Introduction

 

I saw a Zach Wood tool on r/EDC and loved it. His website was a bit sparse and his Facebook page was rarely updated. There was a stickied post, though, that directed me to joining a Facebook group that I’ve grown to love. There, I managed to purchase my first Zach Wood tool. I’ve been carrying it ever since and I’m sure I’ll be carrying it for a very long time.

Specs

Maker: Zach Wood Custom Knives and Tools
Place of Manufacture: USA
Length: 6 inches
Material: A2
Price: $185 (retail)

The Maker

Zach Wood is a custom maker based in Montana. Beyond the type of tools mentioned in the review, he also makes knives through forging and stock removal. He’s quite active in the eponymous Facebook group.

Purchasing

I purchased the tool second hand on the Facebook group. This is the easiest way to acquire a tool. They occasionally show up on eBay, forums and from a few online sellers, but they come at a premium and they often don’t have them in stock.

The second easiest way to purchase a tool is to get it through one of the “buy” posts that Zach makes. Since there are so many people who want to purchase a tool, Zach will often sell them to the first “x” commenters or pick a few randomly from the commenters in a lottery form.

It appears as though most secondary sellers in the group are honest and I have read of no issues. For me, my item originated in Thailand, but the seller was excellent and I received my tool well packaged with a bead as a gift.

Fit and Finish

I would describe the tool as well made, but still has the touches of being handmade.

The “A2” stamped into the front pry is noticeably uneven and the “A” looks as though the punch moved while being hit. It makes no functional difference and, in my opinion, makes pry tool easily recognizable and unique.

The grinds on the chisel end still feature the grind lines. The tip is not sharp and all the edges are rounded.

The clip is thick and is very stiff. I have rolled around with the pry bar clipped to my jeans and it never shifted. There is a double side to it, though. The pry bar can be a bit hard to get clipped to a pocket and it appears as though it is starting to create a wear pattern on my jeans.

The design of the clip is very interesting. There is a small hole, that goes all the way through the bar, where the clip sticks in. This keeps the clip from rotating. The clip itself is held in place via a bicycle chain link. These can be easily removed and replaced with a chain link of a different color.

The side edges of the tool are rounded, but are straight. The tool was purchased second hand, so I am unsure if all of the wear marks are from the maker, but from the pictures from the maker, it would seems as though he purposely wears the tool during finishing.

The fuller along the front of the knife is straight although the holes are not perfectly aligned. However, the holes that hold a screw bit and the O2 tank opener seem accurately sized.

Functionality

While many purchase these tools for collecting, I purchased it for using. With a length of 6 inches, the tool might not fit that well in some pants. It does all right in my jeans though.

As a pry tool, I have used the tool to remove adhesive that the last tenant had left on my door. Furthermore, I have used the bit holder to help disassemble open up a gas tank. The length allows for more torque to be applied in comparison to a normal screw driver.

Conclusion

While many might scoff at the idea of “EDC” and think one piece tools have little use, but I love this Zach Wood tool and have found uses for it most days. Having a pry tool is nice as it saves other tools, such as screwdrivers and knives, from being used improperly and damaged. I’ll be carrying this guy around for a while for sure.