Wood Splitting Axe Reviews- Top 3 Wood Splitting Axes Reviewed

I was going to buy a wood splitting axe and before I buy anything I like to do my homework. Mainly I will be using this to split logs for firewood, and also to use a maul to spilt hard wood, for outdoor fires and pits.

There are plenty of axes to pick from and I wanted a good quality one because quality lasts and I also wanted the most affordable one that in my opinion represented great value for money. I am happy to share that with you here and hopefully you will find it useful.

There are many different types of axes/hatchets to choose from and depending on what purpose you have in mind will determine the type of axe that will do your job best. A wood splitting axe has a different design to other axes so it is important to understand the differences.

There are a few things I knew to look for, but more importantly there are some features that are used specifically for splitting wood or blocks which I think are fairly obvious and these include:

• Sharpness of the blade
• Weight of the axe
• Warranty and Guarantees

I don't have a lot of log splitting to do so I ruled out an electric log splitter. That said I still have to collect quite a bit of firewood so I wanted a good sharp wood splitting axe to do that job.

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I reviewed around ten axes and from those I selected what I believed to be the top three. This is based on the number of sales, the quality of the reviews and the best prices that I could find.

Usually if something is selling well and regularly then that is a pretty good sign that it is a good quality product. If it is selling and also getting really good buyer reviews then that is certainly a good sign. If in addition to that the axe represents good value for money then we will have a winner.

After I did my research using the above I ended up with three axes that ticked all of the boxes. I have reviewed each one in a lot more detail below. All of these meet the criteria that I mentioned in the opening paragraph and so I know they are top notch axes specifically for chopping wood.

So what makes this axe the best one? When you see a product that has received 786 actual buyer reviews and has a rating of 4.8 out of a possible 5 stars then you know that you have a winner.

When you take the time to read those reviews you discover that people love it because it works really well. In particular people like the fact that this axe, due to its design, puts almost all of the weight and striking force right into the actual head of the axe. That is simply the perfect scenario for a chopping motion.

This makes for a powerful blow and an instant splitting of the wood. When you hold this axe in your hand it feels properly balanced and when you add those two things together you get more accurate splitting with a lot less effort. That is always a good thing in my books anyway.

It also means that you feel in control with this axe. I watched the video before I bought this (shown below) and it explains this well. However it is only when you swing this axe that you get the true feeling of control and power. It generates a powerful force which then allows the timber to split along the grain.

The way that Fiskars have shaped the head is like driving a sharp wedge right through the wood. It uses a forged steel blade. Steel stays sharper for longer although I do sharpen this blade before each use as I find that really helps. It doesn't take long to do and you will reap the benefits if you do the same.

There will be times when you do not strike the log dead centre. You want to try to avoid that of course but it will happen. The design of this Fiskars allows for that, and will always try to drive downwards, rather than shoot off to the side. That said, you still need to exercise due care and attention.

This one came out at number two. I should tell you though that this axe was designed for chopping down trees initially but it also gets great reviews for being able to split wood with ease. So if you do a lot of tree cutting or trimming this is probably a better axe for you.

There are 64 buyer reviews on this one and this one gets 4.7 out of a possible 5 stars so yet again a really great axe by all counts. I have not used this one myself so I can not personally comment on this one but the reviews are very strong and well worth a read.

It is a smaller axe and is only 26" in length and weighs just under 4 pounds. So if you like your axes short and powerful then this is an ideal axe for you. You can see from the name that it is designed for those who like the outdoor life. The Fiskar's one is better in my opinion for chopping wood around the home.

This one because of its size is better suited for travelling and camping or hunting.

This is a new axe to the market and is perfect for the traditionalist who likes an axe to look like an axe. It has a fantastic hickory handle, a nice balance and a full 3.5 pound weight in the head of the axe which really helps with log splitting.

It is 3 feet in length and a really solid looking axe. I used to have one very similar to this and over a 10-year period I had to change the handle maybe 5-6 times which was always a bit of a pain. That is just the way it is with wooden handle axes so if you buy this one just be aware that you will need to do this, depending on how much you actually use it.

It is a good sharp axe and it looks like a proper axe if that makes sense. I think it is priced really well and is perfect for either just using around the house or even as a professional. A good friend of mine has one of these, and he prefers it to my own choice of the Fiskars, so I guess we simply all have our own preferences.

My Final Decision

I put the axes in my order of preference in this article. After reading all the reviews I bought the Fiskars as it had the most and consistently the best reviews and that is the one I would have to recommend based on my own use of this powerful axe.

I would not consider myself a heavy user of an axe but I would use it a few times a month and after 6 months of use this axe is great. It makes log splitting and chopping a great deal easier than with the axe I had before.

All I do is give it a quick sharpen before each use and it performs time after time. I think no matter which axe you decide to go with that if you want it to last and perform for you then you need to look after it.

That means sharpening either just before or after you use it. The blade is all important in an axe and if you look after it then it will continue to do the job that you need it to do. It takes around 3-4 minutes to quickly sharpen an axe and rub it down. That's not a lot when you consider that you get a lifetime of work from it.

Now if I could afford this, then this is what I would buy. It does however cost just over $1,000 so out of my range. This is a 22-Ton powered log splitter, that is probably the best on the market right now. It certainly makes short work of logs and that's for sure.

This is one of those machines that you can hitch up to your car and take it with you wherever you want. This is for the serious person who depends on logs for heating or other general uses such as cooking.

It takes a little assembly but all the reviews that I read stated that it was simple to put together and start it up. It is a strong splitter that some day I will get.

Sometimes the old fashioned methods simply work the best. Get a nice sharp blade, add a perfect taper and whack it with a sledgehammer. You know what it worked back in the day, and it still works today.

For anyone who can afford an electric one as I have shown above, then of course that is the perfect choice. However for those, like me, who are on a normal budget, then this is actually not a bad choice either.