I got my Fiskars isocore a few or more days ago. Hadn't used it a whole bunch but I rotated splitting 16" long Black oak rounds up to about 18" dia that were cut last spring. with my old style Fiskars supper splitting axe. Split up a little less then 1/3 cord. Been very happy with it so far and I don't see why it would change. Rounds that are a little to much for the splitting axe, split well with the isocore and the handle absorbs the shock very well also. The monster maul is still king if you are going to split toughies by hand, but the shock from the metal handle is punishing if you have any lameness in your bones or joints. I might do a few now and then with one but noodling through the tough knots is a much better option for me. I had bought an Husky fiberglass or plastic handle 8 LB maul from Home Depot about a month or two ago and tried the same comparison with the Fiskars splitting axe. Started with the maul which at first I thought it split ok, but after using the splitting axe I found it a pain every time I switched back to the maul, not much gain in splitting power and uncomfortable shock on impact. Haven't used the maul since and don't intend to. Isocore is a big thumbs up though.
