A maul is one of the tools that are used for splitting and cutting wood into logs or pieces. The benefit of using a maul over an axe is that it lets you spilt a large piece of wood easily. A splitting maul has a longer handle when compared to an axe, which lets you exert more power and cut wood more precisely. The market has a number of splitting mauls of different types and in different price range. However, before buying, you need to know what your purpose is and how to select the maul that would be the most helpful. Here’s what you need to find consider before you buy a maul.
- What’s your purpose?
First of all, you need to understand your purpose of buying a maul. A maul is good to go if you want to cut logs. The built of a maul is such that it helps you cut big pieces of wood without having to put too much of efforts. However, if you want to chop wood into smaller pieces, a maul would seem useless. Maul is heavy and makes cutting bigger pieces of wood possible. No matter how much power you exert using an axe, the act of cutting logs would still prove hard. Both axe and maul are good at doing what they are meant to do. They wouldn’t be very useful if you use them for a different purpose.
- The handle of the splitting maul
The handle of the splitting maul is the most important part of its body. Your level of comfort with holding the handle of the splitting maul would decide how easily you’d be able to operate it. When we talk about the handle, we are referring to the handle’s grip. The grip of your splitting maul’s handle should be such that it slides through easily when needed and rests in your hand as well. A lot of people use gloves while holding a maul to avoid friction burns. However, gloves make the grip uncomfortable.
For the same reason, you can go for a splitting maul with a fiberglass handle to have the best kind of grip without dropping the maul. Besides being very comfortable to work with, they are also cheaper. A traditional handle that is made of wood is a good option too. However, it would be a little costlier.
- The head of the maul
What makes a maul do its deed is the head of the maul. While the handle lets you operate the splitting maul properly, the head of the maul carries out the work for you. This is why the size, shape, and quality of the head are very important to consider. All these components act together and decide the quality of your work.
The quality of the head and the way it has been fixed to the handle is of utmost importance. The attachment quality between the head and the handle makes it long last without getting detached. The weight of the head is what makes the task efficient. A maul with a heavier head hits the wood with more impact and splits it properly. This is why people prefer buying heavy mauls. Mauls range in weight from 3 lbs. to 14 lbs. Most people buy the mid-range as these mauls are not too hard to lift and not too light to miss the impact.
You should get a maul with the best quality head. When you buy a maul that is not of a great quality, it might feel like it comes cheap. But, it would make zero sense if you have to keep discard the old one and replace it with a new one pretty quickly.
- A balance between the handle and the head
This is something most people never think of but is of great importance. The shape of the tool should be such that is creates a balance between the head and the handle while using the maul. When you swing your maul to split the wood, the ease with which it sets in to motion depends on the proportions. Think of a maul with a heavy head and a relatively shorter handle- it would be a disaster. On toolsduty, you can find the specifications of different mauls that can help you choose the best one.
The bottom line is that you should do a proper research to find out the best maul for you. On websites, like toolsduty, you would find the reviews of mauls. This will help you find the best maul within your budget. Also, before you buy a maul, hold it and check if the grip is good for you.
