Anyone that has served in the military knows the acronym FUBAR. Generally, when the word is uttered it’s not a good thing, it’s pretty much the exact opposite of a good thing. So when a new demolition tool from Stanley Tools arrived at my door (bearing that name), you can understand why I smiled. Stanley Tools had certainly piqued my curiosity.
Stanley/Black & Decker Inc. is the parent company of Stanley Tools and several other well-known brands of tools. DeWalt, Bostich, Proto, Mac Tools, and Porter-Cable tools are all made by the New Britain Connecticut based company. Since 1843 they have made tools to support many different industries, and recently Stanley Tools decided to expand their line of crowbars to incorporate a design they are referring to as Forcible Entry Tools.
The FuBar Forcible Entry Tool comes in two sizes: a 30″ long two-handed version, and the smaller 18″ version that we were allowed to evaluate. Upon initial inspection of the FuBar, it appeared to be designed as a solid tool for demolition, forced entry, or anything where a standard tool just couldn’t do the work. Let’s see what makes this pry bar stand out from its competition.
Name: Stanley Tools FuBar Forcible Entry Tool
Part Number: 55-121
Length: 18″
Weight: 5.7 Lbs
Unique Features:
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- Heat treated hammer face
- Spanner wrench teeth (for connecting firefighting hoses)
- Two-tiered board jaw
- Square and pentagon fire hydrant wrench
- Heat resistant polymer grips with reflective material inlays
- Pry bar end
- Natural gas valve shut off slot
- Chisel end
MSRP: $78.00
Applications:
- Emergency Medical Personnel
- Demolition work
- Any construction projects
- Homeowner/emergency preparedness
- Forced entry
Pros:
- Heavy duty construction
- Comfortable ergonomics
- Wide range of uses
- Features specialty wrench connections to use on fire hoses and hydrants
- Great price point
- Wide hammer face to improve striking
Cons:
- Heavy
- No available textured hammer face
Overall Performance:
The Stanley Tools FuBar is more than a pry bar, it’s a beast of a tool. It’s a tool that begs to be pounded on, cranked on, and used in all aspects of demolition work. It also is packed with unique features that will appeal to both emergency services personnel and handymen alike. Whenever tool failure is not an option, the FuBar should be your choice.
As I mentioned previously, there was a definite wow factor upon initial inspection, the first thing that stood out was the 3M Scotchlite reflective strip that runs the length of the gripping surface on the handle. In my field tests, I set the FuBar in the trees near my house at night. I then used a flashlight to scan the wood line to see if the reflective material was visible. I was pleasantly surprised with the result. The tool was easily visible once the light hit the reflective material.
The instant I picked up the FuBar I could easily feel that this was going to be a nice substitute for a smaller sledgehammer, at work, and around the house. The hammer-head on the FuBar features a smooth striking face that measures 1 5/16″ wide by 1 3/4″ long. The heat-treated, and tempered steel face certainly has performed well in my trials, (performing as any 5 lb sledge-hammer should).
The head end of the FuBar also features two design features that will make it (and it’s larger 30″ brother) desirable to emergency medical personnel. It allows the user to safely operate both square and pentagonal-shaped operating nuts on fire hydrants. Often times when maintenance personnel or firefighters try to operate fire hydrants they find gouge marks from people trying to use pipe wrenches or channel locks on the nut. The right tool for the right job is important.
Firefighters use a specially designed type of threaded connector when attaching fire hoses together, to fire trucks or fire hydrants. These type of connections use a specialty wrench referred to as a spanner wrench. The FuBar was designed so that it can be used in place of these wrenches, and allow the firefighters more options. I don’t have access to fire hoses so at this time I am unable to fully test the ability of the FuBar to replace traditional spanner wrenches. I will have to assume Stanley Tools has fully tested this in the field.
Stanley Tools hasn’t forgotten the little details when they made the FuBar. The foot end of the tool features a carabiner hole for easy storage, a nail pulling slot, and a pair of chisel points that are each 3/4″ wide. The chisel points are spaced 9/16 of an inch apart, which may sound like a useless statistic until you consider why Stanley Tools spaced them that far apart. It’s not just to pull nails, it has a second function.
Many homes and buildings today use natural gas as their primary heating source. During many emergency events such as an earthquake, being able to isolate your homes natural gas supply is a major concern. Not only should you know where your natural gas regulator is, but you should also know how to shut it off..
The FuBar’s wide spacing between the chisel points allows a homeowner or emergency responder to quickly shut off a buildings natural gas supply without marring and defacing the operating nut (on the natural gas assembly). In the above picture, you can see a demonstration of how the FuBar fits easily over the isolation valve of a domestic gas supply. The FuBar is extra wide because commercial gas supplies use larger valves and have a wider operating nut. Stanley Tools really did pack a lot of extras in this tool.
The two-tiered jaw sports ten teeth that sink firmly into any piece of wood that is unlucky enough to be placed in the FuBar’s jaws. The tip of the jaw is well suited for almost any prying you would need to do. During my trials, I took part in a demolition project at my Civil Air Patrol hangar and used the FuBar’s lip to pry two wooden doors from their frames. The doors popped out quickly and left zero marks on the jaws.
I then moved onto using it to pry welded metal brackets away from a steel support beam on the same project. I needed a little more space so that I could use a grinding disk to completely remove the brackets. A few minutes before I did this I witnessed the tip of a small 10″ pry bar snap off trying the same task. The FuBar accomplished this with minimal effort. I simply inserted the chisel end into the gap and worked the tool back and forth until the pieces separated to the desired width.
I’ve also used the FuBar outside of its designed use just so I could see how much abuse it might take. Once I saw how well it tolerated my various demolition and construction projects I began to wonder if I could use it to split firewood in a pinch. A short trip outside to the woodpile with a regular 16oz hammer and I was splitting firewood with no ill effects to the FuBar except a few hammer strike markings.
In closing, I want to say that as a person with more than 20 years experience in construction and demolition projects, I enjoyed using the FuBar. It’s a well thought out multi-tool, built around a solid 5 lb sledgehammer, with a 2″ wide pry bar. One of these in my tool boxes when I deployed as a U.S. Air Force Civil Engineer would have made life much easier. I highly recommend that if you are a craftsman, prepper, or homeowner, that you pick one up.
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Rick D
Get your own FuBar from Stanley tools here. Or from Amazon here.
