hardpan
Addicted to ArboristSite
Like baseball, swing the biggest bat you can handle.
Fiskars
- Thread starter jdc123
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I do well with the 36" handle.
But my shorter, 15-year-old son prefers the 27" handle.
And, truth be told, if all my rounds were 10" diameter and smaller, I would probably go with the 27" handle too. It flies like a dream!
Either way, get a Fiskars, put a tire on a chopping stump, fill it with rounds, and you'll feel like you're playing Whack-a-Mole!
KindredSpiritzz
ArboristSite Operative
ok, i had to order one because they didnt have any in a Home Depot locally. Hope this thing is as good as you guys say it is. I have difficulty seeing how it could be that much better than a regular axe but i'd be happy to be proved otherwise. It'll get a good work out this fall, so we'll see.
Pretty soon you'll be reading posts by other people who say the same thing and you'll laugh to yourself and think, "I remember when I used to feel that way!"
Slade McCuiston
ArboristSite Member
I know I did!
I used my new x27 today -- freaking love it! It performs much better than the Stihl "splitting axe" (not maul) that has been very disappointing. Wish I wouldn't have bought the Stihl...
The only x27 flaw is the soft steel. I already have two dings in the blade from 45 minutes of splitting, but I will wait to sharpen it until it develops enough dings affect performance.
The only x27 flaw is the soft steel. I already have two dings in the blade from 45 minutes of splitting, but I will wait to sharpen it until it develops enough dings affect performance.
Not true Harry. I'm one of those naysayer's, and I didn't expect the X27 to be a miracle tool... in fact, it performs near exactly as I expected it would. As far as splittin' wood, it's a splittin' ax... it's a finisher, not a starter... and it ain't even a finisher for tough, stringy stuff. Often I'll halve or quarter some splits into smaller pieces to build a quick bed of coals for cookin' in the fire pit. If it's elm or such I don't even bother with the X27, I go directly to the maul... 'cause the Fiskars can't handle the job! And why anyone would swing the Fiskars two, three, four or more times to halve a larger round instead of one swing with the maul is beyond me. Honestly, it requires more energy to swing the 4# Fiskars twice than it does to swing an 8# maul once... I don't care what anyone says. I've even found some ash and hard maple that the Fiskars wouldn't handle efficiently, and tossed it aside for the maul. Splittin' Bur Oak it's a crap-shoot, it does fine on the straighter, smaller rounds (say under 10 inches)... but that's normally less than 25% of the tree. What I didn't expect was how well the synthetic handle feels and performs... light-years ahead of any other I've used or tried (except for that Fiskars handle, I hate synthetic on any striking tool).
And finally, I see a lot of claims as to how sharp the Fiskars is... well guys, it's pretty simple, if'n ya' can't shave hair with an ax, it flat ain't sharp!
RVALUE
Addicted to ArboristSite
Is the x27 softer than the x25?
I don't have an x25, so I can't say. My guess would be that they're about the same.
zogger
Tree Freak
How did you ding the edge, what did you hit? Only asking because I have yet to ding mine up. I have dulled it a lot, but nothing I could class as a serious ding.
You're saying the same thing I have been saying for years. "It is not a replacement for a maul". "It's a splittin AX and as such is the best d*** splitting ax I have ever seen", etc.
I totally agree that trying to split stringy stuff/knots/bust big rounds is more an exercise of machismo than common sense.
I don't count you as a naysayer anymore than I am.
Harry K
terryknight
ArboristSite Operative
i am one of those. i expected some magically firewood making tool. i still find myself grabbing a maul much more often. it is very light and a very nice splitting ax, however i don't use a splitting ax all that often
KodiakKen
ArboristSite Operative
did someone really ask how long of a handle to get??????
I have a fiskars..to be honest with you..I have used it about 3 times for knocking branches off a tree. It is sharper than need be for splitting. hit any green wood any less than spitting and it sticks..HARD..I like it..just have to know what to use it for. I have few wood mauls and a couple axes. never swung anything shorter than 36" unless I was hammering a nail. I have an axe that has been in the family for 3 generations and I love it. better than fiskars. IF and only if you find a quality tool that works for you..keep it. keep it close. keep it sharp. treat it like a tool and use it for what it is intended for. If you never used an old school quality steel axe..find an old timer in the area and compare.
I have a fiskars..to be honest with you..I have used it about 3 times for knocking branches off a tree. It is sharper than need be for splitting. hit any green wood any less than spitting and it sticks..HARD..I like it..just have to know what to use it for. I have few wood mauls and a couple axes. never swung anything shorter than 36" unless I was hammering a nail. I have an axe that has been in the family for 3 generations and I love it. better than fiskars. IF and only if you find a quality tool that works for you..keep it. keep it close. keep it sharp. treat it like a tool and use it for what it is intended for. If you never used an old school quality steel axe..find an old timer in the area and compare.
Gravel bounced up onto the board I was splitting on. Tire made them hard to spot. Blade hit the pebbles a couple of times. Totally my fault, but a harder blade wouldn't have "dinged" so much.
josephdantana
New Member
I really like that Fiskars too, even though I think it's the ugliest axe I have in my collection. The edge retention isn't great but when its sharp, it makes short work of a stack of rounds.
joseph
joseph
"When its sharp" - good point. Mine hasn't been touched up since I got it and it has eaten many cords of Black Locust and Willow. I'm stopping by Wal Mart tomorrow and the sharpener is on the shopping list.
Harry K
I bought the Fiskars sharpener -- the plastic unit with the two disks. It fell apart after about 3 uses, and really didn't work well before it fell apart.
