The most notable difference, of course, is that an air ratchet requires an air compressor the size of a Buick to power it. And then you can only use the ratchet within the radius of the air hose it's tethered with. The Power Wrench, on the other hand, requires just a few hours to charge the integral battery and then you can take it wherever the work is. And whenever the work is, for that matter. That's because lithium ion batteries don't bleed away their charge while they sit idle, or at least not as quickly as other rechargeable batteries. So on a single charge, the Power Wrench will wait patiently for up to 18 months for you to put it to work. Not that it's going to take you that long to find (or invent) projects for it.
Here's how I've used the Power Wrench so far. A little short of 101 uses, but I'm still working on that.
Knockdown Furniture
It's back-to-school time as I write this, and I've got a nephew beginning his freshman year at a state university about an hour from here. His folks recruited me and my truck to help move their budding scholar into his new dorm room. As always, I threw a selection of tools, including the Power Wrench, into the truck for the excursion.
Long story short, the young man had purchased several pieces of "knockdown" furniture (the type that's made to be assembled and disassembled easily) to furnish his new digs.
This is actually pretty solid stuff, and it's simple to understand how it goes together. The one downside is that it takes a lot of hex-head screws to hold these pieces together and the furniture company provides you with just one small hex key for all that assembly. It's doable, but I did hope to have a little bit of weekend left over by the time this project was complete.
Fortunately, my new Power Wrench came with a selection of bits, including the perfect hex-head bit, for this job. We had the furniture assembled and arranged in short order, on a single charge of the battery. Which was fortunate, considering I had forgotten the charger when I gathered up my tools. (Hey, I can't think of everything.)
License Plates
Just about two days after moving Joe College out of the house, I finally got around to trading my old truck in for a newer model. After securing the sale, the car salesman headed off to find a nut driver so he could move my license plates from the old vehicle to the new. So I busied myself moving tools and tie-down straps from one truck bed to another. By the time I'd finished, there was no sign of the car salesman or a nut driver. As luck would have it, the Power Wrench was still riding around with me, along with the bits and sockets it came with. So rather than wait for car guy to show up with the wrong size driver, I took it upon myself to switch the plates. The 5/16" socket, powered by my new wrench, spun the old bolts out easily, and then tightened the new ones down just as readily.
The salesman arrived just in time to see me finishing up and immediately wanted to see if he could make a deal for my Power Wrench. I told him he did pretty well to get my old truck and not to push his luck.
Boat Maintenance
Heading home from the car dealership, I was anxious to see how well my new truck would tow my fishing boat to my favorite lake. That's when it dawned on me that I still needed to remount my trolling motor on the bow of the boat. The motor had returned from the shop just a few days prior (don't ask), but I had yet to install it.
Now here's a little tip for you: if you ever run out of things to work on around the house, buy a bass boat. You'll immediately be up to your eyeballs in routine maintenance and repair jobs. Most of which involve removing and replacing stainless steel screws roughly as long as your forearm.
You know where I'm going with this, don't you? The Power Wrench, with a number Phillips driver bit had me ready for the water in no time.
Deck Railing
While I was fishing, the Power Wrench was recharging. So when the next weekend rolled around it was ready for a slightly more demanding job than I had put it to so far. And replacing a section of railing on my back deck seemed like a great opportunity to test the limits of the tool.
Driving lag screws into pressure-treated wood is no walk in the park, but as long as I drilled pilot holes, the Power Wrench, and a 9/16" socket, made the work go quickly.
And this is where the wrench really proved its versatility. You see, on its own, the Power Wrench will tighten nuts, bolts, and screws with up to 75 in-lbs of torque, which was plenty for the light duty jobs I'd use it for up to this point. But for a deck railing, bit more muscle is required. And in that case, the Power Wrench can be used in the manual mode (just like a regular ratchet) to apply up to 400 in.-lbs of torque, which is sufficient more jobs short of ship building.
Only 97 to Go
Clearly, there are a number of uses for the Skil Power Wrench. What I've shared are just a few of the jobs that convinced me this is viable, valuable tool for anyone who has things to assemble, disassemble, or repair. For just about $60, you get the wrench, charger, and a nice selection of bits and sockets that will handle most jobs. If I didn’t already have one, this tool would definitely be on my Christmas wish list!
And since I love a challenge, here are a few more uses for a Power Wrench to move me closer to that goal of 101.
• Remove a lawnmower blade for sharpening
• Assemble a backyard swing set
• Put together bicycles, wagons, and other kids' toys
• Install gate hinges
• Auto repair
• Assemble a barbeque grill
• Install chain-link fencing
• Replace or repair gutters and downspouts
• Mount a mailbox on the side of the house (just try getting in there with regular wrench or screwdriver!).
• Attach a handrail on interior stairways