Southland Outdoor Power Equipment SELS60 6 Ton Electric Log Splitter, Red

I normally rent a gas 20-ton splitter to slog through the available firewood around here: shore (lodgepole) pine, coastal redwood, hemlock, sitka spruce and alder. All of which, save alder, are all but impossible to split by hand. I had my doubts about this little 7-ton fella, but they have all been dispelled. I can fall a shore pine that morning and it will split apart by dinner. You might need a small chunk of wood to force it all the way through or to flip the piece over a few times to get through knots. If you've ever split shore pine, you know it's basically like string cheese as it splits...it's very webby and stringy, sticks together and refuses to fall apart. It's also full of knots and because they grow in all kinds of shapes and have a shifting, spiral column, splitting in the middle of a log can difficult. Well, good Ol' Southy doesn't give a toot about any of that. It may take five or six tries for the super gnarly pieces, but it gets the job done. All the while not killing my ear drums or forcing me to breath exhaust. Alder flies off it, except for the biggest rounds near the base (when they start growing into rhomboidal and square-like shapes). I've even used it to split hemlock root wads- which is the toughest wood outside of legacy oak that I have ever encountered. They're gnarled, have extremely dense rings, they're all shapes and sizes and because the roots grow above ground, they have loads of knots and offshoots to deal with. It whines and struggles a little, but gets through it. I did split hemlock roots once while forgetting to release the pressure and it started to make some very uncomfortable noises and lose power. I released it, let it sit over night and tried again and haven't had any problems. Basically, if you don't release the valve, pressure in the hydraulic reservoir will build and you can ruin the piston seals and create leaks and lose power. No bueno. I wrote on mine "release valve" so I'd remember. My only real complaint is that it needs it to be pretty flat to run. Here on the Pacific coast, there are no flat areas at all and I live on a hillside. I end up having to prop the splitter up with flat pieces of plywood to level it out, otherwise it makes groaning noises. It comes with a piece of paper to guide you on the degree of hill inclines you can split on...but I couldn't figure out how to make it work. It can also be very hard to maneuver on hills as it's heavy and the wheels aren't very wide. It likes to tip if you have to go sideways at all, which I do to get to my wood pile. Of course, a regular gas splitter would be just as awkward on those same hills and you'd need a vehicle. Suffice it to say, easy wood like doug fir basically takes about 1/8" of the splitting wedge before they pop apart nicely. Hardwoods (alder doesn't really count) don't grow here, so I haven't tested it on any of those. I have tested it on wood that's been allowed to sit and harden...that doesn't bother it at all, sometimes it's even easier as shore pine may pop apart rather than cling once the water weight is gone. I tend to split my wood as soon as I bring it home to get it curing more quickly. So, uh, buy one.

This machine is quite the little workhorse and was a tremendous time (and back) saver. I was a bit skeptical but after reading the reviews I figured I'd give it a try. I got it for $250, so the investment wasn't going to break the bank. I'm not disappointed - it did an amazing job. What would have taken me days to process by hand, I was able to do in a little over 1/2 a day by myself including cutting logs down to size (used a wen 4017 electric chainsaw, another incredible workhorse!), splitting, and stacking. Having a helper would have made the job go even faster.Because I don't split wood often (maybe a cord a year), spending the money on a gas splitter which I would have to maintain was not appealing to me. The noise, smelling like gas, maintenance, and storage were all negatives for me with a gas splitter. This is essentially maintenance free, not noisy at all, no gas smell, and you can store it upright in a corner - so hardly any footprint.Did it get stuck on some of the larger logs? Yes, but they were more than 20 inches in diameter, which is more than this machine is supposed to handle. I let them sit out in the sun for a few weeks, and eventually was able to get through them. I have 4 left that I couldn't split. I'm thinking if I let them sit a bit longer it will split them - if not I'll process the old fashioned way.As others have said it is low to the ground which is tough, but I sat on a milk crate and that saved my back. I'm sure I could have put it on a table or up on blocks, but I'm a one person show so that would have been a bit difficult as it is heavy. The need for two handed operation also slows things down a bit, but I understand that is for safety reasons. Some people have posted modifications that will alleviate that, to me it wasn't that big of a deal.I can't say enough good things about this little splitter. For the price, if you're not splitting dozens of cords a year or making a living off of selling cords of wood, it can't be beat. I would describe myself as a firewood hobbyist; I use a wood stove insert in my home to supplement heat in the winter, have an outdoor fireplace, and a solo stove. I anticipate this will be a wonderful addition to my "hobby" and a massive time saver.