Well I noticed there didn’t seem to be a first impressions on the Smart Splitter here. We recently moved to a house that has some timber and we are going to be burning wood so I started looking for a splitter. I personally don’t like gas powered devices (only relented on the snow blower because our driveway is so long, but our mower, weed whacker, etc. are all battery powered so they are quiter...even my “chainsaw†though that may be one I need to relent on too). So I didn’t want a gas powered splitter. And the electric ones were still very noisy. And the splitters that were the foot powered or ski machine type arm hydraulic splitters just seemed to require a lot of pumps to do the job.
Enter the Super Spear/Anaconda type splitters (a wedge on bottom with a pole on it and a weight you lift up and slam down...passed because I was afraid their would be vibrations as you hit) or the ones like the Smart Splitter below that I ended up with. Reviews I read at other places said it was slow, people criticized Bailey’s youtube video for using wood that would easily split, and many said a maul would be faster.
But I have a maul and haven’t been able to get proficient at it, and nearly took my leg off when it glanced off a piece of wood. The Smart Splitter on the other hand seems to be the safest splitter out there. The rod that goes down into the base (just a stump for me) holds the wedge in place precisely where you want it, and on top of that wedge is a guide rod that the 7-8 pound weight goes up and down. So you lift it up, throw it down and release and it does the rest.
Some wood (a downed ash, an oak) split in just a throw or two. Others (like some fresh elm or fresh very large oak) took 7-8 throws. A few took almost a dozen!! But overall, I would say with 2-4 throws, most wood seems to split. Slow yeah, but also kind of fun
One reviewer had said his kids have contests with the thing (I assume how many throws it takes to split a log) and he gets free labor, and I now believe it. My wife likes it too because she was nearby talking to our daughter and a neighbor as I was splitting and their conversation wasn’t interrupted at all. A noisy electric splitter or gas splitter would have been a different story.
It may not be fast, it may not split the hardest of woods, but I love it.
One of the first 'stands' I tried, and no, I didn't get the hole for the wedge rod drilled straight so it is slanted. But it shows what this looks like. And it split that log very easily.
Some split wood...that represents maybe an hour of splitting, moving, and stacking at a leisurely out of shape guy's pace. I mentioned it was slow. But did I also mention it is fun? LOL
Somebody had wanted to see if it could split their red elm, and those several pieces next to my latest 'stand' showed that it did. Gotta say though, it took probably 20 throws to get those pieces. That red elm is tough stuff. (on the new stand, the first one I didn't drill the hole straight, and my wife stole the log for a stool anyway. LOL)
Enter the Super Spear/Anaconda type splitters (a wedge on bottom with a pole on it and a weight you lift up and slam down...passed because I was afraid their would be vibrations as you hit) or the ones like the Smart Splitter below that I ended up with. Reviews I read at other places said it was slow, people criticized Bailey’s youtube video for using wood that would easily split, and many said a maul would be faster.
But I have a maul and haven’t been able to get proficient at it, and nearly took my leg off when it glanced off a piece of wood. The Smart Splitter on the other hand seems to be the safest splitter out there. The rod that goes down into the base (just a stump for me) holds the wedge in place precisely where you want it, and on top of that wedge is a guide rod that the 7-8 pound weight goes up and down. So you lift it up, throw it down and release and it does the rest.
Some wood (a downed ash, an oak) split in just a throw or two. Others (like some fresh elm or fresh very large oak) took 7-8 throws. A few took almost a dozen!! But overall, I would say with 2-4 throws, most wood seems to split. Slow yeah, but also kind of fun
One reviewer had said his kids have contests with the thing (I assume how many throws it takes to split a log) and he gets free labor, and I now believe it. My wife likes it too because she was nearby talking to our daughter and a neighbor as I was splitting and their conversation wasn’t interrupted at all. A noisy electric splitter or gas splitter would have been a different story. It may not be fast, it may not split the hardest of woods, but I love it.
One of the first 'stands' I tried, and no, I didn't get the hole for the wedge rod drilled straight so it is slanted. But it shows what this looks like. And it split that log very easily.
Some split wood...that represents maybe an hour of splitting, moving, and stacking at a leisurely out of shape guy's pace. I mentioned it was slow. But did I also mention it is fun? LOL
Somebody had wanted to see if it could split their red elm, and those several pieces next to my latest 'stand' showed that it did. Gotta say though, it took probably 20 throws to get those pieces. That red elm is tough stuff. (on the new stand, the first one I didn't drill the hole straight, and my wife stole the log for a stool anyway. LOL)
I don't like gas powered devices because the gas stinks up the garage and they are noisy when you use them. What you noticed in the background doesn't leak gas and it is fairly quiet in the cabin.
