Fiskars X27 What a Piece of Plastic

[turnkey4099]

I think a lot of the negative post are reaction to the outrageous posts about how great they are.
They do work well on some wood, but are no better than most axes of the same weight.
What I don't understand is why folks don't seem to notice the terrible vibrations from the handle, and the claims of "balance". A lighter handle in relation to head weight is no advantage, except in the minds of some users.
For most of the ground work I do, I wear 5 pound weights on my wrists and 10 pound ankle weights and that includes splitting wood. Adding three to five pounds to the head of a splitting tool does not decrease the speed of my strikes. For my evaluation of any tool I don't use the wrist weights.
In fairness, most of my splitting mauls and axes have a total length of 42 inches, which adds quite a bit to the speed of my normal strikes.
I have used the spike driver swing of the young man in the video, in time he may learn a better recovery and be able to deliver strikes in quicker sucession. I have also used the up and down strike many seem to prefer, but mostly use something sorta in between.
The metal is of little importance in a splitting tool that is not also used for chopping or striking wedges.
That it is a single use tool reduces the chances of it going to the woods with me.
I almost never noodle rounds to make firewood; most fisker lovers seem to noodle often.

I've been wondering about the reports of vibration. I have been trying to detect it. No luck, I don't feel anything more than I would with a wood handle, possibly even less.
Harry K

 

[turnkey4099]

One really good thing about the x27 is the neighbor kids left it laying out by the wood pile several days ago and the almost constant wet weather had almost no effect on it. I would have been upset if a wood hafted tool had suffered the same fate.
With the low temps of the last couple of days I'm glad it was left laying on its side. If they had left the handle sticking up it may have filled with rainwater and busted when the water froze.

I leave mine out at the wood pile rain or shine. I do hang it upside down after my first lesson when I left it standing up during a rain, picked it up to use it and got a shower.

Harry K

 

[svk]

They all look alike to me

Harry K

The two are about as similar as a Frenchman and a German

 

[Ambull01]

I leave mine out at the wood pile rain or shine. I do hang it upside down after my first lesson when I left it standing up during a rain, picked it up to use it and got a shower.

Harry K

Left my X27 outside overnight while it was raining. There was some surface rust on the head. It doesn't rust on you? Jeez, I hope it was rust. My dog likes the challenge of crapping on upright things.

 

[svk]

Left my X27 outside overnight while it was raining. There was some surface rust on the head. It doesn't rust on you? Jeez, I hope it was rust. My dog likes the challenge of crapping on upright things.

Lmfao. Our old dog used to do that. He'd walk up a snowbank backwards and let it rip. Of course the turds would all roll by him as he stood there. If there wasn't a snowbank he'd use whatever was available; shrubs, branches, etc.

Rust won't hurt an axe unless its a Mueller or Wetterlings.

 

[Jake Wise]

Just a thought, in my experience harder steel (in the range of splitting tools) is eaaiser to sharpen than the softer ones. The edge comes off clean where softer works up a wire edge that bends back and forth as you work one side then the other. The fisker sharpening tool scrapes metal off and is the best tool for their ax and cheap kitchen knives.

I looked at their sharpener and I didn't like it. I even tried it out and did Rural King the favor of sharpening one of their X25s. I like Mora knives, and they are another fine Finnish product at a good price, because just like the fiskars they have a wide single bevel leading to the cutting edge. When you sharpen one you sharpen across that entire bevel to maintain the correct angle on the blade. The cheap sharpener that fiskars offers just does the very leading edge, where as I use a stone to do the whole thing. To be fair though if you don't hit rocks or use the same ax for the next 20 years it may not make a difference.

 

[turnkey4099]

No rust on mine and it hasn't been shedded since new about 5 years ago.

Put in time on the woodpile and busted up a dozen big rounds - that was a bet less than I was doing last fall. Not bad so maybe I can get back at least some of the winter's loss.

Plans took a drastic change today. Wx warmed up to well over freezing, snow all gone. Figured I would go out and knock down a big brushy Willow the farmer wants disappeared. Top will land in a wheat field. I thought the field would dried out enough by then. Nope. I've been meaning to get out in the field behind my lot and try for a picture of my horde. Found out that just standing out there I was sinking into mud. Won't be much better until all the frost is gone. At least the wx is supposed to stay mostly dry for the next week so I can keep working at that wood pile.

The horde:

The pile right by the camera is about 20 cord of Black Locust, rest of the piles are also Black Locust with about 8 cord of Willow scattered aroud. Somewhere around 80-90 cord total. Wood that I won't live long enough to burn.

Harry K

 

[brenndatomu]

The pile right by the camera is about 20 cord of Black Locust, rest of the piles are also Black Locust with about 8 cord of Willow scattered aroud. Somewhere around 80-90 cord total. Wood that I won't live long enough to burn.

You have any wood burning kin? Somebody is gon be a firewood baron when you gone!

 

[spydahead]

Left my X27 outside overnight while it was raining. There was some surface rust on the head. It doesn't rust on you? Jeez, I hope it was rust. My dog likes the challenge of crapping on upright things.

Wow, I thought I had the only dog that did that.

 

[Philbert]

#cant'-wait-to-try-it!

Really stoked! Added some veneer to my Fiskars' plastic handle (beech? butternut?). REAL wood. This might be bigger than the Piltz sprocket! I expect my performance to double at least.
(But I'm 'gonna be really p.o.'d if I get splinters. . . . )




Philbert

 

[svk]

#cant'-wait-to-try-it!

Really stoked! Added some veneer to my Fiskars' plastic handle (beech? butternut?). REAL wood. This might be bigger than the Piltz sprocket! I expect my performance to double at least.
(But I'm 'gonna be really p.o.'d if I get splinters. . . . )

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Philbert

Dude that is awesome. Best post of 2015.

 

[MechanicMatt]

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha. You mr Philbert, you crack me up sir.

 

[benp]

#cant'-wait-to-try-it!

Really stoked! Added some veneer to my Fiskars' plastic handle (beech? butternut?). REAL wood. This might be bigger than the Piltz sprocket! I expect my performance to double at least.
(But I'm 'gonna be really p.o.'d if I get splinters. . . . )

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Philbert

I like the cut of your jib Philbert.

Well played....well played.

I hope the grain is going north south on that.

 

[Ambull01]

#cant'-wait-to-try-it!

Really stoked! Added some veneer to my Fiskars' plastic handle (beech? butternut?). REAL wood. This might be bigger than the Piltz sprocket! I expect my performance to double at least.
(But I'm 'gonna be really p.o.'d if I get splinters. . . . )

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Philbert

For some reason, Clark Griswold popped into my mind looking at that hideous thing. Looks just like their station wagon.

 

[Ronaldo]

I like it!!!!!

 

[turnkey4099]

You have any wood burning kin? Somebody is gon be a firewood baron when you gone!

I screwed up, that post was meant to go in the "this doesn't bode well" thread.

About half of that was done with the Fiskars. A bunch was already in before I bought one. People keep telling me to quit cutting but that 'horde' is what has kept me going all these long years. Gonna have to give it up one of these years. I fell today and had trouble getting back up. Old age ain't any fun.

Harry K

 

[zogger]

That's some funny stuff Philbert!

Now...add a nitrous pulse jet to improve head swing speed, with a pushbutton

The windup, the swing...hit the button...WHAMMO, 1,000 mph...that round is gonna split!!!

 

[Philbert]

Maybe dimples on the blade: like a golf ball?

Philbert

 

[MechanicMatt]

Now your thinking!

 

[zogger]

Maybe dimples on the blade: like a golf ball?

Philbert

Philbert's axe speed challenge!

Of course now you'll need a wind tunnel, radar speed gun, etc...