Hasta La Gadget!

Black & Decker’s ReadyWrench is like a full socket-set in one handheld spanner, although the marketing claim that it has 16 different socket sizes is a little misleading.

The handle has kind of bicycle fork at each end, only instead of a wheel, it has a four-way cross of sockets that spin into place. Each end has four different sizes and the handle can be tilted away and twisted as you work, allowing continuous turning in one direction, effectively working like a ratcheted handle.

And because those sockets are held from the sides, a bolt on a long shaft can actually fit through the hole, letting you get places you couldn’t with a regular socket-set. The only thing we don’t like is the claim to work at 16 sizes, when there are clearly only eight sockets. Black & Decker gets to this figure by assigning a metric and SAE size to each.

We guess that any serious mechanic will want to splash out on Snap Ons, but for a compact, take anywhere tool, this $30 wrench looks pretty good.

Product page [Black & Decker via Uncrate]