Maul

I was thinking about adding a monster maul to my splitting collection and couldn't find any thing positive on them. I have a 4lb single bit ax my trusty 8lb maul and a wood grenade wedge. Has anyone found the monster mauls useful or is it just a 15lb waist of time ? The steel pipe for a handle sure looks hard on the joints

If for a collection to admire that would be fine. To use I don't know. Most people around here leave them at the shed when going to the wood's. Cheap at auctions.

I've had one for 20 years or longer and it still has a pretty good paint job. I don't know if it is poorly designed balance wise or what but I never did like using it or the steel handle. Used to make my boys use it after a long, late friday or saturday night.

Just move in with your mother in law.. You could torture yourself without the backache then........... :shock:

They make a nice chalk block though......

Dave

my sister gave me one for christmas years ago...swear she was tryin to put me in a early grave...neighbor saw it sitting in shed and asked about it...now its sittin in his shed...i think i split one cord of wood with it...made a great BFH if i had something stubborn to get loose.

Makes a good doorstop. Handle makes it real handy, as you don't have to stoop to move it.

A regular axe-type head is fine for light stuff, and the cuttin' face of an 8# maul is just about optimum for heavier stuff. That angle on the face of that monster maul is just too wide. It tries to split too wide too fast -- puts too much energy into the splittin' while takin' away from the cuttin' -- and distributes the force in a way that there's not enough to do either.

I didn't like the one I tried.

Maybe if I'd used it long enough to figger it out, I woulda thought more of it.

An 8 lb maul will outdo it, with less wear and tear on the operator, in my opinion.

Paul

I use a 12# pipe handle maul for most of my splitting, and when I can't split wood with that I use a 16# sledge hammer and two or three wedges. We (I) cut and burn about 24 standard cords a year, but more than half of it is small enough already without having to split. I do use an axe for kindling and a small maul can be handy for smaller wood, but what I like about the heavy maul is that when it works it works really fast and you don't have to take as big of a swing. I usually lift it up high and bring it down as hard as I can, rather than taking a full swing as some people do. Our boiler only accommodates 20" length, so my wood is fairly short which may make it easier to split. I wear gloves when I use it to cushion the impact on the joints as you mentioned. One funny thing about the two mauls we have is that over time they have both developed a slight bend in the handle, as though the maul was nodding its head, if that makes sense. I would have expected it to bend the other way if it was going to, but go figure. I also really like the big sledge, and only use a smaller one for jobs where I can't get the big one into the space. I hope that helps a little.
Zach

A friend bought one and we used it hard the first day. I was a lot younger and stronger and swung it like a normal maul. The next day the muscles in both our forearms were very painful. I don't believe it really worked any better because the splitting angle was too great and you really needed to be a Paul Bunyan to make it worth the effort. My advice is unless you are in great shape don't swing it like a regular maul. Ok to swing it overhead but don't power down and let the impact transfer thru the steel handle to your arms. We wrapped the handle with some rubber which helped, but after using it a couple of times, parked it in the shed and used a regular wood handled maul.

I've noticed something similar, that I need to ease into firewood cutting in the spring and only do half a day the first day. I got tendonitis in my wrist one spring from doing too much the first day and had to stop for a week or a little more.
Zach

I will throw in my 2cents worth - I have used one for about 10-15 years.and split 90% of my wood with it. The monster maul has worked well for me.Pros= wide angle of splitting head will split wood faster-and not as likely to get stuck in a tough piece as an 8# maul. Steel handle doesnt break or loosen up like wood or fiberglass ones(mine is double pipe from head 1/2 way down ).Everyone else has covered the cons - steel handle transfers more of the impact back to youur hands than wood/fiberglass. Its heavy and harder on arms,back etc. You want to be in fairly good condition to use one.I have found that a couple 3 hours at a time is enough with one or you wind up sore. After using regular mauls for 25 years I have found the monster maul a good tool , but use a wood splitter for those few stubborn pieces that wont pop with a few hits from the maul.

I tried one swiched back to wedges and sledge. Maul won't power through most wood I've got. Got a splitter and never looked back.

Thanks all I think I'll skip the monster maul unless I find one in a garage sale cheap. I know why I couldn't find any glowing reviews of them on line now.

I used one till I got a hydraulic splitter. Worked well, but it did require a different technique, or it would wear you out in a couple of minutes. On good splitting wood, such as ash, it would split wood faster than a power splitter

Splitting wood is one of the chores I find enjoyable. I use an 8# maul or an old axe. The axe has a nice weight and the blade isn't too sharp to get stuck. I use the axe mostly on 8-10" walnut or popple. Above that,I use the maul. And for the really nasty ones, I load them up and take to my BIL's and use his splitter.

Larry in Michigan

I've used one for the last 15 years. If I can't bust it in one lick with my #8 I can usually get it pretty easy with the big one. I wouldn't want to swing it all day but it does have it's place. If it disappeared I would miss it.