Reddit mentions of Stanley 55-515 12-3/4-inch Wonderbar Pry Bar, Yellow/Black

Congratulations! Make sure you get a home inspection before you actually buy the house, if you haven't already. It may seem like a dream home but you can't always see the issues it could have.

Some quick home owner tips if this is your first.

Change your furnace and/or A/C filter! Check on it once a month religiously. Also if you have a whole house humidifyer, make sure you clean it regularly as well. That can save you shit tons of money down the road.

Buy plungers for every bathroom before you need one! That can save you from a shitty situation.

Be a good neighbor, even if your other neighbors might be shitty. It'll still save you a lot of headaches.

Get a wonder bar. Sooner or later you're going to need it. Trust me.

> Crowbars are awkward and heavy. You don't just nonchalantly throw them.

Perhaps she doesn't know what a crowbar is, and one of those small wonderbars (1.2lbs). They are not particularly heavy or awkward. I bet a person could toss those 10-30 feet or so, depending on strength and throwing style.

Before I start this list I am going to say none of these are affiliate links. I'm googling amazon to give OP ideas. None of these specific products that are recommended but it's a "WTF is that?" answer to some things I'm going to bring up.

I'm going to say a plunger is the first thing I buy for a new home (and learn to use it. The "innie flap" has a purpose.)

When it comes to tools that I think are common but by friends apparently don't own until things go wonky?

Wonderbar

A back up sump pump. (I've had to dig one out at 3 am during a power surge that fried my sump pump in the basement)

If there is no power - some way to manually remove the water. There are hand-cranked pumps available that I don't think people think about needing.

A refrigerator dolly. (Apparently it's called an appliance truck and you can find them for a LOT less than this)

Tarps. Just have 3 more
than you think you'd need. If a tree fell on your house and your "old lady neighbor 3 houses up" can you help? (I have a tarp issue. I will admit it. Once they start Tarp Hoarders Anonymous? I'll join)

A basic understanding of electricity and a labeled chart in your fuse box of what switches control what in the house. Let's pretend you're not home and there is some event that causes 2 foot of water in your basement. You need an idiot proof chart that says - TURN OFF THIS THIS AND THAT if Frosty has a meltdown near the dryer.

A clamp style volt meter. Becuase you never want to "think" a wire is not live and find out the hard way.

Tiny little screwdrivers that you think you'll never need unless you loose a nose pad off your glasses.

Spare garden hose that you're not attached to incase you need to use it reroute the run off from an ice dam or syphon out something crazy. (I call him the tribute hose... he just hangs out waiting for the day he's going to get cut up for parts)

Quikcrete. - Story time. My SO got annoyed at the siding on this little part of the house that stuck out about 14" and decided the day before an ice storm was the PERFECT time to redo the siding. That couldn't take more than an hour, right? NO! We found out that there wasn't a full wall behind the siding and about 2 hours before icepocalypse hit we were trying to find a way to pour a new footing for a structural support that apparently had never supported the structure. Long story short - sometimes you need stuff NOW and the hardware store is closed. fast drying concrete can be stored pretty much forever if you keep it away from humidity)

A come-along. Straighten out or pull what ever you want.

My shop vac is a popular item when things go wrong. I think that baby has spent more time in other people's houses than I have.

Vinegar. Lots of vinegar. It's hard for vinegar to go bad and too many people I know have had "OH - ICK" issues to not have several gallons on hand at a time. You can use it to kill a bunch of nastys. (and weeds if you decide having a pretty lawn is important)

A Bow. I consider this a tool. Some people think it's a weapon. I think it's a tool. You can take down supper or shoot a guideline up over the roof of a 2 story house if need be.

Chicken wire.

Ugh... I can't remember the name of this stuff - there is a tape that only sticks to itself. It's rubber. You can use it to seal leaks or fix your couch (I will circle back and see if I can rememeber what it's called if no one jumps in)

I think that's the list for the moment.

This will be an intersting post to follow. Thanks for making us think about things differently.

I carry a mini crowbar in my work bag. I have a larger one in my bug-out bag and just like having that functionality on me.

I work one day a week at a remote office. Since I'm only there every so often I don't have my own office so I got stuck wherever there was an open one for that day. One day I get there and go to the usually empty office to find two of the staff trying to pick the lock. Apparently the day before they had another visitor leave the room and because it had a laptop dock and a monitor in it that person decided to lock the door behind them when they left. This would have been all well and good had there been a key for that door lock. But alas the key was nowhere to be found, and from what I was told there has been no key for that door since the previous management (over 4 years).

It's a hefty steel door so they decided against ramming into it. But it's in a crappy wood and drywall frame. The girls had been trying to pick it open for about an hour before I arrived and before that they tried to abuse the door latch mechanism with a small metal crowbar type thing. I took one look at their mini pry bar and thought "well it's got a flat end, I bet it works like a tiny halligan!" Insert in between the door and the jamb just above the latch mechanism, two or three good pushes and the frame pushed away far enough the door opened on it's own.

From then on we wrote in big bold Sharpie letters "DO NOT LOCK" down the side of the door at eye-level.

This thing.

+1 to what shelbyguns said.

What is your goal/intended purpose? The mission dictates the gear...

That red handled set is probably more suited towards auto mechanic type functionality such as prying an alternator, etc. If that is the goal and you’re looking for options, look into the Mayhew Dominator series. Goes up to 50” IIRC.

If your goal is more along the lines of homeowner maintenance/weekend projects, you may be better served looking along the lines of a a flat bar (such as a Vaughan 15” SuperBar). You can use it for prying trim, light demo, etc. There are smaller versions such as a Stanley WonderBar (7 1/2” & 12” versions available).

A cats paw such as the Estwing nail puller is great for pulling nails and some prying, but the above-mentioned flat bars do a better job in getting into thinner spaces and can do prying as well.

https://www.amazon.com/Vaughan-B215-15-Inch-Original-SuperBar/dp/B00002N5VN/

https://www.amazon.com/Stanley-55-045-7-1-2-Inch-Wonder/dp/B00002X1XS/

https://www.amazon.com/Stanley-55-515-12-3-4-inch-Wonderbar/dp/B00002X1XT/

https://www.amazon.com/Estwing-Nail-Puller-Double-Ended-Straight/dp/B0015YPJMY/

one of these? I've found they work wonders, no need for a hammer, just slam it in with the sharp edge scraping along the floor and then a quick twist. you can get it all up in no time at all.

Good screwdrivers are nice, but you really need 6-8 sizes, and that's over $20.

A wonder bar is probably one of my favorites:
http://www.amazon.com/Stanley-55-515-12-3-4-inch-Wonderbar/dp/B00002X1XT

Although not technically a tool, a nice LED work light is amazing. With a bit of patience, you can find one with 1000+ lumens near the $20 mark. This one is more, but I needed an example before my bathroom break was over
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B015E6M23C/ref=cm_sw_r_other_awd_nIMOwbPB7M5NY