Making firewood has never been easier with modern Black Diamond Log Splitter

A power Black Diamond Log Splitter is powered by gas or electric motors and they are really easy to use once you have read over the manual or had someone show you the working parts of the machine. You place the log/wood in a cradle so that it is secure. A ram with a sharp blade that has a wedge shape is then driven into the log with enough pressure from the hydraulic pump or the electric motor eventually causing the log to split into 2 pieces.

Making firewood has never been easier with modern log splitters. The best woods to burn are straight grained hardwoods like walnut, hickory, pecan, locust or oak. We researched consumer sites like Amazon.com and Epinions.com to see what customers say about their log splitter purchases and we also read countless reviews in online forums.

One of the most in depth and comparative log splitter reviews we found was at Popular Mechanics website with quite a few models tested and compared head to head. A new hydraulic log splitter will cost between $1000 and $4000. Features to look for - Firstly, you need to decide on the splitting force. Log splitters are broken into categories based on their splitting force power (in tons). You'll see some below 10 tons, but most offer 20 to 40 tons of splitting force. The splitter doesn't rely on speed to split the wood, it uses sheer power.

The higher the ton #, the more power you'll get. A good way to determine what size splitter you need to get is how big are the logs you'll be splitting. You typically go by the diameter of the log - 6 inch diameters require at least 4 tons of splitting force, 12 inch diameters should have a minimum of 16 tons, and 24 inch diameter logs need 30+ tons of splitting force. The age of the wood will also become a factor as freshly cut wood is harder to split than logs that have aged and lost some of the moisture in them. They refer to the log types as 'green' or 'seasoned'.

Cycle time is another factor to consider. Average cycle time (the time required to split the log and return the ram to it's original position) is about 12 to 20 seconds. That means you could get through 3 logs in roughly 1 minute and take on a whole cord of wood in no time. The maximum log length varies from splitter to splitter - usually from 18" to 32"+. Something else to think about is - Will you need to tow the splitter? Are you going to be taking it to another property and have to tow it on the highway? Not all splitters are towable, so keep that in mind. We found that reviews for electric log splitters were above average.

Owners like the fact the machines are quieter to run than gas powered and they work great on mid-sized logs. The drawback is the electric power cord that keeps you near a power outlet. Hard to use electric log splitters out in remote areas - you would need to take a generator. The 3 point log splitters (also called PTO wood splitters) attach to your tractor and let you take the splitter anywhere on your property to take on the wood splitting chore. Assembly on all the log splitters we reviewed was fairly easy - few complaints. The largest number of concerns are with splitters that leak hydraulic fluid.

Also, the log cradles don't always keep the Log Splitter in place after they have been split. Sometimes this results in the split log pieces falling into the battery or motor area depending on the design of the wood splitter - this can cause damage. Look for splitters that have a solid housing around the working parts so they can remain free of damage. Electric start function is a nice touch - just push a button to start instead of pulling a cord. We also like the log splitters that have a low idle setting when not splitting, reduces noise and wear and tear on the motor.