Watch: Weirdest Axe Ever Made?

The Chopper 1 splitting axe is pretty cool. It uses a pair of spring-loaded “splitting levers” to force the wood apart as the head is driven in.

Watch this first video to see how NOT to install an axe head on a wooden handle. He whacks the head with a rubber mallet to drive it onto the handle; what a joke. You are supposed to either hit the other end of the handle with a heavy hammer, or hold the handle vertically with the axle head on top and drive the butt end of the handle into a hard object, such as a large wood block. This uses the inertia of the heavy head, rather than relying on the tiny amount of force applied by that rubber mallet.

After that, though, he gets down to business and this is one splitting axe that seems to work quite well.

It’s been years since I split any firewood, and back then I used a standard splitting maul, but if the dukey hits the fan, heating with wood will definitely become more popular.

He said they’re not making them anymore, but it turns out, that’s wrong. It’s back! Initially made from 1975-1989 according to this page, they are once again for sale. Be ready to pay up, though. They cost $90 each. Cheaper than a hydraulic splitter, though, and certainly more sustainable in a primitive or grid-down situation.

What do you think of this axe head system? Here’s another video, but after the first few seconds, you’ve seen it all. It just keeps spinning ’round and ’round.

Russ Chastain

Editor & Contributing Writer Russ Chastain is a lifelong hunter and shooter who has spent his life learning about hunting, shooting, guns, ammunition, gunsmithing, reloading, and bullet casting. He started toting his own gun in the woods at age nine and he's pursued deer with rifles since 1982, so his hunting knowledge has been growing for more than three and a half decades. His desire and ability to share this knowledge with others has also grown, and Russ has been professionally writing and editing original hunting & shooting content since 1998. Russ Chastain has a passion for sharing accurate, honest, interesting hunting & shooting knowledge and stories with people of all skill levels.