ESTWING Fireside Friend Axe - 14 Wood Splitting Maul with Forged Steel Construction & Shock Reduction Grip - E3-FF4 and E-5 5 Lb Sure Split Wedge , Blue

I have been using this maul every weekend this winter to create kindling for starting the fire in my fireplace. I use this with a 3-pound hammer and take chunks off of wood. I used to use a poor quality hatchet to do this and not only did it take multiple time longer, it was a little tricky to do so since I needed to swing the hatchet and move my hand away from the wood. The hatchet was not really designed to be struck with the hammer, which is why I was using an iffy method. However, with this gem, I use the maul to hold the wood and the 3-pound hammer provides the force. Much safer and more efficient. Takes about a third of the time to get more kindling. I am sure this product will last my life time and the price is very reasonable for the quality. Being made in the U.S.A is another bonus for me too.

Outdoor activities in scouting

I’ve owned the regular Fireside Friend for years and find it wonderful for splitting wood up to about 4”. I use it mostly for burning smaller brush from around our property. I wanted a second one for camping, so decided to splurge and pick this Special Edition up. There is no functional difference between the regular axe and this one, other than the fact that this one is beautiful. In fact, the grip of the regular one works just fine and won’t require any upkeep, so I suppose that it’s marginally better. Both are 5 Star functional splitters for smaller wood. There is no reason to spend extra money on the special edition other than it looks great. Your decision.

Beautiful gold pigment but my sister and I had a heck of a time peeling it off. It pulled my skin like nobodys business and made us red after use. I have sensitive skin so I was red longer. I think its a good mask if you dont have sensitive skin.

I like this tool for having around the fire pit. Just the right size for splitting up a few logs on an evening, especially when you don’t have a lot of room to swing a fill-sized maul.

Excellent product, add this to my estwing lineup!

I’m a full timer RVer and this little axe is awesome. It’s just the right weight, has a great grip on th handle and does the job. Oh yah and it’s small enough to where it doesn’t take alot of room. Definitely a great buy.

It is awesome

I love everything about this tool. It perfectly fills the need for splitting smallish chunks of wood that a maul or axe is too big for. If you use it right it goes through fairly difficult chunks like butter (dont swing it like a hatchet...let the weight of the tool do the work). All you have to do is hold it high and let it fall straight down on the wood, bending your knees at the same time. Its a lot safer that way too since there is no arc to make it bounce back towards your legs. Its also great for driving splitting wedges into huge chunks of wood. Cant wait to use it camping for those nuisance chunks of wood someone always seems to leave lying around because theyre too big for a hatchet...and who wants to drag a splitting maul along on a camping trip?

Nice sheath, great for campfire or fireplace size wood .