Cool old snap-on speeder wrenches --

[goodfellow]

What did the world look like before "gearwrench" type ratchet and box wrenches. Well, there were the old bulky and coarse laminate box wrenches, but they were not very handy, nor fast in certain "tight spot" situations.

Here is a set of early 70's Snap-on "Speed Wrenches". Although they don't look anything near "speedy", with a lot of practice, these things could zip off a fastener in short order. This set was sold for many years. I still prefer them to the bulky laminates, and in certain situations, to my Gearwrench sets as well.

Many "Oldtimers" will remember these things fondly. I don't see them that often on e-bay, so I'm not sure whether they are collectible, or just relegated to niche status by tool collectors.

[mrchuck]

I have a bunch of them,,,however I don't use them.
I favor box end wrenches as they don't slip off.

[J.A.F.E.]

I have the same set and I like it quite a lot. I only regret they were not made in metric.  I have seen the odd one at the swaps but never a set. Snap-on made the speeder OE in several patterns including a fitting wrench end on one end.

There is a bit of a learning curve but I actually like them better than the GW setups.

[snapmom]

A BP set.

[strik9]

I made my own out of cheaper DOE in metrics.  Just to be able to use them in the real world.

They do work once the bolt is a bit loose.  Not good for work but at home they are ok. 

Unless you really find them useful do not sacrifice good wrenches to make them.