Today there was a big announcement from Ingersoll Rand — The PowerSocket is being relaunched in a variety of sizes!
If you aren’t already familiar with the PowerSocket, basically it is a standard impact socket with a unique ring attached — acting as a flywheel — which dramatically increases the effective torque being applied to a fastener (up to 50%). More specifically, these are designed for situations where normal methods are very hard/impossible to complete with standard means.
The first thing that comes to mind would be the infamous “Honda Crank Bolt”. Anyone who has ever worked on a Honda already knows exactly what I am talking about, and as far as a consistent basis — the Honda Crank Bolt is the tightest fastener (regularly found) on any passenger vehicle. Normally unless you have a 3/4″ impact wrench — or a 1/2″ version with over 1,000 ft-lbs of torque, you are wasting your time. Most people get stuck doing it by hand, which involves 2 breaker bars, a jack stand, and normally 4-6′ of cheater pipe!
By increasing the mass of the socket (by adding the flywheel) much more torque is applied. This allows a 19mm PowerSocket (for example) to successfully “break free” a bolt, where a regular 19mm impact socket would fail. Think of it as swinging a small hammer at a nail….then swinging a sledgehammer at the same nail….You have not changed, but the hammer did & you will get a lot more work done with the same effort.
The sizes now available are :
- 17 mm
- 19 mm
- 21 mm
- 26 mm
- 27 mm
Previously we have reviewed the Lisle Honda Crank Bolt Socket (similar idea — more mass = more torque applied) with great success. Where a normal socket fails, the crank bolt socket is successful. Hopefully if these are popular, Ingersoll Rand will expand the lineup to cover all sizes in Metric & SAE!