Cliff Stamp
BANNED
- Joined
- Oct 5, 1998
- Messages
- 17,562
The Maul came with a perfectly aligned handle, vertical grain, head center balanced and the edge split the handle exactly sighting down the butt. Both maul and wedge cam with fully formed and shaving sharp edges. I picked up these a couple of weeks ago, and have tried them out several times alongside a cheap splitting maul and wedge (~25$) from Canadian Tire. There are numerous differences :
It was readily obvious from comparing light swings that the more acute and tapered edge on the GB maul and wedge and many times greater intitial sharpness allowed the GB versions to sink into the wood with greater ease. The GB maul and wedge were also easier to handle, nicer handle on the maul, with better setting, and overall balance and was thus more controlable. Thus on lighter wood, I could work faster with less effort. Clear win for the GB versions.
However both are kind of slim in cross section, and the maul actually has a hollow grind to the head. Its a lot thicker than a felling axe, but I would prefer flat or better yet convex grinds on a splitting maul. The cheap ones I had from Canadian Tire were flat with a hint of convexity. Thus they actually had better splitting power. Thus on really hard to split wood, I tended to prefer the cheaper versions.
Now overlong term use, the GB versions are likely to show greater durability, but then again the fibreglass handle on the cheap maul is pretty indestructable, and much more resilent than the nice Hickory handle on the GB version to occasional impacts off of the wood. Though the GB version is steel shanked to give some protection, though I would have made the shank longer.
What I tended to do on the really bad logs, 16-24" across, which were seasoned and thus twisted, then got full of water and thus became elastic (its not my wood before anyone asks I was helping out a friend), was use the Gb wedge to open a crack as it went in easily, and then use the cheaper and thicker wedge to pound open the crack. Using the mauls as sledge hammers it was no contest, the GB version was much nicer to swing, more accurate and less feedback.
Looking at it overall, I am glad I got them and do see them as having some use, but unlike the other Gb products (limbing axe, hatchets, etc.) I would not so strongly recommend these to someone over the normal cheap hardware store fare. I would very much like to see GB offer a maul with a heavier head with a full convex taper and similar a thicker wedge design.
Does anyone know of someone who sells monster mauls (huge heads 10-12 lbs)? Anyone actually use them?
-Cliff
It was readily obvious from comparing light swings that the more acute and tapered edge on the GB maul and wedge and many times greater intitial sharpness allowed the GB versions to sink into the wood with greater ease. The GB maul and wedge were also easier to handle, nicer handle on the maul, with better setting, and overall balance and was thus more controlable. Thus on lighter wood, I could work faster with less effort. Clear win for the GB versions.
However both are kind of slim in cross section, and the maul actually has a hollow grind to the head. Its a lot thicker than a felling axe, but I would prefer flat or better yet convex grinds on a splitting maul. The cheap ones I had from Canadian Tire were flat with a hint of convexity. Thus they actually had better splitting power. Thus on really hard to split wood, I tended to prefer the cheaper versions.
Now overlong term use, the GB versions are likely to show greater durability, but then again the fibreglass handle on the cheap maul is pretty indestructable, and much more resilent than the nice Hickory handle on the GB version to occasional impacts off of the wood. Though the GB version is steel shanked to give some protection, though I would have made the shank longer.
What I tended to do on the really bad logs, 16-24" across, which were seasoned and thus twisted, then got full of water and thus became elastic (its not my wood before anyone asks I was helping out a friend), was use the Gb wedge to open a crack as it went in easily, and then use the cheaper and thicker wedge to pound open the crack. Using the mauls as sledge hammers it was no contest, the GB version was much nicer to swing, more accurate and less feedback.
Looking at it overall, I am glad I got them and do see them as having some use, but unlike the other Gb products (limbing axe, hatchets, etc.) I would not so strongly recommend these to someone over the normal cheap hardware store fare. I would very much like to see GB offer a maul with a heavier head with a full convex taper and similar a thicker wedge design.
Does anyone know of someone who sells monster mauls (huge heads 10-12 lbs)? Anyone actually use them?
-Cliff