# X25 vs X27 or Fiskars 8lb maul



## Nosetotail (Mar 17, 2016)

Hi guys.  I currently have an x25 and a standard 8lb maul.  I have the maul sharpened to a decently narrow convex edge.  The original edge was like a blunt wedge on the end.  I alternate between the two, but am itching for something else to try.  I originally got the 25 due to the descriptions saying that the 27 was for taller people, but now that I'm finding I can get significant power out of the 25, I'm having handle length envy.  I'm 5'10" and so I'm wondering if going to the 27 would prove to be beneficial.  Is there much difference in power between the 25 and 27.

On the same note, I just saw the Fiskars 8lb maul is available in the US.  From their website, the price is 64.99 plus tax and shipping is 12.95 to NE Florida.  Total: 82.49.  Anybody used one of these.


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## moresnow (Mar 18, 2016)

I have a 25, 2X27's a Acme super splitter and a box store 8lb. I am your height. I go to the 27 automatically. It really is that much better than the 25 for me. Actually bought the 25 for my height challenged wife who tops out about 5'4". She even goes for a 27! On the other hand I plan on adding the new Fiskars 8lb to my collection as well. Good luck. Hard to go wrong either way.


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## AmbDrvr253 (Mar 18, 2016)

Cannot speak for the 25 but I love my 27 and I am 5'10"


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## Hasufel (Mar 18, 2016)

Nosetotail said:


> On the same note, I just saw the Fiskars 8lb maul is available in the US.  From their website, the price is 64.99 plus tax and shipping is 12.95 to NE Florida.  Total: 82.49.  Anybody used one of these.


Yes, I've been using it paired with an X27 and find them to be a great combination. There's a recent thread where you can read more about the Fiskars maul and other axe/maul options.


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## ElmBurner (Mar 18, 2016)

I am 5' 9" and use the x27 as well.  The extra 8" of handle compared to the x25 can only help.  Just make sure to use a chopping block and swing correctly, so you don't catch your toes.


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## Nosetotail (Mar 18, 2016)

Well can anyone tell me what the head weight of the 25 and 27 is.?  Are they the same head?  I see a spec on the 27 that it totals 6.3 lbs.  I would just like to know how much the head weighs so I can compare it to say the 6 lb head Wilton.


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## moresnow (Mar 19, 2016)

Think it may be 4.5lbs. Same head.


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## Mike1776 (Mar 19, 2016)

I'm 5-7 and I find the x27 works just fine for me.


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## Nosetotail (Mar 19, 2016)

I wish I had just gotten the 27 instead of the 25.    Right now,, since I have had time to think about it, I can only justify one new tool for Father's day.  Given that most of the wood I run across is somewhat knotty or twisted Oak of various varieties, I think I'm in the market for a heavy maul since I already have the x25.

So I would like a comparison between the Isocore and Wilton 8 lb maul.   I'm leaning toward a Wilton with a 30 inch handle.  It looks like the Fiskars spec is for total weight while the Wilton is 8 lbs plus the handle weight.

I am guessing that the edge profiles are comparable, but perhaps the edge goes to the isocore in that catagory. No pun intended.  It looks like the isocore borrows it's edge shape from its smaller cousins.  I'm just banking or hoping that the Wilton is borrowing it's edge profile from Fiskars.


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## jetsam (Mar 20, 2016)

Never tried the x25 but the 27 has a good sized handle in my book.  It's about the same as my 8lb maul.

Apparently some people like to lift their rounds up to waist height and split it there. (I'd need a forklift to try that on the wood I'm splitting.). The x25 is a good size for that, from what I've read.

The x27 is nice but it's not the magic axe that you read about in its amazon reviews. I find it just about exactly as capable as my old fashioned 8lb maul. I do use it preferentially because it does the same work and is lighter.

I would be quite interested to try out the fiskars 8lb maul but after my experience with the x27, I don't think I will be shelling out for one.


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## Nosetotail (Mar 20, 2016)

I sure would like to see a closeup of the edge profile on the isocore.  I can see a fat bevel characteristic with old fashioned mauls on the Wilton although I'm sure it is quite sharp for the angle it has.  From what I can tell on the few pics I have found, the Isocore seems to have a narrower edge, similar to the x axes.  I am waiting on replies from Wilton and Fiskars for the total weight of each, and the head weight of the Fiskars.  On the few pics I have found for the Fiskars, I can almost see a hint of a hollow ground on its hips with a subtle bevel at the edge.


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## jetsam (Mar 20, 2016)

Nosetotail said:


> I sure would like to see a closeup of the edge profile on the isocore.  I can see a fat bevel characteristic with old fashioned mauls on the Wilton although I'm sure it is quite sharp for the angle it has.  From what I can tell on the few pics I have found, the Isocore seems to have a narrower edge, similar to the x axes.  I am waiting on replies from Wilton and Fiskars for the total weight of each, and the head weight of the Fiskars.  On the few pics I have found for the Fiskars, I can almost see a hint of a hollow ground on its hips with a subtle bevel at the edge.



From the Fiskars website... you can browse all their thousands of website images here.

It looks like a regular smallish bevel to me.  Of course once you get it you can put any edge you like on!


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## Nosetotail (Mar 21, 2016)

Yep. Those were the pics I saw.  From what I can see, I wouldn't remove any steel off of that.  It looks like it already has the small convex edge that I like.


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## Hasufel (Mar 21, 2016)

I have both the X27 and the Fiskars IsoCore Maul, and I find that the two complement each other nicely. The picture below shows a comparison of the heads, looking from underneath. You can see that the maul head is both wider and longer than the X27. The maul doesn't have the razor edge that you find on the X27, but it still beats my old no-name maul by a wide margin. The handle of the Fiskars maul is shorter than the X27's by maybe a couple of inches. I usually end up using the maul for initial splits of large and/or knotty rounds and then switch to the X27 to finish them off.


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## Nosetotail (Mar 21, 2016)

Cool. That pic is exactly what I was trying to find.  If you have access to an accurate scale, could you weigh the isocore.  I have been waiting on a reply from Fiskars customer service on whether the 8 lb spec is head or total.

Incidentally, according to the Wilton customer service rep, the 30 and 36" 6 lb bash weighs in at 10 and 11 lbs and the 8 lb bash weighs in at 12 and 13 lbs.  There is a lot of weight in those handles.   I wonder how that affects the balance.

Now if I can find someone who has an x46 Spalthammer...


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## Hasufel (Mar 22, 2016)

Nosetotail said:


> Cool. That pic is exactly what I was trying to find.  If you have access to an accurate scale, could you weigh the isocore.  I have been waiting on a reply from Fiskars customer service on whether the 8 lb spec is head or total.


The IsoCore weighs in at 4736 g (10.44 lb), with label still attached.  That compares to 2549 g = 5.62 lb for my X27.


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## Nosetotail (Mar 22, 2016)

Thanks, but could you bring that figure out to another couple of significant digits?


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## jetsam (Mar 22, 2016)

Hasufel said:


> The IsoCore weighs in at 4736 g (10.44 lb), with label still attached.  That compares to 2549 g = 5.62 lb for my X27.



How much without the label?


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## Hasufel (Mar 22, 2016)

jetsam said:


> How much without the label?


Oh man, don't make me peel the label off! What next, you want me to rip the tags off of my mattresses?


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## heavy hammer (Mar 22, 2016)

I have the Wilton with the 8 lb head and 36 inch handle.  It is a log splitting machine.  Will go through anything.  Last summer I used it to split oak rounds 36 plus inch diameter.  I used it with a wedge to split in half the just the maul to split the halls smaller it went through it with ease.  The rounds with no knots I didn't even use a wedge and it popped them.  The weight and balance are great, plus you can use it to hit wedges.  The head it just about as indestructible as the handle.  I have tried to break it.  If it does get broken you get a grand from Wilton.  It is the best maul I have ever used and I've been splitting wood for a long time.  It's pricey but worth it, it will be the last maul you ever buy.


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## jetsam (Mar 22, 2016)

Hasufel said:


> Oh man, don't make me peel the label off! What next, you want me to rip the tags off of my mattresses?



If you could take all the tags off of all your stuff and weigh the pile, that would be really great.

Please post results and photos of the process.


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## Hasufel (Mar 22, 2016)

jetsam said:


> If you could take all the tags off of all your stuff and weigh the pile, that would be really great.
> 
> Please post results and photos of the process.


My wife already thinks I'm strange enough for weighing chunks of wood to see how quickly they dry--I don't want to give her any more of a reason to have the nice men in white coats take me away!


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## Nosetotail (Mar 22, 2016)

heavy hammer said:


> I have the Wilton with the 8 lb head and 36 inch handle.  It is a log splitting machine.  Will go through anything.  Last summer I used it to split oak rounds 36 plus inch diameter.  I used it with a wedge to split in half the just the maul to split the halls smaller it went through it with ease.  The rounds with no knots I didn't even use a wedge and it popped them.  The weight and balance are great, plus you can use it to hit wedges.  The head it just about as indestructible as the handle.  I have tried to break it.  If it does get broken you get a grand from Wilton.  It is the best maul I have ever used and I've been splitting wood for a long time.  It's pricey but worth it, it will be the last maul you ever buy.




92 and 103 for either of the 8 lb models on Amazon with free shipping doesn't sound bad, but 68 and free shipping for the Isocore sounds even better. I don't like the obtuse bevel on the Wilton, but I can thin that out a little if I have to. On the other hand, the hips on the Wilton look thinner overall compared to the Isocore.

This will come down to whether or not I think the 2 extra pounds of handle weight will transfer more energy to the wood, or will the difference be negligible.  I do like the idea of a really light handle wielding such a heavy weight. I think that is part of all Fiskar's ax's success.

I think the tie breaker will be the Isocore handle.  I'm  not getting any younger and I really feel those bounce out hits.


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## heavy hammer (Mar 23, 2016)

The Wilton handle does a very good job a reduced vibration.  My father has used it and at almost sixty he likes it.  I never have used the other one but I love the bash I also have one of their sledgehammers they make a great product.  To bad you can't try them both out before you buy.  I know a lot have said they don't like the weight of the Wilton but they also have a six lb version.  I think it's worth the extra forty or so dollars.


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## Nosetotail (Mar 23, 2016)

I have no doubt that the bash has reduced vibration, but I see no where in the design or in the advertisements that it reduces the hard shock you get when you encounter an immovable object like a good ole hard knotty twisted piece of oak.  I'm not saying it doesn't, however the whole crux of the Isocore label is the shock absorbing handle.  If you watch the promo video on their sledge hammer, there is a really good slow motion sequence showing the flex in the handle absorbing a hard shock.  The toll on me really adds up quick with the hickory handled maul I'm using currently.


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## heavy hammer (Mar 24, 2016)

I know they say it has reduced vibration, but to what extent compared to other mauls I can't say.  I know it has a great feel and you can swing all day.  Unless you have one of each I couldn't tell you which is better.  I just know that having the bash I will never buy another maul.  Get both try them and then decide, can't hurt to have one of each.


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## Nosetotail (Mar 26, 2016)

Amazon just dropped their price on the Fiskars Maul to 55 and free shipping.  

Happy Father's Day to Me!!


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## Nosetotail (Mar 26, 2016)

I know why Fiskar's dropped their price on Amazon, Wilton has their 36" 8lb maul listed on Amazin at 79.99 and free shipping.  

Cmon somebody else pony up!! Father's day will be here in a couple of months


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## rowerwet (Apr 10, 2017)

Just ordered the fiskars maul, $52.03 and free 2day shipping with prime. 
I love my X27, but I just scored a big old maple this year and the X27 just bounces off


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## jetsam (Apr 10, 2017)

rowerwet said:


> Just ordered the fiskars maul, $52.03 and free 2day shipping with prime.
> I love my X27, but I just scored a big old maple this year and the X27 just bounces off



There's always going to be some stuff that calls for either sledge'n'wedge or a hydraulic splitter.

Stuff that's just big you can get with a maul if you know how. Stuff that's big and crotchy- not so much.


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## rowerwet (Apr 16, 2017)

After some side by side testing,  I'm disappointed in the iso core maul.
the maul doesn't do anything better than the X27,  and it is harder on me. It takes much more effort to lift and swing it, but the results seem equal.
the only thing that made me not send it back  was how nice it is for driving wedges and beating rounds off the wedge on my splitter. 
Turns out this maple is so tough it will stall the splitter


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