As I’ve posted before, I’m doing some home remodeling. This has required tearing out the old to make way for the new.

In the process I spent about $12 and purchased a tool that simply amazes me in how well thought out it is and how well it works. I’m referring to the Stanley 55-525 15-inch Super Wonder Bar Pry Bar.

You wouldn’t think of a pry bar as being a wonder in engineering, but this baby struts its stuff at first glance. Ingenious use of bends in the metal produce both safety and power through provision of a built in fulcrum which does not exist on other pry bars.

In actual use it has been nothing short of amazing.  The yellow end (with the 90 degree bend) works like any standard pry bar, but the normally “flat” end is where the beauty of the design shines.  With a built in fulcrum you can apply amazing amounts of power through the lever and not risk hand injury, because the 90 degree bend at the other end hits before your knuckles do.

Simple.  Elegant.  Damn effective.

It’s nice to know that some engineers out there are paying attention to true functional improvments on the old.