Can bend them easy with a bit of steel pipe!

We used to carry a tubular trolley jack handle in the boat for prong bending.

They are thick walled about 16mm inside dia, and come with a rubber handle on the end, perfect!.

Also we always used to trim about 2 inchs offf the prongs on the commercial made ones, as

they seemed to let go and bend a bit too easy.

And yes they are a painful shape, although I have seen folding ones before , but havnt used one myself.

Best way to stop them getting stuck is to attach the chain to the prong end and then run the chain down the shank. couple of cable ties to hold the chain onto the non prong end and away you go.  When it gets stuck you pull until you bust the cable ties and then can pull it out backwards from the prong end - works most times.

Pipe is best to straighten the prongs no vice needed just put it on the ground and bend them back down.

 I have a piece of PVC tube hose clamped to the bow rail and slide the anchor in there. Works a treat. I use my reefy on the sand as well, it always takes. I have plenty of chain and just let out a good amout of rope.

Fill the anchor shaft with molten lead too!  It will sink better and hold better

For my reef anchor, I have the prongs bent out into the correct shape, but then I flatten the prongs down to two prongs are almost touching on both sides (like a W shape, or collapsing an X shape from the top to a \ shape).
Stores a bit flatter and then you can separate the arms without any tools.

A round bar is still useful for straightening or adjusting angles.

You can also sew together a sleeve out of shade sail cloth to stop it snagging or scratching when in the anchor well. I have a tinny and it sits on rope so it doesn't matter too much.

Most times for anchoring on reef though I just use a sand anchor cause i'm diving (just check it) or anchor in sand and let line out to drift over)

I store pipe on the boat and bend the anchor to shape when i needs to use it. But straight after I use it I then use the pipe to bend it back into a straight position for storage. Do you think all this bending weakens the anchor over time significantly?

or on my boat I have a hole thru the post that you tie it onto[ aluminum.},crewie just straightens it out when he pulls it before he stows it away

Thanks guys. Makes sense. Didn't occur to me to just bend it back straight to store it...

Pipe sounds like the goer.