Fiskars x 27

[zogger]

Any love for the Fiskars shovel? Thinking about getting a new shovel, does this one do most of the work for me? Cut through the dirt like butter? :hmm3grin2orange:

It's a pretty strong shovel. Look at one in the store next to the regular cheap shovels, big difference. I grabbed one last year, much better than my other shovels. And a couple months ago I snatched up one of their all steel post hold diggers at a yard sale for five bucks. Same thing, much better than those cheapos at the box stores.

Best in the world, no idea. Near as I can tell, fiskars in general, what you get when you buy one of their tools is you get pretty dang good quality for just a bit more scratch over the el cheapos. A price point sweet spot middle ground I guess. For less than double the price over a cheap tool, you get way more than double the quality and usefullness.

I know you could go with garden tools most likely like four or five times the price over the cheapest, but I don't know if that would mean the tool is that much better proportionally. Fiskars hits that middle ground.

 

[deepsouth]

I have the long handled shovel.

Yet to bend it. (good)
Handle has no splinters. (good).
Not too heavy. (good)

Not sure what the bad points are.

Would buy again, prefer over others I have.

 

[TreePointer]

I wonder when the Finnish bikini team will pose in a Fiskars calendar. All Scandinavian countries have bikini teams, right?

 

[turnkey4099]

I don't want to drive the wood into the ground. It's so wet here with winter rains that I dropped a steel star picket a metre over a retaining wall and it went a foot into the ground.

Also a better working height and my rounds are also racked. Also contains the mess and saves the grass and weeds.

I used to do it on the ground. Didn't work very well as in short order the splitting area turned into mud (in the wet season) or powder dust in the dry season.

Harry K

 

[spike60]

Fiskars x27 is over rated (JMO)

I agree and also think it's the most annoying splitting tool I've ever used. My beef with the Fiskars X25 and X27 is that the combination of the abrupt head angle and the very sharp edge FREQUENTLY causes the tool to grab or bite in to one side or the other halfway through the split rather than continue down to the splitting block. I freaking hate that. I know you Fiskars lovers will say I'm not flicking my wrist the right way or whatever. But I've been hand splitting for a long time, and this doesn't happen very often with other tools.

I've got a basic Collins Axe 6 lb maul with the yellow handle which works real good. The real sweet stuff IMO are the Husqvarna hand forged tools with hickory handles which are kind of a poor man's Gransfors line of tools. Great quality old style tools at about the same price as the Fiskars items. And I sell both the Husky and Fiskars stuff in my store so I'm not shilling for one over the other. The Fiskars do outsell the Huskys. But the comments from Fiskars buyers are usually of the "I've heard these are great" variety. Very seldom have they actually ever used one before.

Not trying to start an argument with the Fiskars crowd here, just saying there's another viewpoint out there. Like saws, splitters, trucks or whatever, we all choose what works best for us.

 

[zogger]

I agree and also think it's the most annoying splitting tool I've ever used. My beef with the Fiskars X25 and X27 is that the combination of the abrupt head angle and the very sharp edge FREQUENTLY causes the tool to grab or bite in to one side or the other halfway through the split rather than continue down to the splitting block. I freaking hate that. I know you Fiskars lovers will say I'm not flicking my wrist the right way or whatever. But I've been hand splitting for a long time, and this doesn't happen very often with other tools.

I've got a basic Collins Axe 6 lb maul with the yellow handle which works real good. The real sweet stuff IMO are the Husqvarna hand forged tools with hickory handles which are kind of a poor man's Gransfors line of tools. Great quality old style tools at about the same price as the Fiskars items. And I sell both the Husky and Fiskars stuff in my store so I'm not shilling for one over the other. The Fiskars do outsell the Huskys. But the comments from Fiskars buyers are usually of the "I've heard these are great" variety. Very seldom have they actually ever used one before.

Not trying to start an argument with the Fiskars crowd here, just saying there's another viewpoint out there. Like saws, splitters, trucks or whatever, we all choose what works best for us.

What make/model husky axe is the equivalvent of the fiskars x27 (4.5 lb or close to that head weight, 36 inch handle), and what is normal retail price?

I have yet to do even one swing with the different headshape fiskars over the original much more wedge shaped head on the supersplitter, perhaps there is a significant difference in real world usage. But the 28 inch handle old style model busts wood bootay...just sayin...

TIA

 

[spike60]

What make/model husky axe is the equivalvent of the fiskars x27 (4.5 lb or close to that head weight, 36 inch handle), and what is normal retail price?

I have yet to do even one swing with the different headshape fiskars over the original much more wedge shaped head on the supersplitter, perhaps there is a significant difference in real world usage. But the 28 inch handle old style model busts wood bootay...just sayin...

TIA

I'll get some pics and specs up after the weekend. Not sure there is a direct corresponding model. They have a splitting axe and a splitting maul. Both are pretty nice.

 

[zogger]

I'll get some pics and specs up after the weekend. Not sure there is a direct corresponding model. They have a splitting axe and a splitting maul. Both are pretty nice.

cool beans, thanks!

 

[CTYank]

I've got a basic Collins Axe 6 lb maul with the yellow handle which works real good. The real sweet stuff IMO are the Husqvarna hand forged tools with hickory handles which are kind of a poor man's Gransfors line of tools.

I thought for years that a basic wham-bam forged maul was like any other. Then I learned better, and took a disc grinder to some of those Bradlees-special mauls to shape them like an Austrian maul (that you insisted on using in the dirt at Jimmy's.) Taking the "chubby" off the cheeks and giving them an edge transformed them. Now and then when I'm a bit careless they'll dig into the inside of one of the splits- no biggie IMHO.

Have you seen or tried one of the Ochsenkopf mauls that stihl has rebadged for them? Good stuff too. $80 vice $180+ on Amazon for Gransfors Bruks gets my attention. They'd be on my short list.

Any time you'd like one of the hecho en mexico "Collins" mauls reworked, it'll only take me an hour or so, or if you'd like to try a similar one of mine previously reworked (just NOT in the dirt), it can be arranged, like, next GTG in Kingston.

 

[spike60]

I thought for years that a basic wham-bam forged maul was like any other. Then I learned better, and took a disc grinder to some of those Bradlees-special mauls to shape them like an Austrian maul (that you insisted on using in the dirt at Jimmy's.) Taking the "chubby" off the cheeks and giving them an edge transformed them. Now and then when I'm a bit careless they'll dig into the inside of one of the splits- no biggie IMHO.

Have you seen or tried one of the Ochsenkopf mauls that stihl has rebadged for them? Good stuff too. $80 vice $180+ on Amazon for Gransfors Bruks gets my attention. They'd be on my short list.

Any time you'd like one of the hecho en mexico "Collins" mauls reworked, it'll only take me an hour or so, or if you'd like to try a similar one of mine previously reworked (just NOT in the dirt), it can be arranged, like, next GTG in Kingston.

Yeah, and that was frozen dirt too. Sorry John! And at the same time I was doing that, MechanicMatt's buddy was hitting the ground with my 562, so I know how you felt.

I've got to look into this Austrian maul thing and your sharpening/shaping method. Sounds interesting. If we can mod saws, why not mod splitting mauls? I've got a 4 step process that I use on my axes and hatchets. Grinding wheel, depth gauge flat file, hockey skate stone, leather strop. In 20 minutes I can get any garage sale axe sharp enough to shave with, but properly angled so as not to "roll" when using it.

I do keep a nice edge on my cheap maul, but I think it's the angle of the head which can cause it to kick to one side or the other and dig in more so than being too sharp.

I've never seen the Stihl tools, but I'm sure it's good stuff. Obviously Husky also has their tools made by some other company in Sweden. Real good hand forged items.

 

[mdavlee]

I'm looking for something better than the cheap mauls and fiskars. The handle on the x27 has cracked on me yesterday.

 

[ptjeep]

I'm looking for something better than the cheap mauls and fiskars. The handle on the x27 has cracked on me yesterday.

Dang Mike, what have you been beating on?:wink2:

 

[mdavlee]

Dang Mike, what have you been beating on?:wink2:

I got the maul stuck in a piece of elm and had to help to get it out. I'm not real happy with the unbreakable handle now. I'm going to look into the husky and/or stihl mauls.

 

[zogger]

I got the maul stuck in a piece of elm and had to help to get it out. I'm not real happy with the unbreakable handle now. I'm going to look into the husky and/or stihl mauls.

Dang vern, you musta been whomping on that dude! HAHAHAHA! Anything that would break a fiskars handle I bet would have broken a regular hickory handle as well.

They will give ya a new one, lifetime warranty and all. I think all ya need is a picture.

Yep, elm..I think there is an elm lurking out there that will humble just about anyone using any hand tool splitting it.

I have a row of elm and sweetgum rounds here, been shopping for another bag of roundtuits, then gonna just noodle that whole pile to night log size chunks.

 

[mdavlee]

Well the maul got buried almost all the way into the round and I couldn't budge it standing on the round. It was the last thing I could think of to get it out. I'm thinking I'm done splitting the elm now. I'll sell the log as pulp and the smaller limbs will go to firewood as rounds.

 

[zogger]

Well the maul got buried almost all the way into the round and I couldn't budge it standing on the round. It was the last thing I could think of to get it out. I'm thinking I'm done splitting the elm now. I'll sell the log as pulp and the smaller limbs will go to firewood as rounds.

This post just shamed me into going out tonight and trying to hand split some of my elm I have stacked up. Split six rounds, 25% maul and sledge, the rest fiskars. The smaller ones, 10-12 inch, I will try some bigger ones that won't fit into the 15 inch tire tomorrow.

They still suck, but it got doable, bark is loose enough to knock off or it falls off now, plus deep cracks. I just follow the cracks mostly until it gets smaller, then bust regular. Ya, got stuck a few times, wiggled it out though.

I need to grind my maul like CTyank said, plus touch up the edge on the fiskars.

I really didn't want to split any because of no pallets for stacking, but oh well, throw em in a heap, stack later sometime. I have a buncha easy stuff waiting too, just..stacked up in rounds it ain't going anywhere and I am years ahead already. No big rush.

 

[mdavlee]

This stuff I was splitting has only been down 2 weeks. I guess I need to let it lay longer. I used the fiskars first and then the maul when the crack was big enough for it to get down in and actually split them.

 

[Ronaldo]

Let us know how the warranty goes for ya.
I have the X25 and no problems yet.
Ron

 

[zogger]

This stuff I was splitting has only been down 2 weeks. I guess I need to let it lay longer. I used the fiskars first and then the maul when the crack was big enough for it to get down in and actually split them.

some of tho9se I get I know, just know, they will suck so bad I either cut them all the way up, or, at least cut a deep kerf and just use wedges and sledge then.

Doesn't work on everything, and some wood it doesn't matter much, clear straight oak or ash, but I have found most of the time, in most of my wood, letting the rounds sit until deeply checked dramatically improves splittability,. along with losing the bark when you go to bust them up. And then the wood dries way quicker. so do the bark pieces so you can use them as well, or chunk em in the garden.

One exception I make is hickory now, need that dang bark off and split to size and stacked as soon as possible when cut, or it just gets eat up. I let some sit, big mistake. the rounds I knocked the outside slabwood with the bark off first, fine, perfectly fine, no bugs. Bark on rounds, bugs deluxe.

 

[Gavman]

TTT:hmm3grin2orange: