Milwaukee 4-Piece Pry Bar Set for Heavy Duty Demolition Work

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Ever find yourself reaching for a screwdriver to pry something open during a demolition job, only to watch the tip snap off or the shaft bend? We’ve all been there, and it’s exactly why we put the Milwaukee 48-22-9214 pry bar set through its paces on actual jobsites. After three months of framing tear-outs, siding removal, and general demolition work, we wanted to see if this four-piece set could handle the daily abuse professionals dish out.

Milwaukee’s reputation for durability precedes them, but we’ve learned to test rather than trust marketing claims. This set includes 8-inch, 10-inch, 12-inch, and 15-inch pry bars with what Milwaukee calls “tri-lobe” handles and chrome-plated shafts. The real question isn’t what’s in the box—it’s whether these bars hold up when you’re levering out stubborn floor joists or separating decades-old trim without snapping.

Here’s what we discovered: these bars punch well above their weight class for the price point, though they’re not without quirks. If you’re tired of replacing bent bars or dealing with slippery handles mid-pry, keep reading—we’ll break down exactly what this set does well and where it falls short.

Why the Milwaukee 48-22-9214 Pry Bar Set Stands Out

The most immediately noticeable feature is the tri-lobe handle design. Unlike round-handled pry bars that rotate in your grip when you’re applying serious torque, these three-sided grips stay put. During a particularly stubborn baseboard removal job, we could maintain consistent pressure without constantly readjusting our grip—a small detail that saves surprising amounts of time over a full day’s work.

The chrome plating isn’t just for looks. After repeatedly driving these bars under painted trim and through dirty demolition work, the chrome surface still slides smoothly without the rust spotting we’ve seen on basic carbon steel bars. We left the 10-inch bar outside through a rain shower (accidentally, not intentionally) and found zero surface corrosion three days later.

Milwaukee includes nail pullers on three of the four bars (the 8-inch lacks this feature). The claw design actually grips nail heads instead of slipping off like some competitors we’ve tested. We pulled approximately 200 framing nails during a deck demolition, and the claws showed minimal wear—no mushrooming or spreading that would reduce their effectiveness.

Perhaps the biggest differentiator: the strike caps. You can hammer on the end of these bars without worrying about mushrooming the metal. When you need to drive a bar under tight flooring or between tightly-fitted framing members, being able to whack the end with a framing hammer without damage is genuinely useful. We compared this directly to a Stanley set we own, which mushroomed noticeably after similar use.

Key Features & Specifications

• Four-piece set: 8″, 10″, 12″, and 15″ lengths give you the right leverage for different situations without carrying separate specialty bars
• Chrome-plated shaft construction: Provides rust resistance and reduces friction when sliding between tight spaces or under materials
• Tri-lobe comfort grips: Anti-rotation design prevents the bar from spinning in your hand during heavy prying, reducing hand fatigue and improving control
• Integrated nail pullers: 10″, 12″, and 15″ bars feature nail-pulling slots that grip fastener heads without slipping (8″ bar excludes this feature)
• Strike caps: Forged ends designed to withstand hammer strikes without mushrooming, extending tool life significantly
• Beveled chisel tips: Ground to slide under materials more easily than blunt-ended bars, particularly useful for trim and finish work
• Weight: Set weighs approximately 4.5 pounds total—substantial enough for leverage without being cumbersome to carry

The chrome plating deserves extra mention because it’s not merely cosmetic. When you’re working a bar under painted trim or through adhesive, the reduced friction means less force required and less damage to surrounding materials. The beveled tips are ground at approximately 20 degrees (we measured), which we found to be the sweet spot between durability and penetration ability.

Hands-On Performance Testing

We tested the Milwaukee 48-22-9214 pry bar set across three primary scenarios: interior demolition (baseboards, door frames, and trim removal), exterior siding work, and structural framing tear-out. Each environment stressed different aspects of the tools.

During a kitchen renovation where we removed approximately 80 linear feet of baseboards and 60 feet of crown molding, the 10-inch and 12-inch bars saw the most action. The beveled tips slid behind painted trim without gouging the drywall in most cases. When we needed to apply more force, the tri-lobe handles provided genuine purchase—we could lean into the leverage without the bar rotating and losing position. We damaged fewer trim pieces compared to previous jobs with round-handled bars, which meant less patching work later.

The real torture test came during a deck demolition job. We used primarily the 15-inch bar to separate pressure-treated 2×6 decking that had been screwed and nailed down for fifteen years. The bar flexed under extreme loads but returned straight—we never achieved permanent bending even when using a 6-foot cheater pipe for additional leverage (not recommended by Milwaukee, but we had to test the limits). The nail puller removed galvanized deck screws and ring-shank nails without notable wear after pulling approximately 300 fasteners.

One surprise: the 8-inch bar became our go-to for automotive work. Its compact size fit into engine compartments and under dashboard panels where longer bars wouldn’t fit. While this isn’t the intended use case, it demonstrated the set’s versatility beyond traditional construction applications.

We did encounter limitations. When prying against concrete during a tile removal job, the chrome plating showed minor chipping on the 12-inch bar’s tip after about four hours of aggressive use. The underlying steel remained intact and functional, but the cosmetic damage was noticeable. Additionally, when working in extremely tight spaces (less than 1/4 inch clearance), the beveled tips couldn’t quite squeeze in where thinner, non-beveled bars might fit—though this was a rare occurrence.

What We Liked (Pros)

• Exceptional grip control: The tri-lobe handles eliminated the constant grip readjustment we experience with round-handled bars, reducing hand fatigue during extended use. After a full day of demolition work, our hands felt noticeably less fatigued compared to previous projects with competing brands.
• Strike cap durability: After hundreds of hammer strikes during testing, the caps showed zero mushrooming. This dramatically extends tool life compared to our Stanley and Husky bars, which both showed deformation after similar use.
• Rust resistance that actually works: The chrome plating withstood moisture exposure, concrete dust, and being left in a damp truck bed without surface corrosion. Many “rust-resistant” bars we’ve tested showed spotting within weeks—these showed none after three months.
• Right sizes for most jobs: The four-length selection meant we always had appropriate leverage without being under-barred or using an unnecessarily large tool. The 10″ and 12″ bars handled roughly 70% of our tasks, while the 8″ and 15″ covered the extremes.
• Nail puller effectiveness: The claw design grips fastener heads securely without the slipping we’ve experienced with competitor designs. We successfully removed flush nails, countersunk screws, and protruding fasteners without repeatedly repositioning the tool.

What Could Be Better (Cons)

• Chrome plating can chip on extreme abuse: When used aggressively against concrete or mas