Folding knife as a pry bar.

herisson said:
Between "trashing things" and walking around days in days out with "a complete toolbox", there is something called "skills" or "understanding (what you can and cannot do)". My grandpa used his small pocket folder for cutting, stabbing, piercing, scraping, drilling, reaming and it was always in mint condition. Not a high end item, mind you, but he had a lot of understanding. Get me right, I'm not telling you to do weird things with your knife. I'm just saying the problem is not in the knife, it's in you. If there is a problem at all...
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And it probably didn't even have a lock.
Back in the 80's when more people in my area had a knife (German slipjoint off course) that kind of use (what I mentioned before is abuse) was completely normal.
 
Using a knife as a pry bar is like using a weedeater to mow the lawn. Sure, it can be done, but in the long run its a waste of your time, energy and money as well as looking like crap when you are done. Right tool for the right job as others have stated.
 
Planterz said:
Good. You have proper understanding of using the right tool for the right job. The properties that make a knife a good knife are contrary to the properties that make a prying tool a good prying tool.
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K.O.D. said:
Using a knife as a pry bar is like using a weedeater to mow the lawn. Sure, it can be done, but in the long run its a waste of your time, energy and money as well as looking like crap when you are done. Right tool for the right job as others have stated.
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I agree wholeheartedly with these posts. When I need to pry something, I'll use a dedicated pry tool.
 
What I said : your pocket knife is your best friend. It sits there, waiting to help. Use it everytime and anywhere you think it fits the use. The key, here, is YOU, of course...
 
1Hiker2 said:
If you have to pry something and all you have is a folder, I have.
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If your only tool is the knife and you must pry something, then you use the knife. People carry fire steels, that's not using the knife as a cutting tool. I read a story one time about someone that got locked in a mine at the end of the workday, his options were to pry the door open with his knife or spend the night in the mine, so he pried the door open with his knife.

When I worked in a garage I would pry anything and everything with my knife because it kept me from having to walk a long way back to my toolbox when I was away from the building, and I never broke a blade. Sometimes you have to pry the lid off of something, open a wire connector, any number of a million different things. Just because we are using the "p" word doesn't mean we are prying an intake manifold off of an old V8 engine (although maybe I've done that before). Some of these activities aren't recommended with your basic Spyderco Military or Case Peanut, but can be done pretty well with beefier knives. It's your knife, use your own judgement.
 
I agree with those who say-

1. It's MY knife and I'll use it any way I want.

2. I'll use a knife to pry with if it's the only tool I have with me and if I think it can handle the job.

3. All "prying" is not the same (for example- prying up a staple from a board is quite different from prying apart a couple of 2x4's that have been nailed together).

I would also add that not all folding knives are equal. Some are VERY tough and can easily handle light to moderate prying.

On a side note- I always find it amusing (and a bit disheartening as well) that there are people on this forum who feel the need to tell other people that what THEY are doing with THEIR knives is wrong. How YOU choose to use YOUR knife is YOUR business, and you are certainly entitled to express your opinion regarding what a knife should be used for, but that's all it is- YOUR OPINION. And having an opinion, no matter how strongly you believe in it, doesn't make you right, nor does it make you any kind of authority or expert in the knife-world, nor does it give you the right to criticize others for how THEY choose to use THEIR knives.

But I know, this is the internet. And there are a lot of people on the internet who desperately need to feel superior to other people. And in the knife-world, one way to feel "superior" is to proclaim "You people are using your knives all wrong, you don't know what a knife is for. I know best and I always use a knife for it's intended purpose". I say- get over yourselves.
 
Do what you like with your knife knowing that there will be an associated cost in case of failures. Most manufacturers do not cover repair if you use your knife as a batton, screwdriver, prybar, chisel or punch.

If you're in such a habit that the blade is prone to breaking then you should probably go with a company that replaces the blade for a reasonable fee.

For instance, Kershaw & Zero Tolerance will replace your broken blade for $30 (it'll also cost you shipping fee to Oregon) unless it's a manufacturing defect in which case there's no charge.
 
i pry (as well as scrape) ALL THE TIME with a folder...and not a "beater" folder either (currently xm-18 or SMF)...if i damage one, so be it; i know it's a possibility...

these folders, they gotta work for me...i don't buy them to play with...
 
killgar said:
I agree with those who say-

1. It's MY knife and I'll use it any way I want.

2. I'll use a knife to pry with if it's the only tool I have with me and if I think it can handle the job.

3. All "prying" is not the same (for example- prying up a staple from a board is quite different from prying apart a couple of 2x4's that have been nailed together).

I would also add that not all folding knives are equal. Some are VERY tough and can easily handle light to moderate prying.

On a side note- I always find it amusing (and a bit disheartening as well) that there are people on this forum who feel the need to tell other people that what THEY are doing with THEIR knives is wrong. How YOU choose to use YOUR knife is YOUR business, and you are certainly entitled to express your opinion regarding what a knife should be used for, but that's all it is- YOUR OPINION. And having an opinion, no matter how strongly you believe in it, doesn't make you right, nor does it make you any kind of authority or expert in the knife-world, nor does it give you the right to criticize others for how THEY choose to use THEIR knives.

But I know, this is the internet. And there are a lot of people on the internet who desperately need to feel superior to other people. And in the knife-world, one way to feel "superior" is to proclaim "You people are using your knives all wrong, you don't know what a knife is for. I know best and I always use a knife for it's intended purpose". I say- get over yourselves.
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I feel the need to tell you that if you abuse your knife, most manufacturers will (justifiably) refuse to repair or replace the knife for free.

I also think that if you're carrying a knife, there's no reason why you can't carry an inexpensive, lightweight pocket prybar and a MT, too.

But, I get it. Plenty of people hate carrying things (which leads to them being unprepared) and like to free up pocket and bag space. Just don't cry about how you think your knife sucks because it broke doing something it was never designed to do.
 
Kwon Kwang said:
I feel the need to tell you that if you abuse your knife, most manufacturers will (justifiably) refuse to repair or replace the knife for free.
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I feel that it is the responsibility of any potential knife buyer (or the buyer of ANYTHING) to know the warranty/repair policy of the company that they are considering buying from, and how such a warranty will specifically apply to their purchase and how they use it. If people don't do this, then I have no sympathy for them if they wind up with a damaged knife that the manufacturer refuses to repair or replace. Nor do I have any sympathy for people who damage their knives because they used them for things that they were never designed for. As always, user beware.

I also think that if you're carrying a knife, there's no reason why you can't carry an inexpensive, lightweight pocket prybar and a MT, too.
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If I expected to do any prying I would carry a tool specifically made for prying. But I personally don't need a prying tool on a frequent enough basis to do this. When I need to pry, my knife is my absolute last resort.

Just don't cry about how you think your knife sucks because it broke doing something it was never designed to do.
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I agree with this 100%.
 
When it comes to prying, I'd rather use my teeth than bust a good blade. Haven't broken a blade or a tooth yet.
 
pilote said:
i pry (as well as scrape) ALL THE TIME with a folder...and not a "beater" folder either (currently xm-18 or SMF)...if i damage one, so be it; i know it's a possibility...

these folders, they gotta work for me...i don't buy them to play with...
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What are you prying open?
 
killgar said:
I feel that it is the responsibility of any potential knife buyer (or the buyer of ANYTHING) to know the warranty/repair policy of the company that they are considering buying from, and how such a warranty will specifically apply to their purchase and how they use it. If people don't do this, then I have no sympathy for them if they wind up with a damaged knife that the manufacturer refuses to repair or replace. Nor do I have any sympathy for people who damage their knives because they used them for things that they were never designed for. As always, user beware.

If I expected to do any prying I would carry a tool specifically made for prying. But I personally don't need a prying tool on a frequent enough basis to do this. When I need to pry, my knife is my absolute last resort.

I agree with this 100%.
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Fair enough. Looks like our opinions aren't so far off, after all. :thumbup:
 
Put one or both of these on your keyring and you won't ever break a knife blade again. The Sear's keychain screw driver is all of .99 cents at your local Sear's. It screws, prys, scrapes, and handles flat and phillips. The P-38 GI can opener does the same thing, and is about a buck at the surplus store. It opens cas as well as pry screw, and scrape. Isn't your knife worth .99 cents of tool to safeguard?

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the kid said:
Bit upset I can do things with my $12 knife you dare not do with your $120 knife?
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I pry with my PM2. I just understand the tolerances of each knife I use, and try to confine it to light prying with the widest part of the blade. I also carry a Leatherman Wave that is my preferred tool on hand for nastier work. I actually snapped off the file because I was doing some prying when I knew better than to use that particular tool.

In short, I use my knives for anything and everything within their limitations.
 
if you will do any prying, i'd look into the 916 triage with the blunt tip. it is specifically crafted for prying
 
i don't think i've ever tried to pry anything with a knife. :confused: if i needed or need to pry something even small, there's always a flathead screwdriver not too far away.
 
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