Gransfors Maul vs Ochsenkopf/ Stihl Splitting Axe Review after long term use
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- Опубликовано: 16 ноя 2022
- ochsenkopf spalt fix, also sold by stihl under the name pro splitting axe versus the gransfors bruk maul. i have used the spalt fix for one year and the gransfors for 6 months
this is my experience after long term use splitting mostly hardwoods such as oak, ash and beech as well as softwoods such as cedar, spruce and douglas fir.
overall both good tools but i prefer the ochsenkopf
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I won’t even think of buying another axe without looking at Bens in-depth performance review videos. The impending buyers remorse will haunt you for the rest of your life after discovering that you broke the bank, only for the second best…
POW!!! right in the wallet!
I have had stihl version for years and years and have split countless cords of Doug fir, big leaf maple and madrone. I did thin out the handle a bit when I first got it other than that I keep it Sharp and it has been indestructible thanks for the video Ben
Funny you post this video today, I just received a Ochsenkopf Spalt-fix axe, the 2.5kg on 80cm handle, for a little cheap splitting axe project since I'm tired struggling with sticky axes in gnarly dense wood and I don't like using mauls.
Based on your experience I'm already happy with my choice.
Thanks for the vid as always!
Thanks for the review. Matching the right axe to the wood seems to be an important factor.
Good honest review. Both look like good axes to have in the kit.
I’ve had the Stihl/Ox splitting axe for 3 years now and it has been a game changer. It’s built like a tank as well as being a great splitter. Pacific Northwest woods such as Maple, Alder, Doug Fir, Hemlock etc. The Stihl axe still looks newish and our house is heated with a stove, so it’s been used for more hours than I can count. Great review as usual
Heirloom homestead piece definitely!
I own both 1250g and 2500g head...
Been using the Ochsenkopf in the past couple of days since its purchase. As a layman, I think I made the right choice with the Ochsenkopf. Thanks Ben!
Excellent information
Thank You Ben
Dear Ben,
New to your channel. Based on your information, I've purchased the Ochsenkopf axe. Had wanted the Gränsfors before, however only for being a snob myself and without any experience.
I do enjoy working with it!
Thanks a lot!
All the Best, Sz.
Nice video, so satisfying to watch you split wood.
That oxe head is a beast. I found a great deal one a stihl branded one and love it. Definitely agree, it is the one to use for knotty hardwoods.
Thanks for sharing :) great videos young man ,I''m at that age the axe gets used less and less, time for a electric splitter, and I love my softwood, spruce , pine, birch, or tamarack in my part of the north :))
Just pulled the trigger on the Oschenkopf based on this video, and the cracking price I found... Hopefully it'll actually turn up and it's as good as it appears! Thanks for the vid! ^_^
Well, that turned out too good to be true... "We've cancelled your order as we don't actually have any stock."
I see there's a non-rotband version around the £65 mark delivered. Any current recommendations for a decent splitting axe under £100? The Fiskars X27 seems to be popular too...
What did you end up getting?!
Awesome, stuff matey
So ,maybe you can take the little brother of the ox head with the 50 cm handle .Its easyer to handle and have enough power ,i love it because i can use it with one hand.Ochsenkopf is an old german masterpiece 😀
Hey Ben!! Good on ya mate! Thanks for all your wonderful videos!!
What tools ⚒️ splitting axe or mauls would you recommend me for primarily Pine and Douglas fir? I live in Montana USA.
Buy new or vintage?
Thanks my brother 🙏
Great video, Ben. Learnt a lot. Been looking to get into log chopping. Recently, I bought the Roughneck axe set (Splitting maul, hatchet and steel wage), would love to get your thoughts on roughneck axes. Based on this review, I am likely to get the ochsenkopf (if I can find it) but likely to buy the Stihl version. I can't find it under the "pro splitting axe" name but found the Stihl AX28CS cleaving axe which looks similar, I think.
The roughneck maul is the first maul I ever used. not great but not terrible. it works well enough and holds up to abuse so perfect to learn on. depending how much you split every year it might be worth upgrading. a nice compliment to it would be a fiskars x25 or x27 or husqvarna s2800.
I use gränsfors, after some hours of splitting my elbows start hurting because of the vibration.
I bought the Husqvarna 2800 last month an love it, if anything the handle needs to be a little longer. I like how it has the protective piece on the handle near the head, shame Fiskars don’t don’t do this. Iv not tried the 2 in your video.
If you had to choose 2 axes what would they be?
as iin 2 splitting axes? spalt fix and ochsenkopf bavarian splitting axe www.grube.eu/p/ochsenkopf-splitting-axe/P20-260/
Thanks I may have to try one 🤠
The Stihl version looks the part.
I guess you don’t use a hydraulic splitter 💪
@@chrisj9420 No i do use a processor at work but still do a lot of hand splitting as it cant fit more than an 11'' diameter
I'd love to find an old oschenkomp like that
They still make them
@@benscottwoodchopper yes but I'd prefer an old vintage one. I have the little brother 3lb head. Punches way above its weight. Oak, ash, etc
I noticed that when your axe got stuck in a smaller piece of wood that you’d wiggle your axe out and swing again. Is there any reason why you just wouldn’t pick up the stuck piece of wood with the axe inside it and swing them together to finish splitting them? Just wondering if that’s your personal preference or if you have another reason? Keep up the great videos, I’ve learned a ton!
Sometimes if the edge is trying to cut fibre and dug in its easier to take another swing that follows the split rather than force it through
What you address at 03:30 is basically an essential when it comes to splitting axes profiles and barely anyone mentiones it.
I find convex profiled cheeks of Ochsenkopf work way better for my firewood consisting mainly of beech/hornbeam.
I mostly use slightly modified Fiskars X25 as it's easier to swing and shallow handle soak vibration better. Only when a stubborn knarly log refuses to give up I reach for Ochsenkopf shown in this video.
Fiskars splitting axes have concave cheeks like that Gränsfors Bruk maul. Prior utilizing mine, I carefully shaved off ~5mm of a bit to get the thicker apex that doesn't get buried too deep before it causes log to start splitting.
This year I will be getting an Ochsenkopf maul for longer handle, heavier and narrower head which I believe will be more advantageous than this axe.
Do you have any personal experience with Ochsenkopf splitting maul?
Which maul exactly?
@@benscottwoodchopper I apologize for not specifying it - Professional Big Ox.
Handle length 900mm; head weight 3000g; long handle protection sleeve (Rotband - Plus).
I believe Stihl also sells it, in orange color of course...
@@vladimirradic6019 i have that one, its a solid choice.
@@benscottwoodchopper Kiitos paljon Sir, greetings from Finland!
Do you guys buck the rounds that small because most wood burners are small there? Just curious bc my dad just got a small one, and it’s a paint in the ass.
Yes woodburners in the UK are typically quite small
Yeah most stoves here will only take 11"
Thanks for another very honest review. I can see why you don't need your gym membership anymore haha.
Ben, have you ever tried the Husqvarna large splitting axe? With wooden handle and 2500g head? It looks similar to the Oxhead/Stihl version you are using here, but with a different handle? Would be interested to know if you’ve seen or used it. Thanks 👍
If the head geometry looks the same it'll more than likely work the same.
You can get the Ochsenkopf in 1,25 Kilo too. It's my preferred ax for the smaller pieces.
Yeah its a nice one too
@@benscottwoodchopper it is not rocking your bones on small pieces as the 2.5 kilo 😂
Ben I drank the coolaid and picked up a Stihl splitting axe this morning. I'm thinking in the long run I want a 36" overall length, but keep the overstrike protection. Any suggestions on where to source a handle? I'm in the US btw.
I actually prefer the 32", ymmv with use. You would probably have to make your own replacement for a 36 thay would fit
Good review. I know where I’d spend my money now.
Thx
No matter the axe, splitting wood is hard work, I have done it a lot but never anything 4ft in diameter, you got some big trees there.
Most trees are smaller, its rare you get 90cm logs
the clip of you swinging at that 3fter at 10:50 pains me hahaha
with the cedar, even billy bucking ray could have managed it. cant get on with splitting mauls in general though. i much prefer an old felling axe pick with it and bring it down pole first. i find it more efficient in oak
P.S.: do you have a footage of sharpening the axe?
Not really, just grab a file and maintain the angle that its at or a little buit thinner
@@benscottwoodchopperThank you!
is that the 6lbs ochsenkopf? I just ordered a 6lb one cant wait to try it
Yes
What is the aluminum wedge you're using? Could you do a video on wedges?
just a stihl aluminium universal wedge. best wedges ive used and highly reccomend them
@@benscottwoodchopper Thanks, any opinion on their twisted wedge?
@@chrisE815 probably works a bit better for splitting, i like the universal because i also fell but in general aluminuim works better than steel wedges
Confirmed the twisted wedge is amazing. Amazingly expensive but gets the job done.@@benscottwoodchopper
Awesome review! I always doubted the gransfors as a functional maul for those exact reasons: poor grip, thin bit, and small hammer face. The Ox head looks much better in comparison. I’m surprised that it doesn’t have a hardened poll. I suppose aluminum wedges like you have wouldn’t hurt it too much. Have you ever used the fiskars 8lb isocore maul? I’m not sure if they sell that model in the UK. It has a massive hammer face and one of the thickest wedge profiles I’ve seen. A great tool if you can suffer through using it🤣
I dont think they sell the isocore here
I have the Isocore maul and also the x27 (well the older all black type-same thing). The maul is a beast in some wood if you're strong enough to swing it for more than a few minutes. Obviously the hammer face is useful for hammering wedges but most people I know who have used both prefer the x27 for splitting. Again though if you're strong enough to get that maul moving quickly it will split just about anything. I just feel like I get more done with the splitting axe with equal energy expenditure
God bless
A much as I know GB has straight handle so oen can use it both as splitting maul and maul to drive wedges in.
The problem is not the handle is straight, its that the handle design has almost no palm swell. Plenty of other straight handles have much better palm swells which greatly help with gripping the axe in the rain
@benscottwoodchopper I have never used my in the rain. I never slip so down with my hands anyways. On normal axes and especially on smaller ones, I do hold up to the palm swell, and I prefer curved handles. But on hammers and msuls and such this is working normal for me.
Specifically what model is your ochsenkopf axe?
2.5kg spalt fix
Are those axes microscopic or are you a huge pal?
That was another very informative video Ben. Watching you doing all that work, i was wondering if you tried this splitting block set-up, you would find yourself getting through stuff much quicker. ruclips.net/video/hGKOBhfDueM/видео.html
I do sometimes get a similar effect by letting the split wood pile up around the block. definitely a good idea for knotty wood. if its clean though i find this to be the fastest method ruclips.net/video/e-4YGlnAUWo/видео.html