935159
  • Double-ended design means one bit does both operations without swapping tools
  • A magnetic holder keeps the bit where you put it, which matters at an awkward angle
  • HSS 4341 is the softer of the two HSS grades in this hub

Best for: Rounded screw heads on interior and engine-bay fasteners.

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Specifications

Material
HSS 4341 steel; chrome-vanadium adapter, stated
Set
6 extractors in 5 sizes — #0, #1, #2, #3, #4 — plus 1 adapter, stated
Design
Double-ended: one end drills into the damaged screw, the other extracts, stated
Holder
Magnetic bit holder and socket adapter, stated
Amazon reference
B0BYN6M67K
EAN
0662987935159

What lands on the bench

Six double-ended screw extractors in HSS 4341, in five sizes, with a magnetic bit holder and a socket adapter.

How a double-ended extractor is used

One end is a left-hand drill point that opens a pilot in the damaged screw. Reverse the bit in the holder and the other end bites into that pilot and turns the screw out. One bit, two operations.

The condition for success

A centered pilot. An off-center hole turns a screw extraction into a thread repair, which is why a center punch belongs in this job.

The warning that applies to all of them

Extractor steel is hard and therefore brittle. If it is not moving, stop — a snapped extractor inside a screw cannot be drilled out with ordinary bits.

Availability

Not found on the American Amazon store, where the buy link falls back to a local search rather than to a page that does not exist.

Prices and availability are what Keepa reported on the date this page was updated; both move.

The questions that reach us

Why is extractor steel brittle?

Because it has to be harder than the fastener it bites into. Hardness and brittleness travel together, which is why an extractor snaps rather than bends — and why a snapped one inside a screw is a far harder problem.

Drill first or extract first?

Drill a pilot with the drilling end, then reverse the bit and extract. That is what a double-ended design is for, and skipping the pilot is the usual reason an extractor slips.

Tools this fits

More screw extractors

  • CCLIFE 26-piece bolt extractor socket set

    CCLIFE 2757 26-piece turbo socket set

    Extractor sockets rather than bits: thirteen spiral sockets that grip a rounded bolt head from outside and turn it out with a ratchet.

    Material
    Chrome-molybdenum steel, stated
    Sockets
    13 spiral extractor sockets: 1/4 in, 5/16 in (8 mm), 3/8 in, 10 mm, 7/16 in (11 mm), 12 mm (0.47 in) and up to 19 mm (0.75 in) — stated
    Drive
    3/8 inch external hex, stated
    Extractors
    6 Cr-Mo screw extractors, sizes #1–#6, stated
    Drills
    6 HSS drills, stated
    Amazon reference
    B0B7RLPK6Q
    EAN
    4066854927579
    • Extractor sockets work on the outside of a rounded head — no drilling required
    • Thirteen sizes covers most bolts and nuts on a car
    • Sockets need a head to grip — a snapped bolt still needs the drill-and-extract route

    Best for: Rounded bolt and nut heads, which is the most common damage on a car.

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  • CRENGYBL 26-piece damaged screw and bolt extractor set

    CRENGYBL 26-piece, four tool types

    Four tool types in one case and the hardest published steel on this shelf, at 58 to 62 HRC.

    Pieces
    26 in four groups
    Bolt extractors
    13, external, 3/8 in drive — sizes NOT PUBLISHED
    Spiral extractors
    6, internal, for drilled holes — sizes NOT PUBLISHED
    Drill bits
    6, RIGHT-hand, titanium-coated HSS, 135° — sizes NOT PUBLISHED
    Adapter
    1/4-to-3/8 in hex
    Steel
    Chrome molybdenum, heat treated
    Hardness
    58–62 HRC — second only to the published YURINWOO set at 63–65
    Impact use
    Stated compatible with impact wrenches
    Weight
    1,179 g (41.6 oz) — the heaviest of the sets that publish one
    Price
    $26.99
    Drill size table
    NOT PUBLISHED
    Case dimensions
    NOT PUBLISHED
    Amazon reference
    B0G6ZBD8R9
    EAN
    0793898448336
    • One of two sets here covering both a rounded head and a snapped bolt
    • Publishes a hardness, which several of the ten items here do not
    • 58–62 HRC is high up the brittleness trade this shelf warns about

    Best for: A garage that meets both a rounded head and a snapped stud in a year

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  • GEDORE 8551-55 five-piece screw extractor set in its clear plastic box

    GEDORE 8551-55 screw extractor set, M3–M18

    Five chrome-vanadium screw extractors for M3 to M18 screws, at a stated 54 HRC — the soft end of the hardness figures published on this shelf.

    Model
    GEDORE 8551-55, article number 6759620
    Material
    Chrome-vanadium steel, 54 HRC, stated
    Pieces
    5 screw extractors, stated
    Screw sizes
    M3 to M18, stated (roughly 1/8 to 11/16 in screws)
    Storage
    Clear plastic box, stated
    Holder
    Not included; GEDORE pairs it with its 8551 TG ratcheting holder, stated
    Net weight
    117 g (4.1 oz), stated
    Country of origin
    Germany, as listed on Amazon.com
    Amazon reference
    B000UYZ4ZW
    EAN
    4010886675960
    • A published hardness, 54 HRC, where several sets on this shelf publish none
    • Five sizes from M3 to M18 cover most broken screws and small bolts in a garage
    • The holder is a separate purchase, and you need one to turn the extractors

    Best for: Someone who wants a compact set from an established tool maker and already owns a tap wrench, or will buy GEDORE's holder.

    ≈ $38
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Others worth a spot in the toolbox

  • Filzada 6-piece trim removal wedge set

    Filzada F100342 6-piece extra strong

    Six wedges built for force: the set for panels that need real leverage without a metal tool anywhere near the paint.

    Pieces
    6, stated
    Material
    Hard-wearing, break-resistant plastic, stated
    Handles
    Ergonomic, stated
    Stated purpose
    Effortless removal of trim without damage
    Amazon reference
    B0FKQJ4L9X
    EAN
    4260517115154
    • Thicker and stronger than the wedges in the large multi-piece kits
    • Ergonomic handles, which matter when a clip needs real force
    • No clips included

    Best for: Stubborn door cards and panels where the thin wedges in cheap kits flex.

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  • GOOACC 11-piece metal and nylon trim removal tool kit

    GOOACC 11 pieces — 7 metal, 4 nylon

    The only set here that publishes a metal-to-nylon split, at seven to four.

    Pieces
    11 — 7 metal pry tools and 4 nylon trim tools
    Metal share
    The highest proportion on this shelf
    Fastener chuck
    Stated ultra-thin; no figure published
    Plastic surface
    Abraded, stated not to scratch — the only surface treatment here
    Handles
    Anti-slip
    Stated targets
    Bumper clips, fender clips, splash guard clips
    Storage
    Storage box
    Price
    $13.49
    Clip plier
    None
    Chuck thickness
    NOT PUBLISHED
    Metal grade
    NOT PUBLISHED
    Clips
    None
    Amazon reference
    B0DLKPDXF6
    EAN
    0840323931151
    • The only set here that publishes its metal-to-nylon split
    • Seven metal tools, which is what a corroded arch liner clip needs
    • Four nylon tools is the smallest interior selection here bar none

    Best for: Bumper, arch and underside clips, with a nylon set for the cabin

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  • Keze 3-piece auto clip pliers and fastener remover set

    Keze 3 steel tools, 1–2 mm (0.04 to 0.08 in) head

    The only set here with a published head thickness, and the only one that is steel by design.

    Tools
    3 — one 9 in 2-in-1 clip plier, two fastener removers at 8.7 and 11.8 in
    Head thickness
    1–2 mm (0.04 to 0.08 in) — the only thickness published on this shelf
    Steel
    No.65 manganese (65Mn) spring steel
    Handles
    Toughened polypropylene-ethylene, non-slip
    Lengths
    The only tool lengths published on this shelf
    Storage
    Tool bag
    Packed size
    300 × 25 × 19 mm (11.8 × 0.98 × 0.75 in)
    Price
    $9.99
    Wedges or levers
    None
    Jaw opening
    NOT PUBLISHED
    Hardness
    NOT PUBLISHED
    Clips included
    None
    Amazon reference
    B0CBYLBYXM
    EAN
    0656485281962
    • The only published head thickness on this shelf — 1 to 2 mm (0.04 to 0.08 in)
    • The only published tool lengths, and two of them for two reaches
    • Three tools and not one wedge — it is not a trim kit on its own

    Best for: The clip and fastener half of the job, beside a nylon wedge set

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All screw extractors

Prices quoted in these summaries are dated readings. The live price is shown next to each product.