Folding knife as a pry bar.

I like to pry pits from fruit with a knife.

Occasionally, with a tool.. if it had an edge on it to slice the fruit.
 
Etna said:
Can't go wrong with this pry-bar:
4h5pjt.jpg

2iaub9e.jpg
Click to expand...

What knife is this? If decent quality, looks like something I might carry. Never know when I need to pop a beer or cut someone's clothes off... the first I do for fun when off work, and I regularly get paid to do the second.

(Professional Firefighter/Paramedic)
 
I have a Boker multi-tool that has a pry bar. Only way I'd ever use my blade as such is if it was an emergency situation. Doesn't mean I have not used my knives on occasion, to do hard tasks.
 
a sog trident clip point with a modified tip works as a folding pry bar knife..... if you use it to pry on wood or remove some thick staples
 
To be fair most modern knives are designed as folding sharpened pry bars...

Strider, Hinderer, several ZT models, anything that's ever been made by TOPS

Might as well use them for what their designed to do because they sure as heck can't cut.
 
155440 said:
To be fair most modern knives are designed as folding sharpened pry bars...

Strider, Hinderer, several ZT models, anything that's ever been made by TOPS

Might as well use them for what their designed to do because they sure as heck can't cut.
Click to expand...

Odd that I have knives from Strider, Hinderer, several ZT models and some knives from TOPS, yet I have used them all for cutting things.
I have even posted oodles of photos of them in use, and used them WAY more times without photographic evidence (because taking photos can get in the way of getting actual work done ;) ).

I really wish people could just say "I don't like those knives", rather than making up facts that aren't true about them.
 
Home Depot is the land of tools and yet I saw an employee use a Husky utility knife as a screwdriver. She was cutting some blinds to width and used her Husky to turn a Philips screw. This in a store that has hundreds of screwdrivers available. Not to mention the safety issue.
 
I pry heavy duty cat litter boxes to break them down when empty. Its a cut and pry process
 
I broke the tip off my benchmade afck prying a bullet out of a roof in north Philly years ago.Haven't used a knife as a prybar since,I carry a gerber shard cheap and works well.
 
stabman said:
Odd that I have knives from Strider, Hinderer, several ZT models and some knives from TOPS, yet I have used them all for cutting things.
I have even posted oodles of photos of them in use, and used them WAY more times without photographic evidence (because taking photos can get in the way of getting actual work done ;) ).

I really wish people could just say "I don't like those knives", rather than making up facts that aren't true about them.
Click to expand...

My post was intended to be satirical on some level. I don't actually believe that modern folders can't cut, I just think that a lot of knives are seriously overbuilt to the point where it negatively effects the cutting performance of the knife. I have a knife like that and it's great to know I can bang it around without issue, but It requires a lot more effort to push cut through cardboard just because it acts as a wedge.

There's definitely something to be said for a knife that can be used to pry, dig, stab and cut without worrying about damage. On the other side of that coin though is that some of the people who own these knives would be better off with a GEC for their cutting tasks.
 
^ It's not really satire though, or maybe it is, as a lot of the tool brands have been entering the knife market by way of offering its traditionally sold pry bars as modern utility knives.. with an edge.. just like the aforementioned knives.. but evolving from other purpose from mixed-purpose.

Like Robert's Utility knife, Irwin, Milwaukee, etc. And I'm pretty sure they sell well at Home Depot, better than say a substantial folder from a cutlery somewhere those can be found. They don't even need to be sharp to sell. Different purpose, right? Satire?

What used to be called a chisel.
 
wensynch said:
^ It's not really satire though, or maybe it is, as a lot of the tool brands have been entering the knife market by way of offering its traditionally sold pry bars as modern utility knives.. with an edge.. just like the aforementioned knives.. but evolving from other purpose from mixed-purpose.

Like Robert's Utility knife, Irwin, Milwaukee, etc. And I'm pretty sure they sell well at Home Depot, better than say a substantial folder from a cutlery somewhere those can be found. They don't even need to be sharp to sell. Different purpose, right? Satire?

What used to be called a chisel.
Click to expand...

There's definitely a point to what I was saying in my first post, but it's not like every knife that is x thickness is suddenly a bad knife.

I do generally dislike the trend towards super thick knives and I think something like a medford praetorian is useless.
 
If it doesn't slice, then it is not efficient as a knife. That is generally the idea behind a knife. People who use the pry bars always say it can "cut". Anything that has been sharpened can "cut", but at some point these knives lose their ability to cleanly slice through anything that doesn't give way to the side as it is being cut. Specifically, very dense materials would be tough for a thicker knife.

At some point a knife is simply too thin or too thick to be efficient. Which way a person goes on that scale is personal preference, but let's not kid ourselves about a 5mm or thicker knife being able to cut everything well. The truth is that people who use these knives probably don't need them to perform the full duties of a knife and so to them it cuts just fine. That, or they selectively block out the times when they have to fight their knife while cutting.
 
Vault doors, dismantling tanks-the normal stuff :)
Push come to shove if in a situation I really needed to pry something and it was the best tool available, I would use my knife. This however is going to be a very rare situation and need, since I usually have better tools available and or lack of urgency.
 
RemyKaze said:
The truth is that people who use these knives probably don't need them to perform the full duties of a knife and so to them it cuts just fine. That, or they selectively block out the times when they have to fight their knife while cutting.
Click to expand...

Or, perhaps they find that some of these knives actually cut things pretty well. :eek:

I have encountered thick knives that don't cut worth crap.
However, I have also encountered thin stock knives that don't cut worth crap.
Thickness behind the edge, type of grind, and things like that matter more than just some magick stock thickness measurement.

I'll tell you what the Praetorian really sucks at: tip work.
Stuff that requires a fine point is a huge pain in the ass with it, because the tip is so damn wide.

Cutting things hasn't been an issue though, and I have been carrying it as my main carry knife for about 6 months now.
Even at the gym...mainly because I'm hoping to find the toad that hung around the building last year, and get a picture of it with the Praetorian. :thumbsup:


Oh, apparently the early production Praetorians were extra thick behind the edge, so they likely didn't cut things very well.
But people complained about that, so now they are less thick behind the edge.

I also brought a Case Trapper along for a few camping trips last year, and it got used...not at all.
Not even to whittle a single twig or cut a piece of twine.
I brought a Case Seahorse Whittler a couple of times too, and ended up using my ZT 0392PURBLKWC instead, because it worked better for whittling.
 
Last edited:
I haven't had much need to pry with a knife though.
It has been very rare, and not on the level of what a pry-bar would be used for.
 
stabman said:
Or, perhaps they find that some of these knives actually cut things pretty well. :eek:

I have encountered thick knives that don't cut worth crap.
However, I have also encountered thin stock knives that don't cut worth crap.
Thickness behind the edge, type of grind, and things like that matter more than just some magick stock thickness measurement.

I'll tell you what the Praetorian really sucks at: tip work.
Stuff that requires a fine point is a huge pain in the ass with it, because the tip is so damn wide.

Cutting things hasn't been an issue though, and I have been carrying it as my main carry knife for about 6 months now.
Even at the gym...mainly because I'm hoping to find the toad that hung around the building last year, and get a picture of it with the Praetorian. :thumbsup:


Oh, apparently the early production Praetorians were extra thick behind the edge, so they likely didn't cut things very well.
But people complained about that, so now they are less thick behind the edge.

I also brought a Case Trapper along for a few camping trips last year, and it got used...not at all.
Not even to whittle a single twig or cut a piece of twine.
I brought a Case Seahorse Whittler a couple of times too, and ended up using my ZT 0392PURBLKWC instead, because it worked better for whittling.
Click to expand...
When a knife is wider it can be thicker and still cut somewhat well. It has more room for the grind to taper. Looks like your Medford is capable, but most of these overbuilt knives are bricks. I think 3mm-4mm is probably the center line between being
stabman said:
Or, perhaps they find that some of these knives actually cut things pretty well. :eek:

I have encountered thick knives that don't cut worth crap.
However, I have also encountered thin stock knives that don't cut worth crap.
Thickness behind the edge, type of grind, and things like that matter more than just some magick stock thickness measurement.

I'll tell you what the Praetorian really sucks at: tip work.
Stuff that requires a fine point is a huge pain in the ass with it, because the tip is so damn wide.

Cutting things hasn't been an issue though, and I have been carrying it as my main carry knife for about 6 months now.
Even at the gym...mainly because I'm hoping to find the toad that hung around the building last year, and get a picture of it with the Praetorian. :thumbsup:


Oh, apparently the early production Praetorians were extra thick behind the edge, so they likely didn't cut things very well.
But people complained about that, so now they are less thick behind the edge.

I also brought a Case Trapper along for a few camping trips last year, and it got used...not at all.
Not even to whittle a single twig or cut a piece of twine.
I brought a Case Seahorse Whittler a couple of times too, and ended up using my ZT 0392PURBLKWC instead, because it worked better for whittling.
Click to expand...

The Medford doesn't look that bad, but it's more of an exception to the rule of thick folders. Helps to have a super wide blade to extend the taper of the grind, but for me a wide blade means I can have even thinner width at the spine because I won't be twisting the blade.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top