I am going to buy a quality axe or maul. I have a sledge hammer and a small assortment of wedges so I could go w/o the maul. But I could also reduce the tool set. What say there?? Which one do you recommend and why?
I am a Fiskars fanboy. The x27 and Isocore both are in my wood shed. I like them both, but if I had to choose ... don't make me choose. But the Isocore is the one I would choose.
One? You want us to recommend one? Ugh.......... How about two? I really like the Husqvarna large splitting maul. It is a great splitter and if I had to only have one. That would be it.
Got a Fiskars x25, i like it alot. If youre more into classic stuff you might wanna check on Gransfor, Wetterlings and what else swedish stuff is flying about. I dont know much about US products but im sure there are some who are made on home soil. Easy to keep sharp with a wetstone and it will be gentle with your wrist. Broke my maul (a cheap one which i got for free) the other day while punding wedges... In the end it depends what youre comfortable with and if its just for a bit of choppin id say a decent axe and youll be fine. For pounding wedges and splitting bigger logs a maul comes handy. But thats my personal opinion and some others might disagree. Ill gonna buy this one within the next few weeks, i went to a store to check it out - felt pretty neat.
I agree with Rowerwet. I have both and find the x27 to be more user friendly. I like having the isocare and finally pulled the trigger on it this spring when I had a lot of large maple rounds to split, but the reality is that sometimes the wider wedge on the isocare gets stuck while the narrower head on the x27 keeps driving through. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Only mauls I have are Stihl. Both their cheaper $70 maul and pro $100-110 mauls are great and have a lifetime warranty. The dealer replaced my cheaper one once already for free.
I looked at those briefly but couldn't pull the trigger. Most know of Stihl quality but until I prove to myself I cut enough to warrant the price tag, the Isocore should be sufficient.
I have the X27, husky splitting axe with plastic handle, and a 8lb maul. The husky gets 90% of the use.
To me it's a modest price tag for such a hassle free lifetime warranty. Don't get me wrong though I am also a Fiskars fan.
Yep, Fiskars axe and ISO core great combo. Both easy on the hands, work great! Warranty is second to none! Price is right! To me wedges just seem to take to much time to set set, strick, strick, strick, ect... I just can't get the hang of it
Here is my experience, as a newbie ax owner and longtime wedge user.... Wedges...time consuming, but I think the most efficient way to take apart big rounds. You can section rounds off into halves, quarters, eighths, and if you have a gnarly spot, add more wedges! I suppose that with a heavy maul, and lots of muscle, you can handle big rounds fine, but wedges are way less effort. Now that I have a Fiskars X25 splitting axe, I'm kicking myself for all the time spent wedging little stuff. Most stuff 10" or less in diameter will split with one blow. If the ax doesn't go all the way though, I take the ax out and use a wedge to finish the split. I'm sure there's a technique to finish it with the ax. Lifting the ax embedded in the wood and hitting the chopping block hasn't worked out for me. And if I remove the ax, and try it strike it same split a second time, I'm only successful maybe a third of the time. With a heavier ax, I guess the one-strike success rate would increase, but at the expense of muscle fatigue. So I'm trying to work out the winning combination between axe and wedge.
So far, I haven't found any need for wedges. I didn't grow up burning wood, and nobody has taught me anything directly, so maybe I have just missed the point. But if I can't split something with the two Fiskars with just a few whacks, I come back in a couple of months, and try again. Or I noodle it if it is obviously never going to go.
