HANDYGOTooltrex Wood Kindling Splitter - High Strength Structural Steel Firewood Splitter, Wood Splitter Wedge, for Small Wood Stove and Fireplace Manual Log Splitter, Black

**UPDATE** While my review of the product has not changed, the seller emailed and refunded my purchase completely. So my review for the seller is 5 stars.Very simple - it does not work. I purchased this to make kindling from larger already split logs - no matter how small the log or how soft of wood, it just does not work. Want to return it but its very heavy and had to be sent back to China, meaning much more expensive than the $40 I paid for it. So there it is - a review that cost me $40 :(

After securing it with bolts to a board for greater stability, I proceeded to split several large pieces of firewood into kindling very quickly and easily. I will say that at first, it seemed as though it was not going to work very well - the first log didn't split that easily, but I figured out that you have to pound down a couple times and get a V in it so that it stays on the splitter. Then you can swing the sledge with more power and it splits like butter. I really enjoyed it and think this was a great buy!

Mount this to something solid (heavy round on concrete, for example), and you will be very pleased with its performance. Works better than I expected. Virtually indestructible construction unlike cast iron options which will likely crack at some point. I'm driving it a 4 lb hammer and find it just fine. I think those people that struggle to split dry wood with it probably don't have it mounted firmly to a solid base. If the ground is soft under your base then your impact energy will be lost from each strike.Really an exceptional value. I don't think I could have done any better for double the cost. I cut a deep slot in a split log to use as a safety cover on top of this when not in use. Takes about one minute to do plunging your saw and prevents a serious accident (think about kids playing near this...).Wish it was made in the Usa, but otherwise really good. Steel seems hard enough to last and comes very sharp.

A wood splitter that DOES NOT SPLIT WOOD! Unfortunately this is the worst order I’ve ever placed on Amazon. I was anxious to try this out when it arrived. Placed a small, previously split, piece of soft pine on this splitter to make some kindling. I used a heavy metal mallet and the “sharpened” edge is so blunt that the soft pine just bounced off the splitter. I will have to take the time and effort on my own to attempt to do what the manufacturer did not... sharpen the edge. Hopefully this item will do more for me than just being used as an ugly, heavy doorstop. Extremely disappointed !

Easy to line up a piece of wood for splitting into kindling. Haven't tried splitting whole rounds/logs but design lends itself to kindling. I mounted this on a round to give it some height but even the small log (round) I chose can interfere with the piece being split. If the deflector rails were at a different angle or the whole thing was taller (like standard cord wood size, 16"), the piece being split wouldn't bottom out before it's completely split.When finished, if being left outside, a spritz on light, spray oil helps avoid rust.