I have carried an Atwood Nibble on my keyring for just over a month but am yet to use the pry function.
:woohoo: That must be a biiiiig B.O.B... :laugh: I bought one for my dad for father's day. He's almost at retirement age and I don't think he's going to be doing any demo work in the near future... but his eye's lit up like a christmas tree when he saw that thing!
I don't currently EDC a pry-bar. In the past I have carried an early steel Atwood Prybaby. Later I switched to a Ti-ny Shark, which being titanium was lighter. Currently I EDC a Leatherman Juice, and I figure that covers many of the uses of a prybar (although it's not ideal for actual prying). I still carry a larger Ti Shark in my semi-EDC waist-pack. I am intrigued by the 3G Prybaby; it's the only Atwood which has tempted me recently, but I think now I'd need it to be titanium and relatively thin for weight. (The steel ones look quite thick.) Really any prybar I consider now needs to be perfect. I've twice tried to get vendors to make me a tool to my own design, but both times it fell through. When I carried a small prybar I used it for loosening screw-top lids, as a screwdriver, bottle opener and occasionally for proper prying. Anything for which you might otherwise use a knife (except cutting). I find it comforting to have a solid chunk of metal on me that's all in one piece and so essentially unbreakable. It's multi-purpose; something to improvise with, like cordage. If you were trapped in a lift/elevator, would your EDC help you escape?
I have almost no need for a prying tool. I think they're neat but the last time I actually had to pry something small enough to use a pocket tool on was several years ago. Couple that with the fact that I EDC a full-size multi-tool and it makes pry bars superfluous for me.
micro widgy myself. It is one of those tools that you forget you have until you need it. I'd rather pry something with my $5 widgy than my $100 EDC knife :broke:
They're so handy, it's a no-brainer. Why ruin a knife bade? I carry a Damascus key fob from Ray Kirk; it's so pretty that you just don't mind carrying it. He made me a beautiful long Damascus prybar with a forked tip- it's too sharp to EDC. I just bought a 50+ year old house with hardwood floors, and it was the perfect tool for pulling dozens of staples that nothing else could get. Mr. Kirk made me a Damascus prybar with a screwdriver tip and seatbelt cutter; it was the prettiest darn thing! Gave it to my pal for his birthday; the men at the party couldn't stop rubbing the thing. I have CountyComm minis and micro, but I keep giving them away. I keep trying to buy an Atwood tool, but I have a thing called a job; can't check his site every five minutes. I wait and hope.
Prybaby XL on my keyring. Mainly use it to open beer bottles or boxes at work. Also constantly use it to open split rings, which I hate opening with my fingernails. I use it often to pry $2 and $1 coins out of parking meters. Down here vandals like to gum up the slots of parking meters. You put your money in and it gets stuck. I've broken my car key transponder thingy before, trying to get a meter to work. Had to catch a cab home and get a spare key. The thing I like is that it doesn't have a blade on it. Down here it is actually illegal to carry a blade Great for air travel too. If I had a blade on my key ring I'd be constantly forgetting about it and having to lose it at the airport before boarding.
I've been carrying a G2 Gasbaby on my keys for the past few months and have primarily used it for popping bottle caps occasionally. Only recently, after just purchasing my first house, have I realized the usefulness of having it on me at all times. Sure, I could go into the basement and grab a screwdriver/hammer/etc. but there's just something about having access to a tool right away that means the difference between something getting done and something being procrastinated on until later.
I have an Atwood Prybaby I use quite a bit. I sold and traded all the other Atwood tools I had lying around, but this one is great. I use it as screwdriver, bottle opener, box cutter etc. Cheers Henrik
I have carried a mini-prybaby XL on my keyring for almost 2 years now. I don't use it often, but when I do, I really need it. It is a multi-function tool that has pretty much everything I need except pliers.
I don't carry one yet, but I'm thinking about getting a pry bar of some sort. I'm still looking at the various options out there... it looks like the main contenders are: Atwood Tools JDR Tools Southard Knives RhinoPry County Comm Widgy Gerber Artifact Ray Kirk Damascus Key Fob DIY mod of a full sized pry bar Anything else interesting out there?
yep I carry one on my keyring, made it from a 3/8 wrench and it seems to hold up fine for light prying duty.
For me it's a Keychain Prybaby XL. As a pry tool I use it for all of the above: staples, nails, split rings... and also works great for scratch-off tickets. And I really :bow: the leverage bend on the XL. So powerful! Once, I had to oil the hinges, of the barrel kind, on a few doors. I simply slipped the Prybaby under the open door and stepped on the end, and the door went up. This way I had better access to the bolt of the hinges with both hands free. Not a scratch on the Prybaby afterwards ;D
Precisely. I remember an oft-repeated quote from either bladeforums.com, or rec.knives before that, that "a pocket knife is the worst, and most expensive, prybar you will ever own." That's why I was so happy to discover Peter Atwood's tools (via this forum) -- my Atwrench is in my pocket to make sure the Benchmade/Strider/Sebbie/etc. never "accidentally" gets pressed into prybar duty. I don't pry much, day-to-day, but I'm happy that it's doing its job just being there, sorta like an airbag.
Very nicely put. Prying doors or windows (think getting trapped in a building fire) is something the average SAK, screwdriver or multitool will not be able to do. However, I recently parted with my own Mini Prybaby XL because I believe it may be a little to small for emergency use (lack of size to apply leverage), and just kept my standard size Prybaby XL. So far, I'm yet to see something as good, not even more recent creations from Peter Atwood. And, of course, it's what's been said so often: Prybabies are one of the best tools available to stop you from abusing a knife. They perfectly complement any locking folder for hard use.
Yes, a County Comm Widgy in my EDC Maxpedition Jumbo. A prybar seems logical to me, but that is coming from a guy who EDCs two Surges and a Skeletool. I also EDC a U-Dig-It http://www.basegear.com/udigittrowel.html which I seldom use and I often wonder why, but I do anyway. I'm also diseased. :lolhammer:
