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There’s nothing cozier than a fireplace or wood-burning stove in the winter. Yes, it can be a pain to chop all that wood, but think about it like this: you’ll get ripped and cut your heating bill at same time. Of course, a good axe also makes a big difference. To find out which is the best axe for splitting wood, we called in five of the most popular models and put them to the test.

The Test

To gauge cutting prowess, I bought half a cord of madrone, a dense wood that’s extremely knotty and tough to chop, and went to work. I cut wood with each axe for a week, but I also used them side by side, taking into consideration chopping power, swing weight, ease of use, and how they worked with small and large pieces of wood.

Best For Ease of Use

Leveraxe: The Smart Axe ($240)

The Leveraxe is unlike any other axe on this list because it uses a counterweight on the upper-right side of the blade that’s designed to pull the head to one side once it hits the wood. This sideways motion creates leverage that helps ply the wood apart. A weight at the base of the head also helps it drop with extra force. Both features make the ax ultra-efficient and effective, so much so that I could split wood without raising the axe over my head. My only complaint: at 35.5 inches, it felt a little long and unwieldy, which made it hard to use when splitting smaller pieces of wood.

Best For Precision Chopping

Stihl Pro Universal Forestry ($100)*

The Stihl Pro was the most precise axe on this list, thanks to the curved hickory handle that helped me guide the head wherever I wanted. It also has the longest blade, so it was easy to connect with the wood. Nice touch: Stihl put a steel sleeve just below the head, which keeps the axe from breaking if you overstrike. It also adds a little weight and force when you’re trying to smash through a big piece.

Best For Camping Trips

Council Tool Velvicut Premium Hudson Bay Bush Craft/Camp Axe ($140)

The Hudson Bay was the sharpest and smallest (it has a two-foot handle), and therefore it excelled at chopping kindling and small pieces of wood. It was outgunned by other axes when it came to chopping larger rounds, but it’s not designed for that. For me, the Hudson is the perfect camping axe because it fits nicely in a trunk and is ideal for cutting firewood down to size.

Best For Lumberjacks

Fiskars X27 Super Splitting Axe ($70)

This is the axe you need if you’re trying to crush through big rounds. At 36 inches long and 6.6 pounds, it came down hard and fast, while the convex blade worked like a maul to ply wood apart. The textured handle and slight curve at the base helped with control, but I have to admit that the long, straight shaft and heavy top made this ax hard to control. (I’m 5’11” and 175 pounds, and I sometimes missed my target.) Larger (read: lumberjack-sized) users will likely love this thing.

Best For All-Around Use at a Great Price

Gerber Splitting Axe II ($75)

Fiskars owns Gerber, so this is just a smaller version of the X27 mentioned above. It still has a hefty wedged blade, but at 28.5 inches long and 5.4 pounds, it’s much easier to swing. It didn’t eat through large pieces of wood like its big brother, but it still held its own and was much better at splitting small rounds. It also has an antifriction coating on the head, which helped when I wedged the ax after an initial strike. Overall, this is the best all-around ax on the list. I recommend it for camping. At about half the price of the Hudson Bay tool, it’s a killer value.