Fiskars 36″ Splitting Axe
Although the handle is made of a lightweight plastic, instead of tried and true American hickory, there are a lot of things to like about this axe, especially for the “occasional lumberjack.”
According to Fiskars, the balanced handle gives you better efficiency than a wood handle, kind of like an aluminum baseball bat. The drop forged steel blade won’t need much sharpening or maintenance. Also the wedge-shaped design is ideal for splitting.
Price: $45
The Estwing small axe is a good general use axe for small stuff.
I do like the “tire” idea however in the video !!
I used a Council with 26 inch hickory handle .Best would be a Fiskars with 36 inch hickory handle. I’ve used equivalent of TWO Estwing AXE w/MAUL. Used the axe blade as a starter and then the maul to drive the split deeper. That way you do not have to worry about having fragmented chips. Works well where knots in pine tree is a problem.
Just watched the Bahco ruck ax handle fail in several videos. Simple operations with minimal loading saw it break against the head. This could be a safety issue. I’d probably dump this one from the list.
I also want to watch the video dude use his ax on seasoned oak, mesquite, hackberry, or mulberry. I don’t think he would have things his way all the time.
Steve, I will agree. The tire idea is worth looking into.
I like the looks of the Eastwing Fireside Friend. I may have to try one out. I usually use a standard hatchet or a roofer’s hatchet to split kindling. To me, this is the way to split wood. Batoning seems like too much work, plus risking a good knife, just my humble opinion though.
Just what kind of wood is he splitting? It looks like maple. I could split clean maple like that without effort, too.