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

To heavy to control with one hand for a 82 year old man. Otherwise it a great tool. It will do the job that its made for. Its a lot easier to use and control if you have the wood at waist level. It is well made. I think the 2 pounder would be better. You could swing it faster thus you would have more foot pounds of energy splitting the log because Foot # of energy = weight X velocity squared.

This thing splits firewood like no other tool I have. Very satisfied. its saving me a lot of time.

Well made as all Estwing products are.

Yes, it is effective. It is extremely top heavy and not comfortable to use at all. I would not call this is a small axe you can easily carry around.

Nice axe. Heavy and chops nice. Nice sheath. I wanted the limited edition but the blue is nice. I would buy again.

Will be using this next to the campfire all summer, but bought for splitting wood for my wood stove while winter camping. This splits 16” long 6” diameter hardwood very well. I was looking to make room in my sled by being able to leave my splitting maul behind. This will let me do that. I think the handle on the blue is grippier, but I lived the vintage look and couldn’t turn that down.

I used to have a full size splitting maul but somewhere between three moves in 20 years it went AWOL. I dont really need to split actual firewood anymore, but I do have a fire pit and split smaller kindling size stuff to burn in that. This is just the ticket. A wedge shaped, 4 lb head, a sledge face on the back, and the well-known Estwing quality. Its so nice you almost dont want to go out and start slamming it into firewood. If I had one criticism, I wish the handle was about three inches longer, as it would make it a versatile two-handed tool with a little more swing. As it is it works OK though - If I dont get a good split on the first swing and it wedges in the wood, I can use a smaller limb to baton it through by swinging against the back face. And yes, it came with a very nice sheath, too.

I bought a bundle of firewood and used this maul to hack into skinnier pieces (do it bundled up; way easier). This maul works well for me, a not strong senior female; easier than using an axe. However I can’t hold a piece and swing this maul using the other hand. This thing needs velocity to work. My arm is too weak to lift it high and swing it down fast one handed. I probably need a hatchet to cut skinny wood into kindling size (the pile next to this maul is the wood chips from hacking firewood bundle).

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.

This tool felt like it was a camping splurge because of how amazing and useful it is, but it is most definitely an essential. Whether you’re a first time or a seasoned camper, this tool is a must have. It has been used for pounding in stakes, splitting wood, clearing paths, chopping out roots for under tents, removing small in the way branches, getting rid of those blasted thorny vines, digging holes in a pinch, driving nails, and MANY other things. It has just enough weight that you build up a lot of momentum to really wack something, but it’s not too heavy that a responsible older kid cannot handle (our 6 year old cannot lift it enough to use as a hammer, but our 9 year old was able to). Last, having the cover that this tool comes with is far superior to other hatchets, as you can still use the hammer side without feeling like you might split your face. Also extremely important if you plan to teach a kid how to use it. Buy this and you won’t be disappointed. It feels indestructible and will last long enough for you to pass it down to your grandkids (they will thank you).