Camping Products, Product Reviews

Collins Splitting Axe Review

When my family started camping, I needed a wood splitting axe (aka “maul,” a tool with a heavy head and a handle) to cut the firewood down into kindling (easily combustible small sticks or twigs used for starting a fire) and smaller logs. So this is my real life Collins Splitting Axe Review.

Why buy a splitting axe?

When you go camping, some campgrounds allow you to bring your own firewood or more commonly you purchase firewood at the campground. Most campgrounds don’t allow you to forage for firewood at the campgrounds.

We typically buy firewood at the campground because it is so bulky and heavy. Firewood usually comes in the form of logs that are around 18-24 inches long and around 6-8 inches thick.

When you start a fire, you need kindling because the logs discussed above typically won’t catch fire from a match, lighter or newspaper. So, I use my axe to create kindling and smaller logs. Smaller logs catch fire faster and burn more intensely that larger thicker logs.

After I’ve created kindling and smaller logs, I crinkle newspaper or tear apart cardboard boxes and place in the fire pit. Then, I create a tipi like structure using the kindling over the paper. Last, I create a larger tipi over the smaller tipi, then use a long length gas lighter to light the paper.

What are important qualities of an axe?

Based on my research and axe reviews, weight and durability are typically the most important qualities. If an axe is too light, then you have to use more of your own muscle to split logs which leads to fatigue and accidents. If the quality of the axe’s construction is low, then the axe handle may break apart or the axe head may come off or the axe head may become damaged. This may lead to an accident too.

Another important quality for me personally was size since I have so much other camping equipment that I tote around. I wanted a smaller axe. I noticed there were axes that were two to three feet in length. Since I’m not planning to cut down trees or split tree stumps, I didn’t feel that I needed a longer axe that enables more momentum and more force when swinging the axe.

Always remember to wear protective eyewear when chopping wood.

My experience so far

I landed on buying the Collins Splitting Axe. It’s around 3.8 lbs and around 16 inches long. It has a fiberglass handle and carbon steel head. I use it on every camping trip since kids love campfires and we grill over the campfire.

Over the past year, it’s been a great log splitting axe. I’ve found it to be the ideal weight for splitting logs and for making kindling. It appears to be durable in that I have not had any issues with the handle coming apart or the head detaching from the handle. Also, it appears the fiberglass minimizes vibrations in the handle, which helps minimize fatigue.

So, I hope you learned something new from my Collins Splitting Axe Review and I would recommend the Collins Splitting Axe without reservations.

Where to buy the Collins Splitting Axe?

If you’d like to purchase this axe, below is a link. Please keep in mind that links in my posts are affiliate links. If you go through them to make a purchase, I will earn a commission. Earning commissions enables me to write, manage and maintain this free blog for readers like you.

Collins Splitting Axe – https://amzn.to/2XSYndb

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