Using knife as prybar/screwdriver?

This thread deserves to be in that whine and cheese thread about stupid threads. Just sayin!
 
i wonder what the op uses for a screwdriver or prybar when hes carrying the sebenza. seems like that knife is too important to him and therefore he has the time to grab the proper tools only when the sebenza is at risk. amazed that some mechanics are also using knives for prybars and screwdrivers, wheres your tools? was a mechanic for many years and one thing you didnt do was grab a knife when the job required a screwdiver or a prybar. mechanics collect tools, with the goal of having a specific tool for every possible job that they might have to do. i am guilty of using a blade for a quick fix or a light duty prying job, removing staples come to mind, as does tightening eyeglass screws in a pinch. but this is more or less the limit of what i consider reasonable uses in a pinch.
but then again some like to be contrary and have to go down the hard road, break a few tips or do some heavy chipping on there prized blades or snap one off altogether. this is another one of those topics that comes around every other week, should be a sticky so that we can just ignor the next one that pops up.
 
of course i've used a knife for prying and as a screwdriver, because in those situations I HAD NO OTHER ALTERNATIVE...i don't do it out of habit and i sure don't do it out of laziness...

and if it breaks (and it has sometimes), sucks for me; but i do what has to be done...
 
I dont pry or do any such with my folding knives. With my fixed blades, I push em a little more. I dont get crazy with them though.
 
mat_890 said:
No problem :) I'm a student traveling between campus building and home. I most recently stopped to get gas but the cover was frozen shut, took out my folder (Ontario rat1 I think) and pryed it open. I had tools in the trunk of my car, but it was -25 C and I had class.
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So you risk cutting yourself by prying open your frozen gas cover with a knife rather than taking the whole 60 seconds it would have taken to open your trunk and get a small screwdriver that could have opened it without risk of slicing your hand open? That just sounds like laziness to me my man. Most people only learn a lesson once they cause pain to themselves or another.

In my opinion you should always have a multi tool of some sort in your center console, glove box, ashtray, or somewhere that you can get to it in the car.
 
Generally speaking I only use my folders for cutting. However, it really depends on what the task is and what kind of folder I have. For instance, opening something like a paint can wouldn't make sense if I had my Spyderco Military on me, but if I had my XM-18 it really wouldn't be a big deal at all. I wouldn't however use any folder to try and pry open something like a window that won't open. For 99+% of the time, I'll either have my Leatherman Wave on me, I'll find an appropriate tool or I really don't need to pry.
 
GlockLobster said:
Wow... using a Leek as a pry bar? That sounds terrifying.

I guess I'm happy knowing that my ZT can be used as a prybar:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kyl2CGb2N38

... but I think I'd rather risk breaking my fingers prying something than my pride and joy...
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Yeah, that would be an example of prying that I'd never do with a folder. I've never found myself in a life threatening situation that would require prying like that (or any type of prying for that matter), but that would be the circumstance that would justify such use in my book.
 
I wouldn't use any blade as a screwdriver

Stelth said:
This is a tool for cutting:
DSCN0175.jpg
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It was until someone butchered half the blade.
 
Kaizen1 said:
Yeah, that would be an example of prying that I'd never do with a folder. I've never found myself in a life threatening situation that would require prying like that (or any type of prying for that matter), but that would be the circumstance that would justify such use in my book.
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:thumbup:
Yeah, exactly. Just take the value of your knife (x) and determine if the time it would take you to get a real tool is worth x dollars in replacing your knife with a broken tip... for me x = $300+ and I don't make that much money/hour so I'm going for life threatening only.

I won't lie though. I will occasionally use a knife as a pry tool. It's a $10 Boker knock off that I've been trying to break for the longest time... tenacious little bastard just keeps getting dents in the edge. :D
 
This is why I have a SwissTool:thumbup:. You see, just because you can unlock a door with a shotgun, that does not make it a suitable replacement tool for a key:thumbdn:.

Use a prybar to pry and a screwdriver to screw:thumbup:.
 
No I don't pry with my knives either. I never leave the house without at least my Vic Midnite MiniChamp and a folder, and if I'm walking with my BOB then I have my Vic Huntsman, Leatherman Wave II, CC mini prybar, small multi-bit screwdrivers, etc.
Sure they're just tools and can break and be replaced but to me it's just dumb to risk damaging your blade tip, potentially injuring yourself and wasting money having to replace the damaged knife. I dunno, maybe I just work too hard for my $$ to just be throwing it away replacing knives (or whatever).
 
I keep a leatherman ps4 on my key ring and use this for light prying, staple pulling etc. It is inexpensive, light and saves me from being tempted to use my blade inappropriately.
 
yuldeli said:
I keep a leatherman ps4 on my key ring and use this for light prying, staple pulling etc. It is inexpensive, light and saves me from being tempted to use my blade inappropriately.
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I need to pick up a PS4 sometime. My original EDC setup included the Vic Midnite Manager (soon replaced by the Midnite MiniChamp as seen in these pics), Leatherman Squirt P4 and a Streamlight Keymate in a latex glove pouch on my belt. I don't walk with the P4 as much anymore since I usually have my Wave II or Huntsman on me.

EDCSquirtP4KeymateMidniteMiniChamp203Labelled.jpg


EDCSquirtP4KeymateMidniteMiniChamp206.jpg
 
tommyg805 said:
I do not want to carry a SAK or a multitool because I feel it is not worth the pocket space just to be useful every once in a while. I prefer the elegance of just one blade.
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Might I suggest one of the Leatherman Squirts? They have a couple of screwdrivers and you can use the flathead one to pry a bit. The S4 and P4 (scissors and pliers, respectively) are discontinued, but you can find them on ebay or as old stock in plenty of places. The PS4 is a great combination of the old 2. It has the pliers of the old P4 and has scissors more like what you find on SAKs. IMO the Squirt PS4 is the single most useful tool you can put in your pocket in regards to usefulness vs size ratio.

Or look at the Gerber Artifact. Mini prybar (can be used as flathead scredriver) with phillips screwdriver, bottle opener, and Xacto blade.

There's also the Swiss Tech MPTBS or MMCSSS, folding wrenches with screwdrivers.

All of these take up minimal space on your keychain and can save your knife from unnecessary abuse.
 
stabman said:
This.:cool:
Yes, knives are great tools...for cutting.
They tend to break in various ways when used for other things.

But if you don't mind replacing your knives more often due to using them for unintended purposes, go for it!:thumbup:
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You just gave me an idea.

I have a few beater knives that I could grind the tip down at roughly right angles to the blade's cutting edge and far enough back to make an effective, small screwdriver. So rather than breaking the tip on a screw and boogering up the screw too, I should be able to get double duty out of a cheapie pocket knife. I already know which knife I'll try this on: one of my Sanrenmu 710s. This sweet looking Sebbie like folder is sitting in my car, for those mundane tasks like slitting open bags of Doritos and Cracker Jacks. With this little mod, I'll now be able to unscrew who knows what, and maybe figure a way to have a very light pry bar too.

I like the way you think, Stabman! Thanks!

Hmmm... While I'm at it, I'll take a look and see if I can figure out a way to turn that blade also into a bottle opener... If I manage to pull it all off, I'll post a pic. Dremel tool to the rescue!
 
Hey, that gives me an idea.. I will grind down one side of the shank on one of my screwdrivers, profile it and put scary sharp edge on it. Now when I can use my screwdriver as a knife as well and endanger the safety of my fingers every time I use it on screws.

Just giving some perspective.
 
Folderguy said:
You just gave me an idea.

I have a few beater knives that I could grind the tip down at roughly right angles to the blade's cutting edge and far enough back to make an effective, small screwdriver... snip... Dremel tool to the rescue!
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If you want to go the extra mile, you can take a propane torch or use the coil burner on a stove to spring temper the tip. Heat it slowly (the slower the better) until the bare metal turns brownish/blue. It will go yellow first. Don't heat the edge but rather the spine and let it creep up to the edge. Have a bowl of water nearby to quench it when you get there... if it begins to go to bright peacock blue, QUENCH... much past that, it will turn grey and soft. Don't be afraid to quench, nothing will crack at such low temperatures.

Rick
 
Brennanscott said:
Hey, that gives me an idea.. I will grind down one side of the shank on one of my screwdrivers, profile it and put scary sharp edge on it. Now when I can use my screwdriver as a knife as well and endanger the safety of my fingers every time I use it on screws.

Just giving some perspective.
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Good points, and good perspective.

Actually, I'm thinking that I'll have only a small part of the blade mentioned above be really sharp, perhaps 1/2" at most, probably up near the tip, although I'll have to think about it a bit more. Using a small folding knife for twisting and so on needs to be looked at more carefully.
 
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