Council Tool 5 lbs. SB Splitting Axe; 36 in. Straight Wooden Handle

I call this thing, "The Sinker". It's heavy and narrow. I'll use it to open up a good crack on a particularly knotty or twisty piece. It is certainly usable out of the box. But for me? I smoothed it down with some 120 grit and then rubbed it down with some linseed oil. Really helped the grain pop. And it now feels amazing in the hand. In summary, this is the best splitting ax I have found in this price point. Give the handle about 30 minutes of your time and she feels as amazing as she chops.

Splits well, and chops good too if you do a little profile grinding.

The handle lasted almost though a half cord but broke in half before finishing. Axe head worked as it should but was very disappointed with the handle. Please send me a replacement handle at no cost or the axe will be returned for full refund.

Wonderful splitting axe. Nice weight and profile. Very nice handle with a nice tight grain. Very impressed with this tool. Now I need more wood to split.

I had good grain structure with low runout in my handle. The handle itself, was not taken to a nice finish. The axe was crudely sharp and very rough grind marks left from factory. You can make this axe a real performer. I used an angle grinder/flap disc to sand out the axe head to a smooth finish then hand sanded up to 2000grit. I scraped the varnish off the handle with knife and then sanded the handle with 100,120grit. Scrape the varnish off before you sand, otherwise it will clog sandpaper immediately. I burnt it, then oiled with boiled linseed oil. Axe now, very smooth to swing, well balanced from bit to poll. If you polish the bit, it does not stick in the wood hardly at all. The “FLICK” method splits very well. Factory it’s a 3 - it’s $70 because it was not hand tuned. Hand tune it yourself and you have a great performer.

I split 3 cords of hardwood a year. For the last 5 years I’ve used a Fiskars 8lb maul and x27 splitting axe - both are fine tools, but the council tools 6lb splitting axe is my favorite. The weight is a great compromise between effort to swing and effectiveness. The edge is hardened and stays sharp. The weighted poll and round handle allow a sideways flick of the axe at impact.

Well balanced and splits great. Great value for the money

The head and weight are fine. The bit arrived sharp. However, I swung this axe 10 times and the handle broke clean……right in the middle of the handle. I have never seen anything like that, ever. Really disappointed. Just terrible quality handle.