Best splitting axe

After foolishly agreeing to have nearly two cords of large pine rounds dumped on our driveway last spring, we spent the summer hauling, best splitting axe, drying, splitting, and stacking wood with each of these axes in order to find the best and bring you our recommendations.

Heading out the door? Read this article on the Outside app available now on iOS devices for members! Of course, a good axe also makes a big difference. To find out which is the best axe for splitting wood, we called in five of the most popular models and put them to the test. I cut wood with each axe for a week, but I also used them side by side, taking into consideration chopping power, swing weight, ease of use, and how they worked with small and large pieces of wood.

Best splitting axe

If you're hunting for a splitting axe or camping hatchet, we swung 12 of the best to help you find the perfect fit. After researching over 40 compelling options, we bought the top contenders to test blade-to-blade. We cleared birch trees in Maine, split oak rounds into firewood, and stacked kindling for a long northern winter. Down south, we bucked up fallen locust logs and chopped down and limbed every invasive autumn olive tree we could find. It's hard to know how well an axe will bite, split, and deliver force without swinging it. So we did the hard work for you, testing their balance, precision, and ability to hold an edge in real-world conditions. Whether you need a top-notch splitter, an excellent camp hatchet, or a new all-around favorite, we found a great option for you. A folding saw or pocket knife are other handy tools to have around when you're out camping in one of our favorite tents. If you need to get serious about your wood-cutting endeavors, check out our reviews of the best chainsaws on the market, including battery-operated options. We've also tested the top-rated fire pits on the market if you just want to stay cozy at home. If you need a tool that can put up a stack of firewood and take down mid-sized trees, the Fiskars Chopping Axe is the best option we've tested. The inch handle and sharp blade lend enough power to make quick work of the 6 to inch trees we cut down.

Of the two, the Gransfors excels, best splitting axe. However, it was less successful at tackling large or knotty pieces of wood. Smaller axes, often called hatchets, are designed to be used single-handed for greater precision and accuracy to cut small sticks or slivers of kindling wood.

Having the right axe makes a massive difference to the ease of making your own firewood. Browse our pick of the best axes for splitting logs and making kindling. The cost of heating a home, along with the surge in popularity of outdoor firepits and chimineas, has created a huge demand for firewood. An axe is an essential tool if you use wood from your own trees or buy whole logs, as large pieces will need to be split to fit your stove or fireplace. If the logs are still very fresh, splitting also helps them to dry out enough to be useful as firewood. An axe is also handy for making little sticks and slivers of kindling. Making your own kindling is much cheaper and more environmentally friendly than buying it in plastic bags or using most types of commercial firelighter.

The Fiskars X27 is one of the best axes on the market for taller users who need to split medium and large-sized logs. They are designed to ensure more splits only take one strike and come with a non-slip grip to reduce strain in your hand and maintain optimum control. The Lexicon V28 Chopping Axe is one of the most innovatively designed tools on the market today. Featuring an encased blade and fiberglass composite injected handle, this axe is both durable and efficient. The blade has been made with optimal cutting angles for efficient chopping. In fact, we recommend using this axe for chopping trees or large pieces of wood. Also, Lexicon currently advertises this axe as being risk-free due to the reinforced shaft. This optimized hatchet is perfect for chopping firewood, kindling, and branches. The heat-treated steel is both durable and more than capable of quick splits and one-split strikes.

Best splitting axe

We may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs. It can be a time for reflection and even meditation. That said, your enjoyment of the chore will be dramatically affected by the tools you choose. But the right axe for splitting wood can prevent all of that. One with a comfortable and ergonomic handle, heavy head, and sharp blade will make the job much more efficient and enjoyable. But how do you know what axes are suited for splitting wood? We rounded up the best of the best so you can find the right axe for splitting wood and other tasks you may encounter.

Gumball pirn

Switching back and forth between the blades and comparing notes made it clear which are well-balanced, which are built to split, which are sharp, and which are tiring. That meant spending weekends watching trees fall to the sound of a chainsaw , splitting firewood, and stacking it. Those are the basic requirements for any axe I use to split wood. Score Product Price The axe head is forged from Swedish axe steel. Top picks include Spyderco, Benchmade, and more. For me, the Hudson is the perfect camping axe because it fits nicely in a trunk and is ideal for cutting firewood down to size. Costing little more than much smaller, and thus less powerful, hatchets, this option offers an impressive value. Awarded a BBC Gardeners' World Magazine Best Buy for the best axe for kindling, this ultra-light, handy little axe is ideal for wood-splitting jobs that require precision and accuracy. It is 17 inches long, giving you plenty of reach. We also had a range of testers work with each axe, to see how well they worked for people of different sizes and strengths. Or is design also important? We don't see it failing anytime soon. While the Fiskars Chopping Axe only really shines when cutting down trees, it completes all other tasks competently. The Fiskars Norden N12 is a stylish, compact splitting axe.

If you're hunting for a splitting axe or camping hatchet, we swung 12 of the best to help you find the perfect fit. After researching over 40 compelling options, we bought the top contenders to test blade-to-blade. We cleared birch trees in Maine, split oak rounds into firewood, and stacked kindling for a long northern winter.

The wide range of axes we tested demanded a wide-ranging test protocol and we were up for the task. And Procrastinating. A splitting axe will typically be heavier than a cutting axe, and will have a broader, wedge-shaped head with a shorter blade edge. Something to take into account: Not suited to split larger logs. The manufacturers place the heaviest part of that wedge directly above the inch handle, which balances its weight extremely well. It comes with a five-year guarantee. This led to a handful of overstrikes and a small chip on the handle near the head. The dedicated splitting axes we tested are too large to effectively swing sideways as tree chopping requires. A 4-inch carbon-steel blade meets the requirements for axe-throwing tournaments, so this is an excellent option for both practice and competitions. Again, the two dedicated splitting models are too large for such meticulous work. The Fiskars Chopping Axe also holds its own in this category thanks to a sharp, balanced blade with a slight wedge and a 28" handle for a reasonable amount of power and leverage.