Fiskars...

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My friend has an x25 and he still hasn't figured out how to swing it the best way yet and glanced of the log this weekend and put a 3-4 inch slice through his leather work boots and through his sock and left a 1/4-1/2 nick in the top of his foot. He then proceeded to order himself the new rapid fire splitter from dr.
I had a friend to the same thing but his was deeper and cost 6 stiches. Funny thing about steel toe boots, they deflect things very well. Had he use the X-27 he might have fell in love and never went with the DR splitter...
 
I wish the X25/X27 was made of a more durable metal.................
I imagine a more durable metal would be heavier too....things I think would help splitting power.

It would be close to the same weight regardless of steel type .
Drive a wedge with the maul to open the split and then take out the stuck axe or use another axe/maul and work the round from the other side , you have more than 1 axe right ???
I'm 5'8" and like the x25 , I get a fast swing and split with the rounds on the ground or in a tire , it works well for me , I save the crap wood for the splitter because I can :)
 
X25 pics

IMG_20140807_200838.jpg


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I have the smaller hatchet, don't know the model number. Have had it a while. Not sure what to think of it, the grind bevel is weird and not really suited for any particular use...I guess multi-purpose would describe it well. It's too steep for effective chopping and too narrow and flat for a good kindling splitter. And while the steel takes a razor edge with no effort, not surprisingly it doesn't hold the edge long at all and gets nicked up if you look at it wrong. I don't think I would buy another Fiskars branded hatchet/axe based on my experience with it.
 
I picked up the x27, and 14" axe. They are awesome! Been going hard this week since I picked them up.
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i've been splitting wood for years with a 3lb felling axe on a 28" handle. i place the wood up on a large round about thigh high. i'm so comfortable with this setup, that i could split a sliver in half without missing.

but i kept reading all of the glowing reviews on fiskars axes. so i went out and picked up an x27. spent a day splitting with it. and hated it. i couldn't get used to the balance or the plastic handle. brought it back to the store, and have since split many cords with my felling axe. maybe if i had kept it for a few weeks i could've grown to like it, but then i wouldn't have been comfortable anymore with my felling axe. i think muscle memory is an important factor in being able to split wood well.

if i ever do try one again, i'll go for the x25. if you know what you're doing, the axe doesn't ever end up near your feet.
 
i've been splitting wood for years with a 3lb felling axe on a 28" handle. i place the wood up on a large round about thigh high. i'm so comfortable with this setup, that i could split a sliver in half without missing.

but i kept reading all of the glowing reviews on fiskars axes. so i went out and picked up an x27. spent a day splitting with it. and hated it. i couldn't get used to the balance or the plastic handle. brought it back to the store, and have since split many cords with my felling axe. maybe if i had kept it for a few weeks i could've grown to like it, but then i wouldn't have been comfortable anymore with my felling axe. i think muscle memory is an important factor in being able to split wood well.

if i ever do try one again, i'll go for the x25. if you know what you're doing, the axe doesn't ever end up near your feet.
What kind of wood are you splitting with the felling axe?
Most of what I split would just cause the axe to stick terribly and the pieces would be laughing at me I'm afraid.
 
What kind of wood are you splitting with the felling axe?
Most of what I split would just cause the axe to stick terribly and the pieces would be laughing at me I'm afraid.

red oak, maple, beech, white birch, and white ash. beech and birch are the tough ones, the rest pop apart pretty easily. i'm not saying the axe doesn't bind every once in a while, but i'm so used to this axe and know the wood well enough that i can tell exactly where to strike on each piece to have the best results. i have bigger axes and mauls, but they don't get used. i think developing a good technique is as important as the tool you're using.
 
I don't deal with sticking. Once it sticks, I drive it through with my short handled 8lb hammer. Why anyone would fight a sticking splittin' tool is beyond me. That's why a fiskers is no good for me. I chipped one up in no time hitting it. I've found spraying them with silicon works wonders though.
 
I don't deal with sticking. Once it sticks, I drive it through with my short handled 8lb hammer. Why anyone would fight a sticking splittin' tool is beyond me. That's why a fiskers is no good for me. I chipped one up in no time hitting it. I've found spraying them with silicon works wonders though.
Yep, hitting them with another tool falls under the misuse category. It says in the guard not to strike any other steel objects with it or strike it with other steel objects... I want to buy some spray on Teflon and give it a try. It looks like my coating is wearing off but I don't know for sure that it works any less than it did new. Keeping the cutting edge sharp might play a bigger factor. I keep mine tuned up with a flat file.
 
I grabbed an X27 for $40 used once off Craigs yesterday. Split a good bit today effortlessly. Kind of bummed me out I'm not sore as I rely on it for a workout. Oh well, guess I have to do more wood next time.

I can see it being easy to chip up. Having bought it second hand I do not have a receipt. There is a sticker on the back of the cover 'Lewis Power Equipment 74.95'
Would that be enough to get me another one if it breaks?
 
I grabbed an X27 for $40 used once off Craigs yesterday. Split a good bit today effortlessly. Kind of bummed me out I'm not sore as I rely on it for a workout. Oh well, guess I have to do more wood next time.

I can see it being easy to chip up. Having bought it second hand I do not have a receipt. There is a sticker on the back of the cover 'Lewis Power Equipment 74.95'
Would that be enough to get me another one if it breaks?

Hope it was in good shape because they sell new for $50 in my area...
 
Yeah it was in good shape. I tried to get him to 35 and he told me what he paid. I said sorry bud I see them for 55 online all the time
 
My wife bought me an X27 a couple years back for Xmas. I like it. I spent many years swinging a 9lb spike maul driving spikes as a railroad worker, so swinging steel is no stranger. Anyway, I have an old splitting maul (no idea who manufactured it), that's probably 1/2" shorter than when I bought it due to the bazillion file strokes sharpening it, and I gotta say, although I'm having a hard time falling in love with the synthetic handles of the new stuff, the Fiskars splits wood well. I don't split with a block of any kind because of the years with a spike maul (I like to hit low), but I find my old splitting maul sits in the shop more than it gets used now and I'm busy sharpening the Fiskars edge instead.

But I did just clean up and parkerize the head of the old maul, and put a new hickory handle on it this Fall.
 
My friend has an x25 and he still hasn't figured out how to swing it the best way yet and glanced of the log this weekend and put a 3-4 inch slice through his leather work boots and through his sock and left a 1/4-1/2 nick in the top of his foot. He then proceeded to order himself the new rapid fire splitter from dr.
Any short hafted splitting tool increases the chance of hitting yourself, setting the rounds on a high block does also. When combined you are really asking for trouble.
 
Any short hafted splitting tool increases the chance of hitting yourself, setting the rounds on a high block does also. When combined you are really asking for trouble.


that's simply not true. a short-hafted axe/maul chopping wood on a block requires an adjustment to your swing. rather than an arcing, windmill style swing with a lot of wrist turn, you swing straight down through the piece of wood, with nearly locked wrists and your hands staying below or parallel the head for most of the swing.
 
I was looking at the X27 pretty seriously, but it bothered me that I can't replace the handle and that the steel may be lower quality and require lots of sharpening. I decided to try this Ames splitter instead. I think it's the same concept, lightweight but pushes the wood apart. Website says high-carbon steel, wish it had hickory handle, but at least I can put one in it if I want. We'll see, should get it in a few days.
http://www.amestruetemper.com/products/detail.aspx?ProductId=115&FamilyId=87&LineId=72
 
I was looking at the X27 pretty seriously, but it bothered me that I can't replace the handle and that the steel may be lower quality and require lots of sharpening. I decided to try this Ames splitter instead. I think it's the same concept, lightweight but pushes the wood apart. Website says high-carbon steel, wish it had hickory handle, but at least I can put one in it if I want. We'll see, should get it in a few days.
http://www.amestruetemper.com/products/detail.aspx?ProductId=115&FamilyId=87&LineId=72

The steel in the Fiskars isnt lower quality, it has a different temper and it brittle. It holds an edge very well as long as you keep it out of the dirt and rocks. If you cant manage to do that then you will spend a lot of time trying to keep it sharp. I've had mine for a few years now and have only had to take a flat file to it 2-3 times and its still sharp. It all depends on how you abuse/use it.
 

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