Which Splits Firewood Best? 

One weekend when I was a kid I broke two mauls and a sledgehammer splitting firewood. I got in so much trouble but I didn't do it on purpose. My dad and I went to the hardware store and he made me pay for a new maul and then he broke it on the first swing. lol He gave me my money back :)

Worth noting that (here) we use wedges in twos and fours on huge rounds. Start the crack with one, insert another in the end of the crack and so on. You can split monster rounds that no maul would touch. When the pieces get smaller, flip the maul round and split the the sharp face. Its not maul vs wedge here, its maul and wedges. On the metal shards, when the wedge mushrooms over, you will likely find that small pieces of the mushroomed part will fly off. We just tidy up the edges of the wedges on the bench grinder as needed to remove any mushrooming HTH

I personally often find it works well to hammer from the other direction, in which the split is perpendicular to me. I've found this to help prevent the wedge from tilting. Also, numerous times when I've missed, hitting in line with the split, the wedge has flown out and almost caused serious bodily damage. It doesn't do that when you're perpendicular to the split, because the wall of wood is blocking it from spinning out that way. For some reason, all that was hard to put into clear words.

The twist is for reducing the contact area of the wedge in the wood, which gives it less friction going in. cheers.

My father was a toolsmith. Always use hard on soft, never hard on hard. Unless you want to lose an eye.

I have split literally hundreds and hundreds of rounds using wedges but I don't use a maul for impact I always use a 16lb sledge. Your videos always bring me back to my youth because my family had a cabin in the central Sierra all my life and we always had 6-7 foot round logs to split. I got really good with accuracy and with the axe too. I always wanted to chop a log in half and make it look like a saw cut with the smoothest walls possible. I tried to challenge myself when working. I learned to keep an eye out for mushroomed heads on the wedges and keep the grinder handy to grind off the splitting mushroom shards and I never lost an eye!

The video is called “Wedge vs. Maul: Which Splits Firewood Best?” But there was no comparison shown with the maul...

Hey cody my favorite tool to use when pounding on wedges is an actual sledge hammer.

Alan seems to be a very cordial person and its good Cody and his family have a good friend around who doesn't mind being a neighbor on camera :) and he is also their house minder when they are out of town from what I understand. He has a nice demeanor and I think he does well in videos with Cody. Kudos to Alan :)

well first off, Maul is a Dathomirian Sith warrior trained in Form 7 lightsaber combat. he utilizes sheer strength and overwhelming speed to defeat his enemies. whereas Wedge is an ace pilot for the Rebellion, specializing with the X-wing starfighter. if I had to pin the 2 together, I'd say Maul would force choke Wedge to death before he could even reach for his blaster. however if Maul and Wedge were in starfighters, Wedge would win every time, despite Maul's skill in the force.

Maul vs. wedge, it's really just the flavor of the day for me. I really dislike the maul I currently have, but it can make splitting easy-to-split wood go quicker. I would definitely reach for wedges if I had to strike the pole more than a few times. Some hardwoods are VERY difficult to split in comparison to that douglas fir.

I've always found that driving a wedge is much more tiring than taking multiple swings with an 8lb maul. I have a wedge, but only use it for the most stubborn rounds, that are either super knotty or dense enough that the maul bounces off. Even then, I can usually make the maul work by splitting the log around the outside edges and working my way in.

Man, Alan is really stylin' in that field jacket and work gloves.

If you spray the wedge with WD40, it sinks in easier and faster. Also, on a big log, use two wedges not just one.

Please Please Please wear ear protection when doing metal on metal strikes. It's those short and sharp pinging sounds that can cause a lot of damage.

I love a wedge. I call it hammer and nail. this twisted wedge is my favorite. can't get them here anymore. don't know why.also never use a maul with a wedge. use an 8-10 pound hammer. works much better.

Those twisted wedges are all we use anymore. I think there's 11 or 12 around here, scattered in our different wood stations. If you watch the wedge will ride on that outside rail on it's way through the wood, a wide wedge on a small profile of contact, penetration and wedge thickness is maximized. We have completely given up on the old standard strait tapered wedge. These really pop open the round. They do require more attention to the mushroom though, but I would much rather tend that, opposed to the alternative. Hammers and wedges in the big rounds is the only way to go, splitting tools after the round is open.

The twist in the wedge is not new, back in the 80s a company in Portland I think it was made twisted wedges along with other wood cutting/handling tools. I had one of their wedges and it worked very well just like the one you are using. What the twist does is cut down the surface friction by cutting down the contact area with the wood, so there is less drag when striking, so the wedge sinks in deeper with each strike.

i once had such a chip fly of a faulty maul and it went into my leg 8 cm deep (about 3 inches). if such a chip happens to impact your chest between your ribs it has enough penetration to puncture ones heart and become fatal. Never use wedges that have such a hard top that chips fly off.

there for just a min I thought you were going to start in the middle and I was going to leave a very harsh comment. Glad you moved it to the edge to start. Any one that has ever split even one large log knows to start at the edge and get it to split all the way across. thank you for this video, I like a lot of your videos just don't comment all the time.

when i bought my first honda, i also got an impact screwdriver. you set it on a stuck screw head and hit it with a hammer. there was a twisted rod inside that transferred the force in the form of TORQUE to the screw. Your wedge does the same thing, transferring the impact and forcing the wedge to twist through the wood. It will force the left side of the stump away from you and the right side towards you. This adds a "shear" action to the simple lateral separation normally at work here. Your last split showed this because you had to move your feet clockwise to follow the stump. Beautiful wedge!! (and yes, i do have too much time on my hands. lol)

you should always wear safty glasses when hitting weages or you might get stuff in your eyes

Hey wranglerstar, just food for thought. 5 years ago I broke and dislocated my right shoulder in a bad snowmobile accident in northern MN. With that said I have had to change the way I split wood. both at home and in the field. In the field I use my chain saw and cut big rounds down to manageable sizes. I cut only half way so not to hit the ground. then I use a splitting maul or slug hammer and wedges. This way splits wood very nice for me and the concussion shock back thru the handle isn't as bad either. I've split like this for many years without a problem. If I split straight splitting maul only it's a night of pain meds and muscle rub. Just a tid bit for you.

I have a maul, a splitting axe and several wedges. And for the most part I prefer a Sledge and wedge method.

The twist in the wedge would help - it's the same as when you stick the ax in a log and twist sideways trying to break free. Would be really cool if you could do a close-up slo-motion of the wedge working on a strike when it splits. Think you could do it?

My Wetterlings splitting wedge is twisted and seems to work the same way as this one. I believe you are correct that the twist forces the wood apart by transferring force sideways but I think the twist is also what prevents binding as less surface area is in contact along the edges than would be the case in a straight rectangular profile. Great video!

Hey Cody I believe in that same episode of Little House on the Prairie Charles Ingalls asks what happens if you miss striking the rod/drill and the guy responds, "You'll end up picking your nose with your elbow." Never forgot that quote.

Hi, Cody. Twist in the wedge acts as extra leverage, as a way to turn the material aside while splitting and also helps the wedge in NOT getting stuck in the material.

downward momentum helps push the wedge deeper twist in the wedge gives angular momentum that pushes the fibers out of the way and reduces contac point between the wood and the wedge that means less friction and more downward energy output ... also because of the twist after the split starts spreading beyond the width of the wedge the twist helps further expand the split like twisting an axe by the handle

I'm no Engineer but the twist "IS" what's helping it! The Prandi forged steel wedge has a special spiral shape, around 45 degrees. This makes the leading edge of the thin blade twist as it is driven deeper into the log, thus multiplying it's splitting forces. This wedge is not meant to be consumable. The head is made of a malleable steel because that prevents the risk of dangerous chipping that can cause injury from flying metal. As you gain experience, aim for the middle, (I'm not being judgemental, I've driven a few railroad spikes in my day and a target that small is hard to hit haha!) choose a good hammer to strike it with. If it mushrooms off the edge due to wear heat it a little and then beat the head back in place on an anvil. (tool maintenance) The "Blade" however, is made of a Harder, Stronger, Steel or Iron to make it wear well. Prandi offers a better more expensive Aluminum version also. www.a-prandi.it/en/shop/3-046-cuneo-in-alluminio-elicoidale.html The lighter weight aluminum wedge transfers the impact into the wood more efficiently than the heavier steel wedge. (that's all about inertia) The lighter weight hardened aluminum is easier to move upon striking, driving it deeper into the wood and it doesn't chip. I've never split wood but I worked in a steel mill (Slept in a Holiday Inn, Haha!). At AK Steel Ashland Ky. I'm familiar with different metals and their characteristics. I have some homesteader in me, it's that way here in rural Kentucky. I hope I was of help Guy's, I enjoyed the video. Keep up the Good Work!

As a kid I remember my dad using a wedge to bust some oak. Me and my brother were sitting on the tailgate, waiting to carry the wood over. Dad ran the chainsaw, busted the rounds, we would go grab the split pieces and and load it. He was about halfway through a tree, busting the rounds when we heard a loud ping, then an even louder thunk. My dad came running over, a big chip had popped off the wedge and sunk itself about an inch into a piece of wood between me and my brother. After that he always made us stand on the other side of the truck. When I got bigger I was the one swinging the sledgehammer busting rounds as he went down with the saw. I miss it at times, but have a torn rotator cuff that didn't heal right from 18 years of busting wood.

just got a youtube account 2 mins ago you were the first persons i subscribed too ive have been watching your videos for two years and im so glad i can now participate in the comments and the bible studies and all that jazz i have never disagreed two much on anything you say and am proud to subscribe to a channel with such good ideas and intentions for the first time i can say thank you wranglerstar for all the effort you go to to keep me entertained in every video

Little House. Great show that had many great lessons for those willing to learn. Mr. Edwards played by Victor French!

I slightly missed the wedge yesterday and it went flying like it was in a hatchet throwing contest. My 3 year old was outside playing....made my re-think splitting wood outside vs paying 5 bucks at the grocery store!

WS, You should get another wedge of common make and get two pieces of wood maybe saw through a knot so both will be as close to the same as possible and compare the wedges. Hit one then the other see how they compare that way. the twisted wedge seems to have double the spread as you drive it in, its spreading with the down force and then as it twist its pushing out sideways even more.

Enjoyed your video,I know it's a long time ago,but still enjoyed watching it. Don't know if anyone suggested it, but the twist in that wedge probably gives rotational force to the wood helping it force apart

forgive my ignorance, but who is Alan?

Neat wedge. I saw one several years ago that looked like a top with coarse threads on it. They called it the "hand grenade" Ever use one of those?

I have wedged a lot of wood over the years. I also have had a steel splinter come off the wedge after a lot of use and they become rolled. I always use safety glasses and from time to time grind the roll over edges off the wedge. However since starting to use a splitting ax four years ago I hardly ever need a wedge.

I met a fella years back who was splitting wood with a wedge and a piece of the wedge hit his little girl in the eye and blinded her. I always remember that and always wear eye protection plus not let anyone near when splitting. Soft metal can splinter off soft wedges.

The bearded friend is Mr Isaiah Edwards. Little House on the Prairie is my all time favorite TV show.

I have found that standing 90° of the way you were, that the wedge doesn't move as much, but we burn only hard wood. Oaks red & white, hickory. On some of the wood the log splitters strain.

Being up in BC I caved and bought a log splitter for the Douglas Fir logs but still enjoy a mauler for the Alder and Yellow cedar. Too old for a wedge now too, I'm lucky I only need 7 cords for heat this year instead of 20 last year.

Basically what you are doing is driving a big screw into the wood and that is what is helping it pop apart. It's twisting in the wood and doing it in an impacting force. Very effective. Great video!

Nice. Looks like the side camera was taking a beating from the concussion. Great video.

the reason for a twisted wedge to work well in splitting is simply that you reduce friction compared to a standard wedge, from touching the wood on 2 large surfaces to only touching it on 2 small surfaces which allows the power to be used for driving the wedge instead of over coming friction. like so many other things the wedge is a tool applicable only for certain tasks. the skill comes in part in knowing where. always using it it slow and can be wasteful. but not using it when it can help can be just as bad or worse. i have split my fair share of oak poles with standard wedges (2 to 3 meters long (6 to 10 feet roughly)) and any knots will make it stick in there like no tomorrow. perhaps i should invest in a couple of theese for myself before the next season comes around.

I don't have a education in engineering but I can already see a couple of advantages of this design in a wedge, the twist seems to do two things, first it reduces the contact area which contact the wood and also helps to drive the log apart by it trying to turn slightly and therefore giving it more force towards the sides, but that's just my two cents, it would be great to see a side by side comparison with this and a normal wedge. Have a great day and keep up the great work :)

An Estwing Sure Split wedge works great at this job. Start a small groove with maul to hold wedge upright, use moderate easy to control swings and it splits surprisingly easy. The soft head of wedge won't chip and after hundreds of blows can be ground to contour again. The hard sharp tip with side flutes does the work.

This video series has the most decent, polite, respectful, clean talking presenters and commenters, by far, ive watched/read. And amazing how that "evolved", ya'll mostly read your Bible. Pleasure to spectate.

I wrap my wood sledges handle for about 8 inches from the head with leather wrap and Gorilla tape. Wear earplugs, that sound can damage hearing. Let the weight do the work, don't force the sledge down. That way you can work all day. And when the wedge mushrooms, clean it up with a grinder before it starts cracking. My preferred method for most smaller logs is setting the maul once, hard, and then using a 5 to 8 lb sledge on the maul. I now have a Yard Max 35 ton splitter for the big stuff

I stand at right angles to the line of the wedge, and have less trouble with the wedge wandering off plumb this way. Have you assessed your varied mauls for driving wedges? Mine aren't tempered on the blunt end for driving wedges, and I have to bring a sledge with me for driving them, so I don't mushroom my mauls.

Now I'm not an expert at it, but I've split plenty of wood with a wedge and maul. So if I can, I would suggest choking your top hand all the way to the top and sliding down as you swing, about the same as a sledge hammer, also if you stand on the opposite side of the log when you hit the wedge then it won't fly out towards you.

I have many wedges and that one is my favourite for splitting. it is handy to have a second in case one gets buried. with 2 there will always be one loose one. the straight wedges are best for felling of course. I wrap all of my axe handles with soft fencing wire round and round for the first 8" to 1' next to the head. That saves so many handle replacement jobs. You can over swing with a maul on a wedge and the wire absorbs the blow. It is still not recommended to over swing but you know it happens.

I used a maul and then hit that with a sledge.works greatly more stable than a wedge and you start it with the first swing. Yeah that episode was awesome, trust in my fellow man!

Mr. Wranglerstar, I do believe Alan was surmising along the same lines I was. I think the twist reduces the surface area in contact with the wood. Perhaps this reduces the friction and allows more of the energy energy to be utilized in the actual splitting of the log.

My grandfather taught me to use a wedge when I was about 9 years old. I was trying to split a really knotty peice of wood with a maul and I look up to see my grandpa giggling up a storm. He told me that nibody's getting through that peice without a wedge. He walked over to his truck, reached in the back and pulled out an old wedge that used to belong to his dad. He showed me how to use it on the peice of wood he was working on and then gave it to me and then I spent about 30 minutes on a single piece of wood. I miss my grandpa, he taught me everything I know about axemanship.

As a bowyer the best smelling wood is vine maple and chokecherry. It's when I do the heat bending and add oil the smell comes through. Vine maple smells just like a doughnut or a pancake. But chokecherry smells just like a cherry pie, right out of the oven.

and a tip cody if you find the wedge a little too hard warm it in th oven for a hour two at 200 celsius and let i cool by itself should lower the hrc a bit

the quarrymen soon worked out to use a type of spanner for attatching to the spike and they would turn it with the spanner/handle after each blow and it kept enough distance for saftey.....you can see it in an old "pathe" film of scottish quarrymen on utube....

From what i can see the twist on the wedge is lowering the amount of metal that is in contact with the wood making it penetrate easier as well as spreading the wood more so in theory it should work great and it does.

you should do more videos with your friend

I wonder if the spiral doesn't cause a lateral shifting of the two halves, in addition to the prying force, causing one side to move forward, and the other to move back. Might help separate those stringy grains if it does have that effect. I have a buddy who's father was injured from a mushroomed wedge once. A piece came off and actually penetrated his brain through his forehead. Luckily he recovered without long term damage. I'm never shy about taking my wedges to the grinder after hearing about that. I keep them all chamfer'd well now. Thanks again for a good video Cody. You've got a place to stay here if you and yours ever want to visit the San Juan Islands, no joke. Good fortune.

I'm 72 and have been splitting wood most of my life. I've tried a lot of different tools but my favorite is a 6 pound, axe handled maul. I can throw it quicker and get the rounds to pop just as well as with a hevier head but with less work. It also tends to survive longer than a round handle. I also use a modified axe swing where I use my top hand to toss the head of the maul into the air, similar to what a shot putter would do. I then use both hands to pull the head down, completing the swing. Tossing it into the air over your head gives you a bit more momentum and the swing becomes easier because you aren't depending entirely on your swing for power.

Honestly if you are thinking of doing this (I've been doing it for days now). Do yourself a favor and get a sledgehammer with a nice big sweet spot. Force = Mass times Velocity. If there is ONE thing you learn today, understand that very important equation. I've been splitting wood with a sledge hammer (2-3 swings) with a wedge because the mass of the sledgehammer is 8lbs. The sweet spot of the sledgehammer directly impacts the metal wedge perfectly, and I can get wild velocity with a sledgehammer. Think of those carnival games where you use a hammer to try and ring the bell (a "strength" test). Just make sure to drive the wedge securely into the wood before taking big swings. Also stand at an angle to the wedge (imagine you put a ruler on the wedge stand perpendular to where the ruler is you don't want to be in the straight line path of the wedge). The wedge CAN go airborne and it can even fly a bit if you hit it off center (if you didn't securely tap it in before taking your big swings). Also, follow through with your swing. Don't stop the swing at the wedge. Pretend like you want to drive the sledgehammer passed the wedge and directly to the bottom of the piece of wood. If you focus on your follow through, that extra mass exchange will really drive the wedge down.

Growing up in western Nebraska we burned mulberry and cottonwood and we used wedges and hydraulic not so much splitting axe. I think we had one but wedgs, sometimes more than one, where used to split big tree trunks.

I like his suave popped collar and gloves!

Out of a 60 cords of wood with a three man team, 3.5 to 4 foot diameter logs and some 6 foot: I've found that a sledge and wedge works best for harder woods that you can't split with a single wedge or single maul. Basically any split that only needs 1 strike zone, a maul is just more efficient as you don't have to place your wedge, but a nice 4-5 foot piece is just begging for 2 or even 3 wedges. and for finishing off into stove sized pieces nothing beats a hydraulic splitter, but a wedge head splitting axe is a nice alternative to mauls for easy splitting wood all day. I generally run an 8lb maul for large and medium pieces and then a wedge head axe for stuff that can split with 1 hit while the others are on wedges with 4lb sledges for the largest pieces that need two people to split. --- No man has ever said they wished they hadn't bought a 1/4inch wrench because they had a perfectly good 3/8ths. And its the same for axes, you should have every tool that you need and quite a few tools that you don't need but makes your work easier. The question is not "Which is better for splitting firewood" The question is "What does the wood need to split safely and efficiently at that moment?"

This reminded me of something I saw in a Romanian lumberjack village once: they would first hit the log with a splitting axe, and follow that up with one or two strikes from a rather large, two handed wooden maul. I assume that hitting steel all day long with another steel implement can really damage your joints. These guys weren't splitting anything harder than oak, however they seemed to go through big logs with ease, with this axe-as-wedge combined with the wooden maul.

Check out the principle behind the design of the Ashby broadhead used in traditional archery. It is known for splitting the massive shoulder bone in large animals like Cape Buffalo. It twists as it enters the bone and does much more damage than a head with equal weight that does not twist and is shot from the same bow.

What happened at 5:45 is exactly why I always was learned that we should at least be 1 arm length and 2 axe lengths away from someone working with an axe

Tape the striking of the wedge in extreme slow motion to know if the twist does anything.

The guest gentleman has a really good voice for radio or tv narration.

Just making a guess here: I think the benefit of the twist is that the wedge is wider across the head when measured diagonally than is it perpendicularly. So you would get a wider wedge without adding more material.

Thanks for the video on the wedge. They have a great design.

Split wood outside where sound dissipates! Wear ear protection! Onlookers: wear eye protection!

"we're not gonna edit it" ladies and gentlemen, the comedic value of integrity

If the twist in it is pronounced enough that it causes the wedge to actually turn slightly when you drive it in, it would definitely help with transferring the force from a downward to a horizontal direction. It would give the wood not only a shock form the wedge being driven in and getting to a wider point in it's cross section, but also from that slight force translation from the slight screw shape. Impulses of energy really help when trying to get something to split anything. Gradually driving in the wedge with a bunch of pressure would also work, but it'd take much more work than striking.

When you get around to needing to break them out again, would you be able to do a more in depth video on splitting wedges and their use? Maybe a bit of a size comparison as well as what the different designs are going to be better suited for? Or which wedges are good to have on hand if you DO end up needing them. Not many videos on the topic. Thanks.

I believe the wedge works better simply due to it lack of surface contact when it is being forced through. less surface contact=less friction/drag. same concept as that splitting axe that prandi sent you.

wow that wedge works great, out here on the Navajo reservation we harvest alot of pinon pine and juniper to heat our homes. i need to save up and some day get one. thanks for the great video.

Very correct regarding cheap wedges chipping off. E.G....a chip off the wedge through heavy jeans, into a knee requiring surgery. That's some expensive firewood.

definitely not my choice of a way to split wood. but do love that new wedge. my grandfather is 77 and that method makes his whole body hurt. beautiful video. really great quality.

glancing blows are the most dangerous when swinging your hardest and furthest away, . if you want to swing like that, i suggest placing the wedge on the far side of the round. Or using a short handled 8lb sledge hammer with 1 foot strokes. you will save a lot of energy and avoid almost all threats of injury

Prandi also has something called a wood strapper for splitting. You should do a video on that device Wranglerstar,

Western Red Cedar is the best wood to split, it smells better than Cherry!

Love those gloves Alan is wearing! Any ideas where to find a pair that are reliable and don’t fall apart after a weeks wearing? I’ve had no luck finding any.

If your handle is not parallel to the top of the wedge, it will drive it forward or backwards. It must be a flat strike.

FYI - Spear Jackson 3765LM Log Splitting Maul, 6.5-Pound. Also, would like to see your review on the "Vario" brand of mauls, axes and hatchets. Thanks.

it was called a star bit. they also used to use them to drill into concrete for construction. some guys I work with used those things up to 30 years ago.

lol, I remember the show you guys mentioned. The wedge is great to use for those difficult jobs. I use or lose one every season or three. Last year we had a fir log that I lost a wedge in. Its like it ate it up. We burned it and refound it, lol.

I'm a fan of the wedge, but I use two at a time. I use a 8lb hammer and go back and forth with the two wedges. You don't have to swing very hard, just be accurate.

Thank you for making that video. Glad you agreed with me.....great wedge. I love mine.

7:30 Yes, that is exactly what it is doing, the wedge doesn't actually turn, but because it tries to, more energy is transferred perpendicular to the blow.

you really shouldnt use the maul to pnd the wedge of the back of the mual isnt perfectly square and it is rounded instead of flat, really should be using a sledgehammer

Cody, Love your vids. I agree with the other guys about wearing safety ( polycarbonate ) full glasses or goggles. As an eye surgeon, I have seen many people lose their eye from metal popping off with metal striking metal. Don't trust if metal may be "malleable" or not. Even wood chips can fly off and cause serious injury/loss of eye, trust me , I see it everyweek. You only have 2 eyes, protect them at all times.

I'm not even close to being an engineer. Although I have seen in one of your videos when you're splitting wood, you buried the mall and then slightly torqued on it to open the wood more. Well i'm guessing its the same concept. The wedge buries into the wood, and the twist is slightly broader causing the wood to widen just enough until it splits. I could be wrong though! :)

I consider myself an expert in splitting wood with a wedge. Why because when I was young every fall on our farm we would cut wood and I would split it. My parents would give me two wedges and a long handled sledge hammer usually after school and there was always a pile of wood that needed to be split, hauled in a wheelbarrow to the woodshed, and stack appropriately before the snow fell on the piles. Why a wedge, because they didn't want me hurting myself which is easy to do with a maul like was demonstrated, those things are too heavy to control when your off even a little they are so annoying. also swing it for two hours that sucks. If you miss with the sledge its not going to glance as much or at all so they are safer. Mauls are also unbalanced to me, unlike the sledge which is the same on both sides and perfectly balanced with the handle being in the middle. I love the idea of splitting axes though, and easier to control.

Cody, I get that big splitting mauls are designed to hit things such as wedges, but wouldn't it be simpler to just grab a true sledge hammer. That way you dont have to worry about the edge hitting you or ruining it. Thats what i do at least.

I think that twist does help. I'd like to try one like that.

Enjoyed the Duo, Alan should start his own channel or be a guest more often :) Love his jacket too.