Fiskars X27 or other?

[LabradorGuy]

Bought a solostove, and need to split some wood. What would be the best axe / maul for just your regular joe? Been reading good things about the Fiskars X27, but I'm open to others. Any suggestions?

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

Depending on what you're starting with the X27 could be bigger than you need to feed a Solo Stove. Something like an X11 would do fine on branch wood etc.

 

[SwissHeritageCo]

Benjamin is right (as per usual) in that you definitely don't need the full size of an X27 to split wood for the solo stove.

I've split serious wood with an X15, it's a great in between size that you can actually chop with... but for a solo stove an X11 would surely suffice.

Love my solo stove. But yeah, fiskars are outstanding budget tools. The mora of axes, highly recommend.

 

[LabradorGuy]

Have some big 20" to 26" rounds to break down. Would the X15 axe be sufficient?

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

Have some big 20" to 26" rounds to break down. Would the X15 axe be sufficient?

For big rounds you'd do well with the X27. Solo Stoves are small enough that most of the time people are using branch wood, but you can certainly start from larger rounds as well if that's what you've got access to. The X15 would still be good for taking larger chunks generated by the X27 and processing them into the smaller sizes something like a Solo Stove would work best with. It'll just be a lot of processing getting something that large down to the right size.

 

[SwedeFP]

As others have said, the Fiskars X27 is a good choice, and I have one in the 36 inch handle. I think you could scale it down by getting the shorter handle. As an alternative with possibly more versatility due to chopping ability and a hardened poll, you could look at the Husqvarna 2400, as shown in this video. I have one, and it is a good axe with a bit heavier head than an X27. They are a bit harder to find and more expensive though. I don't know what stores you have available, but Rural King stocks them for an in store look. Good luck, and please post what you decide and impressions.

 

[SwedeFP]

As others have said, the Fiskars X27 is a good choice, and I have one in the 36 inch handle. I think you could scale it down by getting the shorter handle. As an alternative with possibly more versatility due to chopping ability and a hardened poll, you could look at the Husqvarna 2400, as shown in this video. I have one, and it is a good axe with a bit heavier head than an X27. They are a bit harder to find and more expensive though. I don't know what stores you have available, but Rural King stocks them for an in store look. Good luck, and please post what you decide and impressions.

As a follow-up, I saw a new video from Ben Scott about the Husqvarna A2400 where he mentions use with steel wedges. It seems that vibration may be the main concern. My take is to not expect damage to the axe, if used wisely.