Best screw extractor set

IRWIN's 11119 is my top pick because it takes the guessing out of the hardest part: the pilot hole. IRWIN says the extractor size and the recommended drill bit size are etched on each tool. Drill with the bit it names, and the extractor fits the hole.

The set has five spiral flute extractors, EX-1 through EX-5, and five drill bits: 5/64, 7/64, 5/32, 1/4 and 19/64 inch. They come in a metal index case, so each bit has its own slot and a missing one is easy to spot.

IRWIN says these are made to remove broken studs, bolts, socket screws and fittings. The left-hand spiral is the trick. You turn it counterclockwise, the same way the screw loosens, and IRWIN says the flutes dig deeper into the metal as you turn. More resistance means more grip.

IRWIN's catalog chart puts numbers on the range. EX-1 is for screws from 3/32 to 5/32 inch, about a No. 3 to No. 6. EX-5 covers 3/8 to 5/8 inch, or a 1/4 inch NPT pipe thread. That covers most strap, flange and bracket screws on a plumbing job.

IRWIN's chart pairs EX-1 through EX-4 with its TR-88 tap wrench, and EX-5 with the larger TR-98. The set doesn't include one. A tap wrench turns the extractor by hand with even pressure, which is what you want on a tool that can snap.

On a plumbing call, EX-2 and EX-3 do most of the work. On IRWIN's chart, a No. 10 or No. 12 screw holding a pipe strap, a flange or a wall bracket falls in their range. EX-4 and EX-5 cover bolts from 9/32 up to 5/8 inch, which takes in most hanger and strap bolts.

One thing to know: IRWIN's product page says this set isn't eligible for any warranty. It was sold by Amazon.com and in stock on the day of the update.

RIDGID's 883 set is the pick for a problem screw extractor lists skip: a pipe nipple that broke off inside a fitting. RIDGID says its pipe extractors make easy work of removing broken threaded ends of pipe, pipe plugs and fittings.

The set holds RIDGID's extractor models 80 through 85. That's one for each pipe size from 1/8 to 1 inch: 1/8, 1/4, 3/8, 1/2, 3/4 and 1 inch. RIDGID lists the set at 28 ounces.

RIDGID says each extractor is plainly marked with the drill size to use when the solid end of a plug or fitting has to be drilled first. A broken nipple is already hollow, so you can often seat the extractor without drilling. A snapped plug isn't, and that's when the marked size matters.

The listing says the toothed heads grip the inside of the broken piece and back it out, turned by hand or with a wrench. That's the right way to do it. Slow and steady keeps the fitting's threads in one piece.

These are RIDGID's schedule 40 extractors. RIDGID says its extractors are available for schedule 80 pipe too, sold separately. For most residential threaded pipe, the schedule 40 set is the one you want.

Nipples snap where they rust: a galvanized nipple at a water heater, a stub-out in a wall, or a nipple twisted off in a tank or boiler fitting. RIDGID's No. 83 and No. 84, for 1/2 and 3/4 inch pipe, cover the sizes most house lines use.

The smaller numbers, for 1/8 to 3/8 inch pipe, handle gauge and test-port threads. A plug that broke flush works too, once you drill it to the size marked on the extractor.

RIDGID lists a full lifetime warranty on its pipe extractors. The set was sold by Amazon.com and in stock on the day of the update.

GEARWRENCH's 84786 is the set I'd reach for when a screw head is stripped but still there. GEARWRENCH says the hex base works with wrenches, pliers, drills and impact drivers. That means you can put it in the same driver that stripped the screw.

The extractors use tapered side and tip cutting edges. GEARWRENCH says they're made to remove rounded, rusted, stripped and painted-over screws. Painted-over screws come up a lot on old access panels and trim plates.

The design is bi-directional, so it loosens or tightens a damaged fastener. That's handy when you need to snug a stripped screw back down instead of pulling it.

GEARWRENCH lists the screw sizes in five steps: 1/4 inch and under (M5 to M6), 5/16 to 3/8 (M8 to M10), 7/16 to 1/2 (M12 to M14), 9/16 to 5/8 (M14 to M16) and 3/4 inch (M18 to M20). The set includes five sizes of extraction drill bits.

Each piece has laser-etched size markings and a black oxide finish, and the set comes in a stackable GEARCASE. GEARWRENCH lists it at 1.543 pounds.

The size steps make picking easy. Most cabinet, access panel and trim screws in a bathroom fall in the first step, 1/4 inch and under. Strap and bracket bolts usually land in the 5/16 to 3/8 inch step. I'd run it in reverse at low speed and let the tapered edges cut in before adding pressure. Too much speed dulls the edges fast.

The warranty is listed two ways. The specs say 1 year, and the FAQ on the same page says Bolt Biter extraction tools have a lifetime warranty. I'd count on the 1 year. It was sold by Amazon.com and in stock on the day of the update.

GEARWRENCH's 84784 is for the other common failure: a hex head or nut that a wrench rounded over. A screw extractor won't help there. An extraction socket grips the rounded flats and turns them.

GEARWRENCH says the tapered entry lets the socket seat on a damaged fastener. The sockets are dual sized, so one socket works on both an SAE and a metric fastener. GEARWRENCH also uses minus-size sockets that fit a wider range of damaged heads.

The range runs from 1/4 inch (7 mm) to 3/4 inch (19 mm), in 1/4 and 3/8 inch drive. GEARWRENCH lists the sizes as 1/4 inch, 7 mm and 8 mm on the 1/4 drive, and 3/8 inch through 19 mm on the 3/8 drive.

Each socket has a square drive with a hex base, so it works on an impact gun, a ratchet, a wrench or pliers. The steel is chrome molybdenum with a black oxide finish. GEARWRENCH claims up to 10 times longer impact life and 5 times the torque of other impact extraction sockets.

Like the screw set, it's bi-directional, so it can tighten a damaged fastener as well as loosen it. The sockets come on a rail, and GEARWRENCH lists the set at 1.65 pounds.

On plumbing work, the 3/8 inch drive sizes get the most use. A nut on 3/8 inch hanger rod takes a 9/16 inch wrench, and the set's 14 mm socket is marked for 9/16 too. Rounded strut nuts, bracket bolts and the hex heads on water heater and tank straps are the usual targets.

If a socket slips, step down to the next smaller size, since that's the point of the minus sizes.

GEARWRENCH lists a full lifetime warranty for this set. It was sold by Amazon.com and in stock on the day of the update.

KNIPEX's TwinGrip is the tool to try before you drill anything. KNIPEX says it's made for gripping, tightening and loosening screws with worn heads and drives. If any of the head sticks up, the biting front jaw can usually turn it.

The trick is the jaw layout. The front jaw grips from straight on, like a pair of pincers on the screw head. The side jaws have opposing teeth for round, square and hex stock, so the same pliers handle rounded nuts and small pipe.

KNIPEX lists the capacity at 4 to 22 mm, or 5/32 to 7/8 inch, for pipe and nuts. The front jaw grips flat stock up to 8 mm with a three-point hold. The slip joint has five push-button positions.

It's slim, which matters in a vanity or behind a toilet. KNIPEX says it works in confined spaces with a narrow turning zone, and a pinch guard keeps your fingers out of the joint. The 8 inch model weighs 236 grams.

On a service call, it earns its spot on the small stuff. Think of a stripped screw on a toilet seat hinge, a faucet handle screw with a chewed head, or a rounded compression nut on a supply stop.

The side jaws also grip round stock, so it can hold a short nipple or a rod while you turn something else. The five positions cover 4 to 22 mm without swapping tools.

KNIPEX's data sheet carries the line "Made in Germany." It doesn't list a warranty, so I've left that out.

It won't replace an extractor. Once a screw breaks off flush, there's nothing for the jaws to bite. It was sold by Amazon.com and in stock on the day of the update.

Alden's 1007P kit solves the step most people get wrong: drilling a centered pilot hole. Alden says no pilot hole, grinding or center punching is needed.

The listing says the bell-shaped drill head can pivot in the hole to stay on center, and the self-centering tip doesn't walk or wander. Alden says it works on jagged, uneven, rough breaks. That's what a snapped bolt usually looks like.

The kit mixes three Grabit types, per Alden's store: Micro #1 to #4 for small screws and bolts, a Drill-Out for larger bolts from 5/16 to 1/2 inch, and X-Out #1 to #3 for damaged screw heads. A removal chart in the kit matches each tool to a screw size.

Alden makes the tools from M2 high speed steel, tempered twice, and says they're made in the USA. Alden rates them for grade 8 and class 10.9 bolts, and says each tool handles multiple extractions.

The Micro sizes are the ones a plumber will use most, for the small screws on faucet trim, toilet seats and access panels. The Drill-Out covers bigger hardware, from 5/16 to 1/2 inch bolts.

The X-Out bits are for a screw head that's stripped but still there. Alden says to run the X-Out in reverse only, at very slow speed, with firm downward pressure. All of them run in reverse in a drill, and the removal chart in the kit tells you which size to grab for each screw.

The kit comes in a molded case, and Alden lists a lifetime warranty.

One difference from the rest of this page: it was sold by Alden's Grabit store, not Amazon.com, through Amazon's checkout. It was new and in stock on the day of the update, and it's the genuine Alden kit.