Gearwrench telescoping pry bar: amzn.to/3d5eoWT Fire Hooks Pro-Bar: www.firehooksunlimited.net/probars.html MSA Sordin Supreme Pro X Hearing Protection: amzn.to/3p62GOM
People who live and die by their equipment, for whom it's not a periodic novelty or hobby object but their everyday reality and livelihood are going to find and proof the best tools. Reviews are nice, but "I need a thing every working day to work and so this is the version of that thing I use" is the ultimate endorsement.
On that note, I not believe the hearing protection worn by soldiers is the same as that worn by workers in loud industries. The hearing protection is required to block different ranges of frequencies. So I fear Savage may unknowingly be doing his hearing some harm, in the long run.
@@rubendebruijne5170 Rifles are a short, sharp report unlike the sustained roar of power tools. As far as I'm aware, they do make different types for different requirements.
That miniature pry bar Adam shows starting at the 3:00 mark isn't intended as a pry bar, but is actually a slotted screwdriver for tight spaces. The heads are in two different orientations on the ends so you only have to turn a screw 90 degrees, then flip to the other end and you can turn it farther. I have a couple of these for different, tight access problems, like adjusting the points on my one old Gravely tractor.
Love the tool tip, but I think Adam forgot the most common prying tool, and probably the first prying tool that most people encounter is the claw on the back of a hammer.
All of the above are terribly misused tools that should really not be used for prying half as often as I use them for prying ... I also have a knackered chisel that I've continued to misuse and a handy dandy 4" masonry chisel that was super handy for breaking down pallets
A firefighter friend of mine once asked me to make a leather wrap handle for his Halligan bar, much like the one on Adam's, above. He said "every time I take this to a scene, I find a new way to use it."
The large screwdriver brings back fond memories of a Chief Engineer on one of the ships I worked with. The ship was new coming out of the shipyard. As part of the Contract certain tools were provided., including the biggest screwdriver I have ever seen. The Chief carried the screwdriver around, aka George C.Scott carrying the riding whip in Patton. The screwdriver was specified in the list of tools to be provided, but no one knew what it was to be used for. Years later my wife came home with two screwdrivers, one flat blade and one philips, of similar size to yours. They were on sale at Tractor Supply. She knew I "needed" them for my toolbox.
@@kiwifruitpoo The nut spanner for the props is one that always surprises me. That it is not standardised and each ship carries its own. Kinda like aircraft that carry their own push-back/towing bars because the destination airport won't have their special one.
I don’t know if it would be of use to you, but a Burke Bar has been living in my cross-bed tool box for several years. They are made for stripping concrete forms, but they work wonders for when you need to move something that refuses. It is a force multiplier that’s in it’s own category as far as I’m concerned. Almost 5ft long, almost 15 pounds. As Essential Craftsman says in his video about the tool, “There are things that can only be done with a Burke Bar”.
Dear Adam and members of tested, I'm a 3rd generation Ironworker. Klein tools makes our favorite pry tools. Including the 7/8" diameter connecting bar "sleever bar". As well as every spud wrench size imaginable. Prying Steel and Aligning holes for quick connecting or bolting up full connections. but when there's a stubborn connection and prying isnt enough bull pins and barrel pins are the next step.
I have absolutely no interests in tools or making things, but i could listen to adam talking about anything his passionate about for hours on end, dudes the best.
my favourite small pry-bar is a beekeepers tool .. in the UK it's called a hive tool , stainless steel , very slim , great for delicately parting things & scraping gaskets
Don't forget the ever handy keychain prybar! It's another one of those tools you'll use once in a blue moon but when you need it you're glad you have it!
That little "ring the steel bar" trick is actually useful. My grandad taught me that when we were looking at crowbars (interestingly enough) out at a flea market. You loosely support a bar and "ring" it. If you can't get it to ring, it indicates there is a crack in the steel somewhere. I still have that crowbar I bought.
I'm a hobbyist mechanic and I have been super impressed with the Mayhems Dominator series prybars. Apparently they're the same OEM as a lot of the tool truck brands for a fraction the price. A lot of them are the "big screwdriver" shape but super strong
My favorite pry bar is a trim puller, it’s just a small flat pry bar. I don’t usually use it for trim, but it just comes in so handy because it’s made from flat stock. That gives me the ability to get in in between things and behind things that normal beefier pry bars can’t. I use it so often. It was like 5 bucks too
My favorite pry bar is the cat's paw nail puller. As someone who does a lot of home renovation where there's need for careful demolition, this tool is extremely useful for removing a thousand nails without damaging what's underneath.
I have had a really terrible day, and after quite too much of a bottle of whiskey I clicked on this video with a dark grumble of "well go on and explain why they're not all just oversized screwdrivers." For one of them to actually be an oversized screwdriver has just really cheered me up, so I must really thank-you for posting this today.
My favorite is what we refer to as a digging bar or digging iron. It looks like a nail with a big head and a point, but it is 1 inch steel amd 7 ft long
Working in home repair I used a stanley crowbar that I reshaped and sharpened to a knife edge with a mill file. A knife edge allows for non destructive disassembly for materials that I wanted to reuse or things I wanted to reassemble after the work was done. The angle with the sharpness allows it to slip into very small gaps and apply even pressure to work things loose without damage.
I’ve been in the automotive field for decades and I have 3 favorites. 1 - the “lady foot” which are small versions of the Gearwrench tool you show but with fixed, 90-degree feet. The leverage on them is insane and they are perfect for tight spots. The point on the opposite end is a great alignment tool2 - Snap-On 36” prybar. Screwdriver tipped prying tools tend to slip and not have the leverage, the slightly angled tip of a dedicated prybar tends to hold better. Because of the danger of the huge forces I don’t buy cheap prybar. 3 - 6-foot pinch point prybar, you usually see masons use these to move sidewalk slabs. Immensely heavy and have tremendous prying power. You don’t want to know why they were popular tools in the shop.
I’m a mechanic, we like either 45 degree bent tip pry bars, or straight tip pry bars, some folks like the adjustable ones. Most folks will buy them off a tool truck, Snap On, Mac, or Matco, my personal preference is Cornwell, they do a 72 inch bent tip pry bar that will pretty much budge or break anything you want it to, they’re all a one piece tang with a striking cap on the end of the handle so you can hammer it in somewhere if you need. Great tools.
One of my favourite pry bar is a nail remover for small demolitions. It has a weight at one end that move along the axis of the pry bar in order to ram it into the dry wall or two by four in order to grasp the nail so you can pry it out. My father had one when I was a kid and it came on sale at CT 20 years ago and I've never seen it on sale since. I only used it a half dozen times, but when I need it, it's amazing.
As a film carpenter/woodworker the most common pry bar is the Richards glazing bar/paint scraper. Perfect for prying of any delicate pieces you don't want damaged (trim, etc)
I have a screwdriver shaped like the one at 3:19 and it's the best tool I've ever used for undoing completely stuck bolts on things like old electronics casings.
I spent several years as a millwright and got to know many prying implements, but the one I have in every tool bag is known as a Crate Hammer. One piece steel with a forked pry end on one side and a T hammer on the other. Compact enough to keep in a tool belt or bag and useful for a plethora of tasks. Great collection. I'll have to start using my offset flat blade screwdrivers for pry tools as well now...
the rings on the Halligan bar handle are for straps to keep it together with an axe in the truck so the firefighter just grabs the axe and bar with one hand ... no clumsiness
My grandfather was an avid carpenter (he build his entire cottage). When working on big projects, you need big tools. As a result, we own a 5 foot crowbar. It weighs a freaking ton. And I love it.
The big spike on the probar is often used to defeat padlocks. One fireman holds the bar with the spike placed in the shackle while his partner forces it further with a sledge hammer. No picking required.
I work in a museum and one of my many odd jobs is busting up old crates. One day I was looking for a tool online to do this and found a vintage literal "crate hammer." They have different names but it's basically a hatchet with a nail puller and pry bar sticking out the top. Feels like a mini pollaxe. I love the thing; recommend checking them out.
I love when he says a sentence to explain a process, his brain stops all other functions to do word processing, then he audibly says "yep" or "yea" if it's more complicated
The hultafors mini wrecking bar is a little 190mm long classic "pry bar" it's the absolute best tool for taking out staples and small nails, it's just awesome. I'm a carpenter and it's by far my favorite tool I carry in my apron.
Various pry bars were crucial in the deconstruction of my schoolbus interior so I could convert it into a Skoolie. Of all the tools I used (so many tools), this was at the top of the list. As an older lady, I used a good knowledge of physics as a substitute for physical strength. I, too, sing the praises of the humble pry bar.
@Tee King A lot of people love skoolies, you should put it up on RUclips! And good job using your noodle and tools instead of trying to muscle it, im often reminding people ' work smarter not harder '. That's why the ultimate Maker gave us brains, so we could invent tools to help us. 😁
@@deadaccount6135 I have a few Skoolie videos on my channel, but it's not dedicated to only that; there's more of my music on it than anything. Thanks for your kind words.
Ah, yes, the halligan bar, aka a breaching tool. Used one more often than I care to remember trying to get into doors and through things that were well and truly stuck. You just have to REALLY trust the person next to you with the sledge that they're not going to miss.
i worked for a tow compnay and bought one to keep in the truck with in 1 week the hole fleet had one in every truck with a 10lb sledge hammer owner not around due to a wreck but you need to unhook there trailer and its all bound up and has a pad lock no worries need to pry a fender out of a tire so it will roll on the flat bed need to smash something or pry anything its got it worth every penny
Underrated comment. Might be too big for shops or other indoors applications, But when you absolutely positively have to make that standing structure not stand any more, it's what you want. Link to Essential Craftsman Video on the Burke Bar: ruclips.net/video/5JnMO6-ql8o/видео.html
As an ex tool truck owner I have a lot of tools in my personal toolbox. One of my favorites is a short prybar, 24”, that has a pinch bar blade at one end and the other is a straight tapered point at the other. The point is made to line holes up when you are trying to get bolts in a structure like car chassis pieces. It would be adequate for The Zombie Apocalypse also.
You know, I'm realizing now that I should get a prybar of some kind. The last time I needed leverage to fit nuts and washers between steel and wood...I used a butter knife. Which to its credit, the handles on those things are Sturdy, and it worked better than I thought it might. But a prybar would have made easy work of the problem, I wager
You should definitely have a pry bar of some kind, but most would probably be too beefy for that application. You should look at 5-in-1 painter's tool. They're similar to a putty knife (and can be used as one), but are sturdier and oddly shaped. They are great for light prying.
@@jcon6734 the 5-in-1 painters tool has been one of the most used tools in my kit as a home DIYer. My dad recommended I get one. Scraping, prying, cutting, popping light nails out, it’s been a game-changer.
One that I've found very useful for prying out smallish nails in plywood around the house is the diminutive Cat's Paw. Replacing my floors and dealing with moulding, tack strips and staples was made soooo much easier with this tool. The sharp ends dig in and get the job done.
I have owned a Stanley FUBAR for 10 years or more and it has pried apart so many things. It has also been used to break up concrete without concern. I really like the Halligan breach tool too, looks like a great bit of design.
That firefighter tool is usually called a Halligan. When paired with a flat-backed axe, they are called Irons. They are a firefighter's universal keys. Volunteer FF from PA!
I rebuild oilfield equipment. My pry bars are my most used tools. I probably have 20 different bars of all types. I love ladyfoot bars and I use wedges to split cases apart. The wedge is so good at moving things from each other it will break bolts that have been stripped to where I can't remove them until I break them.
I use an aluminium pry bar. It's super light but still very strong. If you work overhead all day it saves your back. It also helps keep your toolbox lighter for site visits.
Confusing but interesting! It's hard for me to imagine an aluminum prybar that has enough strength to keep from bending, but I'd love to find one! Do you have the brand info?
In the ripping bar, there is a use for that teardrop-shaped hole that I never knew. The flat split end of that bar can start removing a nail and the teardropped-shaped hole can FINISH pulling even a long nail. Try it!
I bought one of the prybars with a ratcheting head to move a Bridgeport, after watching a Tom Lipton video on machinery moving. An acquaintance brought a 6' gigantor prybar that looked like it came from an old gold mine. Amazingly, that one just flexed where the 3' ratchet worked a dream.
They make a miniature version of the flat bar that is really amazing. It fits nicely in my tool pouch and I drop it in the slot after the blade when cutting long pieces of wood on the table saw. It prevents the cut from coming back together and binding on the blade. Also works nicely to provide a small gap at the floor when hanging drywall.
The "pry bar" I use most often is a normal flat head screwdriver. Not great for big heavy stuff, but perfectly adequate for the small crafts I do most often.
My favorite pry bar has to be one that came out of an old MiG factory in the late 90s. It's a standard sized crow bar... Except it's made of an aircraft grade titanium. It weighs next to nothing and has never once bent or deformed while using it, and I haven't been nice to it.
The sash bar is indispensable. Pro Tip: When prying off wood trim always pry perpendicular to the grain. For instance, when removing a baseboard, insert the pry bar along the edge and the rotate so that the edge of the bar pries across the grain not the tip. And have two pry bars so that you can leap frog down the piece.
An alignment prybar is worthy to have laying around. Its got a flat wedge on one end for all your prying needs and a tapered point in the other end you can insert into holes when attempting to align two surfaces together. In my application I use them to align vehicle subframes to the monocoque or to align a suspension link to the bracket receiver. You align the two components close enough to put a fastener through and job done. Great for punching holes with brute force aswell through wood or sheet metal.
Wow... it's possible that my prying and levering collection is nearly as impressive if not more than what Adam shared today! I feel honored! As usual a tool is in the eye of the beholder and like hammers, levering tools are found in nearly everything and everywhere.
The last prybar is known to me as a hooligan, which always delighted me. I used those when deployed overseas and still have one to this day. A pain to carry but invaluable
My favorite pry bar is the Estwing PB-18. I've had one for 25+ years. It's my go to bar for dismantling pallets. Has taken thousands of hammer blows and is still as good as when I got it. The I-beam design is really good. No flexing like I sometimes get with the common style you show at 3:22.
I use a telegraph lining bar for work occasionally. If you ever break concrete - particularly in small quantities, but can’t (or don’t want to) use a power tool for whatever reason It’s your friend. It’s also great if you need to move really heavy loads or do heavy demolition work. Seven feet long and heavy! Specialist, but a lot cheaper than getting a big power tool.
Oh, every single one of these is amazing and I wish I could afford them, but I can't justify the cost. But, yeah, working with the experts is a great way of sorting the wheat from the chaff, as it were.
I’ve inherited a 6 foot long iron bar, affectionately known as the “punishment” bar, which is used for levering big rocks out of the ground before breaking them with a sledge. It’s about 3 inches in diameter and has a chisel point and a spear point and I’ve lifted outbuildings with it.
My favorite tool in this class I own is a 24 inch titanium crowbar I found on Harbor Freight ~20 years ago. Non sparking non magnetic, stamped with a Russian titanium maker. Most of what I have is cheap introductory stuff but this is the only tool I own that my dad has dibs on if I predecease him.
Hultafors 108 mini is a tiny useful crowbar that is perfect for small trims and plastic stuff. It is made by one of the best Swedish toolmakers for hand tools “Hultafors” costing about 7.5$ locally.
My favorite prying/scraping tool is a glazing bar. It's technically for installing and removing Windows but it has such a fine edge that is great for getting into right places. I use it for everything 😀
Especially when you need some delicacy and don't want to break or crack anything that you're prying at. Like removing trim in one piece, which is exactly what they're made for.
As a general contractor/construction worker, I use glazing bars every single day. They are unbelievably handy, I actually carry two small ones in my toolbelt at all times.
The other prying implement that I would suggest I know by the name cat's paw. It is an amazing tool for small to medium woodworking and other general purpose making.
This is the one that came to mind for me as well. No better way to remove embedded nails, as long as you don't care how the surface looks when you're done.
Renovation pry bar. About 12 inches long with a right angle nail puller on one end and a 3 inch wide extremely thin slightly curved prying wedge on the other. Perfect for safely pulling moldings off.
Somebody get this man a Burke bar. Adam, a Burke bar is the best prying tool. I use it for everything, up to and including moving my bridgeport. A halogen is a top-notch entry tool and great demo tool, but a Burke bar is THE demo tool and THE tool to move anything heavy. Sorry for the rant, my Burke bar just saved my ass today, so it got me going.
According to knife reviewers, the best prybar is a $500 handmade hunting knife. Who knows why, but that's how they judge a knife. Harbor Freight pry bars are great- both the kind that looks like a bent screwdriver and the solid steel ones with the curved beak. I use the latter for knocking scale out of odd locations fouled by hard water. They're also essential for reinstalling folding van seats with spring loaded hinges. An essential prybar accessory is a few pieces of flattened shampoo bottle. This stuff is an ideal shim to prevent surface marring and will stand up to immense pressure. I use it when changing motorcycle tires to guard the wheel.
I have a selfmade sliding hammer that was build by a fireman to quickly open car doors and such. It was build to quickly open doors and such before they had hydraulic tools. You can see it was build to withstand anything multiple fireman can throw at it. It goes true big tree roots by it’s own weight and kinetic force transmitted to the big sharp wedge. I love this thing and it’s story and will happily pass it on to be used and abused when I am done playing with it. (That will be a while)
Many years ago i worked with habitat for humanity, we were mostly amateurs with a contractor sprinkled here and there to keep us on track. Im a tool guys so when we needed to pick up corners of a large shed/shop to stack pavers under the corners i said gimme a sec and went to my station wagon and got a Burke bar bout five and a half feet long . This massive tool with a chunk of 2x8 under it allowed one guy to lift a corner about 4 inches shove in two pavers and lift again on doubled wood to get two more pavers in. If you need two things apart and they are not heavily welded and explosives are a no go this tool will do it!
When I was in band in school the band director had a special piece of “prying” equipment designed specifically to remove the mouth pieces from brass instruments. It wasn’t a pry bar but it was more like 2 circular clamps separated by a set of really long screws. So the band director could tighten one end appropriately for the mouth piece and one end appropriately for the receiving tubing of the mouth piece, then carefully pull the mouth piece directly out without hurting anything. Very specific but it oddly sounds more suited to the example you gave in the intro than an actual pry bar.
My favorite prybar/demolition tool is my Fubars. There's the big full size version and a more compact version. The claw on even the smaller one gets enough leverage to force the twist out of a 2x8 to get it into place.
I have that little double ended 90 degree flat bladed bar. Also available with philips head ! (It's a screwdriver Adam), but then all screwdrivers are crowbars too.
Adam, if you don't have an Estwing PB-18, you need to get one. It is by far the most useful pry bar I've found. The flats on the right-angle end allow you to hammer on it if necessary, which allows it to be used as a wedge as well as a pry bar.
Shark bars are great. They have a very wide and thin end that works great to pull trim off without damaging it, and works well for many other applications. Also find that plastic trim tools/ pry bars ,usually for automotive use, also work well for delicate light duty work.
as a union ironworker, our best friend to help us move the world is a sleaver bar. I'm 150 n I've moved 4 ton bundled of steel with it. gotta love physics in action!
I bought a flat bar with an extra bend in the middle years ago. While it may not fit as well as a regular bar, it does a great job of lifting drywall and other panels accurately while leaving my hands fee to attach it. Other than that, I have a board bender. a complete waste of $40 until you build a deck. it can hook on the edge of a 2 x 12 and snap it if you push hard enough. it can also bend 3 pieces of 5/4 decking like 5/8" and hold it to be nailed or screwed down.
A combo Jimmy bar/ podger is another one I use almost daily building elevators, big ones with a flat pry bar on one end and podger on the other as well as the ones with a hook for prying that usually come in a set from 6"-24/30" for pretty cheap are great. A Burke bar is also one of the best options for bigger jobs, not really much that can replace one when you really need it.
Cat's paw is a great little separator prybar. Wide, flat, almost knife edged lever end is a carpenter's tool for delicately removing things like molding around doors and floors without damaging them, so they can get reinstalled afterwards. I also use a full size oldschool crowbar for coaxing things in to shape or alignment. It is a large enough tool that you can balance the force applied to it to make subtle changes or big moves. I have 2 😁😁 The Stanley Fubar is also a wonderful tool, not just for the name. 🤣
I have a 10" moulding puller/pry bar, under $20 bucks and I have beaten the crap out of it both in my workshop and around my house. Perfect size and easy to use for everyone.
You’re missing a pinch bar or a Burke bar. It’s about a 5 to 6 foot long bar mainly used for moving and positioning heavy machinery. But can be used for just about anything that needs some extra leverage.
The spike on the Halligan Tool (which is what that probar is a slightly fancy version of) is mainly for deflating tyres to stabilise a vehicle in road crash rescue situations.
Catspaw. Though designed for pulling buried nails, it features a head that can be struck with a hammer to drive the wedged business end to gain purchase on desired separation.
Hi Adam and everyone. I know that zombie killing device under name of hooligan/halligen. In general it is used by firemen. You can check many videos on-line how it can be use. Also that curved spike is great pivot point when you are using flat part and you need to pry in other axis.
I am watching this while dismantling and hopefully restoring an old Italian thicknesser jointer combination machine (Tatry DW55 which was then rebranded as a DeWalt). I am stuck trying to get the height adjustment assembly apart from the top bed. What I could really use now is ..... a pry bar. The smallest one I have requires two hands to even lift.
I've had a hammer before that had the claw move the same way the gearwrench works. Also, if you want a super large pry bar, you should look into burke bars.
Gearwrench telescoping pry bar: amzn.to/3d5eoWT
Fire Hooks Pro-Bar: www.firehooksunlimited.net/probars.html
MSA Sordin Supreme Pro X Hearing Protection: amzn.to/3p62GOM
Adam explaining that he loves to hear what tools the experts use is exactly why we watch these videos
People who live and die by their equipment, for whom it's not a periodic novelty or hobby object but their everyday reality and livelihood are going to find and proof the best tools. Reviews are nice, but "I need a thing every working day to work and so this is the version of that thing I use" is the ultimate endorsement.
On that note, I not believe the hearing protection worn by soldiers is the same as that worn by workers in loud industries.
The hearing protection is required to block different ranges of frequencies.
So I fear Savage may unknowingly be doing his hearing some harm, in the long run.
Rifles are extremely loud! I'm sure its good enough for a power tool.
@@rubendebruijne5170 Rifles are a short, sharp report unlike the sustained roar of power tools. As far as I'm aware, they do make different types for different requirements.
That miniature pry bar Adam shows starting at the 3:00 mark isn't intended as a pry bar, but is actually a slotted screwdriver for tight spaces. The heads are in two different orientations on the ends so you only have to turn a screw 90 degrees, then flip to the other end and you can turn it farther. I have a couple of these for different, tight access problems, like adjusting the points on my one old Gravely tractor.
Love the tool tip, but I think Adam forgot the most common prying tool, and probably the first prying tool that most people encounter is the claw on the back of a hammer.
And butterknives
Flat nose screwdrivers too
and the tip of your pocket knife
All of the above are terribly misused tools that should really not be used for prying half as often as I use them for prying ...
I also have a knackered chisel that I've continued to misuse and a handy dandy 4" masonry chisel that was super handy for breaking down pallets
The claw always looks like the best option and functions like the worst.
A firefighter friend of mine once asked me to make a leather wrap handle for his Halligan bar, much like the one on Adam's, above. He said "every time I take this to a scene, I find a new way to use it."
The large screwdriver brings back fond memories of a Chief Engineer on one of the ships I worked with. The ship was new coming out of the shipyard. As part of the Contract certain tools were provided., including the biggest screwdriver I have ever seen. The Chief carried the screwdriver around, aka George C.Scott carrying the riding whip in Patton. The screwdriver was specified in the list of tools to be provided, but no one knew what it was to be used for.
Years later my wife came home with two screwdrivers, one flat blade and one philips, of similar size to yours. They were on sale at Tractor Supply. She knew I "needed" them for my toolbox.
Another seafarer here. There’s some amazing tools on ships alright, but my favourite so far was an inch drive torque wrench.
@@kiwifruitpoo The nut spanner for the props is one that always surprises me. That it is not standardised and each ship carries its own. Kinda like aircraft that carry their own push-back/towing bars because the destination airport won't have their special one.
Your wife knows you well.
The Probar is also called a halligan! It's a design that was made for FDNY back in the 40's.
I’ve heard them called a “Hoolie” bar, there seem to be many inferior copies about but I do want (need) one 🤪
@@sibat777 I've also heard them called hooligan. Handful of different names for them.
We got some at my local fire dept. Great tool, we use it in combination with a splitting hammer as part of our door opening kit.
I was just going to say, Fireman’s Entry Tool.
On my want, need list as well!
I don’t know if it would be of use to you, but a Burke Bar has been living in my cross-bed tool box for several years. They are made for stripping concrete forms, but they work wonders for when you need to move something that refuses. It is a force multiplier that’s in it’s own category as far as I’m concerned. Almost 5ft long, almost 15 pounds. As Essential Craftsman says in his video about the tool, “There are things that can only be done with a Burke Bar”.
Burke bar is the best at prying compressed plywood off of concrete.
Yessir. Came to say the same thing thing. Cat's Paw in the belt, Burke Bar on the truck. Flat bar for finishing.
Dear Adam and members of tested, I'm a 3rd generation Ironworker. Klein tools makes our favorite pry tools. Including the 7/8" diameter connecting bar "sleever bar". As well as every spud wrench size imaginable. Prying Steel and Aligning holes for quick connecting or bolting up full connections. but when there's a stubborn connection and prying isnt enough bull pins and barrel pins are the next step.
I have absolutely no interests in tools or making things, but i could listen to adam talking about anything his passionate about for hours on end, dudes the best.
my favourite small pry-bar is a beekeepers tool .. in the UK it's called a hive tool , stainless steel , very slim , great for delicately parting things & scraping gaskets
Ordered one! Thanks for the tip!
Just bought one too.
Don't forget the ever handy keychain prybar! It's another one of those tools you'll use once in a blue moon but when you need it you're glad you have it!
Like a kid in a candy store, you can always tell that Adam loves what he does. I truly envy and respect that. Outstanding as always, Adam. :)
That little "ring the steel bar" trick is actually useful. My grandad taught me that when we were looking at crowbars (interestingly enough) out at a flea market. You loosely support a bar and "ring" it. If you can't get it to ring, it indicates there is a crack in the steel somewhere. I still have that crowbar I bought.
That’s what they mean by unsound!
I'm a hobbyist mechanic and I have been super impressed with the Mayhems Dominator series prybars. Apparently they're the same OEM as a lot of the tool truck brands for a fraction the price. A lot of them are the "big screwdriver" shape but super strong
I’m a plumbers apprentice and I absolutely love my cats paw pry bar. Good for yanking nails in crawl spaces or prying literally anything apart.
My favorite pry bar is a trim puller, it’s just a small flat pry bar. I don’t usually use it for trim, but it just comes in so handy because it’s made from flat stock. That gives me the ability to get in in between things and behind things that normal beefier pry bars can’t. I use it so often. It was like 5 bucks too
Also called a glaziers or window bar probably my favorite pry as a Carpenter
Not surprised Adam likes pry bars; after all, there must be 50 ways to love your lever.
Congratulations, you win the internet. Have a cookie 🍪 😋
You need to make a new plan Stan if it slips out the back…
Comment of the thread .. have a like sir
My favorite pry bar is the cat's paw nail puller. As someone who does a lot of home renovation where there's need for careful demolition, this tool is extremely useful for removing a thousand nails without damaging what's underneath.
I have had a really terrible day, and after quite too much of a bottle of whiskey I clicked on this video with a dark grumble of "well go on and explain why they're not all just oversized screwdrivers." For one of them to actually be an oversized screwdriver has just really cheered me up, so I must really thank-you for posting this today.
My favorite is what we refer to as a digging bar or digging iron. It looks like a nail with a big head and a point, but it is 1 inch steel amd 7 ft long
Working in home repair I used a stanley crowbar that I reshaped and sharpened to a knife edge with a mill file. A knife edge allows for non destructive disassembly for materials that I wanted to reuse or things I wanted to reassemble after the work was done. The angle with the sharpness allows it to slip into very small gaps and apply even pressure to work things loose without damage.
I’ve been in the automotive field for decades and I have 3 favorites. 1 - the “lady foot” which are small versions of the Gearwrench tool you show but with fixed, 90-degree feet. The leverage on them is insane and they are perfect for tight spots. The point on the opposite end is a great alignment tool2 - Snap-On 36” prybar. Screwdriver tipped prying tools tend to slip and not have the leverage, the slightly angled tip of a dedicated prybar tends to hold better. Because of the danger of the huge forces I don’t buy cheap prybar. 3 - 6-foot pinch point prybar, you usually see masons use these to move sidewalk slabs. Immensely heavy and have tremendous prying power. You don’t want to know why they were popular tools in the shop.
I’m a mechanic, we like either 45 degree bent tip pry bars, or straight tip pry bars, some folks like the adjustable ones. Most folks will buy them off a tool truck, Snap On, Mac, or Matco, my personal preference is Cornwell, they do a 72 inch bent tip pry bar that will pretty much budge or break anything you want it to, they’re all a one piece tang with a striking cap on the end of the handle so you can hammer it in somewhere if you need. Great tools.
0:22 "Seperate things that don't want to be separated" "Things that have spent many years together" Man that hits hard
One of my favourite pry bar is a nail remover for small demolitions. It has a weight at one end that move along the axis of the pry bar in order to ram it into the dry wall or two by four in order to grasp the nail so you can pry it out. My father had one when I was a kid and it came on sale at CT 20 years ago and I've never seen it on sale since. I only used it a half dozen times, but when I need it, it's amazing.
As a film carpenter/woodworker the most common pry bar is the Richards glazing bar/paint scraper. Perfect for prying of any delicate pieces you don't want damaged (trim, etc)
What an... interesting moment to use the "mind blown" gesture!
I have a screwdriver shaped like the one at 3:19 and it's the best tool I've ever used for undoing completely stuck bolts on things like old electronics casings.
I spent several years as a millwright and got to know many prying implements, but the one I have in every tool bag is known as a Crate Hammer. One piece steel with a forked pry end on one side and a T hammer on the other. Compact enough to keep in a tool belt or bag and useful for a plethora of tasks.
Great collection. I'll have to start using my offset flat blade screwdrivers for pry tools as well now...
the rings on the Halligan bar handle are for straps to keep it together with an axe in the truck so the firefighter just grabs the axe and bar with one hand ... no clumsiness
My grandfather was an avid carpenter (he build his entire cottage).
When working on big projects, you need big tools.
As a result, we own a 5 foot crowbar.
It weighs a freaking ton. And I love it.
The big spike on the probar is often used to defeat padlocks. One fireman holds the bar with the spike placed in the shackle while his partner forces it further with a sledge hammer. No picking required.
I work in a museum and one of my many odd jobs is busting up old crates. One day I was looking for a tool online to do this and found a vintage literal "crate hammer." They have different names but it's basically a hatchet with a nail puller and pry bar sticking out the top. Feels like a mini pollaxe. I love the thing; recommend checking them out.
A few days ago, in the midst of making something...you gave me the courage to pry two things apart. Thank you, young man.
I love when he says a sentence to explain a process, his brain stops all other functions to do word processing, then he audibly says "yep" or "yea" if it's more complicated
The hultafors mini wrecking bar is a little 190mm long classic "pry bar" it's the absolute best tool for taking out staples and small nails, it's just awesome.
I'm a carpenter and it's by far my favorite tool I carry in my apron.
Various pry bars were crucial in the deconstruction of my schoolbus interior so I could convert it into a Skoolie. Of all the tools I used (so many tools), this was at the top of the list. As an older lady, I used a good knowledge of physics as a substitute for physical strength. I, too, sing the praises of the humble pry bar.
@Tee King A lot of people love skoolies, you should put it up on RUclips! And good job using your noodle and tools instead of trying to muscle it, im often reminding people ' work smarter not harder '. That's why the ultimate Maker gave us brains, so we could invent tools to help us. 😁
@@deadaccount6135 I have a few Skoolie videos on my channel, but it's not dedicated to only that; there's more of my music on it than anything. Thanks for your kind words.
Ah, yes, the halligan bar, aka a breaching tool. Used one more often than I care to remember trying to get into doors and through things that were well and truly stuck. You just have to REALLY trust the person next to you with the sledge that they're not going to miss.
It hurts when they miss
i worked for a tow compnay and bought one to keep in the truck with in 1 week the hole fleet had one in every truck with a 10lb sledge hammer owner not around due to a wreck but you need to unhook there trailer and its all bound up and has a pad lock no worries need to pry a fender out of a tire so it will roll on the flat bed need to smash something or pry anything its got it worth every penny
Check out the Burke Bar, seems great for prying stuff in construction. The Essential Craftsman youtube channel has some great coverage of it.
Underrated comment. Might be too big for shops or other indoors applications, But when you absolutely positively have to make that standing structure not stand any more, it's what you want. Link to Essential Craftsman Video on the Burke Bar: ruclips.net/video/5JnMO6-ql8o/видео.html
I've seen two burk bars move a shipping container
Came here to say exactly this!
As an ex tool truck owner I have a lot of tools in my personal toolbox. One of my favorites is a short prybar, 24”, that has a pinch bar blade at one end and the other is a straight tapered point at the other. The point is made to line holes up when you are trying to get bolts in a structure like car chassis pieces. It would be adequate for The Zombie Apocalypse also.
You know, I'm realizing now that I should get a prybar of some kind. The last time I needed leverage to fit nuts and washers between steel and wood...I used a butter knife. Which to its credit, the handles on those things are Sturdy, and it worked better than I thought it might.
But a prybar would have made easy work of the problem, I wager
You should definitely have a pry bar of some kind, but most would probably be too beefy for that application. You should look at 5-in-1 painter's tool. They're similar to a putty knife (and can be used as one), but are sturdier and oddly shaped. They are great for light prying.
actually as a canadian I find a butter knife is great for popping open frozen car doors
@@jcon6734 the 5-in-1 painters tool has been one of the most used tools in my kit as a home DIYer. My dad recommended I get one. Scraping, prying, cutting, popping light nails out, it’s been a game-changer.
One that I've found very useful for prying out smallish nails in plywood around the house is the diminutive Cat's Paw. Replacing my floors and dealing with moulding, tack strips and staples was made soooo much easier with this tool. The sharp ends dig in and get the job done.
Yes sir, love them.
I have owned a Stanley FUBAR for 10 years or more and it has pried apart so many things. It has also been used to break up concrete without concern. I really like the Halligan breach tool too, looks like a great bit of design.
That firefighter tool is usually called a Halligan. When paired with a flat-backed axe, they are called Irons. They are a firefighter's universal keys. Volunteer FF from PA!
I rebuild oilfield equipment. My pry bars are my most used tools. I probably have 20 different bars of all types. I love ladyfoot bars and I use wedges to split cases apart. The wedge is so good at moving things from each other it will break bolts that have been stripped to where I can't remove them until I break them.
I use an aluminium pry bar. It's super light but still very strong. If you work overhead all day it saves your back. It also helps keep your toolbox lighter for site visits.
Confusing but interesting! It's hard for me to imagine an aluminum prybar that has enough strength to keep from bending, but I'd love to find one! Do you have the brand info?
@@keithklassen5320
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Gedore 142-430 Aluminium Prybar 430 mm
I use to for pipefitting with the podger end mostly. But it's good for adjusting Motos with a benefit of not damaging surfaces.
You missed one of my favorites , the aviation skin wedge, made of 4140 steel and heat-treated.
In the ripping bar, there is a use for that teardrop-shaped hole that I never knew. The flat split end of that bar can start removing a nail and the teardropped-shaped hole can FINISH pulling even a long nail. Try it!
I bought one of the prybars with a ratcheting head to move a Bridgeport, after watching a Tom Lipton video on machinery moving.
An acquaintance brought a 6' gigantor prybar that looked like it came from an old gold mine. Amazingly, that one just flexed where the 3' ratchet worked a dream.
They make a miniature version of the flat bar that is really amazing. It fits nicely in my tool pouch and I drop it in the slot after the blade when cutting long pieces of wood on the table saw.
It prevents the cut from coming back together and binding on the blade.
Also works nicely to provide a small gap at the floor when hanging drywall.
I can second the mini flat bar!
I can also second the mini flat bar, but as for the normal flat bar I am a fan of the Stanley Super Wonderbar. The curve gives so much more leverage.
For myself, the combination of the Stanley Super Wonder Bar and the Stanley Fubar make a great combination for demolition.
In instances where a knife would be tempting, I have an OXO oyster knife (not sharp). It's a sturdy tool to pry small things.
Gosh I would love to see Adam do a miniature version of this video. All sorts of prybars and tools for prying apart really delicate things!!!!!
The "pry bar" I use most often is a normal flat head screwdriver. Not great for big heavy stuff, but perfectly adequate for the small crafts I do most often.
My favorite pry bar has to be one that came out of an old MiG factory in the late 90s. It's a standard sized crow bar... Except it's made of an aircraft grade titanium. It weighs next to nothing and has never once bent or deformed while using it, and I haven't been nice to it.
The sash bar is indispensable.
Pro Tip: When prying off wood trim always pry perpendicular to the grain. For instance, when removing a baseboard, insert the pry bar along the edge and the rotate so that the edge of the bar pries across the grain not the tip. And have two pry bars so that you can leap frog down the piece.
If you good sash bar, it is a piece of wood that holds in a window pane. Think you mean a trim bar.
An alignment prybar is worthy to have laying around. Its got a flat wedge on one end for all your prying needs and a tapered point in the other end you can insert into holes when attempting to align two surfaces together. In my application I use them to align vehicle subframes to the monocoque or to align a suspension link to the bracket receiver. You align the two components close enough to put a fastener through and job done. Great for punching holes with brute force aswell through wood or sheet metal.
Wow... it's possible that my prying and levering collection is nearly as impressive if not more than what Adam shared today! I feel honored! As usual a tool is in the eye of the beholder and like hammers, levering tools are found in nearly everything and everywhere.
I was a Damage Controlman in the navy and we referred to that Probar as the Halligan Bar!
The last prybar is known to me as a hooligan, which always delighted me. I used those when deployed overseas and still have one to this day. A pain to carry but invaluable
Its Halligan, not Hooligan. ;-) Named by its inventor like many things.
I’m a mechanic. One of my most used tools is my snapon prybar set. Loads of money but when you hold a quality tool you know it
My favorite pry bar is the Estwing PB-18. I've had one for 25+ years. It's my go to bar for dismantling pallets. Has taken thousands of hammer blows and is still as good as when I got it. The I-beam design is really good. No flexing like I sometimes get with the common style you show at 3:22.
I use a telegraph lining bar for work occasionally. If you ever break concrete - particularly in small quantities, but can’t (or don’t want to) use a power tool for whatever reason It’s your friend. It’s also great if you need to move really heavy loads or do heavy demolition work. Seven feet long and heavy! Specialist, but a lot cheaper than getting a big power tool.
Oh, every single one of these is amazing and I wish I could afford them, but I can't justify the cost. But, yeah, working with the experts is a great way of sorting the wheat from the chaff, as it were.
Sordin Ear pro is just fantastic. The neck band is amazing.
I’ve inherited a 6 foot long iron bar, affectionately known as the “punishment” bar, which is used for levering big rocks out of the ground before breaking them with a sledge. It’s about 3 inches in diameter and has a chisel point and a spear point and I’ve lifted outbuildings with it.
My favorite tool in this class I own is a 24 inch titanium crowbar I found on Harbor Freight ~20 years ago. Non sparking non magnetic, stamped with a Russian titanium maker. Most of what I have is cheap introductory stuff but this is the only tool I own that my dad has dibs on if I predecease him.
Hultafors 108 mini is a tiny useful crowbar that is perfect for small trims and plastic stuff. It is made by one of the best Swedish toolmakers for hand tools “Hultafors” costing about 7.5$ locally.
My favorite prying/scraping tool is a glazing bar. It's technically for installing and removing Windows but it has such a fine edge that is great for getting into right places. I use it for everything 😀
Especially when you need some delicacy and don't want to break or crack anything that you're prying at. Like removing trim in one piece, which is exactly what they're made for.
Also my favorite pry tool.
There's a prying tool that installs Windows? That's interesting.
As a general contractor/construction worker, I use glazing bars every single day. They are unbelievably handy, I actually carry two small ones in my toolbelt at all times.
Agree. He's missing something a little more delicate.
I was a volunteer firefighter for 5 years, nothing beats the halligan bar (that’s what the pro-bar is)
The other prying implement that I would suggest I know by the name cat's paw. It is an amazing tool for small to medium woodworking and other general purpose making.
This is the one that came to mind for me as well. No better way to remove embedded nails, as long as you don't care how the surface looks when you're done.
Renovation pry bar. About 12 inches long with a right angle nail puller on one end and a 3 inch wide extremely thin slightly curved prying wedge on the other. Perfect for safely pulling moldings off.
Somebody get this man a Burke bar. Adam, a Burke bar is the best prying tool. I use it for everything, up to and including moving my bridgeport. A halogen is a top-notch entry tool and great demo tool, but a Burke bar is THE demo tool and THE tool to move anything heavy. Sorry for the rant, my Burke bar just saved my ass today, so it got me going.
Beekeepers use one of my favorite small prybars as a hive tool. They're great for prying trim and siding too.
According to knife reviewers, the best prybar is a $500 handmade hunting knife. Who knows why, but that's how they judge a knife.
Harbor Freight pry bars are great- both the kind that looks like a bent screwdriver and the solid steel ones with the curved beak. I use the latter for knocking scale out of odd locations fouled by hard water. They're also essential for reinstalling folding van seats with spring loaded hinges.
An essential prybar accessory is a few pieces of flattened shampoo bottle. This stuff is an ideal shim to prevent surface marring and will stand up to immense pressure. I use it when changing motorcycle tires to guard the wheel.
I thought nobody can re-invent pry bar anymore, and then I saw Fiskars demolition pry bar. It's amazing. You could rule the world with it.
I have a selfmade sliding hammer that was build by a fireman to quickly open car doors and such. It was build to quickly open doors and such before they had hydraulic tools. You can see it was build to withstand anything multiple fireman can throw at it. It goes true big tree roots by it’s own weight and kinetic force transmitted to the big sharp wedge. I love this thing and it’s story and will happily pass it on to be used and abused when I am done playing with it. (That will be a while)
Many years ago i worked with habitat for humanity, we were mostly amateurs with a contractor sprinkled here and there to keep us on track. Im a tool guys so when we needed to pick up corners of a large shed/shop to stack pavers under the corners i said gimme a sec and went to my station wagon and got a Burke bar bout five and a half feet long . This massive tool with a chunk of 2x8 under it allowed one guy to lift a corner about 4 inches shove in two pavers and lift again on doubled wood to get two more pavers in.
If you need two things apart and they are not heavily welded and explosives are a no go this tool will do it!
When I was in band in school the band director had a special piece of “prying” equipment designed specifically to remove the mouth pieces from brass instruments. It wasn’t a pry bar but it was more like 2 circular clamps separated by a set of really long screws. So the band director could tighten one end appropriately for the mouth piece and one end appropriately for the receiving tubing of the mouth piece, then carefully pull the mouth piece directly out without hurting anything.
Very specific but it oddly sounds more suited to the example you gave in the intro than an actual pry bar.
My favorite prybar/demolition tool is my Fubars. There's the big full size version and a more compact version. The claw on even the smaller one gets enough leverage to force the twist out of a 2x8 to get it into place.
I have that little double ended 90 degree flat bladed bar. Also available with philips head !
(It's a screwdriver Adam), but then all screwdrivers are crowbars too.
100%.... I also have several
Adam, if you don't have an Estwing PB-18, you need to get one. It is by far the most useful pry bar I've found. The flats on the right-angle end allow you to hammer on it if necessary, which allows it to be used as a wedge as well as a pry bar.
I made my own 6" mini pry because I couldn't find one I liked in that size. Super handy, practically lives on my workbench and gets used daily.
Adam, you forgot the old blunt screwdriver that lives in the kitchen drawer. Everyone has one of those.
A Burke bar is a must have tool for me! Probably overkill for a smaller shop but I'm always finding a use for my Burke bar only a acreage.
Shark bars are great. They have a very wide and thin end that works great to pull trim off without damaging it, and works well for many other applications. Also find that plastic trim tools/ pry bars ,usually for automotive use, also work well for delicate light duty work.
as a union ironworker, our best friend to help us move the world is a sleaver bar. I'm 150 n I've moved 4 ton bundled of steel with it. gotta love physics in action!
I bought a flat bar with an extra bend in the middle years ago. While it may not fit as well as a regular bar, it does a great job of lifting drywall and other panels accurately while leaving my hands fee to attach it. Other than that, I have a board bender. a complete waste of $40 until you build a deck. it can hook on the edge of a 2 x 12 and snap it if you push hard enough. it can also bend 3 pieces of 5/4 decking like 5/8" and hold it to be nailed or screwed down.
A combo Jimmy bar/ podger is another one I use almost daily building elevators, big ones with a flat pry bar on one end and podger on the other as well as the ones with a hook for prying that usually come in a set from 6"-24/30" for pretty cheap are great. A Burke bar is also one of the best options for bigger jobs, not really much that can replace one when you really need it.
Or a johnson bar, which is more or less a burke bar with wheels to lever on and turn. Mostly for prying heavy things off the floor.
Cat's paw is a great little separator prybar. Wide, flat, almost knife edged lever end is a carpenter's tool for delicately removing things like molding around doors and floors without damaging them, so they can get reinstalled afterwards. I also use a full size oldschool crowbar for coaxing things in to shape or alignment. It is a large enough tool that you can balance the force applied to it to make subtle changes or big moves. I have 2 😁😁
The Stanley Fubar is also a wonderful tool, not just for the name. 🤣
My favorite pry device is a "skin wedge" designed for aircraft skin work and it is easily the most useful in an automotive repair context.
I have a 10" moulding puller/pry bar, under $20 bucks and I have beaten the crap out of it both in my workshop and around my house. Perfect size and easy to use for everyone.
You’re missing a pinch bar or a Burke bar. It’s about a 5 to 6 foot long bar mainly used for moving and positioning heavy machinery. But can be used for just about anything that needs some extra leverage.
Agreed. I keep a Burke bar in my truck. Always find a use for it.
The spike on the Halligan Tool (which is what that probar is a slightly fancy version of) is mainly for deflating tyres to stabilise a vehicle in road crash rescue situations.
Catspaw. Though designed for pulling buried nails, it features a head that can be struck with a hammer to drive the wedged business end to gain purchase on desired separation.
Hi Adam and everyone. I know that zombie killing device under name of hooligan/halligen. In general it is used by firemen. You can check many videos on-line how it can be use. Also that curved spike is great pivot point when you are using flat part and you need to pry in other axis.
I am watching this while dismantling and hopefully restoring an old Italian thicknesser jointer combination machine (Tatry DW55 which was then rebranded as a DeWalt). I am stuck trying to get the height adjustment assembly apart from the top bed. What I could really use now is ..... a pry bar. The smallest one I have requires two hands to even lift.
J-bar / johnson bar. big prybar w/ wheels on the pivot. makes it easy to pick and move heavy set pieces onto and off of dollies/around the worksite
That K-Tool is pretty beast, thanks for showing off your collection Adam
I've had a hammer before that had the claw move the same way the gearwrench works. Also, if you want a super large pry bar, you should look into burke bars.