Big pry bars

[signcrafter]

I have some older red handled craftsman pry bars that I've had for 20 plus years and while they have worked decent over the years I'd like to upgrade and get a bigger one or two, Think the biggest I have is around 24 inches. I have to do front axle outer U joints on my f250 and last time I did some it was a pain to get the axle out since the seal sticks in the knuckle. So want to be prepared this time and also be good to have some better pry bars and more sizes available around the shop. What's a good option for either a whole set of pry bars or just bigger ones?

 

[qqzj]

Go to Walmart and get their 36 one for $20. It was only about $10 a short while ago. Kinda miss the bus a little

 

[nicks78camaro]

+1

Robot or human?

USA made by Wilde, the same company that made the Craftsman ones and others. Hidden gem at Walmart.

 

[ihateminimumwage]

Mayhew Dominator. They are worlds ahead of the older red handled Craftsman pry bars, and you'll appreciate the striking caps.

Can't remember who it was through, but I got a 3pc set for free when I bought the monster sized one a few years back.

 

[ItsNemo]

Mayhew Dominator. They are worlds ahead of the older red handled Craftsman pry bars, and you'll appreciate the striking caps.

Can't remember who it was through, but I got a 3pc set for free when I bought the monster sized one a few years back.

The Mayhew ones are a good recommendation.

I personally have the big set of striking pry bars from OTC, they're SOOOO much better than any of the cheapies I have, the bars don't bend/flex nearly as much:

Blue Force Handled Pry Bars (6 Piece) | OTC Tools

www.otctools.com

 

[signcrafter]

Never would have thought walmart would have a US made prybar. I'll pick one or two of them up to have. Thanks

 

[signcrafter]

Amazon has a 5 piece mayhew dominator for 108 bucks with the longest being 31". That's not too bad for a striking pry bar.

 

[WWheeler]

Wilde makes the USA pry bars sold under several different brands including the WalMart brand Hyper Tough, Menards' Masterforce, and IIRC Tekton and Lang

But as far as I know they only sell their big boy 45" under their own Wilde brand name.

45″ Hard Cap Handle Pry Bar HPB20-38 | Wilde Tool

wildetool.com

Pardon Our Interruption...

 

[ItsNemo]

Wilde makes the USA pry bars sold under several different brands including the WalMart brand Hyper Tough, Menards' Masterforce, and IIRC Tekton and Lang

But as far as I know they only sell their big boy 45" under their own Wilde brand name.

45″ Hard Cap Handle Pry Bar HPB20-38 | Wilde Tool

wildetool.com

Pardon Our Interruption...

I can't imagine using a 45" for striking...even my 36" one is long to keep all balanced and in place while smashing with a hammer.

 

[joel_400]

I've had many...including Snap on. My favorite by far are the Mayhews. I've got one that's 5 foot long or so...is amazing! Also because they are so tough with the capped handle...sometimes you need a 3 foot chisel...not saying that's proper use for the tool, but has been done! I've even added an extension handle to my big one when you just need a bit more leverage. I've had them for years and they've been thoroughly a used yet keep on going. They're a bit pricier than other options, but we'll worth the money in my eyes.
Joel

 

[qqzj]

If someone really needs big pry bars, he can get a landscape one. Those are really long and heavy

 

[Copymutt]

Thick wall pipe, wide chisel, trench shovel. This is my go to when a project needs to be convinced. More capable than my Go Devil. Seen many moons.

 

[jimf]

After learning about the Lang mini pry bars on GJ, I just recently purchased this 5 piece set @ $89... very nice, made in USA by Lang - 12", 17", 25", 31" and 36" https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B078BHF66T/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[619DioFan]

My craftsman bars go to 36 inch. I bought a 48 inch Mathew for bigger problems , it is great. I also have the extendable , indexable gear wrench bar that goes to 48 inch. This one is not that usfull for automotive but great for heavier bigger problems. For even more leverage I have two 6 foot landscaping / digging bars.

 

[signcrafter]

I picked up a 36" and a 24". I also ordered a devils finger from jdtco so should be set for now. I'll look into one of the 5 foot or so ones in the near future. I do also have 2 or 3 of those landscaping pinch bars

 

[carmantl]

I work heavy construction and we need big bars. Our go-tos are Burke bars and Klein grizzly bars. They are big and heavy and WORK! Marshalltown has a smaller copy of the Burke bar that works well also.

 

[WWheeler]

I can't imagine using a 45" for striking...even my 36" one is long to keep all balanced and in place while smashing with a hammer.

I use pry bars solely for prying most of the time, but when I need to convince them into place with a hammer it's almost always after I've already gotten the tip of the prying end into place, just not far enough in, where I don't recall having any issues so far with mine that go up to 36". That said, I just ordered that 45" Wilde when I posted about it above so I'll find out some day whether that added length is any issue. Just figured it would make a good addition to my set and as I'm finding as I get older I value more and more the added leverage longer tools provide to do the same jobs I used to do with shorter ones.

If I ever need something more geared towards heavy duty construction type uses I've got a Dewalt 42" wrecking bar and a Ludell 50040 60" Slate Bar. That slate bar is something that I bought after seeing it mentioned as on sale here on GJ at least 5 years ago in 2018 for just $10 and has been put to good use way often than I imagined it would.

 

[RedneckWelder]

Mayhew makes an excellent prybar but hitting the striking cap eventually breaks it off so if I was you I would not hit it.

if you need striking the snap on hard plastic handles are the only way to go.

 

[speed bump]

Mayhew makes an excellent prybar but hitting the striking cap eventually breaks it off so if I was you I would not hit it.

if you need striking the snap on hard plastic handles are the only way to go.

Pretty much this, all of my big bars came from work after striking caps destroyed the handles. The hard handle craftsmans I got almost 20 years ago, I have wailed on them with an 8 lb sledge and never broke one. Can't say as I've ever needed the big bars for doing front axle stuff on my ford's though.

 

[sparky 1971]

Other than the 31", I have all of the Wilde prybars in one brand or another up to the 45 or 48". They have performed well for me, but I also have the 28 and 32" bars from Harbor Freight and actually prefer them to the Wildes. The handle of the HF bars are more like the Mayhew Dominator bars and are much more comfortable. The downfall to the Harbor Freight bars is the lack of the striking cap if that makes a difference. Personally, I've never had to hit a pry bar with a hammer, yet.

 

[HenryAZ]

If someone really needs big pry bars, he can get a landscape one. Those are really long and heavy

I carry one of these in my tractor. 6 ft long, with a chisel end and pointed end. They are great pry bars when you need that extra leverage, but they are sold as digging bars, useful for displacing rocks in the hole or breaking up the dirt to go deeper.

 

[decableguy2000]

You can get the 45" Wilde in Lang orange if you want. I did. have the full set of seven.

 

[NFH2740]

I am looking for a another bar like this. It is about 1x1" square and 4 ft long. It looks similar to a slate bar, but every slate bar I have found has one end tapered. I like to different prying angles this bar has.

Unfortunately, there are no stampings of any kind.

 

[ecotec]

My small sizes are Craftsman rebranded Wilde, my large sizes are Mayhew Dominators, and my pocket pry bars are MAC.

And I have a few other styles of pry bars…

 

[Zewnten]

I am looking for a another bar like this. It is about 1x1" square and 4 ft long. It looks similar to a slate bar, but every slate bar I have found has one end tapered. I like to different prying angles this bar has.

Unfortunately, there are no stampings of any kind.

Looks homemade to me. Only thing i found that's close is but it's aluminum so no idea how it'd hold up
repconnw.com/product/the-modern-worker-27-inch-aluminum-pry-bar/

 

[NFH2740]

Looks homemade to me.