I am a huge fan of nut drives and extractors. I honestly think of all of the advances we’ve seen in drill and impact bits that this may be my favorite. While I could talk about an abundance of different uses, today we’re going to talk about an innovation straight from the team over at Crescent Tools. What makes these special? Read on to find out in the Crescent Bolt Biter Review.

About the Tool

Crescent Bolt Biter Review

Ever have a stripped bolt? Or maybe you’ve run into the occasion where something gets bent and damaged, making removing the damaged fastener with a standard socket almost impossible. I wish I could say I haven’t been there, but I definitely have. In fact, I am fairly certain that watching my Dad argue with them as a child taught me all the best in colorful language.

The truth is though, it’s a straight-up hassle, and everyone who has been there gets that. Rather than stick to the status quo and allow users to fight that fight, manufacturers aim to tackle the daily hassles, which is exactly what the Team at Crescent decided to do here. Crescent’s Bolt Biters have a few new innovative features designed purely to make the removal or tightening of nuts and bolts a breeze, even if they aren’t in perfect condition.

Standout Features

Crescent Bolt Biter Review

A tapered interior allows the driver to easily grasp fasteners, no matter how much wear or damage they have seen. 

A bi-Directional design is meant to allow for both tightening and removal of fasteners.

¼ inch Hex Shank provides quick and easy insertion into standard Drills and Impact Drivers.

Laser Etched markings on Black oxide coating ensure easy visibility and extended life and protection.

Where to Find Them

Crescent Bolt Biter Review

You can find the 5 Piece Set of Crescent Bolt Biters at Lowes for $22.98

My Thoughts

Crescent Bolt Biter Review

I will be completely honest, these drivers sat in my “to look at” drawer for a few weeks before I really had a task that would really give me a good indication of how they performed. Now- don’t get me wrong, I use drivers, sockets, and hand tools of all kinds daily, but I wanted to make sure I had tried alternatives on a task without success before I pulled these into the mix.

What makes these drivers different than others is their ability to grasp fasteners that others couldn’t. Specifically, if you have a bolt, you remove periodically for tool maintenance, say a bolt on a shop tool, you know that at some point, you will see them round out a bit. If you’re like me, you’re awesome at continuing to use a partially damaged fastener and swearing you’ll replace it “next” time just to repeat the cycle.

Like murphy’s law, it’s always the times you really need to get something done or are in a rush, that you realize you may have pushed that fastener a bit too far, and now you’re bringing in multiple wrenches, pliers, and power tools just to remove that fastener. It happens, at least, I know it does for me!

Crescents Bolt Biter Nut Drivers are designed to grasp fasteners where they are, not necessarily where they were. Rather than relying on the minimal tolerances of standard drivers to grasp a fastener no matter the condition, Crescent designed these with rounded breaks to allow for some give on a fastener’s edges. As well, the tapered entry provides a much better grasp on damaged fasteners vs a flush interior edge. Now- you can obviously use these Drivers on new fasteners too, so they aren’t just for the problem fasteners. This alone makes them well worth their cost. 

I strangely love that the Bolt Biters also come packaged in several different ways, giving you the ability to customize them in your arsenal. I personally am a huge fan of their new cases, and the Bolt Biter’s strip allows you to easily insert them in Crescents Bit cases.

What you end up accomplishing with Crescent’s Bolt Biter Design is exactly what you hope for. The ability to move from standard sockets and drivers’ strict size tolerances to drive or remove a fastener is accomplished with ease. All in all, Crescent did what they wanted to with the Bolt Biters, and I for one am eager to see them offer more sizes in the future, and am glad to have them in my tool chest!