Reviews: Fiskars 7884 X27 36-Inch Super Splitting Axe
Amazons service was a great. Even though I used Supersaver they shipped it right out using UPS and I got it 3 days later. Thanks Amazon.
Let me say in general I despise Fiskar tools and never buy them. While some are very well designed the price point demanded by all you people who buy made in China or made India lousy products at Home Depot means Fiskar has to lower the price point to where the quality is not commercial. Fiskar tools in general are not commercial and I have destroyed or worn out every Fiskar tool in short order as I have a large property and commercial orchards and timber land and my tools are heavily used especially by the 'help' that does not have to pay for the tools.
In general I stick with Gransfour Bruks (Sweden), Vaughn (USA), Estwing (USA), Milwaukee (USA-electric saw), Silky Saws /cutting hatchets (Japan) or the professional Grade Husqvarna chainsaws when it comes to felling timber.
I took down a big ponderosa pine and was splitting it green. My near six pound maul was having problems with the big rounds as the wood was very wet. And it is a hassle to use a wedge and 8/10 pound hammer. And my 8 lb maul had a broken handle.
Gransfour Bruks does not make an 8 lb maul. I checked the USA sources. No one made an 8 lb maul.I checked with Craftmans who while they do give a lifetime guarantee make their 8 lb Mauls in China now. So no 8 lb splitting mauls made in the USA anymore that I could find, if you know of one let me know. I have my old 8 pound maul head which was made by Craftsman in the USA but have to find a handle for it. Glad I saved the head now.
China is gutting the USA with its currency rigging and we send them fake paper money and they send lousy products with a lot of 'cheating' in the steel quality so fat cat Home Depot Shareholders and Fat Cat Chinese sweat shop owners is all you have and then you get a lousy axe and the "opportunity' to make yourself poorer and Home Depot Shareholders and the Communist Chinese richer. And a sharp, well designed long lasting tool is the safest tool.
Sad to see Craftsman Tools which are nearly commercial grade go to China. People buying these cheap made in China tools at Home Depot or Sears are hurting us all and especially the people who need commercial grade tools or the 20 pc of America that is unemployed. It is unethical to buy tools made in communist china or india as they use slave labor and you're taking a job away from an American/Canadian and china/india rigs it currency to give its manufacturers the ability to drive USA quality vendors out of business. Buy local. It is 'greener' for this politically correct generation of MTV bra....er kids to buy local.
I was very skeptical about the review about this axe, given my prior experience to wear out Fiskar tools in no time or have the help break them in no time, but I ordered one against my better judgement as Fiskar tools are at least made in Finland which has good protection for labor. And the Finns have a big timber cutting industry they manage well so I suspected maybe the Axe was better or the Finns would just buy the Granfours Bruks' axes from Sweden. So the pressure was on Fiskars to come up with something world class. They surely delivered. This is a superb tool!!
This axe is very, very well balanced and designed, as well balanced and designed as the Gransfour Bruks splitting axe or splitting maul which is saying a lot. It splits like a dream and has the same splitting ability as an 8 lb maul at a much lighter weight which really, really surprised me. So it is particularly good for older people like me that are starting to have trouble with swinging the big mauls all day. The ergonomics are perfect for a 6 foot tall man. The blade keeps its splitting edge well. Splitting a Cord of Pine is near effortless. The only problem is I don't get the good workout anymore the splitting is so effortless. You might not even break a sweat splitting with this axe if you touch up the edge after every cord with a stone. I'm a strong big guy and I was splitting wet 1 foot ponderosa rounds with a 3/4 raise and one arm. It Split just from the gravity fall with the dull factory edge. Truly amazing. Not even my Gransfour splitting axe does that and they shipped it with a dull edge for safety when I tried the dull edge first cut test with just a one arm 3/4 raise. This axe was truly amazing once I put a professional edge on it and got after those 30 in rounds with no problems although you do need some skill to crack a wet 30 inch round on the first go.
FYI - Never ever take a splitting axe or maul behind your head. Learn to split and/or you need to get a heavier axe. I never take ad axe behind my head and have never seen professional fallers or buckers to so at least back in the days when they did not have chainsaws and people learned how to use an axe properly.
I would have preferred a leather sheath but the plastic one it comes with is very clever. Plastic is not good for the environment. You can always grow more cows or wood.
The only question I have is if the handle well hold up and how easy it is to replace. Fiskar steel is better than average, not as good as say Silky Saw steel or Gransfours Bruk steel which is world class, but it is as good as Estwing steel or Vaughn steel so it is great steel. This axe has a commercial grade head as far as steel quality. It is a great, great head.
I gave it five stars as for the price you can't beat this splitting axe. For the homeowner or non professional you cant beat this splitting axe and the only shame is that Vaughn or Estwing don't make a splitting maul or heavy splitting axe in the USA. This axe is the bomb as this generation says.
The only question is how many 'years' of hard use can you get out of the axe handle for professional splitters. But you could buy 4 of these for the price of the Gransfour maul and this splits better although Gransfours won't like to hear that. The Granfours of course last several generations the steel quality is so good so if you don't want to have your kids buy tools go with Granfours axes and maul if you can afford them. I inherited my grandfathers gransfour axes and I am an old man now and they still cut/split like they were new.
Given what is available in the market for high quality 6-8 pound mauls not made in China or India or the third world this splitting axe is the best choice for the home owner with a lot of wood to split especially big rounds. It really cracks those big rounds I was using a estwing wedge and 8/10 lb Vaughn sledge to break.
Looks like they are selling enough of these I can get a new handle if it breaks and the handle is under warranty but I always misplace receipts. I'm going to put some coffee can tin underneath the head to extend the life of the handle as the head is a 'perfect' design. They should give a raise to the engineer who designed this axe. I will buy a few more of these.
In summary a superbly designed axe with capability to split equal to a good usa made 8 lb maul with near commercial quality ex for the handle and lack of a leather sheath. For the price you can't beat this tool and its made in Finland where the government respects labor and not China or India nations looking to gut and steal USA and Canadian jobs by rigging their currency and employing child labor.
Too bad about the cheap looking plastic sheath. A leather sheath and a commercial grade handle of top quality hickory would make this a forever tool and I would gladly pay $75 dollars or more to get the upgrade to the commercial handle and a good sheath. Gransfour is on the run with this axe at last. Heck I would pay 125 dollars for his head on a commercial grade handle it is that good.
Thanks Fiskar. Thanks for providing us with an ethical buying choice and such a superb design. Fix your other tool lines and I will be a buyer. This makes up for all the other Fiskar tools I wore out or the help broke. So Fiskar owed me as I don't take back tools I wear out. That is my job to be a buyer and pay a fair price for high quality.
This axe has HIGH QUALITY although its is nothing to look at as far as aesthetics. Only Gransfour makes beautiful axes anymore.
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