Best Splitting Maul ??

[Whitespider]

Oh... and another thing about the Fiskars...
The edge isn't tempered correctly... it's too hard/brittle. The edge chips way too easily; as a result it won't hold a fine honed edge worth sour owl squat.
But hey... what can you expect for something well under 50 bucks?? It ain't like you spent the price of a precision cuttin' tool... my pocket knife cost more than my Fiskars ax.
I can put an edge on my maul that will still shave hair after several dozen swings, the Fiskars becomes a thin blunt edge after just a few swings... because the brittle fine edge has literally chipped/broken away.
The Fiskars ain't magic like believers want it to be... it's just a cheap, mass-produced hunk of steel with a lifetime warranty on the mass-produced, injection-molded handle.
Get a Fiskars if'n ya' want one, it has its uses... but don't forget to pick up a good, hickory-handled maul also.
*

 

[Hinerman]

Where did you purchase this? I checked their website but I could not find anything about where to purchase them.

FYI, they make the splitting axes and mauls for Stihl. Here are a few choices:

http://www.baileysonline.com/Forest...9-Wood-Splitting-Maul-Professional-Big-Ox.axd


http://www.traditionalwoodworker.co...Germany-by-Iltis-Oxhead/productinfo/598-3009/


http://www.highlandwoodworking.com/ox-head-big-ox-splitting-maul.aspx

 

[dancan]

Hey Spidey !!
You right about the Fiskars edge not staying sharp .

I've been driving my X25 in the dirt and rocks all winter and it won't shave worth shyte LOL
Still splits wood though .

 

[Thornton]

Ive been wanting a Granfors Bruks for a couple years but always something else to spend the money on maybe this winter

 

[Travis041]

Does any one use this one http://www.amestruetemper.com/store/products/detail.aspx?ProductId=2233&LineName=&LineId=72
Not as good as the 100+ dollar ones I am sure. Any opinions on it?

 

[user 122190]

There might be something wrong with my Fiskars x27. It's not splitting like it did last year. Bigger rounds, seasoned just 1 year and I'm being challenged. Ordered a 10lb Truper Sledge with a 36" fiber glass handle and a 9" Estwing E-5 splitting wedge. Been thinking about upping my game, this should keep me going for another 10years, where I'll then be 60 and might have to buy a mechanical gas powered splitter.

 

[wap13]

I didnt read all the comments but my .02...

I own a fiskars x25, fiskars x27, a gransfors bruks splitting maul and wetteringlings splitting maul. Hands down my favorite and what works best for me splitting red oak, hickory, and pretty much any other hard wood you will find in the southeast is the wetterlings.

However I do leave a fiskars in the back of my truck at all times because unlike my wood handled wetteringlings and GB the fiber glass doesnt care about the sun or rain and if someone walks off with it I'm not really out much.

 

[CTYank]

Does any one use this one http://www.amestruetemper.com/store/products/detail.aspx?ProductId=2233&LineName=&LineId=72
Not as good as the 100+ dollar ones I am sure. Any opinions on it?

Problem is, most of the "bargain" mauls I've seen over the years (and I've a couple) are made of pretty mild (soft) steel and not shaped very well. In fact, instruments of torture. I reshaped a few to mimic an Austrian maul I got 3 yrs back- flattened the previously-convex faces and put an edge on them. Made a very big difference.

Council Tools in NC is getting more into axes and such. Even now sell a maul. Made in USA. Any reviews?
(I really like their "jersey pattern" 3.5 lb head axe. For ~$32, a Best Buy.)

Last I saw, it was possible to buy a Hultafors (Husqy branded) 5.5 lb maul for $60. Total no-brainer over X-whatever (longest) fiskars.

 

[CTYank]

Where did you purchase this? I checked their website but I could not find anything about where to purchase them.

Have you tried your friendly local stihl dealer? Stihl mauls are re-branded Ochsenkopf mauls. Selling recently even at local bandit for $80.
Just don't tell them how good a bargain it is.

 

[Whitespider]

Hey Spidey !! You right about the Fiskars edge not staying sharp .
I've been driving my X25 in the dirt and rocks all winter...

L-O-L
I don't recall ever running any of my mauls, axes, or other edged tools into dirt or rocks... I always use a block, stump or piece of belting.
Well... there is one exception... I have a cheap fleet store ax I use for chopping out tree roots and such.
*

 

[zogger]

There might be something wrong with my Fiskars x27. It's not splitting like it did last year. Bigger rounds, seasoned just 1 year and I'm being challenged. Ordered a 10lb Truper Sledge with a 36" fiber glass handle and a 9" Estwing E-5 splitting wedge. Been thinking about upping my game, this should keep me going for another 10years, where I'll then be 60 and might have to buy a mechanical gas powered splitter.

Sharpen it better and grab a can of spray on teflon. I noticed mine lost some percentage split-ability as the teflon wore off, but cheap spray, back to normal.

And wood is just different, two similar sized red oaks can be vastly different in ease of splitting.

You got ten years to get ahead! Cut and stack twice what you use between now and then, or even just 50% more per year. That's all I am doing right now, just getting ahead.Once you are two years ahead it seems to get easier. I don't know why, just psychological or something.

Also, cut small and stack small, mix it in. Milk the trees out. Those small rounds that need no splitting really start to add up, it's fast precisely because you skip the splitting step, and all that handling, and it is easy to get them with the smallest saw. I cut down to one inch, no lie...it burns. Right off the tree if I can reach it, up down up down, right on down the branch to the main trunk..it's fast to do once you get used to it And your stacks last longer with the small rounds mixed in, more wood per linear feet of stack.

 

[woodchuck357]

Does any one use this one http://www.amestruetemper.com/store/products/detail.aspx?ProductId=2233&LineName=&LineId=72
Not as good as the 100+ dollar ones I am sure. Any opinions on it?

I have one in the truck right now. Grandson bought it and brought it over to have me work it over. I used the angle grinder to thin and extend the bevel, then polished the faces with a little handheld belt grinder, finishing with 240 grit. I just finished splitting bunch of pin oak with it and it did good. I will have to ask the boy if he wants me to put an epoxy swell on the end of the handle, it feels to me like the thing is going to slip out of my hand.
I am of the opinion that the quality of the steel in splitting mauls is relatively unimportant, they are just wedges with handles that allow you to throw them in a controlled manner at a chunk of wood in hopes of wedging the fibers apart. I have an 8 pound wedge that I welded a loop on one side to take an ax eye handle that does a fantastic job! It does the flip with very little help, but doesn't pound wedges for the above mentioned owl do-do.
I have a bunch of different shapes and sizes of mauls, some were expensive when new, some very cheap, the ones that have polished convex faces work best. I can't see any difference in the way they work based on how proud the seller was of them.
The longer the handle the better, Most of the replaced handles on my mauls and axes are 40 inches from my side of the head. Most bought handles are under 36 inches overall, the standard that was set way back when the average logger was under 5 foot 6in tall.

 

[zogger]

I have one in the truck right now. Grandson bought it and brought it over to have me work it over. I used the angle grinder to thin and extend the bevel, then polished the faces with a little handheld belt grinder, finishing with 240 grit. I just finished splitting bunch of pin oak with it and it did good. I will have to ask the boy if he wants me to put an epoxy swell on the end of the handle, it feels to me like the thing is going to slip out of my hand.
I am of the opinion that the quality of the steel in splitting mauls is relatively unimportant, they are just wedges with handles that allow you to throw them in a controlled manner at a chunk of wood in hopes of wedging the fibers apart. I have an 8 pound wedge that I welded a loop on one side to take an ax eye handle that does a fantastic job! It does the flip with very little help, but doesn't pound wedges for the above mentioned owl do-do.
I have a bunch of different shapes and sizes of mauls, some were expensive when new, some very cheap, the ones that have polished convex faces work best. I can't see any difference in the way they work based on how proud the seller was of them.

You are saying you welded up something kinda similar to a leveraxe? Got a pic or three of it?

 

[woodchipper95]

A vote for Wetterlings or Hultafors (Husqvarna) 5.5 lb mauls. Excellent materials and design. And you can use the poll as a hammer. Less $ spent on marketing.

Each of us has an optimum head-weight. For me fiskars is way too light, 8 lb way too heavy for best effect. ~5 lb. is just right.

I have a x27 and gransfors bruks splitting maul not sure on weight I'd say 6. They both have a spot in my heart when it comes to splitting. Straight grain=X27 other stuff=maul!

 

[svk]

You are saying you welded up something kinda similar to a leveraxe? Got a pic or three of it?

No splitting thread is complete without at least one reference to the leveraxe

 

[woodchuck357]

You are saying you welded up something kinda similar to a leveraxe? Got a pic or three of it?

I did make an old maul into a thing that worked like a lever ax many years ago, didn't look like it but had a stop on one side and extra weight on the hammer end on the other.
The wedge was made after another thread about maul steel quality, I was going to just bore a hole thru the wedge but decided that was to much work so I just welded a piece of quarter inch flat stock to one edge of the wide end and put the torch to the strap and bent it around a wet axe eye maul handle, pulled the handle out, put a clamp on to hold the quarter inch thick strap tight to the side of the wedge and welded it in place. I ground the welds smooth, made the cheeks slightly convex where the wedge had a rather blunt taper, and put the handle back in. The handle had to be shaved a little to fit the eye and flattened to fit the wedge side. It was mostly just for show, but it does work well. It doesn't do the flip automatically but it does tend to flip easily in the direction of the wedge side. One day I have to get a camera!
Just for show, I also split using a sharp ax with the rounds setting on concrete, then split similar rounds setting on a 6 inch thick piece of foam mattress material. Folks are surprised when they seem to split the same.

 

[woodchuck357]

I have come to a decision I am taking back the Rockforge junk axe and maul I got and ordering the Fiskars x27 but like you said Zogger I am not going to limit myself to one axe/maul. I am also going to get a second maul later down the road probably a hickory wood handle American made 8lb maul for when I need a little more weight.

Speaking of weight I cant find clear info on the x27s weight. Some sites say 4.5 and others say 6.3 - I hope it is the 6.3 personally. Anyone know did they up the weight of the x2

The fiskers head, just for comparison, weighs just a hair over four pounds. Sharpen it once and it will be four! That's actual weight on a very accurate scale.

 

[Travis041]

Thank you Woodchuck357. On a few websites it says the x27 is 6.3 - so that must be the total weight of the axe. I cant believe all the good reviews on the x27. I am sceptical. I will have to try it. Should be here in a few days. We only have pine around here. And most of the time I wait till it is seasoned. So the x27 should work in my situation. It has to be better than the rockforge.

My father in law said that he has a few old 8lb maul heads and he would give me one, I just need to get a handle. So that way I will have my x27 axe and a 8lb maul if need. Nice to have at least two. The rockforge axe and maul that I got will both be returned.

 

[Whitespider]

My father in law said that he has a few old 8lb maul heads and he would give me one...

Old is good... most of them are of fine quality... made when manufactures and their employees took pride in the product turned out.
That said... the handle makes the tool. A bad handle will make a bad tool of even the finest striking head. It ain't necessary to spend a bunch of money on the handle... but you do need to look through the assortment and choose the best of the lot. If you don't know what to look for in a handle, and more importantly if you don't know how to properly hang the head on a new handle, find someone who does and have them help ya' out... hanging the head on a handle ain't difficult, but there is a certain learned art to it. Believe me, you'll hate the tool if'n the head ain't hung correctly.
*

 

[Marshy]

In mind the Fiskar has limitations, just as a heavy 8lb maul. Use the right tool for the job and the work will be easier on you. The Fiskar will split bigger wood than advertised. Length of your rounds and grain type have a large impact on its ability. I have both the Fiskar X-27 and an old 8lb maul. I use the Fiskar for >85% of my splitting (6 cord a year). If I cant split it with the Fiskar I usually can't split it with the 8lb maul either (ok, maybe 50:50 I can), those chunks end up being noodled. In the end I believe you end up doing less work with the lighter Fiskar, just my opinion and no I have not used a fancy $100+ maul from Germany, just your average run of the mill yard sale special cast maul that our grandfathers had at hand.

One other piece of advice is keep the edge sharp by taking a few strokes with a flat file and keep it out of the dirt.