Splitting maul recomendations?

I just had the fiberglass handel break on my trumper from rual king. Its not from over strikes it just started cracking due to the shock of splitting. I used to get 4 or 5 years out of them but the last two have not lasted but about a year. Im not splitting as much as i used to becuse we put in an outdoor wood burner with a 2'×2' door and a 47"x36" fire box so i dont need to split it to get it into the burner rather i split it just to get it small enought i can pick it up/some a bit smaller so the wife can load it when I am not home but even then its larger than when i used indoor wood stoves.

So what do you like and why? Figured i would ask here before going to buy another one that wont last a year.

I like how well the 2.5 lb fiskers ax has held up to my boys using it for the last 3 years. But their maul seems a bit light. May pick one up for the boys anyway becuse 8lb maul is to heavy for them yet but they do try.

So i am really shopping for 2. One for the boys and one for me.

I’d choose a fiskars over a heavy maul anyday. Get the long handle one if you do.

What kinda wood you burn? That could make a difference on what to choose.

Mostly hard wood but since the burner is outside I will burn about anything. Burnt green pine and cotton wood for over a month becuse a tree guy brought it. But cut that down with a chain saw. It was huge and did not bother to try and split it. Also my back was giving me problems at the time and i could not handel swinging a maul.

Monster maul. 12-15# steel wedge welded onto a pipe handle

You will not have to worry about ever breaking the handle out of one

If you are bad enough to swing it you can split about anything with it

Bought these to replace the old broken wooden handle mauls. I like the red one the most. It is 16 pounds but you don’t have to swing it very many times. An old man like me sure feels it the next day though.

Some of them are guaranteed, take it back and they might give you a new one.

Been splitting wood since I was big enough to swing. I like my Fiskars, if it was lost or stolen, I would buy another.

I've split alot wood with a monster maul, think I've had mine for over 25 years.

I like the Fiskers ,have the splitting maul and the splitting axe. They have held up very well for the five years ive had them. And they are guaranteed.

A heavy maul won’t out split a light one. Busting wood is about technique. I’ve used an 8 lb one in recent years but recently borrowed a friends 6 lb maul and it does better. I prefer wood handles over fiberglass because wood seems to absorb the blow better.

Thats why Fiskers maul has the ISOCORE handle. It absorbs the shock.

6 pounder with wood handle
remember to work the edges then split the center
once you take the rings on the outside off that hold the tree together, then easy to do center splits
ever wonder how a barrel is held together. remove one lathe and it falls apart.

https://www.halderusa.com/PM/Hand-T...ith-cast-iron-housing-and-hickory-handle

This, paired with their splitting wedge is the best that money can buy. I burn non stop from October through March. I burn ash, elm, mulberry, locust and hackberry exclusively and I hand split it all. This combination will handle the nastiest knottiest wood, and it splits the easy straight grained stuff like ash with ease

The black one is like the ones that i have that im breaking. Except the handel is yellow.

I always used a 8# maul, I never liked the 6#, you can say what you like but in my experience I can split a lot better with an 8# maul. But then my dad bought me a Fiskar a couple years ago, and I was really impressed. I had heard people brag them up but just didn't believe they could split better than an 8# maul. But it made a believer out of me. Father-in-law bought me a short handled Fiskar this year (didn't know I already had a long handled one) and it is lighter and the short handle doesn't give you near as much momentum on the swing. Works good for kindling, and the wife likes it, but I would recommend the long handled one. Also picked up a knockoff brand (Husky?) laying in the road last year, it works good also but I doubt will last like the Fiskar, haven't used it much, but it seems cheaper quality but the same design.

There is only one maul.....the MONSTER MAUL from the 70s. Split wood for years with it along with a lightweight ax. Orange handled thick walled steel tube, I don't know how much wood I split but it was years worth.

Whatever you find just make sure it not one of those Chinese pieces of junk. I look for all my tools like picks, axes, shovels, etc., in yard sales and second hand stores now.
A friend of mine recently bought a Chinese pick, absolutely worthless, I honestly think it was just stamped out of mild steel, the pick tine immediately bent over and was worthless. People need to return all this junk to the big box store where they bought it. Maybe if enough people did something the suppliers would finally have to do something to improve quality.

I can't say it better myself.

I broke truper brand too. I have used Collins axe brand without breaking it yet. I prefer a wooden handle overall.

Wood handle has worked well enough for me to where I don't see a reason to switch. Mine is the straight wood handle. I haven't tried those that have a unique shape/bend in the handle.

The 8 lb fiskars has worked great for the past few years. Their x27 axe works good on smaller stuff, considerably lighter than the maul.

Thanks gus lots of great sugestions. Some high priced ones also.:0.

I bet i can find the fiskers 4lb splitting ax locally so will give it a try. I think its to light but willing to take advis3 and try it. Also its risk free if it is to light for me it should be great for my boys. I can always get a heavy one. I always like the heavy ones for a crack instead of a bounce. But im always willing to take advice and try something new.

Thanks again.

And if i see an 8lb also i will pick it up at the same time. No use making another trip and I will always be able to use it. You would think i would fix that log splitter but i just never really liked them. To much noise and seems to be slower unledd its really tough splitting wood.

look up the fiskars warranty you may need to save the receipt , you can eventually beat the heads off those also but they will replace it

wedge geometry matters

A maul (or mall) is where you go shop. I use a go-devil (a southern term). I have an 8lb. and a 6 lber. The 8lb takes a little more oomph than the 6lber, but it all boils back to physics: force, work, velocity......
I have found good dry wood splits better with a go-devil than green. It is good exercise though.

I like to think it is good excercise, but sometimes I wonder if it is hard on our backs

I wasn't splitting , just bucking and loading I think I did about a 100 squats today

, going to feel that tomorrow , but it feels good to get out and cut

had great weather 20 and sunny so I can work in thermals and a sweatshirt

trailer was squatting a bit to much so I had to leave 5 rounds in the woods , wish I had a tandem axle trailer to take more weight but more trips it is.

Like any other exercise, good form is important! Every 16 year in America should have to split at least 1 cord of wood on their 16th Bday. It builds character.

$154.00 ?

I sell 35-45 cords of firewood most every year. All of it is some form of soft wood...mostly pine. In past years before I purchased a pneumatic (flywheel) splitter, I would split it all by hand. I tried everything from the heavy mauls to the expensive German mauls.
Hands down the best one is my Fiskars X27.
For my type of wood its about speed to split each round I'm able to accomplish this with the lighter Fiskars. There's something about that maul that is makes it feel good and well balanced in the hand...swings very nicely and doesn't make you tired.
I wouldn't hesitate to pick another one up...in fact I might do that just in case they go out of stock!

Yessir, and it’s worth every penny. There is no recreation in the amount of wood I split and burn every year. You get what you pay for. Like I said, if you aren’t splitting a ton, or you’re just dealing with a lot of straight grained, soft, or easy splitting wood, it’s probably not necessary. For me, and the types I deal with, nothing else I’ve tried is in the same league. I’ll go through one of the plastic hammer heads about once every 16 months. I like the replaceable parts as well,

Wow ,ok

July and August birthdays might ask to split at 15 1/2

Slower speed + higher mass = 8 pounder.
Faster speed + lower mass = 6 pounder.

At this point I prefer the 6 pounder with the mechanical advantage of the slight wedges on the rear half of the mail.

The Monster Maul is a wicked tool. It can get out of control very easily if a glancing blow off the wood wends it flying.

A favorite maul is a classic fireside maul made by Snow & Neally in Bangor, Maine. Good looks and cool wood handle. Nice to keep in the wood box on the porch to split some kindling and small pieces to start a fire in the wood stove.
Estwing also makes a good fireside maul. Good, but not classic looking.

I have used a couple of lb mauls for years. I put fiberglass handles in them a few years back and they are still good. I have one of the monster mauls, tried it once and went back to the smaller ones. You wont break the big one, but the smaller one do the job easier. Read the wood and it will tell you how to split it.

Be sure to get a Pickaroon!!!! Those are second most important tool for firewood processing. will save your back!!

Had to look it up. I have seen them before now know what they are for. Do you like a picharoon or hookaroon better?

I can see that!

^^^ Ditto.

A lot of wood will fall apart with just an axe if you bust it up "tangentially." But I keep the whole collection of tools on hand for the uncooperative stuff.

Mike

Gransfors bruks make a nice one. Bought one last year and it works really well. Spendy, but cheap isn't good and good isnt cheap.

Get a splitter and save your backs we have cottonwood, elm, ash and Russian olive here, a maul is about useless. I’d still be working on my first cord if that’s all I had was a maul. I get plenty of exercise getting the huge rounds to the splitter but the amount of wood is worth it you get back for the effort.

Not pretty but nothing can stop it.

Scout1 tradition here is to get 18 year olds out for their first "bar" tour ( legal age). with splitting 8-10 full cords with a log splitter. ( the adults hide the water bottles,but keep hydrated) So after a couple of hours go to the bar. Years later those young lads always remind us of the experience and the shock experience they had,

My experience with Fiskars has always been good and so far have not needed a warranty on my several claims.

Mike in A-town gets it, and crossfire21 practices it, who needs a membership in a gym when doing that amount of workout yearly.

Always remember the phrase ;" many finger prints go into and onto the woodpile, only to be turned into ashes "

I use the loggerite style at work. Buy them by the dozen. They're best for 8 foot logs and mill work. I like the shorter handled tool with more of a pointed hook tip for firewood work. You can stick a split chunk, picking it up, then a flick of the wrist it will fall off onto your stack, trailer or truck bed.

True but spendy dose not automaticly = good either. There is a lot of high priced junk out there also when middle of the road stuff works better or as well with less matinance. High end cars are one example. More expensive to fix and need fixed more than say a Toyota.

In my case I want quality but I also have young boys and tools get left out at times even ran over becuse of it. So its a fine line for me between price and quality. I dont want junk and is why I asked but I also dont want to loose a $100 + tool in the leafs if my youngster go out and get to horse playing and forget to pick it up.

One day i would like to get some hi end stuff but it will probably be a few more years down the road. Tell then i will be jeulous of those that have and use it. I looked those up and boy do they look fine. Such nice looking tools. Someday maybe? But they are so nice looking I would not want to use them for more than a wall hanger.

I prefer the gasoline kind!

I use the same maul my great grandpa used, I have never looked at the brand. There may not be a name to read its pretty heavy and has had a metal handle weld in it. There ain't no telling how many rick that thing has split.

All I can say is that there are different cutting edges to mauls. I had one for quite a while that had the crappy edge like on the right. Then I got one with a good edge like the one on the left and it splits so much easier.

Had to look it up. I have seen them before now know what they are for. Do you like a picharoon or hookaroon better?[/quote]
I use the loggerite style at work. Buy them by the dozen. They're best for 8 foot logs and mill work. I like the shorter handled tool with more of a pointed hook tip for firewood work. You can stick a split chunk, picking it up, then a flick of the wrist it will fall off onto your stack, trailer or truck bed. [/quote]

Sounds nice. Thanks for letting me know. I am always learn something new on this sight. Any sugested models and brand for fire wood. Im 5'8"

Fiskars X27.

I have, and used a 70's monster maul, with good technique there isn't much you can't split, and it's not as slow as you'd think. BUT... those hydraulic splitters are pretty nice!!!!

ah the AXaroon and Pickaroon or Hookaroon

I like this AXaroon , it has simply the best sticking and holding tip geometry I have tried or seen



unfortunately the place I got it from L&M supply out of Minnesota no longer carries them and I don't have a manufacturer for them

the point is laser cut steel welded to the eye , best tip geometry for holding I have found if you can lift it , it can hold it

I have a pickaroon form this place also http://www.pickaroon.com/ it doesn't hold as well but works

Those don't last for the mill, I bought a few of them. They're real good for firewood though. Fiskars makes a shorter Hookaroon thats in the mid $40 range thats light and picks firewood chunks up nice. Hand tongs are not expensive and are good for dragging long wood to a better cutting spot.

I picked up the 36" fiskers and the 27 spliting ax. It was about dark but i went out and took a few swings on some harder spliting wood. I got it split but I think I was right about them being on the light side for me. But that may change when I get to use them more. They will be great for easier splitt8ng wood and for my boys to use.

I run a pair of Husquvarna tongs at the splitter but they can't pick up many of the rounds so I use the axaroon to get them up , the occasional stringy bits that need a little help the light ax size can get , it isn't much of a cutting tool.

I think if someone had a bunch of those tips laser cut they would be handy and replaceable if they were a bit longer and could be set in a handle with a pair of bolts to hold them in so that they could be easily replaced

might still not hold up at a mill , but could be very nice for fire wood

I may try and recreate it some day a friend has a knife forge and dose heat treating.

what do you use a the mill or does nothing hold up there ?

this is yesterdays load

probably need around 4-5 of these to heat for the year

not the biggest load but all that axle will hold I had to leave 5 of those large rounds to pick up next time because I was squatting the trailer too much.

Like Button!

GCP we like the "Logrite Hookaroon" the blue ones, at the mill. 36 inch version. they come up to 4 foot long. Mill work is different than firewood, guys are pulling single 8 foot logs. They line up logs in stacks as the diameter sorter kicks them into bins. Also used to pull crooked or mis sized logs off the log deck. We break handles, and when a new guy has bad aim and hits pavement or steel with the tip, they break. But I regrind the tips. But still buy a dozen or more a year.

This is kind of an interesting topic to me. I’ve been splitting wood by hand for 3/4 of my life. I’ve used everything from fiskars splitting axes to monster mauls. When I was 12 my grandfather welded a steel pipe onto the maul (around here we call it a go-devil for some reason) because I broke too many wooden handles. I split for years with that maul. Then once I started using a wooden handle again, It was a dream. No more sore knuckles and hands. I’ve used those monster mauls also and just don’t like the steel hurting my joints. A splitting axe has its place and if you are splitting smaller wood or something like ash on a cold day, a splitting axe is the way to go. Nowadays my wood is all split with an 8lb maul. It’s a Collins axe splitting maul. It’s got the wedges on the side of the head. I’ll post a link to the one I have. I rarely break a handle so that’s not really an issue and the fiberglass is easy on the bones. I’m a fairly large guy and I tried switching to a 6lb maul thinking I’d be able to swing it faster. It didn’t feel right. I didn’t feel like I was getting a good enough hit on the wood. Some of the locust and maple around here is pretty knotty. I’d like to know the science behind this. How much faster do you have to swing a 6lb maul to equal the energy of an 8lb maul if all other variables are the same? I’m not scientist but I’d bet that you would not be able to swing that 6lber fast enough to equal the energy of the 8lber.

https://www.acehardware.com/departm...3261264f4a0affdb45dc34e&gclsrc=3p.ds

that makes sense your trying to pull more than lift , no lifting an 8 footer one handed

the orange one I have is really only good in end grain.

thanks

Turky wrangler your making a maul look might good , I have seen some of those but that one is spinning much to fast

hard pass

most of my wood is got very curvey grain , knots and such

that lodge pole pine will split vey nice with an ax not worth that death trap

I like my fingers all of them

There’s already enough ways to lose hands and fingers in the firewood game. No reason to start adding more IMO.

RENAME...Wheel of death, I can just picture that maul head being stripped off on impact...then impacting the operator in the head...permanent lights out!

or a crooked twisted piece of maple and it hits it and tosses it into the operator

I have no interest in any inertia splitter beyond a maul I swing

I am going to stay Hydraulic

My advice would be to get someone else to swing It no matter what you end up with. LOL

Beav for the win!

Does the wheel splitter come with a Darwin Award application?

very simple application

once you are removed from the gene pool you are eligible if you want to be sure video your removal.

some of us are of course already ineligible for a Darwin award having a few kids

Made my own, 9 3/4 lbs HRS, with a pick handle turned down to fit the hole I bored in the head. Only busted 1 since '75 and that was my dipwad brother trying to show what a big boy he was and over reached and splintered the handle.

I got a GB splitting maul several years ago. Well built, high quality. Not sure it was worth all that I paid for it... But it splits wood and has held up well.

Only gripe is that the handle could be longer... But then again, nobody makes a handle long enough to suit me.

Mike

I would like to see one in real life.

What could possibly go wrong here?