Best pry bars? And do you really really really need to carry one?
In this video I talk about my thoughts regarding pry bars. I struggled with the concept of the value of a pry bar.
There's a quote in minimalism that states the following:
"Don't buy things for problems you don't have."
I tested a number of pry bars. Some featured in this video. Some which have been banished to the land of Whole Foods Amazon returns.
But I have tested the following:
Titan 11505 5 1/2 inch stainless steel bar scraper
https://www.amazon.com/Titan-Tools-11...
Keysmart Multitool - Returned. Useless imo.
https://www.amazon.com/KeySmart-Multi...
The Mighty Bar - Returned. No leverage. Too weak.
BOTH of them suck
https://www.amazon.com/Mighty-Bar-Key...
The Gerber Gear Prybrid X - Made a video review on it. But I think I may have to rebuy this. Initially I was disappointed because the blade was extremely hard to pull out. But upon watching other reviewers you have to push the blade down, then up, then down then up. Odd concept. As I don't recall it mentioned in any manuals. I much prefer the razor blades movement on the Slice (a different tool altogether)
https://www.amazon.com/Gerber-Prybrid...
I bought the iFixit Jimmy. Kept it. It's useful for delicate electronics.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NCFIVH4?
Bought the Nite Ize Doohicky Keychain tool. Hasn't really proven to be useful to me yet. But it's a crowd favorite. Kept it.
https://www.amazon.com/Nite-Ize-Doohi...
Bought the Scrigit Scraper No-Scratch Plastic Scraper Tool. Surprisingly useful. I love this because it doesn't scratch floors or random things. But it actually has pry ability. This definitely wouldn't be able to pry open hard boxes or anything with heft. But great for fragile things.
https://www.amazon.com/Scrigit-Scrape...
Bought the Gerber Shard. I don't have an opinion just yet on it as I've been using other prybars instead.
https://www.amazon.com/Gerber-Shard-K...
Bought the Keyport MOCA 10 in 1. Fee like this is a Doohickey knockoff. Or someone copied the other. They're pretty much the same tool.
https://www.mykeyport.com/products/mo...
Bought the Tresalto Auto Trim Removal Tool Set. This actually was super useful. I found myself using it a lot - and this was even before I knew pry bars were supposed to be a thing. I unfortunately no longer have it as I decluttered it some time back. It's also because I found something more effective, mentioned in the video.
https://www.amazon.com/Tresalto-Auto-...
Tried to find the legendary and discontinued or unavailable Pocket Wrench II. Wasn't able to get it. Would have bought it if I could find it. I'll buy it if it ever becomes available.
Bought the Leatherman Croc. It's a discontinued tool that is no longer sold. The jury is out on this as I still don't know whether it's a useful tool. But it's deceptively much much larger than I expected. So it definitely has more heft compared to the average key-tools I've seen. This in no way would comfortably fit in a key ring.
And while not a separate prybar, a crown should be sent to the Victorinox Pioneer X Alox. It has a can opener - and while not labeled as a pry bar - it is a FANTASTIC prybar! Plenty of leverage. And unlike smaller Victorinox models or standard casting (ie not Alox), its structure is much more robust than cellidor Victorinox models (everything else). In my opinion because of its Alox casing and its more sturdy structure it's a viable pry bar tool. It feels extremely powerful and sturdy. And imo 'is' my pry bar that I would say has a good weight to performance ratio and doesn't feel silly to carry.
https://www.victorinox.com/us/en/Prod...
I bought the 4 Pc Heavy Duty Pry Bar Set from Harbor Freight. It's really cheap. And all of these outperformed most of the prybars in my possession. It's just that they're not very carriable.
https://www.harborfreight.com/pry-bar...
I bought the Norton's UCS Universal Cleaning Stick from County Comm. They have a straight version and a curved version. Wasn't able to get the curved version. But I'm impressed with this little piece of metal. Seems to have more heft than it looks. It also has much thinner edges so it can get in more places. You really get the feeling that the designers of these understand prying. They don't put stupid bottle caps on stuff. They know prying.
