Atwood Tool

T.A.C.

T.A.C.

Joined
May 25, 2001
Messages
1,119
I don't know if I am in the right place. I just found out about a "Spannerbaby"
tool that Atwood Tool makes for Strider Knives. I went to the web page but I don't think he makes them any longer. Can they be found elsewhere? They look kinda cool, and he does nice work, although I don't see anything else being offered. Thanks for your help in advance. TC
 
Atwood makes all his stuff by hand in batches -- a batch of Prybabies this time, a batch of other tools another time...

I suggest you email him and see if he can either put you on a 'wait list' or contact you when he next makes some Spannerbabies. He keeps his Web site up to date with his latest production so you could just check it regularly. Finally, you might find a Spannerbaby come up for sale on one of the forums occasionally. Good luck!
 
The biggest bastion of Atwood fans appears to hang out over at edcforums.com. They have a buy/sell/trade area and his stuff appears regularly.

Good luck!
 
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Not to offend anyone on these boards, but I really don't get all the hype behind these tools. They seem really expensive to me, considering what you're getting. Also, many designs don't strike me as very useful. Maybe some Atwood fans will sound off. What is it about them that makes them so cultishly special? I'd really like to know!
 
I'm not a 'mega' Atwood fan - I've owned a Keyton and a Prybaby XL 'mini' - and, for my own uses, yes, other tools could (have) done the job (for example, my current EDC prytool is the mini prybar from CountyComm, which costs about 1/8 what the typical Atwood tool costs).

Still, some folks use their tools hard and the premium steels and titanium alloys Atwood uses come in handy - I recall several carpenters and other construction types on another forum mentioning how often they have a need for a pocket-size prybar.

But, yes -- I suppose most people don't "need" an Atwood tool any more than I "need" a stockpile of 32 SAKs. :)
 
I'm not disputing that they may be useful to the right person, it just seems like they cost an awful lot for what you get. You mentioned the CountyComm prybars and I think that's an excellent example. Those things go for a comparative song. Also, while I appreciate good materials like titanium as much as the next guy, here in Canada, unformed stock goes for about 8 dollars a pound, so it's not as exclusive as some might believe. I'm just trying to understand this better. My hat goes off to Atwood though, he's made a nice business for himself and appears to charge healthy margins for his products.
 
I like the design of the Crawdaddy (thought I don't own one). I think a double ended wrench of similar design (one side Inch and the other Metric) would be awesome. The price does seem high though.
 
somniloquist said:
Not to offend anyone on these boards, but I really don't get all the hype behind these tools. They seem really expensive to me, considering what you're getting. Also, many designs don't strike me as very useful. Maybe some Atwood fans will sound off. What is it about them that makes them so cultishly special? I'd really like to know!
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I agree with you, it seems weird. But look what clever marketing has done for very impractical cars, motorcycles and other items that have little real use but have a "neat" factor about them. Sometimes you can make a good deal of money selling something that is highly hyped. You just have to create a persieved need. Like the hollow handle survival knife craze started by a movie.
 
I have found a lot of uses for my prybaby. Also, don't discount the neato factor. I don't have other stuff by him, but I think its pretty neat, well made by hand and useful. Of course, its the nature of custom work that it will be more expensive, even if its not "better" in some way that mass produced goods.

My economy victorinox soldier that I got for 10 bucks cuts just about everything that a custom hand finished folder will do, but they both are good.
 
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