Atwood Prybaby - should I get S30V or titanium?

If I understand the discussion then S30v is the preferred metal with the round ended bug out bars (intended for hammering as opposed to the bars with the screw driver end)? :confused:
 
I have an S30V one on my keychain. I've pried a lot with it, it's held up. I put a tiny chip in it when trying to unscrew something that it didn't really fit, otherwise it just has cosmetic scratches. It's a good tool.
 
the question is to go for S30V OR Ti.

Thank you to all the Armchair Service Specialist's for chiming in. Any of you guys have one of Peter's creations yet?

Ti is lightweight, and it gets cool colors, and is highly corrosion resistant.

S30V is a highly stain resistant steel, and is quite strong. I have a Bugout Bar from Peter and the workmanship is exceptionally good, and I thought the price was fair for something useful, unique and visually attractive.

I would recommend the Prybaby in S30V, unless you are a Ti head, in which case, why ask the question to start with?

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
metallicat said:
... S30v is the preferred metal with the round ended bug out bars (intended for hammering ...
Click to expand...
If by hammering you mean taking a framing hammer and hitting it, then get the Ti as the S30V one is too likely to crack with extended use. If you mean light pops with a finishing hammer then the S30V one will stand up fine, so will the Ti one of course assuming it is a decently hard alloy like Missions, so of course would just about any steel.

Kohai999 said:
Any of you guys have one of Peter's creations yet?
Click to expand...
No, however I have used S30V and Ti for hammering and prying, as well as lots of other steels. If I was to get something like the above tool made for functionality it would be out of a simple carbon steel.

-Cliff
 
If you're doing lots of serious high leverage prying and hammering with a tool that is 3"x1" then you've chosen the wrong tool for the job (again), in my opinion.
 
You are if it is made out of S30V, if it is a carbon tool steel, spring steel, or shock steel, you can hammer on it all you want. Lots of tools are that size and are seriously pounded on, spike sets for example. The reason you get min-versions made is that you can carry them on you at all times, not because they are the optimal choice for the job. You don't always have a full tool box on you.

That being said, I don't see a problem with that tool in S30V, it is simply too small for the brittle nature of S30V to be a factor, it is not like you can exert a serious torque given its length, there just is no advantage to S30V either. It would be like getting it made in high end pattern damascus, fine if you have the money, but hard to argue function over a plain carbon steel.

-Cliff
 
For owners- how does the pry baby compare to small prying with a multi tool or SAK screw driver?
 
Martin,
All I can say is much better. I've found that my SAK's to have rounded corners that just don't get the same bite as my Prybaby's do. But my Multi tools do have nice sharpedges, but they have a pivot and I'd reather not mess up the tight tolerances.

As too the topic of this post. I perfer the S30V, it's a little heavier but more wear resistance. I've gone though too many bottle openers opening those dame Sam Adams caps. I havn't see any rust, but I carry mine everyday so it at least has oil from my hands. I have thought about getting a Ti one, but why replace what's working... Let us know what you decide.
 
martin j said:
For owners- how does the pry baby compare to small prying with a multi tool or SAK screw driver?
Click to expand...


No comparison. They both might work for light prying, but you'll bust the screwdrivers on the multitools or the SAK if you try to torque them as much as you can for the prybaby. I'm a bit biased, cause I really like my prybaby. But just on sheer thickness, the multitool and SAK are not designed for heavier prying like the prybaby. Of course, my prybaby probably weighs about the same as my sportsman II sak, so you get what you get.
 
Shann said:
...but you'll bust the screwdrivers on the multitools or the SAK if you try to torque them as much as you can for the prybaby.
Click to expand...
It isn't trivial to crack the tools on a Leatherman. I broke the jaws on mine awhile ago and just cracked the medium and large screwdriver in a piece of spruce. It isn't easy to do just by twisting your wrist, I leaned down into it, the medium one broke at about 50 lbs towards the end of the handle and the large one at around 75 lbs. They flex signifiantly before they break and they take a large visible permanent set before they break.

Those pounds produce decent torques due to the size of the leatherman handle which allows *much* greater leverage which is why it would be far easier to break. The prybar is much smaller and it would be difficult to apply a large torque because you are essentially pinch or partial gripping it as the whole thing is only 3" long.

Not to argue that you could not break leatherman tools prying, but if you did, replicating the same torques on a prybaby would be very difficult, you are talking about having to apply 2-3 times the force I noted in the above due to the leverage difference.

-Cliff
 
Cliff Stamp said:
It isn't trivial to crack the tools on a Leatherman. I broke the jaws on mine awhile ago and just cracked the medium and large screwdriver in a piece of spruce. It isn't easy to do just by twisting your wrist, I leaned down into it, the medium one broke at about 50 lbs towards the end of the handle and the large one at around 75 lbs. They flex signifiantly before they break and they take a large visible permanent set before they break.

Those pounds produce decent torques due to the size of the leatherman handle which allows *much* greater leverage which is why it would be far easier to break. The prybar is much smaller and it would be difficult to apply a large torque because you are essentially pinch or partial gripping it as the whole thing is only 3" long.

Not to argue that you could not break leatherman tools prying, but if you did, replicating the same torques on a prybaby would be very difficult, you are talking about having to apply 2-3 times the force I noted in the above due to the leverage difference.

-Cliff
Click to expand...

Well, thanks for correcting me, but I didn't say it was a trivial matter to bust the tools on a leatherman. :confused:
 
What I was trying to say was, though S30V is a good cutlery steel, pry bars ain't cutlery and I want something optimised for prying.
 
GarageBoy said:
What I was trying to say was, though S30V is a good cutlery steel, pry bars ain't cutlery and I want something optimised for prying.
Click to expand...
This is probably a good idea but I'm not sure it matters all that much in a prybaby. This is a small object, I'd be surprised if, in most circumstances, you will break the S30V model.

So far mine has removed a nail from some wood, opened the blades in my new Swiss Tool which are a little stiff, dug some stones out of my shoe, screwed the tap back on the shower and levered open the back of my mobile phone.

These things would hardly be descibed as hard use but I think they typify the sorts of everyday things people might use them for. If I wanted to pry open the door of a safe or something I'd certainly be going for the heavy duty pry bar.

I'm not saying you won't break one, but I think any good quality steel would work quite well in them.
 
Couldn't someone just buy a Stanley Wonderbar II and cut it down to size?
Sand down the edges and use a ball chain in the nail pull hole. Less than $10 and an hour's time for something just as handy.
 
gajinoz said:
So far mine has removed a nail from some wood, opened the blades in my new Swiss Tool which are a little stiff, dug some stones out of my shoe, screwed the tap back on the shower and levered open the back of my mobile phone.

These things would hardly be descibed as hard use but I think they typify the sorts of everyday things people might use them for. If I wanted to pry open the door of a safe or something I'd certainly be going for the heavy duty pry bar.

I'm not saying you won't break one, but I think any good quality steel would work quite well in them.
Click to expand...

I think you hit it right on the nail Gajinoz (pun intended :D ). Those are all tasks that in the absence of a Prybaby, a typical Bladeforumite would use the tip of a knife. Preferably an expensive, hard to replace knife. :rolleyes:

I currently carry a cheap pocketwrench for the same reason. However, being a typical Bladeforumite, I'll have to upgrade to a Prybaby soon. :D I mean let's face it: S30V or Ti strike a sensitive chord with us. :D

Guy
 
gajinoz said:
I'd be surprised if, in most circumstances, you will break the S30V model.
Click to expand...
Outside of hitting it with a hammer, I would be surprised as well because it is so small it would be hard to load it significantly.

The arguement is though, why use a steel which is optomized with the wrong set of properties. S30V has a high wear resistance and low ductility / impact toughness.

420HC is tougher, more ductile and has better corrosion resistance and would be cheaper. Who needs wear resistance in a pry bar, can opener, screwdrivew?

Clint Simpson said:
Couldn't someone just buy a Stanley Wonderbar II and cut it down to size?
Click to expand...
Buy a small Spyderco, use it to pry with until it breaks off, and then shape it into a screwdriver point and have a knife edge and a decent handle as well.

The problem with this though is that considering how many people don't even sharpen their knives is it reasonable to expect them to do any reshaping.

Plus the wonderbar isn't in S30V or Ti, so it doesn't have that high-speed operator appeal, and the prybaby is another neat key ring gadget.

-Cliff
 
Cliff Stamp said:
The arguement is though, why use a steel which is optomized with the wrong set of properties. S30V has a high wear resistance and low ductility / impact toughness.
Click to expand...
Actually, the original question was which version, (S30V or Ti), should the person buy. Since they are only made in those two versions currently, arguing that they should be in XYZ steel is, technically, out of scope.

Cliff Stamp said:
Plus the wonderbar isn't in S30V or Ti, so it doesn't have that high-speed operator appeal, and the prybaby is another neat key ring gadget.

-Cliff
Click to expand...
Ahh yes, I knew I only bought the thing so people would think me a high-speed operator. :rolleyes:

How does that comment add to any objective assessment of the tool?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top