The worst splitting axe money can buy - Swedish husqvarna/ hults bruk
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- Опубліковано 19 вер 2024
- swedish husqvarna / hults bruk splitting axe vs a vintage american style FELLING axe. theres so much wrong with this axe to make it user unfriendly and innefective. perhaps ypu would be impressed if compared to a chinese hardware store axe but compared to any other quality axe i have used this thing sucks
Remember guys, this comparison is against a FELLING AXE. When the design is so poor it fails in its specialisation against an axe that is designed primarily for another use
Your swinging the felling a lot harder
@@Jesusiskingamen7 nope not really. Mostly just dropping it
I use a felling axe for most of my splitting and I find it makes splitting easier I've always thought of the pattern that this splitting axe as one designed specifically for pine woods and to make shingle slabs I would never think that would be a good splitting axe for making fire wood it seems more to me that it would be most effective if used as a handles wedge where you place it on the wood and then hammer it in rather than swing and strike with it
Glad I watched this. I’ve been considering buying this axe. I was a little skeptical due to the size, and design so I never did commit to buying it. This confirmed my suspicions. Thanks for the video!
Glad to help and save people from buying less effective tools
@@benscottwoodchopper definitely appreciated. Nothing worse than spending money on an axe that doesn’t preform as well as others in the same price range.
Norwegian Wood, Lars Mytting, pp76,77:
"An old method of splitting long logs was to chop them lying flat, hitting directly into the bark. A splitting ax with a narrow head is used, such as this one (opposite page) by Wetterlings. If you don't have much space for splitting and drying, chopping the wood in long lengths this way is a practical alternative, even if the drying take longer. More of the work can be done out in the forest, and dry cordwood is easy to transport ". Perhaps if used in the right application, the axe is perfectly suited to the task. If the design wasn't good, HB and Wetterlings wouldn't have, and wouldn't be, wasting money making them.
i know, splitting rails is a fine technique but even at that job other axes do it better as well as splitting conventionally, or use wedges ua-cam.com/video/3D0WOoqj9_Y/v-deo.html
This design even if it was good for splitting logs lying flat (This one is too light to split anything but the smallest logs the maul is better) is sold as a splitting axe which 99% of people will try to use conventionally with a block. It's a poor axe to purchase no matter how you look at it
@@benscottwoodchopper I agree that selling it as a splitting axe with no further explanation isn't terribly helpful.
I'm more impressed with how you hit the same exact spot 4 times in a row on one of those last soft wood pieces. Good review. I think I will avoid that axe.
Great demonstration as always ben, your channel always has what Im looking for in terms of honest, high quality axe content.
Perfect timing Ben. I looked at this axe in the Husqvarna shop yesterday. Fortunately I left it in the shop. My curiosity is now gone and the money is still in my pocket. Thanks. Great video!
Glad to help, nothing worse than an innefective splitter. I imagine these are even more expensive out in NZ right?
@@benscottwoodchopper The Husqvarna was $150 while the Fiskars was $130. Have a great holiday season!
@@brettbrown9814 damn, almost worth saving a bit more for tuatahi at that rate! Cheers, happy christmas and new year to you also!
Ben, happy holidays kind sir! Felling axes have been used to split wood for years since really the beginning, with some exceptions I'm sure and can be very effective. I just recently purchased a couple modern splitting axes in the last five years. I've been splitting wood for 20 years since I was fifteen. I'm 35 years old now and have come to appreciate the Fiskars X27 and the Husqvarna S2800 by Gardena. I know that because you're the one who told me a couple years ago that Gardena makes the Husqvarna composite handled axes, haha! I really love the Fiskars 8lb Isocore splitting maul as well. I'm sort of a hybrid guy now, I like wooden and composite handled axes the best of both worlds. Not to say an axe and maul are the same because they're not. I only use my beloved Fiskars Isocore maul for massive rounds. A 4-5lb axe is very comfortable swinging and is more capable of swing 90% of what you need. The profile is a big factor, as demonstrated in this video. In early attempt at a splitting axe was called a "Chopper" introduced in America years ago. It had a mechanism integrated into the axe head itself. I know nothing about it, its more of a novelty item than a splitting tool. Its basically a collector's item now. I would imagine it wasn't very popular from the start. God bless.
Yeah those choppers are goofy things, they dont seem to work well at all in tough woods. Much like those lever axe things
That splitting axe was made to split 3-4-5” logs vertical! Mainly fur & pine trees!
Properly used works great!
I believe this axe type is designed to split relatively thin (4-10") and 1 meter (40") long pieces. To split these you can't use chopping block. You hit them to the side when they lay on the ground. Too much wedge shape axe head and little inaccurate hit will cause axe head to bounce to the side and wood only partially split. Thinner blade will be more beneficial in this type of splitting. Long pieces like these split the easiest soon after they are cut down and preferably when they are frozen.
In the old days when burning firewood was the primary mean to warm up houses in Finland and Scandinavia it was very common to cut and split firewood to 1m/ 40" long. After splitting they were piled up to make 1m×1m×1m (= 1 motti) stacks for them to dry. Making them this long reduced the work time needed to make them able to start drying. It also made it easier to pile them. After few months they were dried enough to be transported out of the felling site to the end user. Making and the handling the fire wood was done by hand so it was more efficient to do it with 1m/40" long pieces instead of shorter variances. End user had to cut them shorter to fit his fireplace, 0,25m/0,33m/0,5m being the typical lenghts.
I make a lot of 1m or more billets for my work, sometimes it is easier to get them to fit though the processor. I don't use any axe under 2kg for this work. I understand the historical use but for the modern world its a poor choice
@@benscottwoodchopper I have used my Fiskars x21 (or was it x25?) for this job and it was not optimal. Heavier maul type axe is overkill and will wear you down way too soon. I only use the heaviest axes to breake the largest and knottiest pieces when all else fails. When I split the standard 0,33m lenght blocks I prefer around 1 kg axe with 0,5m lenght handle. I'll try to do the work with just one hand holding the axe.
Professionals use 100% machinery and make only 0,33m or 0,5m lenght firewood. Splitting firewood with axe is too much work for majority of urban people nowadays.
I have to agree with you on this one. I own one of these and have been shocked at how easy it is to overstrike it and get it stuck. I'm fairly certain that a properly-sharpened splitting maul would dance circles around this axe.
If ypu want toconfirm that suspicion you can watch my previous video, same wood night and day difference
@@benscottwoodchopper Oh, I'd missed that one. Thanks for mentioning it. I plan to run my own tests with a standard American splitting maul (a.k.a. an "Oregon-pattern" splitting maul, as far as I can tell), but I assume the results will be similar.
Interesting video Ben.
I think these axes were designed to split small diameter Birch on a tall block.
Mine works grand for this job and little else, but no axe is truly suited to all species / diameters.
Just my thoughts, for what they're worth.
I agree, just for 99% of people a different axe would be far more use
I have one of these, and recognise your criticism.
thanks for video. just brought the hatchet version as a gift for my brother, i think i will have to cancel the order.
The softwood really showed up the flaws of the Husqvarna, I am quite surprised by how poor it was.
Everytime I had seen that axe online I thought it was some sort of weird shaped chopping axe. Just doesn't look like a splitter at all
Hello Ben. Is that Silver Birch you are splitting?
Most of the 6-10 cords of wood I split each year is no more than 16" diameter. Species are Douglas Fir and White Spruce, Aspen, Silver Birch, occasional Balsam Fir and small diameter Vine Maple (usually 6-8").
At the moment I am using an old 6lb maul (with convex cheeks), a Billnas No7 axe (probably a 3.5lb head, very wedgy with convex edged profile with cutting edge of 3". The Billnas also has a thick 2.25" collar (as part of the head). I also use a 3.5lb double bit that is well worn, it has convex cheeks, it is great to use on larger blocks with straight grain. The Billnas splits Fir rounds well, up to 16" or so, The maul takes over and deals with the inevitable knotty rounds of Douglas Fir, or worse still, Balsam Fir.
I burn stove wood from 16" to 20" length so most can be split on the ground, though sometimes I split shorter lengths on a block.
I have looked at these Husqvarna Splitting Axes and almost bought one in a sale, it may be good if all I split was dry straight grained White Spruce (which may be a principal firewood in Sweden), but I can see how it would not be a great tool in my forest.
It will split super easy wood but is terrible all round. The point is there is no reason to have this axe because even a felling axe will out split it. I wouldnt get one when there are so many better options that perhaps look less interesting but work better
You’re basically forced to pop wood from the top with an inch or two of that bit, eh? (Insert 🍆 joke here) I wonder if they do any testing before they produce an axe.
Would this have been the wood the axe was designed to split? This is a very old axe pattern, and I have to assume that it wouldn’t have lasted this long if it didn’t serve an adequate purpose. As a Scandinavian axe, perhaps it would’ve done better in softwood than hardwood.
I have both the full size HB splitting axe, and the smaller HB splitting axe. I agree 100% with everything you said about handle strikes. It is an extremely unforgiving pattern, and the rectangle shape wants to drive into the wood deep, but it doesn’t have enough wedge to split, so you end up smacking the handle on the round.
In this video the first round was cherry, it splits similar to birch wood which is the most common firewood i see burned in scandinavia. I also tested it on dry softwood which it performed even worse in
it's bad in all woods. It's even worse in softwoods, it gets stuck even more
I'll scratch that one off the list of things to buy
Yeah these can be pretty expensive especially from hults bruk, id feel really bad for anyone who spent that money
I'm far from impressed by your review.
This axe wasn't designed to split the size of the rounds you are hitting.
I also fail to see how you can manage to overstrike and damage the handle. Poor technique or lack of experience??
If you are splitting wood I'd suggest having a range of axes and using the one that is the most suitable.
I'd also suggest getting some eye protection on and also a pair of gloves, even if they are only grip gloves.
I'm also more than happy to send you a video of this axe doing fast work in wood it was designed to split.
Sure go on send me video. But the point stands why does a FELLING AXE work better 😒
When you say felling axe, is this a felling of the same weight or heavier??
This axe is designed to be kept sharp, if it's not on purchase I'd take a file to it to get an edge on it fast and finish off with a stone.
Have you used the smaller version of this ?? Designed to use one handed.
It's a very fast axe.
I never get this stuck, if you think there is a chance then it's down to body position and not the axe.
@@ianboardman4487 wheres the video link?
Look mate, take a browse of my channel, 100s of axes tried and tested. I split wood for a living and am an athlete with stihl timbersports. I know axes, and i find this model to be about the most useless tool in comparison to similarly priced axes. Its not junk necersarily and will split wood, but with so many far better performing options, often much cheaper, these are a waste of money. You can disagree as much as you want but you aint changing my mind and its your money to waste.
Hello Scott , thank you for a great channel ! I recently bought the hultafors splitting axe KLY SV - 900 gram . It is working ok ,but i can already see some tear and wear on top of the shaft and i have to use some force to split the wood. What axe would you recommend for splitting a regular size of firewood like you are splitting in this video ? Thanks ! Niels Dahl
Husqvarna A2400, Husqvarna S2800, muller biber spaltaxt 1800g, ochsenkopf spalt fix 2500g, gransfors maul. Any of them are good depending on budget and what wieght or style you prefer
I bought one of these. Definitely worst axe. Handle broke after a few days due to a fault in the handle. Then Hultafors refused the warranty due to "wear and tear"! Avoid at all costs!
Thanks for the demonstration. It's a pathetic excuse for a splitter. My go to for busting rounds is my Fiskars 8lb maul/sledge. With the weight and concave design it explodes wood. The IsoCore handle is supreme.
For some wood a big maul will only do the job. For a lot of stuff i prefer 4 to 5lb splitting or felling axes. This is the worst ive used for sure
@@benscottwoodchopperis interesting=why would you use that?
The Swedish pattern pump on the other hand ....
Thats not my bag baby!
Should just give a 18 deg flat grind and turn into a felling axe like the Berlin Pattern
Could be possible but it would take a long time, burn few a few belts id say!
@@benscottwoodchopper actually have a friend who's been using one as a felling/limbing axe for a while lol didn't even grind it!
@@elemental4rce lol. Thats ridiculous
My first view at that particular tool Mr. Ben. Maybe in swedish woods it performs well. It is nicely forged what I could see. Possibly the designer's intent was to concentrate the energy to a small area, but the other parts of the splitter recipe are lacking...
In birch it will split, the most popular wood for fires in sweden, however i have quite a bit of experience splitting birch and the felling axe will work better in that too. If it was ground whinner frm the factory it would work a lot better but still a very narrow axe with too thin cheeks. German splitting axes work better in all woods they have better designs
The only thing i started to like on the Swedish(i dont use skandinavian, since i dont know any norwegian or danish pattern) pattern are the Lugs/Appendixes/Ears. I made many drawings incorporating round, triangular and other forms on my favorite axe design, but it just does not look aesthetic. (Tyrol/Carintian/Krain Pattern (Belovar, Kapsovar even)(so annoying that i wont ever be 100% sure where it came from), i "adore" the little Jag on top, for one that it looks unique and even more because its not just put on to look fancy, but because the whole Blade is rotated towards the handle (more ore less depending on the manufacturer/plans the use))
It came to the appreciation on how good every detail fits together on different Patterns of axes, but then again im no professional designer. lol
Which is your Favorite?
For me my favourite patterns are dayton/yankee, rhineland and calabria
You’re overstriking. Hit the edge instead of the center
Lol no that aint the issue
I have this splitting axe also. I find the handle is too short for my liking. It’s definitely not my favorite axe for splitting.
I personally would like to see the head from the Husqvarna s2800 composite handle splitting axes on a traditional handle , I own the s2800 and it's a fantastic splitter I love it but I can't understand why they wouldn't offer it with a hickory handle I mean they give it a lifetime guarantee to if you break it they're going to replace it for you anyway so it's not like it's a ploy to get you to buy another one , the s2800 is a 5.5/6 lb head with 28inch composite handle and it splits wayyyyy better than the fiskars axe which I've used and loved for years they split wood magnificently and the Husqvarna s2800 puts the fiskars In the corner and says hold my beer. However I recently got into traditional axes after buying a hults bruk 3.5lb felling axe (atran I think is the name) and 2 things happened 1. took a gentle swing into some knotty rock maple with it and watched it split it almost to the bottom and 2that's now my main splitter. I've also purchased several other huskys bruk axes and I never leave home without them. I now have an unhealthy obsession with traditional axes and just found out that someone is getting me and arvika five star for Xmas I'm super stoked can't wait to blow some rounds apart with that now that I no longer have the fear of over swinging and destroying my handle I plan to get a few more real axes I have my eye on some of the oschenkopf Adler's and hello axes and at some point I plan to get some of the basque axes when money is not so tight. But until then I'm going to enjoy my hults bruks and since my local hardware store carries them and I get a 50 percent discount there I'll most likely own the entire hults bruk collection as I get the discount even on ones that I have them order I cant believe I spent so many years not knowing the joy of using a quality handmade axe to do my work . Love your videos they're helped me grow significantly as an axeman in short period of time you buckin Billy and Owen have opened a new chapter in the book of my life thank you !
There’s nothing wrong with this axe. Try it out.
@@livewithnick I never said there was anything wrong with it I uúu seems better suited for other tasks i can make any axe work in a pinch this would not be my first choice splitting rounds
The big question is: do you split dry or green wood? I heared both sides thqt were telling me it is easier so split ... wood. U seem to be an expert on that. :D
I split both, how hard it is depends on a lot of factors, i splig wood for a living so i know even among the same species wood can vary massively depending on how it grew. In this video i split green cherry and some dry softwood and oak
Greetings from Hungary!
As he effortlessly splits wood with that pos
Felling axe did it easier. Now watch one of my videos where i use actually good splitting axes
I bought it 5 years ago. What a poor splitting axe..
I have a Wetterlings splitting maul and dislike it for all the same reasons you mention here. I never use it.
will be worth a fuck ton now wetterlings is bust and ebay prices are crazy for wetterlings, sell it and you might get your money back
I would reprofile this axe and use it as a mortising axe like a chisel for log cabin building.
Nah it wod honestly take days with a belt sander
All this is bullshit! The Splitting Ax is excellent! I put a metal protection on it and everything is ok.
Lmao try a ochsenkopf then tell me
this isnt fair swing form with the high chop block is no power to wood
yeah, nah. the block is not the issue at play here, the poor performance of the axe is
Very good observation! That's exactly what I was thinking.
@@cristiandemirel1918 both axes got the same space to swing. Thats as fair as it gets
I reckon this head design maybe wasnt a splitting axe originally it just doesnt look right. I reckon a carpentry axe instead perhaps since it looks more like a chisel than anything else.
Not sure, certainly not seen any other cultures create splitting axes likd this
@@benscottwoodchopper Yeah no it just flies in the face of almost everything I've come to realise makes for a good splitting axe. It does however resemble a mortising axe but just a bit bigger.
Well, I don't know, I don't think he's such a bad ax, I just bought the small Hultafor, 900 gr. and a 50cm handle, and he splits really well, not bad, and I bought the same one as you, but it hasn't been delivered to me yet, when I get it, I'll check if he's really as bad as you say.
It's not unusable, it will split easy wood fine. However when you take performance into account compared to similarly priced or cheaper axes is the worst ive used
@@benscottwoodchopper I like his shape - like an ax head. I want to try what he is to split.
I'll stick with American designs since they are the best.
Germans make the best splitting and limbing axe designs, old american dayton pattern is the best for heavy chopping. Not a big fan of swedish stuff, lots of people on here rave about them though
Great demonstration ! Maybe it could be converted to a felling axe after being grinded ?
Maybe after 40 hours on a grinder it might be mediocre at felling
@@benscottwoodchopper Haha ok too bad
This might make a decent felling axe for dry hardwood, if you grind it proper🤔
How long does this Pattern exist? I did not find it in any Catalogs, but then i did not look much, as Skandinavian Axes dont interest me since they are just average and have no strong Innovative Forms/things on them.
I think its at least 150 years old, but i expect this is slightly different than older ones
Lower your chopping-stump. Swing harder
NOTHING wrong with a Husky axe.
Happy swedish wood-nut :)
Lol the felling axe works better all things equal. It sucks
Love mine, split a holzhausen worth of oak last weekend
not saying you cant split with it but boy does it make the job harder than it needs to be
Terrible design
I don't know, seems to me like it works just fine.
But it clearly fails compared to felling axe? By all means waste your money though
Hey, what is the weight of the head?
And what is the best ax in your opinion?
For a light splitter of similar weight to theaxes feautured in this videp muller biber spalt axt
It's pretty underwhelming 😉
Underwhelming is not what you want when you spend between €80 and €110. Seriously dont know why they bdcame popular
you barely swing…I couldn’t help but notice this. How would you expect to split wood with all the job done by that light head?
Other axe worked fine with same swing lol
@@benscottwoodchopper you seem to be a very knowledgeable guy and really experienced with wood processing, but comparing different head design and weight axes is useless. You swing a light axe with the same force as the heavier one. It's a no brainer that the heavier one will split better.
@@Carby4SZK there is only 200 grams difference between axes, the other is a Felling axe. I pose the question what use is this splitting axe? So many better splitting axes that are also much much cheaper. It sucks plain and simple
@@benscottwoodchopper probably no use if you already have a similar weight axe :))