Best maul for me

[ChadMc]

Hey guys. Need some advice. Moved into a new house. New land and we just installed a new regency stove. Moving forward I’ll be CSS all my wood. I’m lucky and have a lot of land to cut from And there’s dead stuff and windblowns galore. Because it’s just me I mostly cut straight stuff anywhere from 6-16” because of the size of my saw. I always don’t use my gnarly pieces of big fork sections cause I split all by hand. I’m actually just using and old axe which surprisingly splits well. But it’s time I get a real splitting maul. Most recommend the fiskars and I notice there’s 4ish lb ones the the big 8lb maul. Is there a big difference in what and how they can split. Is that 8lb going to wear me out considering I’m doing this all by hand? I’ve CSS 2 cords since nov all with my axe. But that things swings around easy. Thoughts?

 

[bfitz3]

Someone has to... splitting maul:

 

[Grizzerbear]

The big mauls will bust through the harder stuff easier. I use a monster maul on anything the axe wont split which is a good majority of my wood...ctotch pieces, twisted rounds, limby rounds. Its twelve pounds so getting a good technique of using momentum to swing it is key to not wearing yourself out. I have thought about buying the fiskars axe and iso core....i hear they are great as well....but i have a bunch of mauls and axes that were my gpas before he passed. I use them for the memories/novelty i guess. If i have anything the monster maul cant get within reasonable effort i stack aside and use my hydraulic splitter which might be a rick or so worth of wood out of 4 cord total.

 

[HisTreeNut]

I will freely admit I am a Fiskars fanboy. I have had an X27 for a while now and don't be fooled by its light weight. I have split some rather large rounds (36" +/- ) with it and some pretty knarly ones as well. It is a beast and if you are splitting only straight wood and smaller rounds, it is probably the only axe you will need.
I just got the 8# Fiskars maul and the splitting technique is the same for both axes, just a different weight. The maul I have found can split many of the gnarly pieces the X27 cannot. I have found that switching between the 2 axes forces me to have to slow down or I mis-strike a lot. That being said, due to the design and weight of both axes, I have found I can split more wood for longer periods of time, and that is what wears me out...I am processing a lot more wood, much faster than with so-called "traditional" axes.
Best thing to do is see if you can get your hands on them...a lot of people have them and would most likely let you try them out. Likewise, Amazon had Fiskars axes on sale for about $20.00 off what they normally sell for. I am thinking about getting a 2nd X27 because my oldest son is big enough and strong enough to split now...and I have a lot to split these days.
I hope that helps some, and if you have a specific question, I will do my best to answer it for you. Good luck and happy splitting..!!

EDIT: This is what I am currently splitting...

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[Socratic Monologue]

If you're not concerned about splitting every last knotted chunk, then the X27 is the way to go.

 

[TheAardvark]

A Fiskars X27 will get through 95% of what you need to split. Its all I use to split my my wood. The pieces that are too stubborn get cut with a chainsaw.

 

[AlbergSteve]

Isocore...

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[ChadMc]

What

I will freely admit I am a Fiskars fanboy. I have had an X27 for a while now and don't be fooled by its light weight. I have split some rather large rounds (36" +/- ) with it and some pretty knarly ones as well. It is a beast and if you are splitting only straight wood and smaller rounds, it is probably the only axe you will need.
I just got the 8# Fiskars maul and the splitting technique is the same for both axes, just a different weight. The maul I have found can split many of the gnarly pieces the X27 cannot. I have found that switching between the 2 axes forces me to have to slow down or I mis-strike a lot. That being said, due to the design and weight of both axes, I have found I can split more wood for longer periods of time, and that is what wears me out...I am processing a lot more wood, much faster than with so-called "traditional" axes.
Best thing to do is see if you can get your hands on them...a lot of people have them and would most likely let you try them out. Likewise, Amazon had Fiskars axes on sale for about $20.00 off what they normally sell for. I am thinking about getting a 2nd X27 because my oldest son is big enough and strong enough to split now...and I have a lot to split these days.
I hope that helps some, and if you have a specific question, I will do my best to answer it for you. Good luck and happy splitting..!!

EDIT: This is what I am currently splitting...

Sent from my VS835 using Tapatalk

Thanks for the input. That helps a lot. What is on that round in the pic? Keep in mind my biggest round will be 16ish ins. Maybe the x27 will be fine and I don’t need the big heavy boy. Thanks

 

[Grizzerbear]

Thats the iso core maul

 

[HisTreeNut]

It is the IsoCore Maul as @Grizzerbear mentioned. That is a 24" pine round for a size comparison on the axe.
That is my 6 yr old stacker and about 5 of those rounds split up. They are beasty pieces of wood and beasty tools to use on them.
One thing I have noticed splitting the pine & switching axes...I am getting a lot more one hit splits once I get the round broken down into smaller pieces. Good times...

EDIT: 4 hours later, 8 monster rounds split. Feeling it a little bit...feeling a little bit accomplished today.


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[Easy Livin’ 3000]

I am in complete agreement with His Tree Nut, and use the same Fiskars set. I also use a sledge, with three wedges, of various thicknesses. More recently I started to carve the real tough stuff into short chunks that split much easier. Only occasionally do I noodle pieces, and don't like it when I do.

The Fiskars combo takes care of 85% of it, maybe more.

 

[johneh]

At 70 I prefer my 22-ton gas-fired splitting maul

 

[HisTreeNut]

At 70 I prefer my 22-ton gas-fired splitting maul

When Fiskars makes a gas powered one that is not a re-brand of someone else's splitter...I just may do that.
[emoji6][emoji3][emoji3][emoji6]

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[bholler]

One of the side effects of being a sweep is torn up shoulders so I don't split anything by hand any more. I just can't do it so it all goes through the splitter. I do miss splitting by hand some though.

 

[Woody5506]

I'll throw my vote in for the Stihl mauls, either the cheaper one or the pro one which is about $100. They both come with a lifetime warranty so if you purchase from a dealer they will replace or repair for nothing. The cheap one I had I ended up breaking the handle and it was replaced quickly for free. The pro maul has the steel collar and a nicer shaped head in my opinion. I don't care a whole lot for my x27 unless I'm just splitting down larger splits before actually going into the stove. For the price point though you really can't go wrong with Fiskars.

If you have the $$$ check out some Gransfors Bruk stuff.

 

[Simonkenton]

I have a Monster Maul that I bought 32 years ago and it is a real champ.
Four years ago, reading the reviews on this forum, I bought the big Fiskars. I hate to admit it but the Fiskars is the better maul.

 

[Grizzerbear]

Ya'll are gunna make me break down and buy a iso core lol.

 

[HisTreeNut]

Ya'll are gunna make me break down and buy a iso core lol.

Still on sale at Amazon, and if you have Prime, you will have it by Friday (just in time for the weekend to test it out and show the wifey why it was needed...).

[emoji23][emoji12][emoji51][emoji51][emoji12][emoji23]

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[Grizzerbear]

Still on sale at Amazon, and if you have Prime, you will have it by Friday (just in time for the weekend to test it out and show the wifey why it was needed...).

Im gunna have the wife order it for me. I wont lie....the monster maul is great....the only bad thing about it is the steel handle has no forgiveness on hard to split rounds and your hands bear the brunt of the vibration lol.

 

[Prof]

I have the x27 and the Fiskars maul along with an assortment of other splitting devices. I split about 5-6 cords a year and probably use the x27 for 95% of it. Keep it sharp and there is not too much it can't go through. As others have said, I can swing the x27 for a couple hours without great fatigue. The 8 lb maul wears me out much faster and I get less done. If the x27 can't handle it, I either turn to the sledge and wedge or noodle it with the saw. If I'm cutting a tree, I'll sometimes leave large knotty section in the woods that I know will give me fits later. I figure mushrooms gotta eat too.

 

[HitzerHillbilly]

I also have a X27 and an iso maul. I love them both. Also have a Stihl splitting axe, and it honestly isn’t the same as the Fiskars. I’m sure having a longer handle on the stihl would make a big difference, since it’s only a 30” handle I believe


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[kennyp2339]

For large diameter stuff I cannot lift or move by hand I'll half or even quarter using a sledge, wedges and maul. When it comes to hard wood I take my chainsaw and make a 2 - 3" cut across the top to start the wedge, makes easy work. The rest goes through the splitter.

 

[blacktail]

After using a couple of 6lb mauls, then a 3.5lb maul, I've moved on to a fiskars super splitting axe. I split all my wood by hand and see no reason to go heavier.

 

[lost in the woods]

Fiskars Fiskars Fiskars you'll never go back. it's not heavy so you can really get her wound up and it that wood with a lot of speed. someone on here awhile ago scientifically explained how axe speed is better than the weight/mass of the axe itself. also when you are cutting your tree up to stove length, consider putting the big knots at the end of your piece of wood as opposed to the center. much easier to split by hand; the only downside is that you'll have some short pieces or slightly longer pieces. kinda tougher to stack but way easier to split

 

[Easy Livin’ 3000]

Fiskars Fiskars Fiskars you'll never go back. it's not heavy so you can really get her wound up and it that wood with a lot of speed. someone on here awhile ago scientifically explained how axe speed is better than the weight/mass of the axe itself. also when you are cutting your tree up to stove length, consider putting the big knots at the end of your piece of wood as opposed to the center. much easier to split by hand; the only downside is that you'll have some short pieces or slightly longer pieces. kinda tougher to stack but way easier to split

Excellent tip! Took me over 20 years to figure that out. In fact, often I'll just cut the knot into its own short piece, which makes it even easier to split, and it then goes into the chunk bins, and not in the stacks. Perhaps more chunks that some like, but we don't mind them at all.