Forest Master USBB Firewood Kindling Log Splitter Review

Assembling this wood splitter was extremely easy. All you need to do is drill it onto a large log with the four screws provided. The log that you drill it onto will basically act as your cutting block – you’ll be splitting all of your wood on top of this. While your cutting block log doesn’t need to be particularly large, it does help if it is. I chose to use quite a tall log, so that I didn’t have to bend over while working.

What does slightly confuse the assembly process is the chrome pipe that’s included in the box with this wood splitter. However, if you’re using the wood splitter as is, then the pipe isn’t needed. It’s an extra part that’s only required if you have a Smart Splitter blade, which splits wood from both ends rather than just one.

Forest Master has designed this wood splitter to be extremely simple, and that’s not a bad thing. It’s small but sturdy, and its bright orange colour means that it’ll always stand out amongst wood. Is it too small? I would say no – after all, it has been designed to split already-cut logs into kindling, so you wouldn’t really need it to be any bigger.

Thanks to how it’s made from metal, it’s also very stable once attached to your cutting block log. It may not initially look like much, but it’s a strong little device with a very sharp blade.

As mentioned, this wood splitter is designed to be used on logs that have already been split – it won’t work well on anything that’s too big. I’d say that it performs best when used with logs that are around 6-8 inches in diameter.

You can use this wood splitter on both wet or dry wood, although I found that dry wood splits much more easily than wet. Either way, you can tell from the very first log that you split that this tool’s blade is very effective. It doesn’t seem to blunt easily either, and it would be easy to sharpen if it did.

Overall, I was happy with this wood splitter’s performance. It enabled me to split a large amount of kindling in a short period of time, which is always the goal!

Using this wood splitter is pretty straightforward. You balance your log over the top of the blade, and then, according to Forest Master, “tap with a mallet”. Their description slightly downplays things – it needs a bit more than a tap. However, the amount of force that you’ll need to use will vary depending on the type of wood that you’re cutting, as well as if it’s wet or dry. Having said that, whichever you’re working with, this tool is much gentler on the back than an axe!

I appreciated this tool’s simplicity, and its size is also quite convenient – you can simply leave it on your cutting block log for good, rather than unscrewing it once you’re done and then screwing it back in when you need it again. That said, make sure that you keep it out of the rain if you don’t want it to rust.

When it comes to a tool as simple as this, there aren’t many safety features that can really be included. The most important is preventing any accidents around the blade, and, for this, Forest Master has provided a strong metal safety cap that neatly fits over the blade. Even if you were to accidentally fall onto it, you wouldn’t have to worry about the blade injuring you.

This wood splitter isn’t particularly loud – it’s slightly quieter than using an axe to split wood. You definitely won’t need to wear any ear protection when using this tool!

What may put people off from buying this wood splitter is how much it costs – you could buy yourself a kindling axe for less than half the price. That said, while it may be more expensive than an axe, it’s worth it for those who go through a lot of kindling – it’ll make your life so much easier.

What helps to add to its value is the fact that the blade can easily be sharpened at home, and its robust metal structure will no doubt last the years.

This wood splitter is a simple but clever tool. It’s easy to use and will help you to produce plenty of kindling in a short time frame. If you have a small to medium fire/stove that you use on a regular basis, then the Forest Master USBB Firewood Kindling Log Splitter is a tool that you’ll soon come to rely on.