It's a Japanese gardening tool, sort of a cross between a knife and a trowel and very useful for all sorts of things. Some have one serrated edge, some don't. This - https://www.niwaki.com/hori-hori/ - is the one I have, but there are others out there. There's a fairly recent thread about them: https://forum.gardenersworld.com/discussion/1061523/best-hori-hori-knife/ But if you search the forum for hori-hori there are others. They're not flexible though, so wouldn't do the same job as a palette knife.
'If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.'
When the pot has sloping sides and the plant refuses to budge even after watering, I just cut down using the rim as my guide. Gives the plant a bit of a root prune but doesn't harm it. No need to buy fancy kit.
Having said that, I do have a large, flexible palette knife at the back of the kitchen drawer but you can guarantee that if I take it down the garden I'll suddenly need it in the kitchen.
Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
"The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
Monty uses an old knife .He has always said that he uses an old knife to cut up plants that he wants to decide .This time he just used it to loosen the plant and then cut it up .
Palette knife to release and wood saw to divide. BBC careful to hide any branding but Monty always keeping his promise to show off his free tools at least once
If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
For big pots with curving sides and plants that have been in them for a long time I use an old (rusty actually) pruning saw - giving a root prune same as @Obelixx.
Posts
But if you search the forum for hori-hori there are others.
They're not flexible though, so wouldn't do the same job as a palette knife.
Having said that, I do have a large, flexible palette knife at the back of the kitchen drawer but you can guarantee that if I take it down the garden I'll suddenly need it in the kitchen.
When you don't even know who's in the team
S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border