I use the 4 pound Twisted Cone Wedge, and i dearly love it by Lowes

Every thing you showed > i just use a maul on. These big round Red Oak is what i used the Twisted Cone Wedge on

Great review Mark! I love my Halder soft blow hammers, the fit and finish of their tools is unmatched... Great combination you have there! 😃👍

@MarkThomasBuilder

6 жыл бұрын

Thanks! I'm glad to know they hold up well in the long run.

Brilliant Matk. That’s going to be my solution. I tried with a heavy duty jackhammer SDS drill, but I had to rescue 3 chisels using my axe 😂

@MarkThomasBuilder

Жыл бұрын

Oh wow. I'm familiar with having to rescue other wedges. This one should work well for you.

I love using wedges on big rounds to make them easier to handle you might think it's slower than a splitting mall it might be if you only have a few rounds to split but you don't use near as much energy with wedges so I can work a lot longer and get more done before I tire out and start hurting too bad so I definitely will get me one of this to try it out

@MarkThomasBuilder

5 жыл бұрын

The wedge has been holding up very well so far. I like the design of it.

@joshcunningham9082

5 жыл бұрын

@@MarkThomasBuilder thanks for the information I'm going to get me one before firewood season

hands farther apart has more control and is the way to get s wedge to start and bite in, but once in (and as you grow in confidence) go for the axe swing style (but in this case overhead swing of course) where your hands start farther apart but then slide together as you make impact, this will give you maximum striking power! you'll get some overstrikes when you just start doing it (and maybe towards the end of the day when you're shot!) but this tool has metal collar overstrike protection up there so I say go for it! Aluminum wedges seem to dent and absorb more power, putting that into the splitting action, and steel wedges dent less, causing more bounce and robbing you of some of your power. That's why I favor the german aluminum splitting wedges. But maybe the plastic end of this prevents bounce as well, it'd be interesting to compare if I had that maul. Unfortunately I've already bought 3 mauls and may be picking up the new fiskars maul as well to do a maul shootout video. I always am tempted to buy more tools but the cost really adds up and what will I do with all these similar weight/use tools at the end? They're so heavy to ship and sell on ebay and hard to box. I doubt craigslist cheapos will appreciate the value of my fine splitting tools. Maybe christmas gifts to out of shape relatives? ;)

@MarkThomasBuilder

6 жыл бұрын

I've been thinking about doing a wedge comparison video. I recently had a tough elm round that the hydraulic splitter wouldn't split and my big maul wouldn't split it either. It took the Halder wedge to finally bust in in half. Once I did that, the hydraulic splitter took over.

Mark - thanks for the review and demonstrating. It certainly splits wood well that is otherwise very challenging. I have a bunch of large knotty birch rounds up to 2ft. in diameter, so it looks like its time to invest in a wedge and a hammer. Still undecided on aluminum or steel which obviously affects the hammer material choice. In either case the twist seems to bring a major advantage.

@MarkThomasBuilder

6 жыл бұрын

Thanks! There are times that when I come across some difficult twisted wood that can only be split with a wedge. I'm going to make a comparison between the aluminum and steel wedges sometime soon.

@pinchalog9794

6 жыл бұрын

I went with the a "Bison" 45 degree aluminum wedge. Similar to Ochsenkopf and available at the hardware store. Along with a plain 3kg steel maul it turns nasty knotted wood into toothpicks almost effortlessly! Wow. I guess for very heavy users the plastic-tipped hammer might be worth it but it looks to me like the wedge will last a long time at my usage rate.

@joemiller6278

4 жыл бұрын

I had an old gf that was a knotty birch

good review and video man, so many experts in the comments hahaha

@MarkThomasBuilder

4 жыл бұрын

Thank you! I split a lot of firewood, so I feel like I know a thing or two, lol!

Just prior to watching this video I viewed another where the person could NOT get the wedge to go into his wood. He even sharpened the wedge, without any change. He then used just a generic metal wedge and it went in every time easily. He concluded his video saying: maybe you need to use the Halder’s maul with the wedge. I feel that would be craze and it should have worked with a metal sledge as long as the owner was not concerned with deforming the top. Have you heard anything to confirm or deny? Thanks

@MarkThomasBuilder

3 ай бұрын

That's an interesting scenario. I've heard there's some work laws in Germany stating that steel cannot be used to strike other steel with mauls and wedges. You'll notice some axe makers use nylon on the poll (butt) part and the wedges are made of steel. Another option is the maul is all steel and the wedges are aluminum. In my experience, the steel on steel offers the most power and punch to drive the wedge. Estwing makes a nice steel wedge that has softer steel and starts to dent and mushroom when hitting it. I've been using this Halder wedge & maul and it's really impressed me. I don't recall it needing to be sharpened from the factory.

Oh what a Thor with se Hammer !!!! Her Technic is so great like my englisch. There is doing my Eyes pains.😭

Oh it's orange! Should work real nice😉

@MarkThomasBuilder

4 жыл бұрын

Haha, it seems like all the orange tools I have are powerful.

This is a very good example of firewood heating you twice!! How do you get anything accomplished?!?!

@MarkThomasBuilder

5 жыл бұрын

Thanks, lol. I'm always prioritizing my to-do list.

My Fiskar's maul would make short work of all that wood easily. Try splitting knarly knotted twisted grain Red Gum and you'll know what tough wood really feels like ;)

@MarkThomasBuilder

5 жыл бұрын

My favorite Fiskars axe is the discontinued 28" handle maul. I initially thought the handle was too short, but it actually won me over.

@loganwaggoner1959

5 жыл бұрын

Try hardened locust with knots

i have an old splitting wedge that has really been work hardened and is cracking and despite my attempts to prevent mushrooming it still does and beat on that wedge mercilessly. this guy may be able to split firewood, the wedge is for big rounds not little rounds.

@MarkThomasBuilder

4 жыл бұрын

The wedge is very handy to have. I've split some big rounds that the hydraulic wood splitter couldn't

@seanmcmaster2602

4 жыл бұрын

@@MarkThomasBuilder i have myself (mostly black oak and pine). although not speaking of other peoples experience, i got to the point over the years where i don't use the wedge unless the rounds are really hard, knotted.

A lot has todo with the man doing the swinging I got sum oak that I can’t drive any wedge into

@MarkThomasBuilder

6 жыл бұрын

When I get those tough pieces, I use my chainsaw to cut a groove to help the wedge get started.

@jaybirdclark7645

6 жыл бұрын

markthomasbuilder there u go I do the same lol

@jaybirdclark7645

6 жыл бұрын

I got a new wedge and a handle for my old maul where u from I got sum oak thas wicked it’s meaner than anything I ever split the tree is about eight foot wide at the butt

@MarkThomasBuilder

6 жыл бұрын

Wow, sounds like you might need to rent a hydraulic wood splitter.

What tools do you prefer for splitting firewood? A maul, wedge, or both?

@sonora77

6 жыл бұрын

Who makes the maul? It looks light and effective.

@MarkThomasBuilder

6 жыл бұрын

Halder makes the maul and they also make a lighter axe too.

@MarkThomasBuilder

6 жыл бұрын

No, I haven't. I want to try some Swedish axes.

@shanechambless8

6 жыл бұрын

Hyd log splitter works much better

@MarkThomasBuilder

6 жыл бұрын

Yes, I wish I owned one!

👍🏻💯

@MarkThomasBuilder

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks!

that's a small log. Just hit it with the maul. Hard.

@MarkThomasBuilder

6 жыл бұрын

The wedge proved itself in this video kzread.info/dash/bejne/i2mixtpmgpeTgLg.html Check it our around 3:25

@saudagarbarangansemasa544

6 жыл бұрын

your word is true sir.. i agreed

@goshen574

5 жыл бұрын

Mike Hutchinson agreed. An 8# maul with a sharp edge will break it and help keep the beer belly from sprouting. Don’t believe me? I lost 10lbs splitting wood using my maul. PS the OP is right, usually three good hits on the edge will split the log and then just use a regular wedge and 4# hammer to make em into toothpicks

should come with a plastic cover for the top of the wedge instead of the maul.. really seems like the company is double dipping trying to get people to buy both products when it's really unnecessary.

@MarkThomasBuilder

5 жыл бұрын

That would be a nice option for the wedge.

@goshen574

5 жыл бұрын

tfre3927 agreed

Completely clueless city-boy here, but...well, isn’t a wedge just a maul without a handle? I mean, sure, I’ve watched small teams of Canadian ogres using wedges to help bring down full size trees they’ve already attacked with what look like 25’ long chainsaws. But that’s an entirely different class of work than this, surely? I mean, I can just hear them, Crocodile Dundee-like, _“Log? That’s norra log. This is a log. Eh?”_ I guess what I’m asking is simply, why doesn’t he just wallop his little logs with a regular maul or splitting axe? Even with it’s funky twistiness, it doesn’t seem the wedge is buying him much other than one more thing to carry/forget/lose, no? (Again, I have *no* idea about this stuff. It’s quite likely I wouldn’t even be able to lift the wedge, never mind the thing he’s belting it with.)

@MarkThomasBuilder

5 жыл бұрын

Those are very good observations and questions. I honestly don't use wedges as often as I use a maul. When I get a really tough round to split, sometimes a wedge is the best option. The advantage is that you can put the wedge right in the split and start hammering away. The wedge also has a slight twist in the design, so it helps break it apart faster.

@schlomoshekelstein908

5 жыл бұрын

while i havent watched the video yet, you can split a log in half for making rails or fenceposts with wedges. if you're just using them for firewood then every time you whack them they drive deeper into the wood, whereas if ur splitting with an axe you have to pull it out to swing. a girl might be able to split that log with a wedge tapping on it with a sledge 50+ times, but she'd probably never be able to split it with an axe

Find a Chopper 1! Why? One whack on logs those size and that's it!

I would love to get one of these but I do not like that I would need a special sledge to use it. They just lost a sale with me for that reason. I like to go to the woods with the least amount of tools I know will get the job done, That's 2 extra tools, I pass.

@MarkThomasBuilder

5 жыл бұрын

Here in the States, hitting steel against steel is accepted, because the wedge is normally softer steel. In Germany, they guard against chances of shrapnel by using a nylon mallet. Halder makes a handheld mallet called the Supercraft. I'm about to make a video review on that. It might be more minimal to take to the woods when using a wedge.

Halder should offer a maul with the same design and then only 1 tool would be required.

@MarkThomasBuilder

5 жыл бұрын

I'm not sure if they plan on releasing any new designs this year. I was talking with them at a trade show recently.

Why do people insist on splitting the center of the log?

@MarkThomasBuilder

5 жыл бұрын

If you can easily split it in two, then an axe makes quick work of the rest.

a plastic hammer, the world has gone nuts !!!

@MarkThomasBuilder

5 жыл бұрын

I'm wondering if this safety trend will happen in the US?

9:25, wedges are softer steel and are expendable, they are also very safe to use, this dude doesn’t know how to properly split firewood either.

@MarkThomasBuilder

5 жыл бұрын

In Germany, they actually have laws against striking steel to steel, because of the danger it poses with shrapnel.

@brucebeverly2629

5 жыл бұрын

@@MarkThomasBuilder - ... "laws against striking steel to steel?" That notion does not remotely pass the smell test for veracity. There are too many industries / types of metals / shock mitigating mechanisms to make that generalization. For example, try forbidding the striking of metal on metal to a railway (track) maintenance worker. Then in metallurgy, there's mild steel, forged, cast, rolled, drawn, hardened, countless alloys, etc. to consider. Certainly the brittleness and maleability characteristics are important to consider (along with grinding off mushroomed edges) to avoid shrapnel. But please be aware that some manufacturers tend to exaggerate risks (physical and/or legal) in order to "create" a need that, conveniently, only their product can fill.

@MarkThomasBuilder

5 жыл бұрын

@@brucebeverly2629 My source of information about steel striking steel is from a German tool manufacturer. He said regulations are in place, where they use nylon inserts in their hammers instead of steel. I've seen 2 other German tool manufacturers sell aluminum wedges instead of steel for splitting firewood.

@furball5325

4 жыл бұрын

👍

@JA-gx4hb

2 жыл бұрын

@@MarkThomasBuilder so you can't hammer a nail?

66 dollars is a bit steep

@MarkThomasBuilder

6 жыл бұрын

Yes, it's one of the highest priced wedges I've seen. It's also one of the most effective wedges too.

@nonyobussiness3440

6 жыл бұрын

Maybe you should do a wedge comparison.

@MarkThomasBuilder

6 жыл бұрын

Good idea! I have an Estwing Super Split and aluminum twisted wedge from Ochsenkopf. Thanks!

That's why I use a Hydraulic splitter......lol Don't need to work so hard.

@MarkThomasBuilder

6 жыл бұрын

I rent a hydraulic splitter a few times per year to help get caught up. I also enjoy splitting by hand too.

@MichaelQuigley-fy5rc

5 жыл бұрын

You handle three times as much wood or more but then you have to pick it all up, that's where the back pain lives. Hookeroon saves the day!

Little wood

Sledgehammer works better with a wedge

@MarkThomasBuilder

6 жыл бұрын

Haha, yes!

@joshcunningham9082

5 жыл бұрын

@@MarkThomasBuilder yes I agree we have this rubber things at work that go over all our tools that get striked by a sledgehammer it's hard to explain its got a hole in the center of it so you have a good striking surface but it keeps you safe if the head chips it won't come flying back at you

God you talk alot!

$70 for a wedge that costs them $5 to make? No thanks. The axe is a stupid design also. You spend all that money and the hammer part warps. On top of that it needs to be replaced from time to time which I'm sure is also a rip off. This my friend is what I call a rip off company, I would never give them my business. I'm not that stupid.