This Minimalist Masterpiece of a Pry Bar Has a Sharp Surprise Within

The exquisitely machined Hard Bar is in fact a sheath for an even more useful EDC fixed blade.

Published December 6, 2024

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Updated December 6, 2024

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When it comes to evaluating knives and multi-tools, it can be very easy to get caught up in the raw specs. How long is the blade? How much does it weigh? How many functions does it have?

While that is totally fine, it’s important to remember that many of us use just a few key tools 90 to 95% of the time, and should perhaps not be so obsessed with products packing so many functions they remind us of Jim Carrey cartoonishly drawing his guns in The Mask.

In reality, we might be better served by appreciating something … simpler. Which brings us to burgeoning Canadian designer Rob van Dyck‘s new Kickstarter creation, The Hard Bar.

hard bar macro — This mesmerizing GIF neatly shows how The Overlord nestles into The Hard Bar.

Simple, smooth, sharp and (haptically) satisfying

Inspired, wildly enough, by van Dyck’s experiences spearfishing and harvesting scallops from the ocean, The Hard Bar is not a single tool but two — with one nestled so seamlessly within the other as to leave them inseparable until the moment it is needed.

On the outside is an incredibly sleek, well-machined pry bar — or “pry sheath,” as van Dyck calls it — made of grade 5 titanium. Beyond its beauty, it stands out from other pry bars by offering a bevy of mounting and carry options, courtesy of a keychain hole, a carabiner hole and an integral pocket clip.

the hard bar with blade — That springy stem extending out behind the bottle opener is the compliant locking mechanism.

On the inside is the second tool, something van Dyck calls The Overlord, which together with The Hard Bar makes us think of Master Blaster from Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome.

It’s a small fixed blade featuring a skeletonized handle with grip-friendly jimping, a mini pry bar/scraper, a bottle opener and a 1.6-inch blade made of 14C28N steel. The Overlord also features a “compliant locking mechanism” that helps secure it within The Hard Bar when not in use. (Not to get caught up in numbers, but the whole combined unit weighs 2.57 ounces.)

hard bar haptic satisfaction — This GIF hints at the precise machining and haptically satisfying interplay between the two tools.

One feature that’s difficult to appreciate without hands-on experience is the immense fidget-ability of the two components. But it should noted that the system is so smooth, the blade can be deployed and sheathed with a single hand, in a way that we understand is immensely haptically satisfying.

Deployment is even easier when The Hard Bar is clipped to your pocket, providing a secure base from which to remove and replace the blade.

sanctum bros — Nothing to see here, just a couple of handy bros hanging out.

You can learn a whole lot more about how this tool came to be and every little detail of its makeup on the Kickstarter page.

You can also take a deep breath and think about how you use your main EDC knife or multi-tool through the day — probably a lot of tape and twine and zip-tie cutting, a bit of prying and the occasional apple slice mixed in for good measure.

With that in mind, perhaps a solid, streamlined pry sheath — and the pointy guy it takes along for the ride — is just what you need.