Yesterday I plugged a gap in my tool collection upon receipt of a 36" Tove "Wrecking" Bar. It is surprisingly light. And wicked sharp! I feel like it should have a sheath on both ends.

Was persuaded to go with the Tove because it is part of Gransfors Bruks. Would like to also get a smaller Tove -- 12" or so -- but am looking for a cheaper and still quality alternative.

Any recommendations?

Do you all out in earthquake country have any preferences for size or brand of pry bars for emergency use?

http://www.highlandwoodworking.com/tovewreckingbar36.aspx

TOVE Wrecking Bar 36"

TOVE Wrecking Bars are made of specially alloyed spring steel, tempered for extra strength. They feature extreme strength in relation to their length and low weight, and in tests performed by the National Swedish Institute for Materials Testing, the bars were found to withstand extreme strain without yielding. The chisel end and the nail claw end are both sharpened so the edges can easily be wedged behind ledges, planks, moldings, etc., and are designed with a broad surface to provide minimal damage and marring to the working head. The nail claw has a precision angled V-slot design to allow nails to be pulled regardless of the size of the head. Weighs 5.5 lbs.

I've always gotten by with a wonderbar. Granted, I sharpen the pry end some. I've used and abused them, once gutted an entire barn with one coupled with a hammer and a whole lot of New England stubborn. I now tend to use the generic ones, about half the price, so I can get two.

Something else I like is the Stanley FUBAR, both the large and small models. A decent multi-use tool, really suited for demo work but I can see how it can be used in an 'aftermath" situation also.

Nice pry bar Dagny, might have to save up for one. Looks like it would be very good for "clean" demolition.

For really tearing something apart i like using these,

http://www.very-clever.com/information/xbddddhhexva

Disclaimer, have no affiliation with this company, they just happened to have a picture of the pry bar.

Wow, expensive. I've used 36" crowbars, ones that go for less than $25, quite a bit and never had one break. I avoid the cheapest generic tools but paying more doesn't guarantee your getting more. Paying five times as much doesn't get you five times the functionality. Then again, if you feel better about it paying more and have the cash to spend you're welcome to go that way.

Hopefully you didn't intend for that to be as insulting as it is.

If you'll read the original post, it's about looking for a "cheaper" yet quality pry bar.

That doesn't fit your narrative of the spendthrift idiot.

Thank you, Ray, for the helpful information.

Nice price, especially on a 48" bar.

In the event of earthquakes, I am planning to get some use from the 6' long pry bars I have acquired, pointed on one end and a chisel on the other. I have not used these in building demo or in extrication, but I did acquire experience with them in reconstructing some historic dry stone masonry. I was very impressed at what a nice long pry bar could accomplish in moving heavy stones. I will be happy if I never have to post about their utility in the aftermath of an earthquake, but you can never tell.

I also have an assortment of smaller tools; a standard crowbar is right at bedside.

Lately we have experienced several very small quakes (2.5-2.9) locally (San Nicholas Island, Westlake Village, Carpenteria). I sure hope these aren't precursors...

That is NICE Dagny! I have an older bar about that size that must be 50 years old that my father had. I should see if I can find a stamp on it. I actually keep that one next to the door going into my barn. I really should buy a better one for the house.

Regarding size, I have a couple in the house and I wouldn't go under 12 inches and probably closer to 20 inches, sort of depends on what the construction of a door or window that you might have to access. I think the 12 inch would be fine for most interior doors but the 20 might be better for an exterior.

Anyhow, thanks for the links and information both Dagny and Ray.

Wrecking / pry bars need to be sized to the task so I have several to choose from depending on the task. This has also been a good excuse... uhm ... reason for getting new ones.

For demolition of wood frame structures the Wonder Bar (about 7-10") and a solid wrecking bar like your 36" Tove make a great combination, especially if you have a good hammer to encourage things a bit.

For banging away at concrete, and things anchored in concrete, I have a couple of cold chisels and a 14" FatMax wrecking bar that work well for me. Of course I am using a "small" hand maul (4 lbs) to whack away at these.

You might also consider a pair of similarly sized/shaped smaller bars for those times when you need to force something apart that isn't securely anchored in place.

In my experience sticking to name brands and selecting the bar size/shape to match the task has worked out pretty well. I haven't managed to seriously bend or break any of my bars, even when I do really dumb things with them. I wish I could say the same for some of my large (and now slightly bowed) screwdrivers.

- Eric

I like the design of the Tove wrecking bar, but I too have both a Wonderbar and Stanley pry bars in by tool box. But while I live in SoCal, I'm far enough away from the major fault lines that I feel we'll still have a house after the Big One and a pry bar should be fine for my needs. My only wrecking bar is old, no idea what brand -- not like they go bad with age.

That said, go to Home Depot and take one you like off the shelf. They're all good -- some smaller, a few bigger.

" like to also get a smaller Tove -- 12" or so -- but am looking for a cheaper and still quality alternative.

Any recommendations?"

Dagny, you might want to look at the Vaughan 15" Superbar. It's about $12 on Amazon. The the 21" Superbar I have is not as heavy as the Stanley version, and the ends seem more finely ground.

Vaughan (Vaughan & Bushnell) make all sorts of hand tools. I have several Vaughan hammers, and like them very much. Traditional design and materials; good quality; not unreasonably expensive.

Harder to find these days, in my area at least -- the hardware stores that used to carry them have switched to the cheaper imports -- but still available online.

(No affiliation, etc.)

You are clearly over-thinking this.

Any hardware store has a selection of pry bars that will do the job. Avoid the discount bin $5 numbers and you will have something to work with. If you need further reassurance buy one with a brand name on it for a few dollars more. Stanley, Eswing, Plumb are all solid brands but be aware that many store brands are made by the same companies without the label and paint job.

You could select a decent one purely by price. Average the prices and select the one closest to average price or slightly above.

You could do it by sound. High quality tempered steel will ring clear and bright. Softer steels will have a dull tone. Take off your belt, hang the unit up, tap with a hammer. Listen.

You could check it by ordeal. Check for over hardness and tempering by smacking the thin tip into the concrete floor gently but firmly. If it chips it isn't properly tempered. If it dulls it isn't properly hardened. How this goes over with the store owner is up for grabs.

Don't get hung up on the ends being sharp or the smooth paint job. If you want sharp you grind or file them. Most people who use them don't need or want them sharp. If you want that a minute with a side grinder will get you a better edge than spending more money.

It is, in vernacular, a crowbar, a wrecking bar (Yes, technically there are differences), an implement of destruction, a club, a crude hunk of steel you pound and pry walls apart and doors open with. A good pry bar should mobilize your inner barbarian, make you want to tear something up. Holding one your vocabulary should shift toward the monosyllabic, possibly the profane. Shakespeare would grunt unintelligibly and flex hi muscles while holding a good bar. You're not buying a piano.

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stor...ocStoreNum=8125

http://hand-tools.hardwarestore.com/67-416-wrecking-bars/stanley-fatmax-wrecking-bar-115290.aspx

http://store.gsfasteners.com/mayhew-4100...amp;language=en

Even at less than $16 I've had good luck with the Mayhew 36" on both construction and demolition projects. I didn't recognize the name so much as the paper label. The yellow and black logo is distinctive on a new tool. I've got a 3' of the same make and model in my truck and another in my tool kit at home. Not the most refined tool but solid and capable.

The Stanley version of a plain goose neck is very similar and may be the same thing with a bit of yellow paint added. The Stanley Fatmax is a step up with an oblong cross-section that gives it a little more stiffness but there are look-alikes off-brands that are on sale with a similar section and performance. Often similar right down to the forge marks.

For man-pack survival and rescue use I prefer a good quality spring-steel flat-bar. Cheap and lighter a flat bar doesn't roll so much used one-handed, can be used as a hoe to rake out debris and dig. The ninety degree bent end is easily hammered into any gap, with a hammer if necessary, with the sides of the blade working as both resistance arm and fulcrum. Used that way the blade is less likely to slip out.

As for any insult ... if I was working on being insulting there would be no doubt. If there is any doubt; there is no insult intended.

You might take a look at some of the pry tools used by firefighters, like these (seller and manufacturer selected at random). Would assume high quality.

Wonder Bars are probably the Best Prybars Ever invented!Cheap & Very Effective for their Purpose!I own Many of them,Some are More than 25yrs. old,& Not Rusty,though they have a certain Patina,to be sure.I Have broken one,Only at the nail slot,behind the wedge end,The bar is still intact & Useable!I have wrecker bars,construction bars,pit bars,various catpaws,& The Wonder Bars,of which I have used the most,& are in various parts of my house for emergency evac!A 28oz. Estwing Hammer pairs with one in my bdrm.

For the price of that wrecking bar, I think I'd buy half a dozen cheaper ones in various sizes. Or better yet, not buy one at all until I actually needed one, which I haven't so far in over 50 years of life. I must live a sheltered life ... nothing around here needs wrecking.

But isn't the entire point of this forum about having [whatever] on hand before you need it?

I don't have enough money to buy one of everything I *might* need. Boy, I sure wish that were the case though!

LOL -- great point. I hope never to need a lot of what is discussed on this forum -- like my First Aid kits.

Wish I'd been interested in tools when my father and grandfather were alive. They both had tons of stuff, especially Papa who was an avid woodworker. When they died nearly all that stuff was sold off because no one in the family wanted it.

All I have to hand things down to one day are my nieces. Need to mention to them not to let the Tove wrecking bar go for $3 at an estate sale.

Maybe should list the Tove, Bark River Knives and the Ritter collection under "heirlooms" in my will.

I found the Fubars to be very unbalanced when I played with them at the store. Just my 2c; I thought I would like them but the business end seems overly heavy and I imagined getting very tired when using them.

Prybars falls into the category of good to have on hand, being prepared to help yourself or others out from the rubble and collapsed structures. I live in PNW earthquake country, a couple hundred yards North of the Seattle Fault - if that lets loose and I survive, we'll have possibly an hour or less to get everyone out from under structures before fires, after shocks, injuries and collapse finish the job. So I have a few prybars of the common kind, one by my bed, one in my office, even one in my car, to pry open whatever door gets stuck - whatever brand you can buy at Ace Hardware. And I have a couple long 6 foot prybars, one in the corner of the garage, one in my back yard storage room, waiting next to a garbage can on wheels, full of 2x4 and 4x4 scrap lumber for cribbling and blocking. If I never have to use them, no worries - the 6 footers are $28 at Ace, the scrap lumber is scrap. Give me a lever and I'll move the world - 6 feet of leverage is better than 3, or 2.

I like to shop the local Ace Hardware - I have bought two of the 6 foot prybars, and have a feeling the next time I'm in they'll have restocked with another one, and I'll feel $28 burning a hole in my pocket. Although 2 should be enough. You can never have enough leverage...

Wonder Bars are good. As a transient apartment dweller I hauled around a Wonder Bars, it was 16" or 18" long and its blue paint and label became something of a reassurance. Over the transient years it got used a lot and never let me down.

The Wonder-Bar isn't really special. Plenty other similar units out there. Stanley makes a nice line of spring-steel flat bars. From 6" to 24" as I understand it. 16" to 21" seem handiest for urban search and rescue or escaping a structure.

Flat bars are possibly the most adaptable and widely useful of designs. Wedged under a door you can step on the other end to raise the door into place while keeping your hands free to get the hinge ins in. The wide bar won't roll out of position like a round bar will. This makes them superior for use one-handed when you use foot pressure to lever something into position.

Wedged between concrete blocks or wedged against a wall a flat bar can be used as a temporary step. Much harder to do that with a conventional pry bar.

The flat surface and easily filed or ground spring steel makes them functional scrapers for removing linoleum, ceramic tiles, spilled concrete, or ice.

Very handy and quite cheap. What's not to like.

On the other hand I agree with


I tried the Fubar and found that it is a crude, poorly balanced, club. The pry end bends the wrong way if you use it right handed. Holding the grip the the sharp pry wedge hits my wrist. The weight is centered half way down the handle so it compromises the hammer function. For less money you could buy a good flat bar and a three pound engineers hammer that would work better as either hammer or pry bar and they could be used in concert. A trick the Fubar can't do.