Aluminum – Aluminum holds up better to extreme temperatures, but is lighter and therefore less effective. It’s also softer, which means that it may need to be replaced sooner than a steel variant. Keep in mind, expensive wedges aren’t necessarily the best ones. Price is tied to a variety of factors, not just quality. But compared to other woodworking equipment, such as the axes themselves or electric grinders, splitting wedges are cheap. Size – Thinner and longer wedges are more effective than wider and shorter wedges. This is because the former is able to transfer more force from your swing into the wood. And among each material itself is a range of hardness. For example, there are some types of steel that are harder than others, which will affect the wedge’s overall performance and longevity.

Safety: When testing the range of log splitters in our line-up, I had to take into account a wide variety of safety features. Some products were made so simple that they didn’t need any safety features, and these were ranked high as safety was still paramount to their design. For the electric hydraulic log splitter, I tested the effectiveness of its safety features, including its safety cage.I also have started to be selective. By that a mean I no longer strive to break every piece of every round into perfect sized logs. When they get too gnarly, I’ll leave them oversize and save them for when the fire has been on the go for hours and has a nice bed of embers. Sitting a huge log on such a fire produces a lovely effect and gets rid of a stubborn log no trouble. This electric log splitter isn’t overly complicated in any way. There’s only one button to press and one lever to push – it can easily be used by one person, although it does require both hands to operate.

You can imagine my surprise when I tried it for the first time, and it didn’t rely do anything. Feeling a little perplexed, not to mention disappointed, I took it out and looked it over and then it hit me- I hadn’t remembered to put an edge on it! Duh.

If you’ve ever split wood before, especially for a longer period of time, then you know exactly how exhausting it can be. Using a tool like a splitting wedge speeds up the process and makes it less physically demanding. Extended Lifespan – Using a splitting wedge can preserve other cutting equipment such as mauls and axes. These tools take more force and time to cut wood, wearing them down and potentially shortening their lifespan or increasing the cost of maintenance over time.