Anyone use a Stihl Pro Splitting Maul?

I'm sure it's nice, but as far as I'm concerned, there's only one manual splitter worth considering - the X27.

Once I read about all the hype and decided to get the x27, I put my maul away. If it couldn't tackle something I'd go straight for wedges and a sledge.

Quick story....awhile back I was on a weekend campout. I bought my Fiskars x27, and a couple of the guys laughed at it at first. One of them had a Stihl maul back at home and it was clear that some of the guys there thought that a Stihl maul was worth it's weight in gold. Well, eventually just about everyone there couldn't resist the temptation and started splitting wood for our fire with the x27. By the end of the weekend, people were asking all kinds of questions and commenting on how light it was and easy to use. I don't think it sat unused for more than 2 minutes at a time, everybody wanted to use it. And while the guy with a Stihl maul never admitted that the Fiskars was better, I did notice he used the Fiskars about 3x times more than anybody else there. I think he secretly was in love.

The Stihl maul is a re-branded Ochsenkopf- German for Oxhead. Well-made of quality steel, and a good buy for anything branded "Stihl".

There are other serious mauls made in Austria and Sweden, the sort of tools that work very well, for a looong time. Tried them side-by-side against fiskars a bit back. Still don't have a fiskars, prolly won't. Certainly not when I can get a Husqvarna branded Hultsfors maul for the same price.

Head-weight matters a lot IMO. The 5-6 lb, properly shaped heads of real-steel mauls work much better for me than do the small light fiskars' heads. 8 lb and larger don't work well either for me. Still have to try a Council Tools (NC, USA) maul yet; they're making 6 & 8 lb. Lots of no-name-o mauls are made of crappy steel, forged into a bludgeon, giving a very bad name to "maul" IMO.

CTYank said:

The Stihl maul is a re-branded Ochsenkopf- German for Oxhead. Well-made of quality steel, and a good buy for anything branded "Stihl".

There are other serious mauls made in Austria and Sweden, the sort of tools that work very well, for a looong time. Tried them side-by-side against fiskars a bit back. Still don't have a fiskars, prolly won't. Certainly not when I can get a Husqvarna branded Hultsfors maul for the same price.

Head-weight matters a lot IMO. The 5-6 lb, properly shaped heads of real-steel mauls work much better for me than do the small light fiskars' heads. 8 lb and larger don't work well either for me. Still have to try a Council Tools (NC, USA) maul yet; they're making 6 & 8 lb. Lots of no-name-o mauls are made of crappy steel, forged into a bludgeon, giving a very bad name to "maul" IMO.

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It's all about energy:

Kinetic Energy = 1/2*M*V^2

So your two key variables are velocity and mass and in this case a small increase in velocity makes big gains for kinetic energy. For something light like the fiskars, the kinetic energy because of speed is equal to a maul that you can't swing as fast.

Of course it a has a lot to do with the type of wood being split, I find the fiskars works well for most stuff but for wetter rounds or very big rounds a maul or a wedge + sledge works better.

I picked one of these up for $104 plus tax (Ooof, didn't see that price tag until I was at the register). I was surprised to find a warning on it advising me not to hit the back of it with a sledgehammer. I was once taught to split wood that way (embed the maul, then drive home with a sledge), but thought maybe this maul would do the trick on the first swing. It does not, (at least not on bigger rounds) and I end up using it like a splitting axe, but using a lot more energy doing so because of the weight. I have started to gingerly use a sledge hammer with it. That vastly improves the splitting experience, and so far no bits of hardened steel have come flying off either the hammer or the maul. I think that was the concept of the warning label (which has worn off now).

I am on record somewhere on this forum as being an enthusiastic user of the Stihl maul. It is virtually the same weight as the Fiskars X27 - 6.6 vs. 6.3 lbs. I cannot swing a heavier maul fast enough long enough to be effective. A couple of my 18 year old 6' 2" plus football-playing nephews think it is too light. I believe the shape of the head is more effective at splitting than the X27 - others will differ.

I split 95% of what I burn with one of these - about three cords of oak/hickory a year. If a log does not split I just rip it with the chainsaw. I never use wedges anymore (too much time and trouble) nor do I hit mine with a sledge.

A lot what makes a hand tool more effective for one person than another is their physical build, size, and strength. One's height, length of arm, size of hands, muscle build, and many other factors come into play. Since we are all so different it is not surprising that some prefer one brand or style over another.

All that said, I would like to try the Council Tool six pound maul for half the price (or less) of the Stihl.

I bought mine back in 2014. I use it every year when it's time to get 1-2 cords of split wood available. I've split oak, eucalyptus, pine, redwood, fur, never a problem. Before buying it. I had a cheap ace-hardware Collins branded (Made/Forged in Mexico) but with American hickory handle. After the 3rd of 4th round, the handle snapped. To this day, still on the original handle on the Stihl Pro Splitting Maul--and despite my mastery (sarcasm), I will mis-hit once in a while and the only thing that flies off is the chunk of wood from the round, and the maul just looks at me and says "Do it again, city boy!" I love my maul. Best purchase I ever made wood/fire wise. The Fiskars does look pretty nifty though. Before buying the Sthil, I did my homework and researched the quality of the materials used. I appreciate the fact that its high quality Steel (Ochsenkopf). Remember when stuff used to be made in the U.S.A.? Germany, Japan, Canada, and formally the USA made the best quality steel. China, India, Mexico--not even close.

I bought into the X27 hype...wasted my money by expecting it to be able to tackle large rounds...to hard on the hands...its collecting dust...I have since acquired its big brother the ISOCORE Maul and there is no comparison if you want to split big wood quickly.I also have a Biber maul....its head design is very comparable to the Pro Stihl design and I have split with both the Stihl and the Biber side by side...they are both excellent mauls and a cut above the X27....pun intended.

I have a STIHL pro splitting axe and love it. It is more comfortable and effective at least for me than any other “splitting tool” I own. Including the fiskars and a traditional 8 pound maul.

Tar12 said:

I bought into the X27 hype...wasted my money by expecting it to be able to tackle large rounds...to hard on the hands...its collecting dust...I have since acquired its big brother the ISOCORE Maul and there is no comparison if you want to split big wood quickly.I also have a Biber maul....its head design is very comparable to the Pro Stihl design and I have split with both the Stihl and the Biber side by side...they are both excellent mauls and a cut above the X27....pun intended.

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I have the Isocore and I like it. I wish I had bought a regular cheaper maul to practice with as I have destroyed the black plastic that covers the orange rubber right under the splitting head. I figure it will probably still work all the same, just annoying.

I picked up one of the Stihl mauls last fall. It's a nice piece of gear and I have used it some on oak, ash, birch and beech but honestly, I use my old Collins maul most of the time. I couldn't even tell you what model Collins it is as I've had it for about a decade. Maybe I'm just not used to the Stihl yet but the Collins maul just seems to do a much better job.

I clicked this thread just to see how long it would take someone to type "X27".

First post...

I picked up a used maul. It weighs 8 pounds. I never though to look for a name on it. It has been working well for me since 1974. It is almost like an old friend. I have gone through a number of handles, and an untold number of cords of wood. For a number of years I sold about 15 cord per year in addition to the wood I burned myself. I actually enjoy swinging it.

I find it amazing that anyone would prefer one brand over another. The things I learn on here. Tomorrow when I go to the woodpile I will check to see if it has a manufacturer's mark.