Irwin Bolt-Grip = ****

[coralnut]

I purchased an Irwin "Bolt-Grip" set of bolt-extractors with the box:

http://www.irwin.com/tools/screw-bolt-extractors/5-pc-bolt-grip-base-set

 

[SCscoutguy]

I have the craftsman ones and for the little bit I have used them over the years they have worked alright.

 

[CJM8515]

SK turbo sockets

 

[PugetDude]

Your threads seem to follow a recurring theme.....

 

[CJM8515]

Ya know with that tude Im not gonna even tell you if they work well or not.

 

[owenst7]

Did you mean a class 10.9 bolt...metric equivalent of grade 8?

 

[organ]

There is no "grade 10". ISO 10.9 is the same as grade 8.

 

[Thumper68]

I have the Irwins and they have removed every bolt/nut I have tried them on but to my knowledge I have not used them on a grade 8 bolt yet.

It could be that you got a bad one in that size.

I just did that same job on my 95 k2500 and only had 1 head strip and that may have been user error and that truck had 310k northern MN miles on it.

 

[kv501]

The term, "grade" is used for SAE fasteners and only goes up to 8. "Class" is used for metric fasteners and the only 10 anything in that scale is 10.9 which is equivalent to a grade 8 SAE.

 

[magicrat]

I got some cheap ones off ebay and they work like a mother#$#&*!
Dont know what brand....came in a little red box

 

[magicrat]

Irwin is good for groove pliers(for the price e specially) and vice grips.....After that I would avoid everything else they make.

 

[Lilsmokey]

Sounds like a problem I had with the craftsman ones, turned out to be user error on my part. They have to fit tight as in need to be tapped on so they bite. Sounds like the same thing if it just rounding off corners IMO.

 

[Lilsmokey]

Idk maybe you got a bad one, I had to beat the **** out of one and it still looks like I haven't used it. Anyway good luck that's all I got lol

 

[dogdog]

none of those sets worked for me..... maybe it's the design of these. and I have both the pro sets and regular sets from Craftman.... got lured by their commercial, so I collected both sets.... never performed as promised when I tried to used it....the griping edge were dulled out and stripping / shaving the bolt / nut to even more rounder without gripping anything, eventually it just won't even try to grip the bolt/nut at all. Maybe one should use these on bicycles only and not on cars.

 

[Jarhead0408]

I've fot the Craftsman versions. They're life savers IMO. However, I haven't had to use them on a hardened bolt yet. I don't think I would try it anyways.

 

[Plutal]

I paid $50 for my set. Australian pricing and needed it to get my car back on the road. The 17mm worked flawlessly. Have reached for it twice since and it has done the job both times which is better than reaching for the grinder
I have a vendetta against irwin driver bits, maybe the china factory they source them from also make cheese. Their pliers are okay.

 

[colin39]

I bought the snappy/blue point ones , but only use then on locking wheel nuts. Ive nwver reached for this sort of thing to remove rounder nuts or bolts , id heat the surrounding area or nut head and expand it and use a decent socket

 

[colin39]

Sounds the same as our transits, yes i have to agree , all exept smashing the disc/rota to peices to get in there ya kinda stuffed. :-(

 

[WhiffySpark]

You can hear it..

And if the extractors are spinning you're doing it wrong.

 

[coralnut]

> if the extractors are spinning you're doing it wrong.

that, or the extractor just yields when it goes up against a bolt that's made out of harder steel than it is.

 

[Lobo74]

Bought the craftsman set because I couldn't break a bleeder during a brake change. Extractor stripped on the first try. I would say they ****.

 

[bobcatdan]

I have those style sockets and they work slicker then snot. I bet 90% of the time they take out the bolt the first try. 9% of they time I may have to play around with sizes to get one to bite. 1% of the time they can't. I'm thinking operator error.

 

[WhiffySpark]

I've never had an issue. They do make both metric and standard extractors. If you got the wrong one it ain't going to work.

And you can heat it. If you're doing all this work why not replace the bearings and rotors?

 

[rapid robert]

I have used them with success when changing exhaust manifolds on a 99 f150 5.4. These motors had a problem with the studs that hold the manifold to the aluminum head actually rusting so badly they would break when heated up by the engine running then the manifold would warp. Anyway I was able to get all of the remaining bolts loose using an Irwin set, which saved me from having to pull the top of the motor apart.

 

[Buckgnarly]

I have those style sockets and they work slicker then snot. I bet 90% of the time they take out the bolt the first try. 9% of they time I may have to play around with sizes to get one to bite. 1% of the time they can't. I'm thinking operator error.

X2 They have saved my *** so many times, no way I could do without them. If you do not seat them (hammer them on) and go at it with an impact I could see how they would just spin. They also have a limit as to what they can do....welder, oxy, and miniductor take care or help with the real trouble stuff.

 

[shockwave]

I use these all the time they are great removing mcguard style wheel locks when customers either loose key or broken keys

 

[Strouty]

I don't think you used the right size. You pick one that barely fits and then slap it with a hammer a couple times, it will grip anything that will come off. If they are used properly, you should have good results.

Also WTF is up with all these crazy posts, you need to learn a bit about this forum before you get banned (again?).

 

[MrGiggles]

Zipping through the bolt heads with a torch won't get the hub near hot enough to hurt anything.

 

[bcradio]

tl;dr

 

[ChevyEFI]

My experience with the Craftsman versions is they work great on knock sensor remnants if one that's too small is pounded on. They're not going to be harder than everything else, nor perfect for all extraction jobs. Sounds like you found a job where another tool would be better. Yep, broken bolt removal is like that; move onto the next thing, skip the crying.

 

[03protege]

I tried using them on some Grade 10 bolts on my Chevy and they didn't help at all. In fact, they took a workable 15mm hex flange bolt and turned it into a 14mm round head, stripping off the corners to make the bolt un-extractable. Now the head it has to be taken off with an acetylene cutting torch.

I thought these were to only be used on rounded out fasteners?

If you had a "workable" hex to begin with I think you were a little too eager to try out the new tool (I've been there and done that )

 

[Ign]

I used them to get a broken water pump stud out of a SBF. Everything after that they've failed, but the one time they worked was worth the price of admission (at the Sears sale price).

 

[graffix000]

none of those sets worked for me..... maybe it's the design of these. and I have both the pro sets and regular sets from Craftman.... got lured by their commercial, so I collected both sets.... never performed as promised when I tried to used it....the griping edge were dulled out and stripping / shaving the bolt / nut to even more rounder without gripping anything, eventually it just won't even try to grip the bolt/nut at all. Maybe one should use these on bicycles only and not on cars.

I have the craftsman ones as well and glad that I only spent $10 on the set as they haven't ever worked for me. I watched youtube vids on them prior to using and had no luck. They are in my useless tool pile now.

 

[PugetDude]

I purchased an Irwin "Bolt-Grip" set of bolt-extractors with the box:.... I got mine for $20 at Amazon.

Did the shipment packaging meet your expectations?
That's more important than whether they worked or not.

 

[chadster1]

If the bolt is rusted in place, no extractor will remove them. Sounds to me like a case of using the wrong tool for the job.

 

[owenst7]

I used my craftsman set to remove 12 class 12.9 (grade 9) socket head cap screws (perfectly round from the factory) that held on Jetta half shafts (very limited access) because I didn't want to buy a triple square bit. They were only like 50 ft-lbs, but had thread locker on them. Bolt-outs worked perfectly, but I had to use a small one and really hammer it on there.

If a hex head rounds off with a good socket on it correctly, I'd suspect that the thread diameter would snap anyway. At least that's what I've seen on GMT 400 unit bearings in Alaska.

BTW, suburbans have 2500 knuckles/wheel bearings. They didn't make a 3500 suburban.

I'd just get a whole knuckle assembly from the junkyard and do the bal l joints while you're there. The uppers are terrible on the gmt400s anyway because the seal doesn't work properly.

 

[Finky198]

As people have stated before in other thread if you can weld a nut that's your best option it's not always possible but when it is works It works perfectly

Giving it a buzz with an air hammer and rivet set will sometime loosen it. It's not just the tools you have it's how you use them I had the bolt grip for few years as well as 10 other types of extractors I never had an issue in years

 

[finn]

Worked great for me, both the Craftsman labled and Irwin labled tools.

Slap them with a ball pien hammer and go at it.

If they don't grip, you are using the wrong size extractor, or maybe lack manual dexterity skills (???)

 

[kythri]

I'ved used my Craftsman-branded ones a number of times, and they've always worked great.

 

[LB-1911]

Irwin essentially makes these things for Sears, but the Irwin branded product carries a lifetime exchange warranty while the Craftsman bolt-grips are considered a consumable item and come with no warranty.

AJ Manufacturing Co., Inc. in Elmhurst Illinois is the OEM for the Sears/Craftsman branded versions not Irwin.

http://www.ajmanufacturing.com/

I won't belabor the fact you were using the wrong tool for the job.