Knife uses for pry bar

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I broke the tip off a little stainless folder lifting spearhead out of the dirt .. the artifact was half exposed and was *not* difficult to lift out .
To be fair I had spent the few days previous opening oysters lifting oysters off rocks etc with the same folder

I used a self made machete as a prybar to set the tension on the truck alternator belt ,
the same machete I use to pry packing pallets and crates apart for firewood , makes a handy prybar cum axe type tool
It gets used to split wood , with percussion , and torque , regularly
It *is* a car leaf spring tho , at spring temper , gunna take a fair bit of prying to cause a problem there

Ive left tips of several knives in knee joints over the years just prying around looking for that dam sinew . come to think of it , I left a couple knife tips in necks too , again , looking for them sinews .. my butchering skills are not always wonderful .

Ive taken chucks out of blades twisting a bit hard when I was just working wood . Fair enough it was stuff like gidgee .. and I was treating it a bit as pine , with a brittle stainless blade . I have done the same kind of thing tho with my opinel folder before hand , and bent the blade .. lesson learned right there about hi carbon cs stainless folders for me .

Opening beach almonds , australian bush food , I didnt have rocks around to bash them between so I was slipping the knife into the crack of the shell and twisting , it put a moderate torque on the whole blade .. but after 3 weeks of this , the blade failed , just a slight *tink* sound , and the blade broke . cheap stainless folders , bleh ..

taking husks off coconuts .. opening half ripe coconuts with their husk on , with only my knife .

there is a few times I have used a knife to pry with , not always fatal to the knife , but sometimes .
 
Sometimes roadcases for audio equipment get jammed closed if the lids are closed with the locks engaged - it's like slamming a door with the deadbolt thrown, except the deadbolt gets embedded in the doorframe and refuses to come loose. I've found on a couple of occasions that my fatter knives will serve in the absence of my pocket prybar. It's a lot less people-friendly of an option, though.

Breaking down pallets I used a tomahawk head and torqued upward like it was a bar. It's a full tang 4lb D2 beast, so that's no surprise that it did just fine. Won't cut worth a damn, though.
 
Big Mike said:
Agreed, when using the wrong tool for the job at hand, a Cold Steel knife is a fine choice.

The key term in the above quote was "a quality knife blade". :eek:

Did you ever consider spending a little less for the appropriate tools, or was abusing a cheap knife just more appealing? :confused:





Big Mike
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And what might the appropriate tool be? I needed a sharp edge on a prybar to cut the paint and wedge the window frame. A chisel might have worked but then I would have been left with a chisel, not a sharpened prybar for future enjoyable abuse. Besides, any chisel worth its salt would cost about the same. Never use a practical tool when a knife-like device will do. :) As for "quality", I find the CS instuments to be just fine. Not on a par with Spyderco, etc. but, like I said, I have a perfectly usable blade for future use.
 
After taking care of business in my bathroom at home, and turning the knob to exit, I discovered that the doorknob/bolt no longer worked (a little piece inside had broken). I was home alone and climbing out the little window was not an attractive option. The only knife I had on me was a Benchmade Darkstar folder. It was not a prized folder and I didn't really care if I damaged it so I started prying at the door jamb to clear the bolt. It worked, I was free, and the knife was undamaged (but it did need resharpening).

I don't look upon a knife as some sort of religious icon or sacred artifact that can only be used for one divinely ordained purpose. I look upon a knife as a tool. It's a sharpened piece of steel with a handle. If I have a task I need to perform other than cutting, and if a knife is handy, and if I believe that knife is capable of performing that task, then I will use it, even if it wasn't designed for such a task. And if it breaks or gets damaged then that's my fault, not the knifes, not the manufacturers, and I won't ask for a repair or replacement.

I don't consider it to be a sin against the "KNIFE GODS" or a breaking of any knife-commandments to use a knife, a sharpened piece of steel, in a way that might damage it. It's my knife and I'll do whatever I damn well please with it.
 
killgar said:
After taking care of business in my bathroom at home, and turning the knob to exit, I discovered that the doorknob/bolt no longer worked (a little piece inside had broken). I was home alone and climbing out the little window was not an attractive option. The only knife I had on me was a Benchmade Darkstar folder. It was not a prized folder and I didn't really care if I damaged it so I started prying at the door jamb to clear the bolt. It worked, I was free, and the knife was undamaged (but it did need resharpening).

I don't look upon a knife as some sort of religious icon or sacred artifact that can only be used for one divinely ordained purpose. I look upon a knife as a tool. It's a sharpened piece of steel with a handle. If I have a task I need to perform other than cutting, and if a knife is handy, and if I believe that knife is capable of performing that task, then I will use it, even if it wasn't designed for such a task. And if it breaks or gets damaged then that's my fault, not the knifes, not the manufacturers, and I won't ask for a repair or replacement.

I don't consider it to be a sin against the "KNIFE GODS" or a breaking of any knife-commandments to use a knife, a sharpened piece of steel, in a way that might damage it. It's my knife and I'll do whatever I damn well please with it.
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I completely, %100, freaking agree with you buddy. Some people absolutely freak out when I use a knife to open something.
 
Funny.

I thought this was a thread about people using pry bars to cut things. Such a thread seems fitting. Perhaps I should find a pry bar forum and see if people discuss cutting techniques with their pry bars.
 
unit said:
Funny.

I thought this was a thread about people using pry bars to cut things. Such a thread seems fitting. Perhaps I should find a pry bar forum and see if people discuss cutting techniques with their pry bars.
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Ever used a pry bar as a makeshift hammer? :)


I see the knife as man's first multitool. Sure, it has one primary purpose but, what with there being so many variations on the theme, it seems only obvious to me that different designs will have different areas that they excel in. And, of course, some can also serve other purposes not directly related to cutting at all. It seems kind of myopic to me to pretend otherwise.
 
roughedges said:
Ever used a pry bar as a makeshift hammer? :)


I see the knife as man's first multitool. Sure, it has one primary purpose but, what with there being so many variations on the theme, it seems only obvious to me that different designs will have different areas that they excel in. And, of course, some can also serve other purposes not directly related to cutting at all. It seems kind of myopic to me to pretend otherwise.
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I am a performance enthusiast. I like a pry bar to multiply force efficiently, and I like a knife to cut things with little effort and with a high level of control.

I fully realize that there are knives that make compromises in order to facilitate secondary or tertiary uses. They just don't interest me very much.

They have their place and I don't begrudge them or their fans. I joke about it occasionally, and people joke about my preferences also. It's all good.
 
unit said:
I am a performance enthusiast. I like a pry bar to multiply force efficiently, and I like a knife to cut things with little effort and with a high level of control.

I fully realize that there are knives that make compromises in order to facilitate secondary or tertiary uses. They just don't interest me very much.

They have their place and I don't begrudge them or their fans. I joke about it occasionally, and people joke about my preferences also. It's all good.
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I like a knife for those things as well, but I wouldn't limit myself in my choice of cutting implements anymore than I would in my choice of hammers. It just doesn't make sense to me. I also don't make fun of anyone's choice of tools, or at least I never mean to, and for the same reason.
 
Big Mike said:
Come-on Stabman, lean on that bad boy, I bet you can do it. ;) :cool: ;)
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You know, for a while I tried.
I threw it at stuff, used the spine to hammer things...nothing I could do broke it.
It was a thick old Solingen made "Original Bowie Knife." (that's what the writing on the blade said anyhow :D)

My brother has it now, and it continues the tradition of being the ugly beater knife. :thumbup:
 
If one wants a true sharpened pry-bar, get an Ontario SP8.
I had one; my brother has it now.
It looks cool, but it sure pries better than it cuts.
I mean come on, it's just a slab of steel with edges ground onto it!

For some odd reason though, I want another one.
 
I have never understood the need to use a knife as a pry bar. It is something I have never ever done, ever. Instead, I EDC a multitool with a pry bar, the CRKT Eat'N Tool. You can also get inexpensive, pocket-sized and even keychain-sized pry bars made from steel or titanium. I don't think there is any excuse for using your knife as a pry bar when actual EDC-able prybars are out there, and inexpensive, too!
 
unit said:
I am a performance enthusiast. I like a pry bar to multiply force efficiently, and I like a knife to cut things with little effort and with a high level of control.

I fully realize that there are knives that make compromises in order to facilitate secondary or tertiary uses. They just don't interest me very much.

They have their place and I don't begrudge them or their fans. I joke about it occasionally, and people joke about my preferences also. It's all good.
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This attitude is very similar to mine on the matter. :thumbup: I am a big advocate of the "right tool for the job" philosophy.
 
Ontario SP 8, basically a sharpened pry bar. I use mine regularly to pry everything, doors, windows, panels, I've opened drawers with it, basically it's a 1/4 thick piece of 1095 with a square tip and sharpened edge.

It works, haven't bent it or broke it in the 25 years I've been using it.
 
British MOD-4 would make a good substitute prybar . I have one i bought new and one i bought used for cheap here in the sales forum. I'm tempted to try and mod the used one "Becker BK-3" Style! Do a google image search if you aren't familiar with the MOD-4 design. The price on these have gone up however, and if i'm going to spend $90-$100 on a tough knife i'd just go ahead and buy the Becker instead.
 
I use the big screwdriver on my Vic Soldier for prying, never a knife blade. Right tool, right job. In an Emergency I would, but I try to keep things under control. From Lebanon to Afghanistan, and daily life here on the farm, I haven't had to pry with a knife blade. BTW, farm life is way harder on a knife than combat.
 
Kwon Kwang said:
I have never understood the need to use a knife as a pry bar. It is something I have never ever done, ever. Instead, I EDC a multitool with a pry bar, the CRKT Eat'N Tool. You can also get inexpensive, pocket-sized and even keychain-sized pry bars made from steel or titanium. I don't think there is any excuse for using your knife as a pry bar when actual EDC-able prybars are out there, and inexpensive, too!
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I hear you, but being prepared for every situation with the proper tool will get heavy and annoying.
I should additionally EDC a scraper, a screw-driver, a prybar, a multitool, a backup knife, a tactical pen, and a wrist watch.

My current EDC consists of a folding knife, wallet, keys, chap-stick, lighter, and cell-phone and it is more than enough already.
If I cannot run comfortably with EDC crap, items are getting removed.
I suppose I have always enjoyed achieving the most with the least.
 
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