Pocket pry bars

Pee Dee Knives

Pee Dee Knives

Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
Joined
Jun 24, 2017
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While I was at Blade, I stopped by the Zack Wood booth and played with a few of his pry bars. My question is this: are pocket pry bars actually useful? If so, how?
 
Depends.

Argument one; they have become idiotic and expensive useless hunks of metal to show off like Heeter knife-like objects on insta.

Counter; they are quite usefull for those who actually use them. I on occasion carry a small titanium pry bar from CountyComm to get lids off paint cans etc.
The small humble pry bar is nothing like the massive expensive 'pry bars 'that evidently are a thing now but it does work.
 
They are useful the day you need one, the likelyhood of needing one and having one the same day are increased by having one easy to carry. Past that, meh?
 
I just received a TwoSun titanium pry/chisel / kubaton thingy , $15.50 at auction , straight from China .

I'm still just playing with it so far . It's 5.75" long , so at least I can get a good grip and a little leverage .

I also bought a 42" Stanley "Fat Max" Wrecking Bar , ~$23 , to carry in my SUV for anything serious ! ;)

 
Mostly I use mine on stuck windows and doors. Opening paint cans. Removing large staples. Stuff like that. I think it’s worth carrying.

view


The Benchmade Triage is made to pry with too. It has a flat unsharpened tip.
 
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Useful.... certainly if you have the regular need for such (in terms of an edc unless you carry a man bag with stuff). There are so many on the market these days. I have a couple little ones, but don't carry them. Hence, I just run to my tool box to get a larger prybar, screw driver or whatever. If you don't have a regular need to pry small to moderate things, they are just more pocket stuff.

If I used one frequently for work, I'd carry one. It depends on what you actually do on a regular basis for me. I can't see carrying one on a key chain.
 
I carry one at work to pry painted access panels, pan type ceiling tiles etc. I made mine from a Vaughan mini pry bar . Cut it to the size I liked and rounded it with a dremel drilled a lanyard hole with a carbide masonry bit
 
I used a 3 inch tool steel pry bar from county comm for a while. But they wouldn't let me bring it into the courthouse, and I dont like having to worry about bringing my keys places. Knives and pistol is bad enough. I found some uses for it when I carried it but haven't missed it since I got rid of it.
 
I can't see spending big bucks on a fancy keychain pry bar. I carry a Nite Ize pry bar / bottle opener / nut wrench / screw driver, which I picked up for less than $5 at a big box hardware store. At that price it's worth it's keep. I use it occasionally to pry or open a bottle. The bottle opener on it could use some improvement, but for the usage frequency it's acceptable.

nite-ize-key-accessories-kmt-11-r3-64_1000.jpg
 
448ED93D-C033-46BC-ACB3-98FE076AE3A3.jpeg The curved titanium bar is great for pulling lite nails and screws. The other one opens paint cans much better.
 
I carry this one at work and use it often for little things.

It comes as a bonus freebie when you buy the set of these two for $7 at Walmart.

I don't like any of the other readily available keychain pry tools with the cap lifters and stuff they've got built in, this thing is everything I need it to be and nothing more.
 
H0kieengineer said:
My question is this: are pocket pry bars actually useful? If so, how?
Click to expand...

I've been thinking about this a bit lately. As much as I would like to mock people for their ridiculously overpriced key chain weights, I think the answer might be that EDC pry bars can in fact be useful, but maybe not in the way you think.

EDC prybars come in a variety of different shapes and sizes. Some look like mini crowbars, while others are short and fat, and some take a multitool approach by incorporating things like bit drivers and various other seldomly used features.

The short and fat prytools are actually what interest me the most. I am starting to think they may have some limited use as a survival tool. They might be useful as a wedge for splitting wood. Then again, they may be just as likely to get stuck, being as small and short as they are.

I think you would have to select such a pry tool carefully, making sure it has just the right shape and size to be effective at wood splitting, and that it would be sturdy enough to withstand being batoned. Having such a sturdy wedge could be great because it would save your knife from the stresses of batoning or the additional wearing on the edge from using it to carve wooden wedges with.
 
That little Dasco is something I need to pick up and give a try. I got one from the Texas Blade Show that was $15 from a knifesmith that used to scrap pieces of one of his knife patterns to make a really nice heat treated toolsteel version.

It will pry the lid off a 5-gallon bucket or, function as painters tool (whatever its called) and, is much better than using a pocket knife for industrial staples. I have no fear using it for heavy work because it has enough meat to take a big load. It is also big enough and long enough I can really put some pressure on a sealed door/lid and similar things if I need to.

I should note it really disappears in my jeans pocket and is too big for a keychain.
 
I thought I had posted in this thread but I guess not. Is there another thread going on titanium pry bars? Anyway, I shared this in a couple of EDC threads and thought the discussion belonged here...

I'm trying out this new titanium pry tool from Petrified Fish. People on Instagram have been calling it "fidget-friendly". I'd agree and I did find myself flicking it around and fondling it throughout the day. Unfortunately, it's a little too small for my hands. The inner edges of the bottle opener are crisp and that would be okay, except the small size means one finger is bound to land in or over it for lots of possible grips. I've seen this style of clip on a few other pry tools and at least one folder lately and I'm not totally sold on it. Another issue is that I have limited practical space for clipped pocket stuff.

There is a lot to like here but I just don't think it's going to beat out other titanium pry tools that either attach to a key ring or ride better in a pocket organizer.


PbcBBy1.jpg
 
knarfeng said:
I can't see spending big bucks on a fancy keychain pry bar. I carry a Nite Ize pry bar / bottle opener / nut wrench / screw driver, which I picked up for less than $5 at a big box hardware store. At that price it's worth it's keep. I use it occasionally to pry or open a bottle. The bottle opener on it could use some improvement, but for the usage frequency it's acceptable.

nite-ize-key-accessories-kmt-11-r3-64_1000.jpg
Click to expand...

You'd think they'd have thought to reverse the design so you didn't apply leverage to the wire gate when you opened one...

I'm curious about these things too. Not like pry-curious, me and my leatherman are very happy together - more like 'why on earth would someone drop a hundred bucks on one?' I bought an aftermarket clip to replace a broken one on a knife, and happened to get it from a site that specialized in prybars. The names of their models all hinted at breaking and entering, or forced entry. Not my style at all. They take the same pocket space as a folder with a clip, so unless you just want to drag a bunch of crap around all day, I'd think the knife would be more useful.
 
It will save your knife tip. I do not buy the fancy ones. I love the Dessert Warrior (pink donut) pattern from BHQ, and when I saw an "All-Access Pass" prybar in the color, I was excited and prepared to get it. Thought it might be.... 20... 25 bucks? No, it was a hundred fifty something, like that.

I love pocket prybars, but they need to be fairly light, cheap, and good quality for me to care about them. I would never buy the Metonboss pocket-jewelry that'll never get jammed and slammed against stuff like I do with mine. Mine is a "Widgy" from CountyComm. They make 2, 3, and 4 inch, curved and straight, steel prybars, made in the USA, for like $10. Its kind of like J5 Tactical flashlights - lowkey, unknown, cheap (20, 40 for deluxe but 20 has been perfect for me) and high-quality.

https://imgur.com/a/cxjUTeG
Pic is from when the prybar was new, couldn't find a more recent one but it has more "patina" or signs of use, but is still in perfect shape. I don't know why I was carrying so much stuff this day btw. I hadn't discovered SAKs and the Police 4 yet, I guess.

Anyways... I usually no longer carry in pocket. I carry the prybar, flashlight, Leatherman, Opinel, and other stuff I wanna carry but do not want to waste pocket-space and weight on and put on my person every day, in a messenger bag.
https://imgur.com/a/vOPVYNE
 
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