The worst splitting axe money can buy - Swedish husqvarna/ hults bruk 

Remember guys, this comparison is against a FELLING AXE. When the design is so poor it fails in its specialisation against an axe that is designed primarily for another use

Great demonstration as always ben, your channel always has what Im looking for in terms of honest, high quality axe content.

Hello Scott , thank you for a great channel ! I recently bought the hultafors splitting axe KLY SV - 900 gram . It is working ok ,but i can already see some tear and wear on top of the shaft and i have to use some force to split the wood. What axe would you recommend for splitting a regular size of firewood like you are splitting in this video ? Thanks ! Niels Dahl

I'm more impressed with how you hit the same exact spot 4 times in a row on one of those last soft wood pieces. Good review. I think I will avoid that axe.

Hello Ben. Is that Silver Birch you are splitting? Most of the 6-10 cords of wood I split each year is no more than 16" diameter. Species are Douglas Fir and White Spruce, Aspen, Silver Birch, occasional Balsam Fir and small diameter Vine Maple (usually 6-8"). At the moment I am using an old 6lb maul (with convex cheeks), a Billnas No7 axe (probably a 3.5lb head, very wedgy with convex edged profile with cutting edge of 3". The Billnas also has a thick 2.25" collar (as part of the head). I also use a 3.5lb double bit that is well worn, it has convex cheeks, it is great to use on larger blocks with straight grain. The Billnas splits Fir rounds well, up to 16" or so, The maul takes over and deals with the inevitable knotty rounds of Douglas Fir, or worse still, Balsam Fir. I burn stove wood from 16" to 20" length so most can be split on the ground, though sometimes I split shorter lengths on a block. I have looked at these Husqvarna Splitting Axes and almost bought one in a sale, it may be good if all I split was dry straight grained White Spruce (which may be a principal firewood in Sweden), but I can see how it would not be a great tool in my forest.

Ben, happy holidays kind sir! Felling axes have been used to split wood for years since really the beginning, with some exceptions I'm sure and can be very effective. I just recently purchased a couple modern splitting axes in the last five years. I've been splitting wood for 20 years since I was fifteen. I'm 35 years old now and have come to appreciate the Fiskars X27 and the Husqvarna S2800 by Gardena. I know that because you're the one who told me a couple years ago that Gardena makes the Husqvarna composite handled axes, haha! I really love the Fiskars 8lb Isocore splitting maul as well. I'm sort of a hybrid guy now, I like wooden and composite handled axes the best of both worlds. Not to say an axe and maul are the same because they're not. I only use my beloved Fiskars Isocore maul for massive rounds. A 4-5lb axe is very comfortable swinging and is more capable of swing 90% of what you need. The profile is a big factor, as demonstrated in this video. In early attempt at a splitting axe was called a "Chopper" introduced in America years ago. It had a mechanism integrated into the axe head itself. I know nothing about it, its more of a novelty item than a splitting tool. Its basically a collector's item now. I would imagine it wasn't very popular from the start. God bless.

Glad I watched this. I’ve been considering buying this axe. I was a little skeptical due to the size, and design so I never did commit to buying it. This confirmed my suspicions. Thanks for the video!

The only thing i started to like on the Swedish(i dont use skandinavian, since i dont know any norwegian or danish pattern) pattern are the Lugs/Appendixes/Ears. I made many drawings incorporating round, triangular and other forms on my favorite axe design, but it just does not look aesthetic. (Tyrol/Carintian/Krain Pattern (Belovar, Kapsovar even)(so annoying that i wont ever be 100% sure where it came from), i "adore" the little Jag on top, for one that it looks unique and even more because its not just put on to look fancy, but because the whole Blade is rotated towards the handle (more ore less depending on the manufacturer/plans the use)) It came to the appreciation on how good every detail fits together on different Patterns of axes, but then again im no professional designer. lol Which is your Favorite?

Perfect timing Ben. I looked at this axe in the Husqvarna shop yesterday. Fortunately I left it in the shop. My curiosity is now gone and the money is still in my pocket. Thanks. Great video!

Norwegian Wood, Lars Mytting, pp76,77: "An old method of splitting long logs was to chop them lying flat, hitting directly into the bark. A splitting ax with a narrow head is used, such as this one (opposite page) by Wetterlings. If you don't have much space for splitting and drying, chopping the wood in long lengths this way is a practical alternative, even if the drying take longer. More of the work can be done out in the forest, and dry cordwood is easy to transport ". Perhaps if used in the right application, the axe is perfectly suited to the task. If the design wasn't good, HB and Wetterlings wouldn't have, and wouldn't be, wasting money making them.

The big question is: do you split dry or green wood? I heared both sides thqt were telling me it is easier so split ... wood. U seem to be an expert on that. :D

I have to agree with you on this one. I own one of these and have been shocked at how easy it is to overstrike it and get it stuck. I'm fairly certain that a properly-sharpened splitting maul would dance circles around this axe.

My first view at that particular tool Mr. Ben. Maybe in swedish woods it performs well. It is nicely forged what I could see. Possibly the designer's intent was to concentrate the energy to a small area, but the other parts of the splitter recipe are lacking...

This might make a decent felling axe for dry hardwood, if you grind it proper🤔

I have this splitting axe also. I find the handle is too short for my liking. It’s definitely not my favorite axe for splitting.

Interesting video Ben. I think these axes were designed to split small diameter Birch on a tall block. Mine works grand for this job and little else, but no axe is truly suited to all species / diameters. Just my thoughts, for what they're worth.

Hey, what is the weight of the head?

Great demonstration ! Maybe it could be converted to a felling axe after being grinded ?

Would this have been the wood the axe was designed to split? This is a very old axe pattern, and I have to assume that it wouldn’t have lasted this long if it didn’t serve an adequate purpose. As a Scandinavian axe, perhaps it would’ve done better in softwood than hardwood. I have both the full size HB splitting axe, and the smaller HB splitting axe. I agree 100% with everything you said about handle strikes. It is an extremely unforgiving pattern, and the rectangle shape wants to drive into the wood deep, but it doesn’t have enough wedge to split, so you end up smacking the handle on the round.

Everytime I had seen that axe online I thought it was some sort of weird shaped chopping axe. Just doesn't look like a splitter at all

I believe this axe type is designed to split relatively thin (4-10") and 1 meter (40") long pieces. To split these you can't use chopping block. You hit them to the side when they lay on the ground. Too much wedge shape axe head and little inaccurate hit will cause axe head to bounce to the side and wood only partially split. Thinner blade will be more beneficial in this type of splitting. Long pieces like these split the easiest soon after they are cut down and preferably when they are frozen. In the old days when burning firewood was the primary mean to warm up houses in Finland and Scandinavia it was very common to cut and split firewood to 1m/ 40" long. After splitting they were piled up to make 1m×1m×1m (= 1 motti) stacks for them to dry. Making them this long reduced the work time needed to make them able to start drying. It also made it easier to pile them. After few months they were dried enough to be transported out of the felling site to the end user. Making and the handling the fire wood was done by hand so it was more efficient to do it with 1m/40" long pieces instead of shorter variances. End user had to cut them shorter to fit his fireplace, 0,25m/0,33m/0,5m being the typical lenghts.

thanks for video. just brought the hatchet version as a gift for my brother, i think i will have to cancel the order.

The softwood really showed up the flaws of the Husqvarna, I am quite surprised by how poor it was.

I personally would like to see the head from the Husqvarna s2800 composite handle splitting axes on a traditional handle , I own the s2800 and it's a fantastic splitter I love it but I can't understand why they wouldn't offer it with a hickory handle I mean they give it a lifetime guarantee to if you break it they're going to replace it for you anyway so it's not like it's a ploy to get you to buy another one , the s2800 is a 5.5/6 lb head with 28inch composite handle and it splits wayyyyy better than the fiskars axe which I've used and loved for years they split wood magnificently and the Husqvarna s2800 puts the fiskars In the corner and says hold my beer. However I recently got into traditional axes after buying a hults bruk 3.5lb felling axe (atran I think is the name) and 2 things happened 1. took a gentle swing into some knotty rock maple with it and watched it split it almost to the bottom and 2that's now my main splitter. I've also purchased several other huskys bruk axes and I never leave home without them. I now have an unhealthy obsession with traditional axes and just found out that someone is getting me and arvika five star for Xmas I'm super stoked can't wait to blow some rounds apart with that now that I no longer have the fear of over swinging and destroying my handle I plan to get a few more real axes I have my eye on some of the oschenkopf Adler's and hello axes and at some point I plan to get some of the basque axes when money is not so tight. But until then I'm going to enjoy my hults bruks and since my local hardware store carries them and I get a 50 percent discount there I'll most likely own the entire hults bruk collection as I get the discount even on ones that I have them order I cant believe I spent so many years not knowing the joy of using a quality handmade axe to do my work . Love your videos they're helped me grow significantly as an axeman in short period of time you buckin Billy and Owen have opened a new chapter in the book of my life thank you !

And what is the best ax in your opinion?

Should just give a 18 deg flat grind and turn into a felling axe like the Berlin Pattern

Thanks for the demonstration. It's a pathetic excuse for a splitter. My go to for busting rounds is my Fiskars 8lb maul/sledge. With the weight and concave design it explodes wood. The IsoCore handle is supreme.

I have one of these, and recognise your criticism.

How long does this Pattern exist? I did not find it in any Catalogs, but then i did not look much, as Skandinavian Axes dont interest me since they are just average and have no strong Innovative Forms/things on them.

Well, I don't know, I don't think he's such a bad ax, I just bought the small Hultafor, 900 gr. and a 50cm handle, and he splits really well, not bad, and I bought the same one as you, but it hasn't been delivered to me yet, when I get it, I'll check if he's really as bad as you say.

I'll scratch that one off the list of things to buy

I bought one of these. Definitely worst axe. Handle broke after a few days due to a fault in the handle. Then Hultafors refused the warranty due to "wear and tear"! Avoid at all costs!

The Swedish pattern pump on the other hand ....

I reckon this head design maybe wasnt a splitting axe originally it just doesnt look right. I reckon a carpentry axe instead perhaps since it looks more like a chisel than anything else.

I have a Wetterlings splitting maul and dislike it for all the same reasons you mention here. I never use it.

You’re overstriking. Hit the edge instead of the center

Love mine, split a holzhausen worth of oak last weekend

As he effortlessly splits wood with that pos

You’re basically forced to pop wood from the top with an inch or two of that bit, eh? (Insert 🍆 joke here) I wonder if they do any testing before they produce an axe.

I bought it 5 years ago. What a poor splitting axe..

this isnt fair swing form with the high chop block is no power to wood

Greetings from Hungary!

I would reprofile this axe and use it as a mortising axe like a chisel for log cabin building.

you barely swing…I couldn’t help but notice this. How would you expect to split wood with all the job done by that light head?

I don't know, seems to me like it works just fine.

It's pretty underwhelming 😉

I'm far from impressed by your review. This axe wasn't designed to split the size of the rounds you are hitting. I also fail to see how you can manage to overstrike and damage the handle. Poor technique or lack of experience?? If you are splitting wood I'd suggest having a range of axes and using the one that is the most suitable. I'd also suggest getting some eye protection on and also a pair of gloves, even if they are only grip gloves. I'm also more than happy to send you a video of this axe doing fast work in wood it was designed to split.

Terrible design

All this is bullshit! The Splitting Ax is excellent! I put a metal protection on it and everything is ok.

I'll stick with American designs since they are the best.

Lower your chopping-stump. Swing harder NOTHING wrong with a Husky axe. Happy swedish wood-nut :)