Emergency crowbar/hammer/prybar/weapon/thingy

[bamboo spear]

This could probably go in "Other Gear", but I'm looking for one of those versatile emergency crowbars that maybe has a hatchet/hammer/claw on one end, something like that. I know several brands make them, but I'm looking for a simple one, not too heavy, under 100 bucks. Any recommendations? Thanks!

[ForgeCorvus]

One of these ?


15 inch http://www.amazon.com/Stanley-55-119-FatMax-Functional-Utility/dp/B000QFDADS/ref=pd_cp_hi_3
18 inch http://www.amazon.com/Stanley-55-099-FatMax-Functional-Utility/dp/B000FCGS0Y/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1337447148&sr=8-2
30 inch http://www.amazon.com/Stanley-FatMax-Xtreme-55-120-FuBar/dp/B000VSSG3O/ref=pd_cp_hi_1
Or all three for a total of $117.22.

I've no experience with any of them myself, but I'm sure someone who has will be along soon

Think about how you're transporting it as that will be the deciding factor on size

[icbones]

Here's a nice one. I finally found a 2008 price list ...... 803 Euro's for the 34" version.



http://www.tacticalsystems.co.uk/forced ... nt.asp.htm
http://www.tacticalsystems.co.uk/images ... g-Tool.jpg

[Jamie]

I've got one of the 18" fubars, and bring it along on my explorations of urban ruins and abandoned buildings...it's heavy, but useful and shrugs off abuse.

Jamie

[Tetra Grammaton Cleric]

ZS Stanley FUBAR Love (and a little Hate).

See also: Dead On Annihilator.

-

[wardoggy]

I have two of the FuBARs, one of the 18"ers that I keep in my truck, and one of the smaller 14"? ones strapped to my BOB.

I cut/ground the bottom jaws off the "wrench" end of both, and ground the teeth off the top jaw, to make it easier to use as a 90deg prybar. If I was doing construction, I'd have left it alone, but I'm likely to need it as an extraction/entry tool more than I am going to need to be moving dimensional lumber.

The longer one weighs in at 4.4lbs, and the shorter one ends up around 2.5lbs if memory serves.

[tookieblueeyes]

You mean something like a Crovel? http://crovelfoldingshovel.com/
The listing here says its 109 but I got mine for 85 http://www.gearupcenter.com/crovel-extreme-blk-accessories-sold-separately-note-wait-times/
so I guess it depends on where you look for it, I got mine from ebay.
It's an awesome tool and I wont leave home without it in a SHTF scenario!

[bamboo spear]

Cool stuff, thanks for the links. I think that smaller FUBAR would probably suffice.

[xLionx]

dead-on-annihilator

[praharin]

You mean something like a Crovel? http://crovelfoldingshovel.com/

Photoshopping a photo of Marines doing bayonet training (or even photo-oping) drops my respect to that company to zero.

[Drop Dead Zed]

Innovation Factory Trucker's Friend

http://www.amazon.com/Innovation-Factory-Truckers-Friend-Purpose/dp/B005HAT9SM

[nyarlotep]

[CannonDC]

dead-on-annihilator

I recently bought one of theses at menards for 29.99 and I used it in some home demolition and it worked great, I plan on picking up another to keep with my BOB

[williaty]

Innovation Factory Trucker's Friend

http://www.amazon.com/Innovation-Factory-Truckers-Friend-Purpose/dp/B005HAT9SM

How on earth is that friendly to truckers?

[Doctorr Fabulous]

Innovation Factory Trucker's Friend

http://www.amazon.com/Innovation-Factory-Truckers-Friend-Purpose/dp/B005HAT9SM

How on earth is that friendly to truckers?

Are truckers the new mall ninjas?

[Drop Dead Zed]

Innovation Factory Trucker's Friend

http://www.amazon.com/Innovation-Factory-Truckers-Friend-Purpose/dp/B005HAT9SM

How on earth is that friendly to truckers?

I don't know about truckers, but it is the visual definition of the tread title,

[Nalukai]

county comm's breacher bar is bar none for carry...

http://www.countycomm.com/eodrtool.html

[VinnieD]

I firmly agree with the breacher bar. It's part of my EDC now. Once sharpened it makes or a handy fixed blade knife, machette, hatchet, pry bar, smashy thing, and machatte. I've pried things with it, chopped off tree limbs, hacked away brush, ad even demolished a cinde block one occasion. I've even used it for a little light digging to do some planting, and to bust up hard soil.

[tookieblueeyes]

You mean something like a Crovel? http://crovelfoldingshovel.com/

Photoshopping a photo of Marines doing bayonet training (or even photo-oping) drops my respect to that company to zero.

I don't know how you can determin that those men are photoshopped or if they are marines.

Companies do all sorts of shit to sell their products so who knows.

I don't really care what or who tested or used their products or what they photoshopped I like the Crovel and it actually does all the things it claims it does, so in my mind, it's not what is photoshpped, that doesn't speak for the tool, the tool speaks for the tool and that is the point.

No one is really going to buy something because it "looks" like marines are using it doing bayonet training, I am going to buy something because it does what I need it to.

I still don't understand how you can determin those two gents are marines if they are photoshopped or what. To me they just look like two dudes who buy clothes at an army surplus store and wear them for a photoshoot to promote a company and their product. Does everyone wearing camo and sporting a certain hair cut neccessarily have to be a marine? Seriously? Then I guess I too am a Marine. I thought I was air force but I guess I am marine.

[Doctorr Fabulous]

No one is really going to buy something because it "looks" like Marines are using it doing bayonet training, I am going to buy something because it does what I need it to.Some retards will. That's why they send units catalogs with lower prices, in hopes that they'll get some "gear in action" shots out of it.

Does everyone wearing camo and sporting a certain hair cut neccessarily have to be a Marine?Is it MARPAT? Then yes, usually.

I'm going to avoid any inter-service slurs, but MARPAT is generally associated with Marines, due to the Eagle, Globe, and Anchor devices in the pattern and on the chest pocket of the blouse.

The only things I will say is that if you wear the proper uniform of a service branch, including the haircut, you are likely trying to be mistaken for a member of that branch. No one is mistaking the Air Force for Marines. Also, Marine is always capitalized, as it's a title. Soldier and airman are not, unless it's part of the airman's rank.

I was interested in one of these as a toy, but as praharin said their bad photoshop or impersonation of Marines, and the logical conclusion that "OMG MARINES USE DIS" has already decided that I have no need to send them money. Maybe a politely worded letter inquiring about the picture, but not my money.

Personally I think the thread, and for the most part the tools in it are solutions to imagined problems. The more jobs a tool does, the worse it performs at all of them, the "EOD" barknifethingy included.

[tookieblueeyes]

I'm going to avoid any inter-service slurs, but MARPAT is generally associated with Marines, due to the Eagle, Globe, and Anchor devices in the pattern and on the chest pocket of the blouse.

The only things I will say is that if you wear the proper uniform of a service branch, including the haircut, you are likely trying to be mistaken for a member of that branch. No one is mistaking the Air Force for Marines. Also, Marine is always capitalized, as it's a title. Soldier and airman are not, unless it's part of the airman's rank.

I was interested in one of these as a toy, but as praharin said their bad photoshop or impersonation of Marines, and the logical conclusion that "OMG MARINES USE DIS" has already decided that I have no need to send them money. Maybe a politely worded letter inquiring about the picture, but not my money.

Personally I think the thread, and for the most part the tools in it are solutions to imagined problems. The more jobs a tool does, the worse it performs at all of them, the "EOD" barknifethingy included.

Valid point Doc Torr, you are certainly correct on more than one point.
Some retards will buy just about anything if they "think" it is endorsed by the military. Thank the stars I am not one of those idiots. I would be more than happy to buy something some Joe Schmo off the street in his khakis n penny loafers endorses as long as it is functional, durable and does the job I require it to do for me. But in all honesty, I don't really pay attention to who is endorsing something, I pay more attention to the reviews I see and read, the feedback I get from others I know that have the same product and my own inspection and testing of the item in question.

And you are right, my apologies, I know better... I was just being lazy with the typing this morning since I had not yet had my coffee. It is Marines with the capitol M and for not using proper caps I am sorry sir.

I purchased the Crovel for an "imagined" threat/thought and the more time that passed the more I thought... Why just carry it on the BOB exclusively? Now I use it whenever I get the chance on expeditions and excursions into the backcountry. It seemed stupid of me to spend that kind of money and not get any use out of it at all. It has become more a part of my camping and scouting gear than it is a part of my BOB, though if I should need to grab the BOB and go I would probably pick up the Crovel on the way out the door too.

Once again, I am sorry for being lazy with my lenguistics this morning.

[VinnieD]

No one is really going to buy something because it "looks" like Marines are using it doing bayonet training, I am going to buy something because it does what I need it to.Some retards will. That's why they send units catalogs with lower prices, in hopes that they'll get some "gear in action" shots out of it.

Does everyone wearing camo and sporting a certain hair cut neccessarily have to be a Marine?Is it MARPAT? Then yes, usually.

I'm going to avoid any inter-service slurs, but MARPAT is generally associated with Marines, due to the Eagle, Globe, and Anchor devices in the pattern and on the chest pocket of the blouse.

The only things I will say is that if you wear the proper uniform of a service branch, including the haircut, you are likely trying to be mistaken for a member of that branch. No one is mistaking the Air Force for Marines. Also, Marine is always capitalized, as it's a title. Soldier and airman are not, unless it's part of the airman's rank.

I was interested in one of these as a toy, but as praharin said their bad photoshop or impersonation of Marines, and the logical conclusion that "OMG MARINES USE DIS" has already decided that I have no need to send them money. Maybe a politely worded letter inquiring about the picture, but not my money.

Personally I think the thread, and for the most part the tools in it are solutions to imagined problems. The more jobs a tool does, the worse it performs at all of them, the "EOD" barknifethingy included.

Well of course the more functions something has the more it trades off in the ability to do any one of them. The point of a multi function tool is to have something NOW that can do many things without carrying several specialty devices. Good luck lugging around A shovel, a hatchet, a crowbar, a saw, a claw hammer, a fixed blade knie, a pick, and a machette.

Does it beat any one of them at that job? No. IS it THERE when you need something right now, while the rest of your gear is too heavy to carry? You better believe it. Multipurpose toos aren't for replacing all of your other tools, they're there to cover a function you otherwise wouldn't have access to because the pile of tools to cover every possible function was too heavy. Same reason multitools and swiss army knives exist, along with the kukri, duct tape, WD-40, paracord, and various other bits of multi-function gear out there.

As for their advertising. It's advertising. Two guys with crew cuts in camo doesn't make the crovel a bad product. If it does its job it does its job.

[Doctorr Fabulous]

Well of course the more functions something has the more it trades off in the ability to do any one of them. The point of a multi function tool is to have something NOW that can do many things without carrying several specialty devices. Good luck lugging around A shovel, a hatchet, a crowbar, a saw, a claw hammer, a fixed blade knie, a pick, and a machette.

Let's look at that for a minute. How much does the Crovel weigh? 5.5lb, per google.

How many of those tools do I need? A shovel (a small gardening trowel does the job for burying feces and foodscraps), a hatchet OR machete, but not both, and either will function better than the Crovel or Chinese wonder shovel, and a fixed blade knife, which I have and I frankly can't see where the Crovel could stand in for a fixed blade of good make. The pick, hatchet/machete (depends on the area as to which I'll drop), the claw hammer, and the crowbar are all totally unnecessary for me, and I'd wager I'm in the majority here. Now:
Machete: 14-18 oz
Fixed blade: 12 oz
Spetznaz shovel or hand trowel: 32oz max
Total with sheathes and whatnot: 4.2lb-ish.
I did all the things I'd use the Crovel for, and saved weight as well. Saved money too, unless you're saying the Crovel eliminates the need for a good fixed blade knife. Even with the Crovel, I'd have to carry at least my Izula to get the work done that the Crovel cannot.

As for their advertising. It's advertising. Two guys with crew cuts in camo doesn't make the crovel a bad product. If it does its job it does its job.

Yeah, on its own merits, I kind of wanted one as a toy, the same reason that I wanted to get a Slidefire for my AR or any number of other toys. When they decided that the merits of their own tool weren't enough to sell it, that combined with the superior reviews of the Chinese Wonder Shovel convinced me that that's a much better toy for the cash than a Crovel.

YMMV, but I'd love for someone to explain to me why one would need all those tools regularly, or without enough warning to be able to go and get them.

[VinnieD]

Immediate things I can think of would be to keep the crovel in your car for roadside emergencies. You run into all sorts of situations on the road, and a car can get stuck in a good many different ways. I've needed a hammer, a crowbar, a hatchet, and a shovel on various occasions. More improtantly though I think SHTF and bugging out would be the big uses for the crovel. If you need to get away quick, don't know what you'll encounter, will go through both urban and wilderness environments, and need to go NOW, it's something that would be handy to be able to just grab and go.

Though in a more compact fom I again prefer the EOD robotics breacher bar (which you were also quite critical of). As I carry it every day it can fulfill a number of functions and isn't just lighter than the combined tools for the uses it covers, it's lighter than many of the individual tools. It doesn't do everything, but try carrying enough with you to cover all of its uses, and carry them all the time. The fact that it also works as a fixed blade knife, which I would carry anyway means you're basically adding zero weight for a wide number of uses. Will I need every use out of it at one time? Not very likely. But having it on me all the time, will I eventually on separate occasions run into instances where it's good to have something to fill that role without having to go back for a more specialized tool? You'd better believe it.