Fiskars Axe is junk!!!!!

[Mr Good Wood]

What are you guys splitting with this axe, balsa wood? I got the 36in s.s. and gave a 20in green maple round a try. What a joke, the axe is junk as far as i am concerned, the thing has no weight at all to it to get any power on the downswing. really pissed just wasted my time and money, hope home depot takes it back. I am 6' 2" 195 by the way.

 

[OH_Varmntr]

You have to use the sharp edge. :msp_tongue:

Only kidding! Seriously though, I've split some nasty stuff with my X27. I'm 5'11'' 160lbs and have split some walnut rounds that were ~36" across. I couldn't split it down the center so l had to start further out on the round and work my way in.

Don't confuse it for a maul replacement. It's not a maul, so you can't use it as a maul.

 

[Philbert]

20 inches is a long round to split - but maybe you have been doing that with another maul. Don't know what diameter rounds you have either.

Works for me. I split a full cord of fresh cut silver maple this summer with my X25 and X27 Fiskars. Up to 16 inch length and 16 inch diameter rounds. Only had to noodle or resort to steel wedges on some of the crotch wood. Put my Monster Maul up on Craigslist.

Home Depot doesn't sell the Fiskars axes around here, but should take yours back if you are not satisfied and have a receipt.

Philbert

 

[4seasons]

Just curious what you were splitting with before you got the Fiskars? I don't own one myself but I have busted a lot of wood with a 6 and 8 pound maul. As I understand the Fiskars is a different critter and a somewhat different method should be used. I have thought about getting one but no one around here has them in stock and I would like to handle one before I pay 2 times what I can buy a regular maul for one.

 

[MacLaren]

You have to use the sharp edge. :msp_tongue:

Only kidding! Seriously though, I've split some nasty stuff with my X27. I'm 5'11'' 160lbs and have split some walnut rounds that were ~36" across. I couldn't split it down the center so l had to start further out on the round and work my way in.

Don't confuse it for a maul replacement. It's not a maul, so you can't use it as a maul.

Exactly. Ive always said its great for what it is. Its no go devil (maul)

 

[Ronaldo]

I like my x25 very well----seems to take less effort than a heavy maul. However,I will not be getting rid of the 8lbs. maul,as it has its place ,too.


Ron

 

[Philbert]

Don't confuse it for a maul replacement. It's not a maul, so you can't use it as a maul.

Exactly. Ive always said its great for what it is. Its no go devil (maul)

However,I will not be getting rid of the 8lbs. maul,as it has its place ,too.

So how do you guys distinguish between 'maul tasks' and 'Fiskars tasks'?


Philbert

 

[MacLaren]

So how do you guys distinguish between 'maul tasks' and 'Fiskars tasks'?


Philbert

Any big oak I have I just get the go devil. Smaller stuff i use the Fiskars. The Fiskars will handle a lot of stuff though....

 

[Soby1]

So how do you guys distinguish between 'maul tasks' and 'Fiskars tasks'?


Philbert

I give it 4 wacks with fiskars if it does'nt pop it goes to the hydro maul pile.

 

[turnkey4099]

I give it 4 wacks with fiskars if it does'nt pop it goes to the hydro maul pile.

Examination of th round. Knotty, if I can't split to avoid the knott, then it is time for heavier artillery, crotchy? Heavier artiller unless I can whittle stuff off without doing the crotch.

Halving a 20" round and it isn't splitting on the third strike, finish that with the maul and then go back to fiskar's.

Etc.

Same old, same old. NO tool will do everything. If you try to do every thing with a Fiskar's it will be a disappointment. Do everything with a maul and you will be doing one whale of lot of extra work.

Harry K

 

[Philbert]

Thanks for the feedback.

I don't have a splitter - don't do enough to justify one. Got tired of lifting the big maul.

I use a Fiskars on small to medium sized stuff. Have steel wedges and a sledge to break down larger diameter rounds - then split with the Fiskars. Learned how to noodle really large or crotchy stuff.

Also learned to keep the lengths shorter to split easier. My fireplace insert feeds smaller wood anyway.

Philbert

 

[c5rulz]

Any big oak I have I just get the go devil. Smaller stuff i use the Fiskars. The Fiskars will handle a lot of stuff though....

Is this big oak?


The after pic.

The before.

 

[c5rulz]

What are you guys splitting with this axe, balsa wood? I got the 36in s.s. and gave a 20in green maple round a try. What a joke, the axe is junk as far as i am concerned, the thing has no weight at all to it to get any power on the downswing. really pissed just wasted my time and money, hope home depot takes it back. I am 6' 2" 195 by the way.

I am surprised with your experiance. Rather than trying to split right through the center, take off the sides first and work towards the center.:msp_thumbup:

 

[myzamboni]

A true craftsman never blames his tools . . .

:biggrin:

 

[Chris-PA]

What are you guys splitting with this axe, balsa wood? I got the 36in s.s. and gave a 20in green maple round a try. What a joke, the axe is junk as far as i am concerned, the thing has no weight at all to it to get any power on the downswing. really pissed just wasted my time and money, hope home depot takes it back. I am 6' 2" 195 by the way.

I do not own a Fiskars yet, although I will probably pick one up eventually. However, I split almost all my wood with axes, either 3-1/2lb or 4-1/2lb. I'm 6' and 155lbs. I broke the maul this summer and have not bothered to replace it yet. - I just use the sledge when it's wedge time.

Using a heavy maul is very different than splitting with a lighter axe - with an axe the key is speed, and if you do it right you end up putting more energy into the hit than you do with a heavier maul. Getting an axe to move fast takes some practice, and there are tricks to it, such as snapping the head down at the end of the swing by lifting with your stomach muscles and knees. I don't have time to dig up the equation again, but basically if you double the weight of the tool, you double the energy you put into the wood (assuming you can swing it just as fast - unlikely). But if you double the speed you quadruple the energy you put into the wood. You also use your muscles differently.

In most of these threads about the Fiskars, I'm seeing a lot of guys who've moved from heavy mauls to the lighter axe - some have found out how much better a faster, lighter, sharper tool works.

 

[Ductape]

Are you using the Pro Splitting axe, or Super Splitting axe ?

 

[Hddnis]

Swung a lot of axes and mauls over the years; I'm no stranger to top quality in both catagories. While I do feel the Fiskars is a little over-hyped, I have found that the shape allows it to split stuff a normal axe will not. It makes a fair incursion into maul territory for the size and weight. I use the SS one with the 36" handle. I tried the others and they just did not fit well at all. I sold them on e-bay for about what I paid for the them, so the demand is high. I believe that finish and coating on the Fiskars is part of the reason they work so well.




Mr. HE

 

[OH_Varmntr]

So how do you guys distinguish between 'maul tasks' and 'Fiskars tasks'?


Philbert

If it's a really big round, I'll just start chunking off the outsides then work in from there. If it's something I think I can get with the Fiskars, if she doesn't give up after 3 or 4 strikes I'll grab the big boy.

But lately I've been getting better and better with the Fiskars so I've been coming across less "maul tasks" and more "Fiskars tasks". But there are still times when I break out the big boy.

 

[Gamedic]

Sorry to hear about your bad experience with the Fiskars. I have owned mine for about two months. I have split some 16 inch white oak with it with no problems. I compared it with my 8 pound maul back to back by making a swing with one and then switching to the other for the next swing. I found that after about ten minutes I just switched to the Fiskars all together.

 

[indiansprings]

I think they are a little over hyped. They are for sure tough and indestructable. But I can't help believe in basic physics, swing a bigger hammer at the same speed more kinetic energy. The shape of the head helps the Fiskars a little, look at the head of the Stihl splitting axe, my dealer said Fiskars makes both the Stihl Splitting axe and splitting maul, the axe head is pretty similar to the fiskars.
I think they have there place but dang sure aren't a magic wand. We use our 8 lbs old mauls just as much as the Fiskars.