Spear

This is one of the better things a surface wooden chest can hand you, and not because of what it hits for. Every thrust shoves whatever it lands on backwards, and a held spear keeps shoving, so one character standing in a doorway can hold off a line of demon eyes or a wave of corruption enemies without moving. That is worth more in the first few nights than a slightly stronger sword would be.

The reach is short next to the hardmode spears, and it does nothing at all while the thrust is pulling back, so anything quick enough to cross that gap gets past it. Treat it as a corridor tool rather than something you open a fight with. Later on shimmer turns it into a Trident, which is the only reason to keep one once you have moved on.

Wooden crates roll most of the same loot as the chests they imitate, but never this. Fishing will not produce one.