My transition from full-on dirtbag to stand-up working man was a gradual one. After living in my truck and on couches for two years, I moved to my friend Margaret鈥檚 farm in Phoenix, Oregon, where I traded labor for housing in an aluminum trailer and as many eggs, vegetables, and raspberries as I could eat. Of all of the chores I took on, splitting wood was by far my favorite. It is repetitive while still requiring just enough athleticism to be stimulating. And there鈥檚 real incentive to pay attention, lest a glancing ax blade send you to the ER. It鈥檚 also a hell of a workout.
The one tool I bought during my time on the farm was an inexpensive maul from Home Depot. I left it with Margaret when my girlfriend (now wife) and I moved into an apartment with an electric fireplace. We鈥檝e since upgraded to a house with central heating and air, but also鈥攂lessedly鈥攁 good old-fashioned wood-burning fireplace. I buy a half-cord of wood for it every year, which I tell myself is to minimize our heating bill in winter. But really, it鈥檚 so I can go out the yard, relive my farmhand days, and swing my .
Over two years and thousands of swings, it has proven extremely resilient. I like to burn mainly madrone鈥攁n extremely tough wood to split鈥攂ut I have yet to see any significant wear or tear. I thank the burly C60 steel head, hickory handle, and five points securing the two. That connection between head and handle is often the first thing to go in an ax, and makes for sketchy chopping (plus uneven pieces) when it does. Here, an extra-long steel sleeve affords added protection if I mis-swing and power the shaft directly into the wood.
The 2.8-pound head is hefty for the relatively short 27.5-inch ax. But that means the best of both worlds: weight to really drive the head down when hammering dense cuts鈥攍ending the Pro the power of a much larger ax鈥攁nd close proximity to the wood for accuracy, even when I鈥檓 swinging as quickly as possible.
Finally, the cutting edge is excellent. It鈥檚 not the sharpest I鈥檝e tested, but the extra-long blade has remained admirably keen through repeated use. The length also gives me a bigger sweet spot when making strikes. Single-swing splits aren鈥檛 uncommon. But the edge is also small and versatile enough to break down kindling to the width of a pencil.
Now, I鈥檓 not hacking up huge logs. The Pro Universal Forestry Axe is a just-right size for cutting down woodstove fuel, eliminating the need for a separate, larger maul and smaller hatchet that would clutter up my tool shed. For someone more dependent on timber for heat or who has to split massive rounds of wood, this ax likely won鈥檛 cut it. But after dozens of hours and plenty of swings getting into the groove like a batter in the midst of a hot streak, I can confidently say it鈥檚 the perfect ax for me.