The last maul...

[gerry100]

Out doing my last bucking and splitting until spring and ( this is true) on my last piece the head of my maul fell off as the splits fell to the ground.

Had this yellow handled 8lber for at least 15yrs and many thousands of swings, now I need a new one.

I'm 63 was hoping not to need another one.

Any suggestions for my last maul?

 

[Fifelaker]

Epoxy that sucker back on and go another 15 years.

 

[Lumberjack]

Fiskars.....you will never look back

 

['bert]

look for one that has a motor and a hydraulic powered wedge.

 

[gerry100]

look for one that has a motor and a hydraulic powered wedge.

Maybe after the new maul fails

 

[gerry100]

Truper 8lb FG handle at Tractor Supply

$19.99, can't go wrong and should last longer than me.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Maybe after the new maul fails

Naw. No reason to wait that long. Once you try it, you'll wonder how you ever got along without it. That way too you'll still be in good shape when you get to my age.

 

[Fifelaker]

Backwoods has it correct. I wish I would have got the juice a few years before I did.

 

[CenterTree]

Fiskars.....you will never look back

I must agree with the Fiskars. Forget the maul....get the X27 and be amazed. $50 bucks (Walmart online)

 

[Backwoods Savage]

I must disagree with the Fiskars. I tried one. Terrible tool it was and I can split better with my 50 year old single bitted axe. They certainly are not worth the dollars but for new people, they seem to be fantastic. Perhaps that is because that is the only one they've used. I just don't get it.

 

[Ehouse]

Out doing my last bucking and splitting until spring and ( this is true) on my last piece the head of my maul fell off as the splits fell to the ground.

Had this yellow handled 8lber for at least 15yrs and many thousands of swings, now I need a new one.

I'm 63 was hoping not to need another one.

Any suggestions for my last maul?

Measure your last days in a more congenial commodity. I've chosen dogs. When I turned 63 I decided I had three dogs left. 2 years into my first Rat Terrier, a very long lived breed.

Learn to hang a wooden maul handle.

 

[NRGarrott]

Savage, I feel a lot of it is what you are splitting. I have a 8 lb fiberglass maul, a 6 lb fiberglass with a modified wedge shape, kind of like the fiskars, and a x27. I just got done splitting 6 cords by hand, 3 of red oak, and 3 of poplar and mixed hardwoods. Nothing can touch the x27 in splitting red oak, it is so light that it takes no time to pick up and hit the next piece. The 8 lb fiberglass is a must have for breaking the rounds first, then the x27 takes over. I had a lot of tough 30+ inch rounds of maple, and I found myself relying solely on the heavy maul and wedges. It is just a tool, nothing special.

 

[Cold Is Dumb]

I received a Gransfors Bruks splitting maul as a very generous gift, they aren't cheap. It's a cut above (zing!) as far as craftsmanship, and has a price tag to go with it. The maul head will outlast me and the woodlot I use for my fuel wood.

All that aside, a yellow handle makes me think of the Home Depot $15 maul, which certainly has it's place. Fiberglass handle, yes? For my money, I'll take a wood handle and replace them when they break. To each their own though, if you are bashing on the maul with a sledge a lot, breaking a cheap-o maul is gonna sting a lot less.

15 years with your previous maul sounds great, if that's what you are used to, it might be best to stick with the devil you know...

 

[lexybird]

I must disagree with the Fiskars. I tried one. Terrible tool it was and I can split better with my 50 year old single bitted axe. They certainly are not worth the dollars but for new people, they seem to be fantastic. Perhaps that is because that is the only one they've used. I just don't get it.

I'd have to agree . By reading these fabulous reviews You'd think you could just show the rounds your fiskars and will just split itself out of fear . My x27 is nice but it's just a hand tool that you gotta wack the snot out of to split anything . Just another axe really .dont be fooled your still going to hack and wack over and over on stubborn pieces like a 8$ walmart axe

 

[gerry100]

My take on the Fiskars is that it's for splitters who don't have a swing.

Took me years and many thousands of swings to become smooth, efficient and accurate and I have no reason to change.

Using electricity or gasoline to split wood so I can save on oil is goofy, besides I've got too many machines w/ too many damn moving parts as it is.

 

[turbocruiser]

To add two cents, although I'm a youngster I've already learned about the benefits of having a "maul" that has a motor, a ram, a pump, a beam and a wedge! I started splitting wood with a Craftsman maul and that worked totally fine but the "work" truly was all mine. I mean it was better than trying to split something with my forehead but it was a pretty physical process. Then I got an older model Fiskars which was called Pro Splitting Axe if I remember right and I thought that it was a wonderful improvement over my old maul. Then I got two newer model Fiskars which were the X25 and X27 and they were a bit better than the older model I think simply due to the fatter triangular head. Then I got a Gransfors Bruks which I got tons and tons of grief over due to the price but it overwhelmingly outperformed everything else. But then after awhile I started using splitters and realized I was just wasting so much time swinging the axes/mauls and although they were great exercise the exercise was not the total body workout I wanted. At that time I started shopping for a splitter and found an absolutely amazing deal on an Iron & Oak 26 Ton H/V. I still have all the axes/mauls and from time to time use them just for some fun but I've basically switched to the splitter permanently. Again for me at my age it wasn't really a matter of how hard it was splitting with mauls just the time it takes to do that duty so along with age, factor in for time and no matter how old/young you are you'll have more time for fun elsewhere. Again just to add two cents.

 

[Maxgussam]

In my case, the splitting is the fun!
I find the solitude, and the occasional challenging round, to be a relaxing, fun, time out by my wood sheds.
I have all of the "best" mauls, including the Gransfors Bruks, the Fiskars, Ox Head, and the Helko Vario.
Although I'm partial to the Gransfors, there are times that I'll take any of the mauls out to the woodpile.
To me, splitting wood is a great way to spend an afternoon, and I always enjoy a big dinner afterwards!

 

[Prof]

I really enjoy splitting wood. It's therapy, gym membership, and saving $ all wrapped up in one activity. Nothing against hydrolics, just isn't my thing. I'm a bit of a Fiskars convernt, but I still use the maul a fair amount. I really view the two as different tools--each has it's optimal use. Of course, I'd be remiss if I didn't acknowledge the role for the sledge and wedge too. At any rate, swing away!

 

[LLigetfa]

look for one that has a motor and a hydraulic powered wedge.

That's the route I took a decade ago and have no regrets. There was a time I could split a toothpick but now my aim has gotten so bad I'm lucky to hit the round.

Now the wife has taken to run the splitter, so I'm livin' a drunkard's dream.

 

[turbocruiser]

In my case, the splitting is the fun!
I find the solitude, and the occasional challenging round, to be a relaxing, fun, time out by my wood sheds.
I have all of the "best" mauls, including the Gransfors Bruks, the Fiskars, Ox Head, and the Helko Vario.
Although I'm partial to the Gransfors, there are times that I'll take any of the mauls out to the woodpile.
To me, splitting wood is a great way to spend an afternoon, and I always enjoy a big dinner afterwards!

Don't get me wrong, it is fun for me too up to a point but after about 1/2 cord at any one stretch I sort of say "enough is enough" and fire up the splitter to finish. To break the monotony up a bit I basically switch from right hand dominant swing to left hand dominant swing and I'll even switch up species of wood from something easy splitting to something hard but I'm not too proud to admit that after some time splitting manually I do fatigue not physically but mentally and then its time for the splitter to take over.

 

[Maxgussam]

I understand completely.
When I get tired I take a break. After a couple of breaks, I stop. Not worth an injury, plus during the recovery period, I couldn't work out or cut and split wood!
I imagine that someday I'll have to go to the hydraulic splitter, but for now, I'll keep enjoying the recreational wood splitting!
I'm glad that there are others that enjoy the cutting, splitting and burning of firewood as much as I do!

 

[MDFisherman]

I have this one from Lowes, 8lbs. It is tough as nails. I have hit the red handle guard on wood(once or twice) and it barley leaves a dent. If you want a heavy beast of a maul I would recommend it. I don't swing it much anymore as I have upgraded to an electric splitter.

 

[Ram 1500 with an axe...]

I have an old yellow axe, when I started up last year, I said this wasn't cutting it, I then got a nice 8# maul and 2 wedges, I was splitting some very tough maple, then I just had to get a Fiskars, my very favorite of the 3 is the fiskars hands down, I now use the yellow axe as a wedge, which works very well I might add, I started getting "axe arm" chronic pain in the elbow, I had accumulated a large amount of rounds in a short period of time, so I ended up getting a Huskee 22, although I had lots of fun hand splitting with the Fiskars, as well as lost 12-15 pounds of weight, by far the best way to go is splitting with the Huskee. I get to spend time working with the kids this way and give my arm a rest which it needed. Everyone will have a different answers for sure, all will not agree on which is best, we just got to enjoy what we are doing....

 

[gerry100]

FYI, autopsy on the old maul suggests that the epoxy between the head.. and the handle just broke down due to age and repeated impacts.

When I bought it I think the plastic/fg handles were new. Sometimes that is the best time, before the idea has been cost reduced

 

[jotul8e2]

I really, really, really have liked my Stihl maul - http://www.stihlusa.com/products/hand-tools/axes/pa80/ . I thought the price was ridiculous, but I had already spent almost as much on handles that broke and heads that split poorly. I also find the 6.6 lb. weight to be just about what I can swing properly these days. I have split eight or nine cords with it so far these last three years.