Comments about ACE HARDWARE 12lb Splitting Maul:

I love the weight of this maul, except is just isn't very good. It has a round handle instead of an oval or elliptical handle, so it is more difficult to precisely direct the head. The cutting edge on the head was blunt (almost 1/4" flat). The head cutting angle is the same throughout, so if you strike slightly off center, the head fall to the side instead of biting in and splitting. The handle is much too short (it is about 27", when a normal maul is about 34". The only thing good about it is its weight. If someone would take the old WECO maul head design and make 10 and 12 pound heads, I would get one in a minute.

I split a lot of wood, and it is best to have the tool that meets your needs, so that you work efficiently. They should make a series of mauls (WECO design is the best) in 6, 8, 10, and 12 pound weights. That would be good.


This item was so poor, that I returned it to the store.

Comments about ACE HARDWARE 12lb Splitting Maul:

contrary to the other post; i have been splitting wood for home heating since the 1970's. At one point i was in a 100' x 20' farm house that we ran 2 wood stoves in constantly and a 3rd occasionally. I would use about 20 chords a year as it was our ONLY heat.

I understand the perception that the peice is not sharp enough. However one MUST learn how to read the grain of the wood and i use nothing but this maul and occasionally wedges for huge knots etc. The head is reasonably soft steel so make it to sharp and it will not hold a great edge. Don't get me wrong, it is not soft like lead, but not as hard as say an axe.

I would not only recommend but only use this style for the last 10 or 12 years.

As mentioned when missing you may strike yourself, this is true of almost any device you swing....(or don't)

I still heat with wood in the N.E. and only have fuel oil for backup. Last year my oil bill was about 100.

If you don't mind the weight this works much better than striking 20x with an axe

Comments about ACE HARDWARE 12lb Splitting Maul:

This Maul does not have a 30" handle, it's about 26 1/2
inches long. It's advertised on this site as 30", that's
very misleading in my opinion, which is not the case
elsewhere. That's the reason I bought it here, I thought
I was getting at least 3 more inches on the handle. Please
be aware of this.

When I first got the maul, I noticed that it had a 1/4 inch
flat edge on the head. I wondered how in the world is this
thing going to penetrate enough to split anything. Wow, was
I right on that, my first shot into just a 12" diam. round
and I almost knocked myself out with the maul as it shot back
up at me. I was in shock, I thought this thing was a
monster with one whack and done. Tried on several pieces with
the same results. Major disappointment.
I ended up taking a hand file and reducing the flat edge to
1/8 inch (half of what it was)and it made a HUGE difference.
I was able to split then, and it did a nice job on some, but
believe me this maul still did not blow up wood like I thought it would. The maul is heavy which I like, but even
with me putting some muscle into it, it did not do what I thought it would, and I use to bench press 4001bs.

As far as the short radius because of the handle, BE CAREFUL,
I almost got my shin with this thing. I thought I was prepared for the short swing, but it's even shorter than I anticipated. You really have to widen your stance or you might end up in the ER. This maul takes a little time to get
use to, it will do the job, but in my opinion you should not
have to modify it to make it work!!

Comments about ACE HARDWARE 12lb Splitting Maul:

This beast really gets the job done. When the epoxy holding my fiberglass-handled 8lb maul shattered and I couldn't effectively repair it, I decided to try 50% more weight and a welded steel handle. WOW! This sucker really splits the wood. It is FAR more effective than my 8lb maul and requires much less drive from my legs and back, although it does take a toll on my shoulder.
The one drawback to be aware of is the short wield-radius. The handle is shorter than 8lb mauls to allow better control but that also puts you closer to the action, which means you MUST pay close attention to your swing otherwise you can easily strike your shin or foot, which is less likely to happen with a longer handle (it'll often hit the ground first on miss-strokes).

Comments about ACE HARDWARE 12lb Splitting Maul:

Only the knottiest, orneriest, chunks of wood argue with this splitter. Put trunkwood chunks inside an old tire, start splitting, and you'll be surprised how fast you'll go.

Comments about ACE HARDWARE 12lb Splitting Maul:

This thing is a heavy beast. It's that weight, though, that makes it do its thing. It destroys 16" oak rounds in no time.