One very important thing you didn't mention with the smaller maul you got stuck a couple of times. I've found I expend more energy taking the maul out of the wood then swinging it. The monster maul never gets stuck and will split anything. Also do yourself a favor and get a pulp hook. It make picking up the rounds a lot easier then bending over and using 2 hands.
Thanks for your comment and suggestions. I agree, that can expend a lot more energy if you have to keep getting the maul unstuck. Honestly the vibration from the steel one just hurts my joints way too much for me to justify using it more often. I am still young now and would be fine the next day, but I don’t want to permanently damage my joints for real pain when I’m older. I can split wood all day with a wooden handled maul and have really no joint aches afterwards.
We buried our splitting base log half in the ground. It made it more solid but also put it at a better height for more power. The monster maul does have some vibration but splits like no other. It'll definitely put callouses on your hands. I can't tell from your video but it looks like you're swinging like a traditional maul or sledgehammer method. If you are, then it's definitely going to hurt your shoulders as this is more of a lift high and pull down with force type of maul. I spent many years on the end of one. It'll definitely make your hands tingle.
Thanks for the comment! Burying the base sounds like a great idea. I will have to experiment with doing that. I don't use the all metal one much anymore. The traditional wooden handled maul is just so much more comfortable and enjoyable to use. I will have to try that method of swinging the monster maul though. I was using it like a traditional one.
That steel handle will murder your hands and shoulders for every swing that doesn't split the wood. It'll just transfer the forces right up to you, a wooden handle will absorb quite a lot of that.
That is probably true. I will only be using it on hard to split pieces. It was starting to hurt my hands while filming this test. As I said in the video I definitely prefer a wood handle. Thanks for watching:)
Damn dude awesome video, I bought the red one today and tested it out on frozen wood. Took about 6 hits to do damage but destroyed the stump. You have a new subscriber now man keep up the work
Awesome! Thank you. Yes that thing sure is a beast. There’s really nothing I can’t split with it. I even have a gas powered wood splitter but don’t even need to use it. Much quicker just splitting by hand with these two mauls.
One item to note is there were WAY more knots in the first log with the heavy maul than the second log with the traditional maul. I prefer the heavy unit. I swing it way less than the traditional splitting maul and the steel handle is no issue, there is no vibration in it at all. I have had one for 20 years.
I would have to disagree. After using the steel handled maul for a day my shoulder and hands were hurting. On the other hand when I use the wooden handled maul all day I have hardly any aches or pain. I have found it is way quicker and more comfortable for me to use the smaller one most of the time and have the steel on on hand for tough logs. I have a huge pile of wood to split so I’ll probably end up revisiting this video in the future. I’ll do another comparison with a bigger selection of logs for each maul. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
@@countrymusing Не знаю поймете ли Вы мои слова,но буду писать так,чтобы было просто сделать перевод в гугл переводчике: смысл в том,чтобы не увеличивать,а уменьшать вес инструмента для более легкой работы.Чтобы не только физически сильные мужчины могли колоть дрова,но и более слабы-дети и женщины.Большой топор на короткой дистанции будет эффективнее,но на протяжении дня -нет.Лучше монотонно колоть дрова небольшим колуном,чем с максимальной скоростью и усилиями большим колуном,а потом отдыхать от такой предельной нагрузки.За час Вы расколете больше чурок большим колуном,а за день-меньшим колуном.
the second log was hit in a totally different place, with each maul i use a fiskars x27 and it blows away either one of these mauls but also comes done to who is swinging them. there is a trade off where speed overrules weight.
If you're strong enough to swing it, the monster maul is king. Had mine for 25 years and it's still going strong. I don't notice the vibration at all. If someone stole it, I'd go buy another one immediately.
That’s awesome 👍 I do really like it but for me it seems to hurt the joints. I have a huge pile of wood to split for winter so I’ll probably end up revisiting this video again and doing some further comparison.
Nice video. By the way, the smaller maul looks like it has been kept outdoors. After sanding the wooden handle, give it a few coats of boiled linseed oil, teak oil or something similar. The handle will also last much longer and will appreciate it, if it is kept dry and is not exposed to the elements.
Thank you! It has unfortunately been left outside more than I’d care to admit. My dad actually put that handle on not too long ago. We’ve been meaning to put some oil on but never got around to it. Thanks for reminding me:)
I have the-all metal one and quite frankly, I don't like it almost at all. First of all, there's too much weight in the handle vs. not enough weight in the head, which wastes your energy and worse yet transfers a lot of impact on you rather than the log, which is aggravating and wasteful of energy. Second, the cross section of it's handle is circular and not ovular. This means you can't as easily place it in your hands without extra time/energy looking at the head to make sure it's aiming exactly down. An oval cross section maul handle ensures that you grip it for perfect downward aim every time without even thinking about it. The rubberized handle does help with left hand grip, but interrupts right hand slide (or opposite if you're a lefty). That's also an annoyance and another slight waste of energy and efficiency. Finally, although it's harder to get stuck in wood, it's still prone to get stuck like any other maul. Someone paid $45 for it and gave it to me thinking I'd like it and I thought I would like it when I received it, but I don't. I wish I had a traditional style maul of that weight, but with a wooden handle and the rest of the handle at the head. I have found that I really do best with the biggest traditional style maul I can find (standard 8 pound) with a wooden handle. Fiskars and other mauls without wood still aren't as good in my opinion. It costs me a new handle every year due to breakage (I split for multiple families), but I just can't seem to find better feel than wood. Splitting should be enjoyable. Don't let that all steel one ruin your day. Use the but end of it to drive the other maul through. If you get a tough log, use a sledge and a wedge. Or rent/buy a hydraulic log splitter (a decent 25-ton one is more than adequate). Or toss the damn thing in the campfire and use it to roast hot dogs while drinking a cold one.
Thanks for watching and commenting. I agree with your assessment of the all metal maul. It is not very comfortable and can frankly be quite painful on the joints. A wood handle from my experience has always been the most comfortable to work with. There just doesn't seem to be anything else that compares to it. You're right that splitting should be enjoyable. I will stick with what works well.
You're losing some of the energy by having the wood on top of the log. I've been using a Monster Maul since 1985 or so. It's way faster than a hydraulic but the right technique is key.
That’s cool! Yes I do believe it is significantly faster than a gas splitter. I will have to do a comparison between up on a log and at the ground level. Thanks for your comment.
@@countrymusing The 'proper' way to use a Monster Maul is straight up, straight down. Also, work the log from the edge, about 3" in, and take a few sides off then get your bigger pieces from the center. You can get away with center splitting pine but I mainly split oak and other hardwoods.
One very important thing you didn't mention with the smaller maul you got stuck a couple of times. I've found I expend more energy taking the maul out of the wood then swinging it. The monster maul never gets stuck and will split anything. Also do yourself a favor and get a pulp hook. It make picking up the rounds a lot easier then bending over and using 2 hands.
Thanks for your comment and suggestions.
I agree, that can expend a lot more energy if you have to keep getting the maul unstuck. Honestly the vibration from the steel one just hurts my joints way too much for me to justify using it more often. I am still young now and would be fine the next day, but I don’t want to permanently damage my joints for real pain when I’m older. I can split wood all day with a wooden handled maul and have really no joint aches afterwards.
Mans work. Good for the body and soul.
Sure is!
We buried our splitting base log half in the ground. It made it more solid but also put it at a better height for more power. The monster maul does have some vibration but splits like no other. It'll definitely put callouses on your hands. I can't tell from your video but it looks like you're swinging like a traditional maul or sledgehammer method. If you are, then it's definitely going to hurt your shoulders as this is more of a lift high and pull down with force type of maul. I spent many years on the end of one. It'll definitely make your hands tingle.
Thanks for the comment! Burying the base sounds like a great idea. I will have to experiment with doing that. I don't use the all metal one much anymore. The traditional wooden handled maul is just so much more comfortable and enjoyable to use. I will have to try that method of swinging the monster maul though. I was using it like a traditional one.
That steel handle will murder your hands and shoulders for every swing that doesn't split the wood. It'll just transfer the forces right up to you, a wooden handle will absorb quite a lot of that.
That is probably true. I will only be using it on hard to split pieces. It was starting to hurt my hands while filming this test.
As I said in the video I definitely prefer a wood handle.
Thanks for watching:)
Damn dude awesome video, I bought the red one today and tested it out on frozen wood. Took about 6 hits to do damage but destroyed the stump. You have a new subscriber now man keep up the work
Awesome! Thank you. Yes that thing sure is a beast. There’s really nothing I can’t split with it. I even have a gas powered wood splitter but don’t even need to use it. Much quicker just splitting by hand with these two mauls.
@@countrymusing I dont chop wood much but my dad and bro do more
One item to note is there were WAY more knots in the first log with the heavy maul than the second log with the traditional maul. I prefer the heavy unit. I swing it way less than the traditional splitting maul and the steel handle is no issue, there is no vibration in it at all. I have had one for 20 years.
I would have to disagree. After using the steel handled maul for a day my shoulder and hands were hurting. On the other hand when I use the wooden handled maul all day I have hardly any aches or pain. I have found it is way quicker and more comfortable for me to use the smaller one most of the time and have the steel on on hand for tough logs.
I have a huge pile of wood to split so I’ll probably end up revisiting this video in the future. I’ll do another comparison with a bigger selection of logs for each maul.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
@@countrymusing Не знаю поймете ли Вы мои слова,но буду писать так,чтобы было просто сделать перевод в гугл переводчике: смысл в том,чтобы не увеличивать,а уменьшать вес инструмента для более легкой работы.Чтобы не только физически сильные мужчины могли колоть дрова,но и более слабы-дети и женщины.Большой топор на короткой дистанции будет эффективнее,но на протяжении дня -нет.Лучше монотонно колоть дрова небольшим колуном,чем с максимальной скоростью и усилиями большим колуном,а потом отдыхать от такой предельной нагрузки.За час Вы расколете больше чурок большим колуном,а за день-меньшим колуном.
@@countrymusing можем сделать ввод:большой колун для фитнеса,а малый для работы.
The only downside to my four and six pounders, they get stuck, my eight pounder does the trick.
Again, they all have their purpose.
Man, at that weight, it had better stack wood for me too! =) Although the second log was pretty convincing.
Yeah really haha! I would not want to use that thing all the time. It does come in handy though when I get a tough piece of wood.
the second log was hit in a totally different place, with each maul i use a fiskars x27 and it blows away either one of these mauls but also comes done to who is swinging them. there is a trade off where speed overrules weight.
If you're strong enough to swing it, the monster maul is king. Had mine for 25 years and it's still going strong. I don't notice the vibration at all. If someone stole it, I'd go buy another one immediately.
That’s awesome 👍
I do really like it but for me it seems to hurt the joints.
I have a huge pile of wood to split for winter so I’ll probably end up revisiting this video again and doing some further comparison.
Is monster maul the name of the maul or just your name for it? I need one of these as I have a large amount of wood ready to split.
@@rb1179 that's what the originals were back in the day I believe, these are all the same, that's a truper in the video, you can order one on Amazon
Nice video. By the way, the smaller maul looks like it has been kept outdoors. After sanding the wooden handle, give it a few coats of boiled linseed oil, teak oil or something similar. The handle will also last much longer and will appreciate it, if it is kept dry and is not exposed to the elements.
Thank you!
It has unfortunately been left outside more than I’d care to admit. My dad actually put that handle on not too long ago. We’ve been meaning to put some oil on but never got around to it. Thanks for reminding me:)
I have the-all metal one and quite frankly, I don't like it almost at all. First of all, there's too much weight in the handle vs. not enough weight in the head, which wastes your energy and worse yet transfers a lot of impact on you rather than the log, which is aggravating and wasteful of energy. Second, the cross section of it's handle is circular and not ovular. This means you can't as easily place it in your hands without extra time/energy looking at the head to make sure it's aiming exactly down. An oval cross section maul handle ensures that you grip it for perfect downward aim every time without even thinking about it. The rubberized handle does help with left hand grip, but interrupts right hand slide (or opposite if you're a lefty). That's also an annoyance and another slight waste of energy and efficiency. Finally, although it's harder to get stuck in wood, it's still prone to get stuck like any other maul. Someone paid $45 for it and gave it to me thinking I'd like it and I thought I would like it when I received it, but I don't. I wish I had a traditional style maul of that weight, but with a wooden handle and the rest of the handle at the head. I have found that I really do best with the biggest traditional style maul I can find (standard 8 pound) with a wooden handle. Fiskars and other mauls without wood still aren't as good in my opinion. It costs me a new handle every year due to breakage (I split for multiple families), but I just can't seem to find better feel than wood. Splitting should be enjoyable. Don't let that all steel one ruin your day. Use the but end of it to drive the other maul through. If you get a tough log, use a sledge and a wedge. Or rent/buy a hydraulic log splitter (a decent 25-ton one is more than adequate). Or toss the damn thing in the campfire and use it to roast hot dogs while drinking a cold one.
Thanks for watching and commenting. I agree with your assessment of the all metal maul. It is not very comfortable and can frankly be quite painful on the joints. A wood handle from my experience has always been the most comfortable to work with. There just doesn't seem to be anything else that compares to it. You're right that splitting should be enjoyable. I will stick with what works well.
hey great channel man I just gave you a sub
Thanks so much! I really appreciate it.
You're losing some of the energy by having the wood on top of the log. I've been using a Monster Maul since 1985 or so. It's way faster than a hydraulic but the right technique is key.
That’s cool! Yes I do believe it is significantly faster than a gas splitter.
I will have to do a comparison between up on a log and at the ground level.
Thanks for your comment.
@@countrymusing The 'proper' way to use a Monster Maul is straight up, straight down. Also, work the log from the edge, about 3" in, and take a few sides off then get your bigger pieces from the center. You can get away with center splitting pine but I mainly split oak and other hardwoods.
You split it on the ground? I’d break my back if I tried that.