Best Pry Bars

The Stanley 55-526 21-inch Wonder Bar X21 at $14.48 is the versatile flat pry bar for general carpentry and renovation — the flat, flexible blade is thin enough to slip behind baseboards, door casings, and wall panels without cracking the surface, and stiff enough for lifting subfloor panels and prying apart framing members. The 21-inch length provides leverage for most standard tasks without the bulk of a full demolition bar. The two curved ends provide two prying radii — the tighter end for under trim work and the wider curve for boards and panels. Nail slots on both ends allow nail pulling with leverage. The flat profile fits in tight spaces where thicker demo bars can't. The trade-off versus the 12-3/4-inch Wonder Bar is length: the 21-inch requires more swing clearance in tight spaces but provides more leverage on stubborn fasteners. At $14.48, it's the mid-range Wonder Bar option. For most renovation and trim work, 21 inches is the practical all-purpose length. Best for: carpenters and DIYers removing trim, baseboards, and sheathing where the flat profile minimizes surface damage.

The Stanley 55-515 Wonder Bar 12-3/4-inch at $9.99 is the compact pry bar for close-quarters work — under cabinets, inside drawers, in wall openings, and any situation where a 21-inch bar cannot swing freely. The 12-3/4-inch Wonder Bar fits in a standard tool belt pouch or pocket for immediate access without going to the toolbox. Both ends provide prying capability with nail slots for extraction. The flat profile slips between surfaces without marring. At $9.99, it's the lowest-priced option on this page. The limitation is leverage. 12-3/4 inches provides less mechanical advantage than the 21-inch Wonder Bar for heavy prying tasks — removing stubborn nails from structural lumber and lifting large floor panels requires more leverage than a short bar provides efficiently. For those applications, the 21-inch bar at $14.48 is $4.49 more with significantly better leverage. The 12-3/4-inch is the supplemental pry bar for confined access, not the primary demolition tool. Best for: tight-space prying — cabinet work, small panel removal, and trim in confined openings — where a longer bar cannot swing.

The Stanley FatMax FUBAR 4-in-1 at $26.79 is the demolition multi-tool on this page — Functional Utility Bar designed for rough demolition work that requires multiple prying actions: pulling nails, splitting wood, shearing boards, and lifting panels. The nail puller jaw, board buster notch, and chisel tip handle scenarios that a standard flat pry bar cannot. For interior demolition, flooring removal, and salvage work where you're dealing with nailed framing, subfloor panels, and trim, having multiple tool functions in one bar reduces the need to swap tools. The FatMax handle provides grip during the impact forces common in demo work, and the bar length gives adequate leverage for most residential framing applications. The limitation versus straight pry bars is precision. The FUBAR's multi-function head geometry is optimized for heavy demo rather than delicate trim removal where a thin, flexible pry bar causes less surface damage. At $26.79, it costs $12-17 more than the straight Stanley Wonder Bars. Best for: DIYers and contractors doing interior demolition who need nail pulling, board splitting, and panel lifting in one tool.