Geekfoolery

Today’s Geekfoolery post comes from a good friend of mine, Ed Flores who writes his own blog at Scorpion Sandwich. Ed’s been a lot of thing in his life, but all we need to know right now is that he knows a good gadget when he sees one. Here’s his take on The Prybaby.

I once heard a British Intelligence Officer say that, “a man should always have a sturdy pair of shoes, a knife and something to start a fire with on him at all times.  Good advice nonetheless but you still come up short when trying to open a beer.  Enter the Prybaby, part pry bar, screwdriver and church key the Prybaby fills the gap as a tool where everything else we carry on a daily basis falls short.  About the size of a large car key the Prybaby is an indispensable tool that you never knew you needed.  Need to pry open a box? Prybaby easily chews through packing tape, much better than your car key.  Pull a nail from a wall? One quick twist and it’s popped out.  On a recent home construction project the Prybaby was constantly used to open boxes, packages, pry nails, chip drywall debris, and strip wire.  In many cases the Prybaby is used where knives are often misused or are ill suited. I’ve heard many a horror story where someone used a kitchen knife to pry open a stuck kitchen drawer or a hunting knife to pry the heads off an engine both occasions resulting in a snapped tip.  “I wish my wife would used that instead of my good kitchen knife,” a coworker moaned upon seeing the Prybaby for the first time.

Each Prybaby starts out as a blank billet of 330v steel and is crafted by hand my tool and knife maker Peter Atwood.  Peter makes a variety of small working knives and tools that are unique and highly functional.  He sculpts each tool by hand through the cutting, grinding, milling, sanding, heat-treating and bead blasting processes.  Because of the uniqueness and usefulness of the Prybaby they are highly sought after and are snapped up by awaiting fans as soon as they are available.  Paired with a good pocketknife the Prybaby is indispensable in everyday use.  It will take serious abuse and remain helpful in the simplest of chores.

We all have over the years amassed our share of giveaway bottle openers given out as schwag to advertise a company.  The difference here is the Prybaby is an indispensable and a serious tool for serious day’s work, and at the end of the day you can open a beer with it.

Ed Flores is a freelance writer who enjoys skeet shooting, running, painting and photography whenever he is not having a beer.  He lives in Chandler, Arizona with his wife Jill and daughter Amelia.  You can read more about him by visiting his blog at scorpionsandwich.blogspot.com.

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