After initially being dissapointed with the splitter, I actually was impressed with it the second time I used it. The first time I used it was on some birch that was still pretty unseasoned. It would split 10" pieces but you had use a hatchet to finish the split. Today I split 10-12" oak, cherry and boxelder easily. Some of the oak I split was well seasoned 14"d. X 18" L. This is the first time I've ever split birch so I don't know if it is always a tough wood to split. It is a stringy wood and I have hit some of the pieces about 10 times with my 12 lb. maul to split them. My yard is small, so one thing I appreciate about the task force is that it only weighs 107 lbs. and I can carry it down my steps to my woodpile. Operating it is easy, although you have to hold the power button with one hand and the ram lever with the other. It calls for a 15 amp time delay circuit. I used a 20 amp with a 25' long #12 wire extension cord and it handled it with no problems. We use my friend's 27 ton splitter when we cut and I bought the Task Force to use in my basement to split pieces smaller for rekindling the overnight fires. I think it will be more than adequate for the job. Like Elk said in the ryobi thread, it's all about spending a little time learning how to use it and staying within it's capabilities. Let's hope it turns out to be reliable and lasts awhile.
