A Screw Extraction Tool In A Bottle: EZ Grip Friction Drops
By Benjamen Johnson
The next time you’re struggling to remove a screw with a damaged head, instead of reaching for a screw extractor, you might want to give EZ Grip Friction Drops a try. The manufacturer claims that one drop on the damaged screw head will increase the gripping force enough to remove the problem screw. Their secret? Thousands of hardened aluminum cubes suspended in a carrying agent give EZ Grip Friction Drops gripping power. The aluminum cubes “provide a temporary bridge between the tool and stressed fastener heads.”
EZ Grip Friction Drops come in three different grades: commercial, aircraft, and marine. In the commercial and aircraft grade drops, the aluminum cubes are suspended in a non-toxic, food-grade antifreeze. The aircraft grade meets five different ATSM and Miltary standard tests. In the marine grade, the hardened aluminum cubes are suspended in a blend of non-toxic oils instead of antifreeze.
One 3oz bottle of the commercial grade EZ Grip runs $17 directly from Holt International. If you need either the aircraft grade or the marine grade, they’re more expensive at $19 and $20 respectively. And if you really like the stuff, you can plunk down about $200 for a case of 12 bottles.
EZ Grip Friction Drops [Manufacturer]
Street Pricing [Google Products]
December 5th, 2007 at 1:33 pm
Gee, I thought that’s what they made valve lapping compound for.
December 5th, 2007 at 3:13 pm
Here’s a cheaper solution:
1) spit on the end of your screwdriver
2) dip tip in the abrasive dust under your bench grinder
3) remove screw
December 5th, 2007 at 4:34 pm
Hey Nick, does that actually work?
It would be interesting to compare EZ grip to other methods, put that on the Ginormus list of things I would like to do.
December 5th, 2007 at 6:24 pm
This type of product has been around for a while. I tried some in the early 90s and ended up using an EZ-Out after it failed. When woorked in a tool repair shop and we were forever stripping out Phillips heads, we just drilled the heads, finished disassembling the tool and took out the remains with vicegrips.
December 6th, 2007 at 1:10 am
Yup, I use that (admittedly disgusting) trick on every hard to remove screw I come across.
December 6th, 2007 at 10:22 am
I have use this product on Military Aircraft and it is awsome. EZ Grip not only works but is a time saver. I would recommend to anyone! IT WORKS!
December 7th, 2007 at 8:41 am
Been using it occasionally for years, and still on my first bottle. The little bottle is a lot more portable than a bench grinder.
December 7th, 2007 at 9:39 am
Dang, now I have to save my bench grinder dust?! Great tip Nick!