Design & DIY

Real Tool: It’s both a screwdriver and a wrench—meet the scrench

Photo by Daniel Ehrenworth

Ugly and cheap, but near-perfect in function, the scrench don’t get no respect. This genius screwdriver-wrench combo (officially a “chainsaw bar tool”) is nigh indestructible, fits in a pocket, and there’s usually one at every cottage. Yes, you can crack open a beer using a scrench. But its socket also loosens (and tightens!) chainsaw bar bolts and spark plugs.

And the slot screwdriver can adjust a chain tensioner, open the fuel or oil reservoir, and poke the seal on a jug of bar oil. When your bar gets gummed up, that same screwdriver will get into the groove so the chain rolls smoothly. All this from a tool you can get for about $10. You might not love a scrench’s looks, but you can’t fault its work ethic.

This article was originally published in the Spring ’26 issue of Cottage Life.

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