Power Zip
9/10

This is a bit of a leftfield choice for such a high rating but it has a smooth and helpful UI and although it comes with a price tag, that is balanced somewhat by the lovely Windows integration that makes it super quick to use!

Powerzip unfortunately it loses a point a) for its $20 price and b) for its lack of 7z support.

It is easy to set up, for single zips its even quicker and easier than the well integrated Winzip, 7Zip or Winrar. Do please be aware that I've only tested the trial version so I don't know from personal experience how good their support is for paying customers, this is only an assessment of my experience of the demo program!

 

Setting Up Power Zip
Once you have downloaded Power Zip, double click on the install file to start the installation process. The setup is fairly easy, follow the on-screen instructions but watch out for this screen:- 

Here its strongly recommended that you check the Windows Explorer Right Click Menu option because that is really the core function that makes this program so useful and easy. Its up to you of course whether or not you want to include the shortcuts!

You also get the option to associate the program with different file types, I would strongly recommend making sure it is associated with rar files as well as zips. If you overlook this you can alter it afterwards by running the program, select the File Menu and choose Settings - in the System tab you can choose the file type associations.

In the General settings you can set the program to remember your commonly chosen folders so if you are using Powerzip to open zips in one folder to routinely extract zip contents to a different folder it'll save you time by remembering that folder location - simply use the browse button (...) to pick the folder you want it to default to.

 

Using Power Zip
Once Powerzip is set up simply right click on the zip you want to open and select the green extract button from the right-click menu itself. Unlike most of the other zip clients the Windows integration puts the extract, extract to folder and create zip options directly in the right-click menu rather than a seperate sub-menu.

To extract multiple files drag a selection box around the files you want to open, right click and choose Unzip and it will extract them into the folder you're currently in. To extract them somewhere else choose 'Unzip to...' and it'll open Powerzip  so you can choose a location to put the files. 

If as suggested you set this up to default to your Downloads folder then this should take no time at all :)

 

Get Support for Power Zip
For help and support for Powerzip please go to the Powerzip Frequently Asked Questions Site - for additional support you can contact them directly via the Support page:-

http://www.powerzip.biz/Support.aspx

If your question is not covered there or you have additional problems using Powerzip please contact their support service - we cannot provide technical support for Powerzip as we did not create the program.