The Spec Tools Powerbox, No. PBS1420 is a wrench attachment that converts 1/4” air or cordless ratchets to low-profile box wrench output. The head fits most 1/4” power ratchets with necks up to 1” diameter with a 1-1/2” minimum length. The Powerbox can be used to get into hard-to-reach areas, including over long-ended bolts, and for power driving pass-through type sockets already available in many manual kits on the market. The Powerbox includes a set of low-profile sockets, making it the thinnest power box wrench available, according to the company.
The review
Lou Fort, lead technician at K.A.R.S. Inc. in Huntingburg, Ind., reviewed Spec Tools’ Powerbox. He liked that he was able to use his own pass-through sockets with it. He says “all of my GearWrench sockets work with the Powerbox.” The Powerbox comes with a set of low-profile pass-through sockets ranging from 8mm to 14mm and 5/16” to 9/16”. He says, “The informative insert also lets you see how it fits onto a ratchet and lets us know that most of the popular pass-through sockets can be used with the tool.”
Fort also notes that attaching the Powerbox to ratchets is easy and “pretty straightforward. There is a metal strap that wraps around the neck of the ratchet and tightens down with a thumb screw.”
To set up the Powerbox, users must first find a 1/4” air or cordless ratchet it will fit onto, according to Fort. “The package claims it will fit most popular 1/4” ratchets with a 3/4” to 1” diameter neck.” He says, “of the four 1/4” air ratchets I own it only fit on one.” But, once Fort attached the power-driven ratchet using the box wrench conversion attachment, he says it is “no harder than selecting the socket size needed to tackle the task at hand.”
Fort used the Powerbox to on a 2005 Dodge R3500 to “run up the nuts that hold the transfer case to transmission” and on the “A/C lines at the condenser.” He also used it on upper shock mount nuts on a 2001 Ford Explorer and to run the bottom center bolt on the transmission for a 2006 Honda Civic. He says it kept him “from dropping the exhaust or trying to keep a gear wrench on it.”
As a suggestion to improve the tool, Fort would like to see additional length options as well as a 3/8” drive version. He also says that the clip that holds the socket in place needs to be stronger.
“The clip that holds the different sockets into the drive head isn’t strong enough to hold in place after use, most of the time. I had to remove the socket for the bolt or nut and re-insert it into the drive pretty much every time after tightening the fastener.” **
The other feature that Fort noticed is “once you use it you will try using it in places it just won’t go.” Although, Fort believes there to be a few drawbacks to the Powerbox, he says that they are easy to overlook due to its overall usefulness.
Fort gave the Powerbox an overall rating of nine out of 10, saying “this tool is very handy to have, if it held onto the sockets better a 10 rating would be easy to see.” He also notes that “time savings of the wrench conversion attachment will all depend on how and when it’s used. I ended up dedicating a ratchet for the attachment to maximize its usefulness and decrease several otherwise-tedious, time-consuming tasks.”
As a final statement, he adds, “now, if they really want to make a statement, I would be interested in an all-in-one air-powered box end ratchet wrench.”
** Spec Tools is aware of this feedback and is working on a solution.
