The Finest Axes for Splitting Wooden of 2023

How We Tested the Best Axes for Splitting Wood

We tested the best axes for splitting wood in the most sensible way possible: by buying a variety of axes and splitting a lot of wood! We started by researching the best axes on the market created by some of the most legendary steel forgers on the planet. We eventually narrowed our list down to eight models that we purchased and put to a side-by-side test.

After finally melting out from Lake Tahoe’s snowiest season on record in 2022-2023, lead tester Nick Bruckbauer had nearly two cords of freshly cut pine rounds delivered to his home. After moving and stacking them and preparing a work area, he got to work over the next several months, alternating among the eight different axes to split the stack of rounds into huge piles of firewood.

Before getting to work, we thoroughly examined each axe to get a sense of its craftsmanship and the quality of its materials. We inspected everything from head size and shape, to blade sharpness, to handle length, shape, and materials. We tested the quality and ease of use of the included sheaths, and read any documentation about the axe maker’s history.

There’s only one way to determine the true quality of an axe, and that’s to swing it and swing it hard! We ended up splitting over 100 pine rounds that ranged in diameter from approximately 14 to 30 inches, as well as some half rounds that were over 40 inches in diameter. The final yield was around just shy of 2 cords of wood, all split by hand.

While pine is definitely a softer wood, it can be notoriously challenging to split, with some rounds having long, twisty grains, plenty of sap, and lots of knots that can stop even the toughest axe in its tracks. This load of wood was the perfect testing ground to find the best axe for splitting wood. We ran into some difficult pieces that took extra effort to split, and it helped us identify the highest-performing axes to handle the toughest situations.

Nick Bruckbauer is a year-round Lake Tahoe resident, lifelong gear nerd, and proud DIYer who enjoys the satisfaction of completing “hard” and meaningful labor to help provide resources for his family. With continually rising fuel prices, regular winter power outages, and an ongoing supply of free, locally harvested logs, Nick welcomes the effort of hand-splitting this wood to help supplement his family’s home heating in a rustic and natural way.

Buyer’s Guide: How to Choose the Best Axe for Splitting Wood

The best axe for splitting wood will generally depend on a few variables, including your body size and strength, your preferred handle length and material, and the size and type of wood that you’re splitting. From there, we’ll provide some universal design recommendations to look for based on our first-hand testing experience.

Types of Axes

There are a variety of axe designs, and not all of them are ideal for splitting wood. There are shorter handheld designs with thin, sharp blades that are ideal for trimming and cutting smaller pieces of wood, and there are larger sledge-hammer styles with broader wedge-shaped blades that are ideal for splitting larger chunks of wood.

Hatchets

Hatchets are the smallest type of axe, and will typically weigh between 1 and 2.5 pounds and have handles that are approximately 12 to 18 inches long. They are a versatile tool for camping or around the house, as they can be used both for cutting smaller branches (up to a few inches in diameter) and for splitting smaller logs (up to approximately 8 or 10 inches in diameter). Hatchets will typically have sharper blades that allow for precise cutting or trimming work, which makes them less versatile for splitting larger logs, since the narrower blade will have a tendency to get embedded in the wood.

The advantage of hatchets is that they are usually pretty lightweight, can be carried with you while hiking or camping, and provide excellent versatility for a variety of tasks. While they provide plenty of utility, we did not include them in this review because they are too small and light for heavy-duty splitting work. If you’re more interested in a hatchet than a splitting axe, check out our Buyer’s Guide of the Best Camping Hatchets.

Cutting Axes

The next step up from a hatchet is a cutting axe. Sometimes referred to as a forester axe or a woodworker axe, these tools will often look similar to a hatchet, just bigger. They will typically weigh between 3 and 5.5 pounds and have handles that are approximately 20 to 30 inches long.

Cutting axes have a sharp, narrow blade with a long cutting edge, and are designed to cut against the grain of the wood for tasks such as trimming branches or felling trees. While some designs will have some versatility to also split wood, they are usually a poor choice for splitting wood, since the long, sharp blade will easily become embedded in the wood. Because of this, we did not include any cutting axes in this review. Cutting axes will also typically have curved, ergonomic handle shapes for leverage and control during repeated cutting tasks.

Splitting Axes

Splitting axes, sometimes interchangeably referred to as splitting mauls (more on that below), are specifically designed for splitting wood — or pushing it apart along the grain — rather than cutting against the grain. As such, splitting axes and mauls will typically be heavier, weighing anywhere from 3.5 to 8 pounds, and have a longer handle that is 28 to 36 inches long. They will also have broader, wedge-shaped heads that don’t need to be as sharp as cutting axes.

The ideal splitting axe will have a blade that is able to penetrate into the wood and push it apart without getting completely embedded and an overall weight and length that are comfortable for the user. The most effective splitting axes will typically be a bit heavier, providing the heft to help the axe power through tough pieces of wood. However, heavier isn’t always better, as a lighter axe is easier to control, easier to swing at a faster speed, and will generally cause less fatigue throughout a splitting session.

Splitting Axes vs. Splitting Mauls

The terms splitting axe and splitting maul sometimes get used interchangeably, so you might be wondering what the difference is, if there even is a difference. Many people often refer to any large, heavy splitting axe as a maul, but that’s not necessarily the case.

The key differentiator is that the head of a splitting maul can also be used as a sledgehammer for pounding stakes or striking poles. The head of a splitting maul will have the splitting blade edge on one end, and a hammer-shaped face on the other end. Unless a tool is specifically designated as a maul, it should not be used for any purpose other than splitting wood.

Though it’s not always the case, splitting mauls also tend to be bigger and heavier than splitting axes. Splitting axes generally are 20 to 30 inches long and weigh anywhere from 3.5 to 6 pounds, while splitting mauls are generally 30 to 36 inches long and weigh 6 to 8+ pounds. Both will have wider, wedge-shaped blades designed to push wood apart along the grain, rather than cutting wood against the grain.

In our test lineup, three products are classified as mauls, the Gransfors Bruk Splitting Maul, the Council Tool 6-lb Sledge-Eye Maul, and the Estwing Fireside Friend Splitting Tool.

Head Weight and Overall Weight

While an axe’s head weight and overall weight will have a big impact on its performance, this metric also comes down quite a bit to personal preference. A heavier axe might be better suited for larger users with bigger and stronger hands, while a lighter axe may be better suited for smaller users or those with smaller hands. Both heavier and lighter axes can get the job done with the right technique and effort.

Here’s where it gets more interesting. For any physics enthusiasts out there, remember that force = mass x acceleration. This means that when a heavier axe provides a certain amount of force at a certain swing speed, a lighter axe will be able to match that same amount of force — it will just require a faster swing speed. Of course, this is a fairly broad generalization, but this is where personal preference becomes important. It’s important to find an axe size and weight that matches your body type and your swing speed preferences.

A heavier axe will generally be more difficult to swing and will likely cause increased fatigue over repeated swinging, but will also provide more splitting force at a lower overall swing speed. A lighter axe will be easier to swing and will likely cause less fatigue over repeated swinging, but will generally provide less splitting force than a heavier axe (assuming the same swing speed). A lighter axe will be easier to swing faster, and will also be easier to control for more precise swings.

Our lead tester Nick Bruckbauer is 5′-11″ tall, weighs 175 pounds, and has average-sized hands (men’s Medium glove size). He strongly prefers the size and weight of the Gransfors Bruk Splitting Maul. With a 5.5-pound head weight and 7.2-pound overall weight, this tool feels just right for most splitting tasks. It has enough mass to power its way through thicker or tougher rounds but is just light enough (compared to 7.5 to 8-pound models) that it’s manageable to maintain control and a reasonable swing speed. It also feels nicely balanced so that fast, hard swings feel efficient and don’t cause undue fatigue.

Head Size and Shape

The head size and shape are two of the primary design features that separate a splitting axe from a cutting axe (and a splitting axe from a splitting maul). While most splitting axes have a broader wedge-shaped head than most cutting axes, there is still a variety of shapes and sizes even among our test lineup of splitting axes.

On the narrower end, the Husqvarna Splitting Axe S2800 has a longer blade edge and a narrower blade width than most other splitting axes. This made it our go-to choice for splitting smaller rounds, or larger rounds once they’ve been split in halves or quarters. The long blade edge gave us the confidence to strike the wood precisely where we wanted, and the narrow blade allowed it to power through smaller pieces of wood pretty easily. It did struggle a little with larger rounds, as the narrower blade had a tendency to get embedded in the wood.

On the broader end, the Gedore Ochsenkopf Spalt-Fix Axe has a heavy, large, wedge-shaped head. What this design lacks in finesse, it makes up for in brute force. The Ochsenkopf is our favorite axe for finishing off difficult logs or rounds. Its massive head powered through thick, knotty chunks that other axes struggled with.

The Gransfors Bruk Splitting Maul has the ideal head size and shape for splitting wood. It has a large, massive head that quickly narrows to a concave shape and a fairly narrow blade edge. This design allows the narrow blade to penetrate difficult pieces of wood, but then the concave shape helps prevent it from becoming embedded. Finally, the large, heavy head helps power through and finish pushing the wood apart.

The Fiskars X27 Super Splitting Axe also has a nice head shape that’s not too thick and not too thin, making it an efficient splitter that doesn’t get embedded in the wood too easily. We’re a big fan of the Fiskars, though its lighter overall weight made it a little less effective splitting larger rounds, compared to some heavier designs.

Finally, the Helko Werk Classic Nordic Splitting Axe and the Hultafors Hult Splitting Axe have unique Scandinavian wedge-shaped head designs. This distinctive shape has a long, rectangular shaped head that gradually narrows to a three-dimensional wedge-shaped blade. This design is very efficient for splitting wood but is a little less versatile than other designs due to the shorter blade edge length that makes precise strikes a little more challenging.

Handle Length

The handle length will typically come down to your height and your personal preferences.

A longer handle will allow you to stand further away from the wood (which could add a small element of safety) and could allow you to comfortably split wood that is on the ground rather than elevated on a chopping block. A longer handle also provides more leverage that can increase your swing speed, but can also make the axe a little more difficult to control for precise strikes.

A shorter handle will force you to stand closer to the wood, and will likely require elevating the wood on a chopping block to keep you in a comfortable body position. A shorter handle won’t generate as much swing speed as a longer handle, but will typically be easier to control for more precise work.

Our 5′-11″ lead tester found the 31.5-inch length of the Gransfors Bruk Splitting Maul to be ideal. Shorter lengths between 28-30 inches also felt more comfortable than the longer 36-inch lengths, but again, this can be dictated by personal preferences.

Handle Material

Splitting axe handles are made from composite materials or from wood materials, typically American Hickory.

American Hickory Wood is the traditional axe handle material because it is a heavy and dense wood and has a straight grain pattern. Both of these features help make Hickory strong and shock-resistant, both critical features for a high-impact tool. The advantages to wood handles are that they can be replaced if they crack or split, and the handle can be trimmed or sanded to be reshaped by the user. The disadvantages to wood handles are that they are often heavier than composite materials, and they can split or crack if used improperly.

Composite materials are generally lighter than wood and still have good impact resistance. Composite handles cannot be replaced if they break, but they are typically very strong, so this is not a huge concern.

The choice between wood or composite materials really comes down to personal preference, as handle materials won’t have much, if any, impact on the overall splitting performance. Wood handles look and feel more traditional, while composite handles look and feel more modern.

We’re definitely big fans of the classic look of a traditional splitting axe with a wood handle and a hand-forged steel head, but we also really liked the feel and performance of the Fiskars X27 Super Splitting Axe and the Husqvarna Splitting Axe S2800, both more modern designs with composite handles.

Recommended Safety Equipment

Swinging around a heavy, sharp, steel tool can obviously be dangerous, so we also want to include some recommended safety equipment and some safety considerations.

The first, and most critical piece of safety equipment is eye protection. This should be non-negotiable. Splitting wood will inevitably send shards of wood flying in every direction, and you’re putting your face pretty close to the impact zone and line of fire. We used a simple pair of DeWalt safety glasses that did the trick.

Next, we also highly recommend a good pair of work gloves. Splitting wood includes hauling and moving wood rounds and split logs, and repeatedly grabbing and swinging an axe over and over. Work gloves will help protect you from simple nuisances like blisters, and from more severe injuries like cuts or scrapes. We used and enjoyed the Give’r Lightweight Gloves throughout our whole testing period. These leather gloves fit well, are not too thick and not too thin, and come at a reasonable price.

If you’re doing repeated splitting, we also recommend a good pair of steel-toed work boots. While this isn’t necessarily mandatory, keep in mind that you’ll likely be moving heavy wood rounds and logs that can weigh 60-80 pounds or more, and pinching your piggies under one of those won’t feel so good. Proper foot protection can also protect you from an errant swing of an axe. This may sound silly, but when you’re fatigued, and when you’re splitting some gnarly, knotty wood, an axe can easily bounce off the wood into into your feet or body. We have a small slice in our steel-toed boots to prove it.

Finally, we recommend taking a little extra time to make sure you prepare your work area. This means having a flat, level open surface away from houses, cars, trees, or other equipment, with plenty of space to freely swing your axe. You’ll also make sure you have plenty of space to stage your pre-split wood and to pile or stack your split logs. Your work area can clutter up quickly, and it’s important to maintain a clear work area.

Frequently Asked Questions