Prybars, sharpened or otherwise

You often hear the phrase "sharpened prybar" to describe a knife designated for rough duty. I am beginning to believe there is a useful role for such an actual prybar, sharpened or not, and one should be handy.

You can obtain prybars in a wide range of sizes and shapes. The smallest I bother with is about 7 inches long, with a right angle leg about one inch which gives it nice leverage. Such prybars are often available in matched sets of varying sizes and they are rather handy and portable. Using my small prybar can spare my good, sharp knives for more suitable tasks; the increased weight is minimal. There are also really midget bars, suitable for key ring carry and they also can come in handy.

I also have more robust bars for heavier duty and a couple reside underneath our bed, waiting until the Big One collapses our dwelling about us and we must pry ourselves (and others) from the wreckage.

Check out the assortment at your local store. I'll bet you will find something useful.

Small prybars have become a very popular EDC thing. I was gifted a plain Jane titanium one recently https://scontent.fphx1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v...amp;oe=607E56F6 second from the left. James of Maverick Customs told me I would soon wonder how I survived without it. I've been carrying it clipped to my left-hand pocket and found it quite useful. Not quite indispensable, but certainly handy.

As part of my tool bags and supplies, I have everything from a 7-inch pry bar to a 6-foot long digging bar. Leverage will win a lot of battles with "stuff."

As for prying yourself out from under your home collapsing in the BIG ONE, unless you have protection over your bed, you may not get the chance. Just saying...

Being a very cautious dude, I removed the mirror on the ceiling years ago...

Who knows how the aging home will collapse on my aging body and the eventual result......

In an urban emergency , being able to pry, hack, hammer, cut, dig, lift manhole covers, access commercial building silcocks , open & close fire hydrants, cut HD chain link fence &wire screening, turn off gas valves, and defeat pad locks, may be the difference between survival or death/ serious injury. Meeting these requirements , without lugging a hundred pounds of tools, is a real challenge. A home, apartment, car or truck can handle the load.

However, the typical cubicle office ( and a co-worker’s or boss’s prying eyes) or even a backpack GHB or 72 hour kit would be overwhelmed with standard tools. Then there is the problem that if searched or seen by a LEO, they may hold the belief that you are in possession of burglary tools and arrest you. I’ve given these problems a lot of thought as I build urban GHBs for myself, family & friends. I’ve not found the perfect solution, but what follows is my take on the problem.

For a GHB, where going thru airport type security is not an issue, but weight and size are, my minimum tool kit is a LM Wave or SOG Power Pliers, a 4-way silcock key and a small reversible pocket clip screwdriver, in place of a pry-bar and a,ResQume, tempered car glass breaker. Sometimes I’ve added a small pocket hacksaw or a diamond wire cutter or a NATO type wire saw. Lightweight , short nomex and leather gloves, eye protection ( waterproof clear swim goggles r good,cheap and useful against smoke , as well as debris) x 10-20’, N-95 masks and an XCaper smoke mask. There is also 25’ of 550 or 750 para cord and a few feet of SS wire. If you have to go thru metal detectors, I’ve found that u can be OK with a small needle nosed pliers, the pocket screwdriver and ResQme

If you can take the extra weight and risk , you may add to ur pack a Ti , 11.5” Stilleto Nail Remover Bar ( lightweight perfection). They are expensive, but tonight I saw them on sale for about $50. Add an 8” Klien Linesman pliers with handles wrapped with extra thick wrapping of Super33 electrical tape. ( Use as a wire cutter, wrench, pliers , pry & hammer). Alternatively, one of my favorite, HD , multiple use tools is the 11.5”, Channel Lock 88 Fireman’s tool. It’s a bit pricey, but it’s a great pliers, wire cutter, gas cock shut-off, pry-bar, hose spammer & hammer. It replaces other thr Ti pry-bar & Linesman pliers.

If a sheath knife is doable in your situation , IMO the Gerber LMF II , 3/8” thick x 4.8” long , partially serrated, improved 420 SS blade, is the best multi-use , electrically insulated , sharpened pry-bar knives available. It is reasonably priced and in some ways , it even exceeds my Randall Model 18, in usefulness.

There is additionally, my HD, most muti-purpose, 15”, heavyish +2lb.s, ugly beauty, the SPAX 16, hatchet size tool. Is an improvement on a WW II, aircraft crash-rescue ax. It will chop wood or slice aluminum with its curved ax blade, penetrate brick & block, and pry metal & wood with its spike. It will even lift manhole cover with that curved spike. The curved tool top will act as a fulcrum to use with the spike to lift manhole covers or act as a rudimentary shovel. U can also hammer with the side of the tool. Most unique is the irregular shaped hole in the top middle of the roll. This hole is a multipurpose wrench to use to shut down home gas cocks and open and close fire hydrants. Don’t Open Fire Hydrants except for emergency drinking water or to decontaminate someone. Always close them after use and report it’s use to the FD so they can check it and pump it dry, if required. Anything else will get u cited or arrested! I have a SPAX in the office ,house and car. It is pricey but cruise the internet for periodic sales. I got a black handled one , on sale, for $64 shipping included, about a year ago. The orange handled ones are even uglier, but cheaper.

Finally, in my SUV, besides the jack and a small hand tool kit, jump cables, small inverter, reflective triangles, flares, tow strap, Gorilla Tape, 2x Flat Fix, 75’ of climbing rope, a riggers belt, and figure 8 descender kit , is a full size hacksaw with a round carbide blade +extra blade, a 21 “ Ti pry bar, with a flat end a a flat s curved top , lightweight hammer head camper’s axe, and a cheap 24” bolt cutter. Also clothes, boots ,wool socks, sleeping bag, green tarp 9’ x12’, hygienie kit, lifeboat rations, 8, 20oz. water bottles, pump water purifier which will remove everything but salt, lifeboat rations, folding twig stove, 72 hr. BOB, and some cash. Cash is King in an emergency. It doesn’t talk, it swears.

My concept is that if I can get to my car, with my family, and we can drive away, we can be self sufficient for at least 72 hours. I never let the gas tank go below half a tank and usually not even as low as 3/4s of a tank.

If trying to do a lightweight compact tool kit, have you seen demolition wrenches?

Stanley has one in their Fatmax line, adjustable wrench, hammer, pry bar and nail puller in one 10" tool. Pretty inexpensive too, even over here.

Few other brands also have a version.

Craftsman's

https://www.craftsman.com/products/autom...justable-wrench

I have this one in my GHB.

https://www.amazon.com/Stiletto-TICLW12-ClawBar-Titanium-Puller/dp/B0000T4VAG/ref=sr_1_1?crid=NE2QY5HWNNY5&dchild=1&keywords=titanium+nail+puller&qid=1616681105&sprefix=titanium+nail%2Caps%2C155&sr=8-1

And another one on the headboard for when the ceiling mirror falls.

Like gloves or a tarp. not very exciting, but useful.
I'm amazed how many homeowners don't have A toolkit, shovel, pry bar, gloves and a flashlight handy.