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The old brick separator seemed indestructible, and would separate all bricks that I had without fail. This orange thing is dinky and flimsy compared to the others.

So, I ask, why did LEGO think that this is better? Is the only reason the wedge?

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    The 1-unit Technic axle remover could also be seen as a worthwhile addition, but I don't know if that's enough info as to LEGO's decision.
    – Lepidolite Mica
    Jul 19, 2016 at 2:52

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The new brick separator is smaller, therefore uses less plastic and is cheaper to mass produce, it also means it can fit better into tighter spaces.

It has a pusher to remove Technic pins and a chiselled edge to pry off tiles, there is a middle hole in the two female stud connections which allows you to remove 1X2 'jumper tiles'.

The additional Technic axle connection gives you a little bit more freedom to incorporate the part into other LEGO creations.

Brick Wiki has no reference for this, but it also seems like a sensible decision consideration:

A new style of brick separator was introduced by LEGO in late 2011. To the satisfaction of many AFOL's, the new style comes in orange. (Many AFOL's had wished for brick separators to be made in orange for years, so that they could be spotted easily when needed.)

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My guess would be that they wanted to include one in more sets; so they made a smaller (cheaper) version and took the opportunity to add functionalities, such as the technic axle remover or the flat end for removing tiles easily. If I'm not mistaken, this version works on jumper plates too; which wasn't the case with the old one.

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  • do certain sets actually include a brick separator in the box? I haven't seen any. and it still doesn't seem like LEGO would do it just to put it in the box. their motto is "only the best is good enough"
    – tuskiomi
    Jul 19, 2016 at 14:21
  • According to brickset, 320 sets at the moment include an orange one, and 7 a green one: brickset.com/parts/design-96874
    – Joubarc
    Jul 19, 2016 at 14:24
  • oh, I'm talking about the OLD green one, the one that looked bulbous.
    – tuskiomi
    Jul 19, 2016 at 15:07
  • Ha, sorry - not a lot, indeed; as I said I think they redesigned it when they wanted to include it more often.
    – Joubarc
    Jul 19, 2016 at 15:31
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    This is correct.
    – user6907
    Jul 20, 2016 at 5:04

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