Knife uses for pry bar

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I saw some of the others posted here. This is the only one I knew about.

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I can't think of a reason I would ever need to buy one. Looks cool but that's about it. I'm sure its pretty tough though.
 
using your knife for some prying type work in the heat of the moment is perfectly reasonable, as long as you realize the knife might fail.

having a whole subculture of knives designed to excel at being pry bars with low cutting ability is inexcusable IMO. I just don't get it.
 
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.

I find that it all depends on how you organize your system. For instance, I carry a SwissChamp on my belt in a sheath, the Eat'N Tool (which includes a pry bar) in my shirt pocket, a larger folding knife in my front right pocket, and a small serrated knife on my keychain. I EDC a lot more gear in my backpack, which I always have with me. I'd say I'm always prepared, but I'm also comfortable.
 
I saw a bunch of people saying that the OP was dubious. I'm going to assume for the sake of the argument that it wasn't; because something was done successfully once, doesn't mean it's a good idea. A man killed a bear with his Ka-Bar, an incident the company named itself after. Does this mean we should all go hunting bears with knives?

No, but sometimes the knife will just have to suffice.

Did the man who killed the bear with his Ka-Bar run out of ammo?
 
using your knife for some prying type work in the heat of the moment is perfectly reasonable, as long as you realize the knife might fail.

having a whole subculture of knives designed to excel at being pry bars with low cutting ability is inexcusable IMO. I just don't get it.

Oh for heavens sake.

Many, (including me) aren't collectors. They're enthusiasts. If someone can carry a blade that would address two possible situations, why wouldn't they? I carry a SAK at work, and I use the screwdriver blade to pry off paint can lids all the time.
 
my tops tom brown tracker i have put to hell and back!! i pried open/ destroyed one of those briefcase firesafe things with it cause of no keys. didn't do anything to the knife except dulled her a lot:D
 
uh, my kramer blade could probably break a ****n door down too come to think of it, lol, the green destiny of chef's knives
 
I recently used my Busse to remove a sign from a tree by prying the three-inch nails out. Worked like a charm, and the knife is fine.

Prying is fine within reason. I attempted to pry a barnacle open at the coast a few months back with my Microtech Ultratech and it chipped the blade pretty badly. Live and learn. (Then reprofile the blade on your fancy OTF knife because DAMN NATURE, YOU SCARY)
 
No, but sometimes the knife will just have to suffice.

Did the man who killed the bear with his Ka-Bar run out of ammo?

No, his gun jammed...and yes, in that situation, maybe a knife will have to suffice. But pry bars don't jam. A pocket prybar is inexpensive, can be super lightweight and easy to carry. I just don't see an excuse to not carry 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!

I carry those small titanium pry-bars and they're handy but in some situations, due to their small size (2 inches), you don't have enough leverage.
 
I carry those small titanium pry-bars and they're handy but in some situations, due to their small size (2 inches), you don't have enough leverage.

I have one as well. They do certainly come in handy and have their uses, but, edc size or not, I have trouble thinking of them as pry bars whether they fit the actual definition or not.
 
I carry those small titanium pry-bars and they're handy but in some situations, due to their small size (2 inches), you don't have enough leverage.

Still better leverage than you'd get with a knife of the same size.
 
A few thoughts on using the "right" tool for the job-

There are tools specifically made for opening paint cans. I don't own any, I've always used a flat-head screwdriver.

There are tools specifically made to remove oil filters from vehicles. I don't own any, I've always used channel-lock pliers with great results.

There are tools specifically made for stripping the insulation off of electrical wire. I own several, but sometimes they pull out strands of wire with the insulation, which I don't like. So I will often use a sharp knife to nick the insulation all the way around and pull it off without the blade ever touching the wire.

I could go on and on.

Now some might say that I was using the "wrong" tools for the job. But fortunately I was born with the capacity for independent thought, a sense of ingenuity, and the ability to improvise, otherwise I would be a slave to the tool manufacturers and I would be spending thousands of dollars buying a different tool for every specific task that comes up.

I wonder how many people use flat-head screwdrivers to open paint cans or perform other prying tasks. By some peoples definition those folks are using the "wrong" tool for the job. After all, screwdrivers were designed and made to turn screws, not for prying. Prying with a screwdriver can bend the shaft or damage the tip causing it to not grip the screw properly and strip out the head. I wonder if there are screwdriver forums where screwdriver enthusiasts express negative opinions of using screwdrivers as prybars.

Personally, I define the "right" tool for the job this way- If a tool does the job I need it to do and does it well, and if it doesn't damage the work or ruin the tool, then it was the right tool for the job.

And now a little story about my grandfather and his knife.

My grandfather was a "jack of all trades". He knew auto mechanics, carpentry, basic electronics, plumbing, and much more. And he owned a wide variety of tools for such applications. But the one tool that he always carried around with him was an old single-bladed slipjoint. He carried that same knife for most of his life and during the time I knew him I watched him with great fascination as he used that knife for a wide variety of tasks other than cutting. I watched him use that knife to turn screws, pry up upholstery staples, dig paint out of the heads of painted over screws, scrape carbon buildup from spark plugs, drill holes in leather, wood, and plaster, and on and on. I once watched him completely rewire a lamp with nothing more than that pocketknife.

On another memorable occasion, his neighbor asked my grandfather for help because his car wouldn't start. My gramps went over, popped the hood and started looking around. The neighbor said he had a tool box full of tools in case my gramps needed them (another case of a guy possessing more tools than knowledge) but my gramps said that they weren't needed. My grandfather then pulled off a loose battery cable from the battery, took out his pocketknife, used it to scrape corrosion from the battery terminal and cable clamp, pushed the clamp back onto the battery and told the guy to give it a try. The car started right up. My gramps told the guy to tighten the clamp and he was good to go. Needless to say both the neighbor and myself were quite impressed that my gramps could fix a car with nothing but a pocketknife.

You see, no one ever told my grandfather that there were "rules" for using a pocketknife. And he never worried about receiving public scorn from other knife enthusiasts for how he chose to use his knife. For my grandfather, a knife wasn't a status symbol or "man-toy" that he carried around to play with or impress people with how cool it was. He didn't look upon his knife as a collectors item. He didn't look upon it as a financial investment, worrying that a scratch or ding might reduce it's resale value. He didn't look upon it as a precious work of art. He didn't bestow it with any sort of romantic feelings or sacred value. And he didn't worry about trying to keep his knife in pristine condition for future generations to enjoy.

Instead, my grandfather looked upon his knife as a tool. Something to be used to perform whatever tasks he felt it was capable of performing. Just like a screwdriver, a hammer, or a pair of pliers. And when he died, that knife was a little worse for wear, it had plenty of scratches and dings, but it still had it's original tip, and thanks to regular care and maintenance it had a tight pivot and a smooth, sharp edge.

To this day it still impresses me to think what that old man could do with just a pocketknife and a lifetime of knowledge and experience.
 
I've used my HEST as a prybar a couple of times. Helped a friend emptying his grandfathers apartment after he died and he had some shelves connected by screws.
Normally I'd just use a big hammer, but we didn't have that. So I jammed the blade between two shelves and pryed them apart. Was also handy removing the floor panels.
I agree with "the right tool for the right job", but if you don't have anything else, why not use a knife. After all, its just a tool, a piece of steel. Of course you don't do things like that with a folder, you use a fixed blade. Pretty hard to break a 5mm piece of steel even if you try.
 
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