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Manual tools for maximum destruction

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On its own, the human body stands zero chance against concrete or lumber. Armed with a sturdy tool, though, we can smash foundations and tear down walls. But don’t be hasty: Picking the wrong implement will supercharge your frustration. Wielding the right one, however, will amplify the power in your physique. These three are ideal choices for grunt-inducing jobs. Best of all, they don’t need plugs or batteries—just muscles.


The claw at one end of the Stanley FatMax FuBar Utility Bar is sized to grasp the boards common in wall frames. And the beveled slot at the other makes pulling stubborn nails out of old planks easy, thanks to the leverage you can put on the 30-inch shaft.


The wedge-shaped side of the 8-pound Fiskars IsoCore Sledgehammer concentrates force onto a small area, ideal for breaking hard materials like asphalt. The rounded side of the steel head is perfect for busting up wood without sending shrapnel flying everywhere.


If Paul Bunyan were real, he’d want the 36-inch Power Splitting Axe. Gerber coated the stainless-steel head with a Teflon-like layer to help it slice through logs without getting stuck. The glass-filled nylon handle won’t snap if you miss and knock it, but not the blade, into the wood.



This article was originally published in the January/February 2018 Power issue of Popular Science.




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Written By Stan Horaczek

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