1844 Helko Werk Germany Vario Heavy Universal Axe - German Made Heavy Duty Large Felling Axe and Cutting Axe - Head 5.5 lbs, Handle 36 in. (Heavy Universal) #10055

*update post using it to fell a tree*.Last week I had to fell a tree. Nothing huge. An old fir tree, was half dead and needed to be removed. Was about 15’ tall. Trunk was about 10” diameter. Not a huge tree by any measure. But large enough for me to get a sense of the axe. Long story short. This isn’t much of a felling axe. My 3 1/2 pound jersey pattern Council tool did a far better job than the 6 pound helko. There are three reasons for this,1) the way the axe is assembled (discussed below) it’s entirely bit heavy. This is fine when you’re splitting wood as the force of gravity is aligned with the direction of the axe. However When you’re felling a tree, gravity is transverse to the swing direction. And you have to actively fight to prevent the axe head rotating down. This results in a reduction in accuracy and increased fatigue. 2) the axe sharp, but is quite thick behind the edge and therefore doesn’t bite as deeply as a thinner axe and 3) it’s really heavy. The 6 pound weight is excellent for splitting, but swinging it sideways into a tree. It’s not clear it’s adding value and it is more tiring. I ultimately cut the tree down with this axe and then went back to lower the stump about 8 inches. The second go round I used my Council tool 3 1/2 pound. The job took half the time with a Council. I still like the axe a lot and consider it to be excellent. However, I’m thinking I might buy the splitting maul bit and switch it out. Essentially just make this a dedicated heavier splitter, which is already what it is. **I wind up chopping a fair amount of wood. Firewood for heat in the winter. Firewood to cook in the spring and summer. Being in the northeast the firewood here is all maple and oak. Sometimes cherry. All pretty hard dense woods.The axe arrives with a brochure. A little bottle of oil (like Balistol I guess) and a hex key to change the bit. This particular axe, the helko vario 2000 heavy universal is by far the heaviest axe I own. It’s heavier in fact that my splitting maul (a fiskars x30 which is fine). It has a very large edge. And a heavy slightly hollowed profile. The Vario serious have interchangeable bits. There is half inch think back plate and a strike protector which i guess is around 5/32” thick, the bit bolts on through all this via 2 large hex bolts. It has a vaguely medieval vibe.The bit is shaped like a Tasmanian axe, and it’s basically as if a splitting maul and Tasmanian had a baby ( a big baby). Which of course is the idea. It’s meant to be capable of splitting rounds. But unlike a maul also credible for felling. I haven’t tried to fell anything with it but I did need to break down some smaller rounds. 10-12” x 15” stuff for cooking. This made quick work of them. The weight is a little unusual (no forged eye so all the weight is bit down) and it took a few minutes to get comfortable with my swing. What I noticed was on a full swing the axe doesn’t even seem to bite, the wood essentially splits apart on contact. Not sure how else to describe it. But it feels like the combo of being very heavy and quite sharp transmits enough energy to these small rounds that they just explode. Do to it’s size and mass It was a bit unwieldy for breaking smaller pieces down. I do have a few nits. 1) the handle is beautiful huge piece of straight grain American hickory (thick feels more like a baseball bat than an axe handle). But someone coated it with something and stained it brown… why? So now I have to strip that and oil it. It’s frustrating on an axe at this price point that the handle doesn’t just ship oiled. 2) this is minor but the edge on the axe when it arrived wasn’t very sharp. That was easy to correct. 3) this one is the most important. I’m not sure this would be the design I bought if I were to do it again. The idea of the universal axe appealed to me again a good splitter that could also fell a tree. It is a good splitter although from what I understand the dedicated heavy, splitting maul head is far better at that. And having spent some time with it I don’t think it would be my choice for felling a tree. When you’re splitting, the mass works for you. When you’re felling it really doesn’t. I think if it ever came up that I needed to fell a tree with an axe, I would grab my 3 1/2 pound Council tool jersey pattern. It’s lighter by half and sharper with nearly the same edge size. The nice thing about this Vario set up is I may just swap this to the splitting head and give up on it as a felling axe. Hope this helps.

I have many mauls, splitting axes, chopping axes and felling axes.I got them all. As far as a splitting axe / maul, this is the BEST of them all.FriskarsGransfors BrukEastwingHusqvarnaThese are the BEST axe manufacturer. I have this one to pop the monsters in half and quarters then use their splitting axe to make firewood. This is a little heavy for using to make firewood. But it’s a true beast. It splits everything. 36” handle gives some serious momentum with a poorer full swing. I’ve busted and popped fresh maple. Stringy nasty wood is no match. It even surprises me with heavy knotty wood. I still need to use wedges for some of the knotty wood, but this has limited the amount of times I need to. It’s a true bruiser. I bought a 2nd one just because I NEVER want to be without it. I split 5-6 cords a year by hand. This has saved me so much energy it’s well worth the money.I had a friskars as my main maul. You get what you pay for. The Friskars usually sticks in the wood but doesn’t split or pop big logs like this does. It usually stuck in then I hit it with a sledge to use instead of a wedge. It was a lot of energy spent and much more work. This thing puts the friskars to shame.With a powerful swing, even the toughest and largest woods will pop.The only problems I have had is very fresh knotty maple. The only thing splitting that stuff is a hydraulic log splitter.8’ to 12” dia logs are no problem to bust in half with one swing. You can pop them and not split through if you control your swing. Then flip- over and rotate 90 set and swing away. You just made 4 perfect fire logs and look like Paul Bunion!Take 20-40” rounds and bust them into 4-6 pieces with this beast, then use their splitting axe to make the firewood to throw in your racks. .I can’t say enough about this monster. I highly recommend it. It is not made to make firewood logs. You can use it for that but it’s heavy. Their splitting axe is better to use after you bust the big logs up with this. This is more of a maul. But no hitting the back with a sledge. You aren’t supposed to do that with this axe. It’s not made for that and not needed.A+++++++++++ rating.I’ve heard the customer support is great also, but have never had to use them.

One nasty beast! Other mauls of 6.5 pounds and above may have more kenetic energy on strike but this Helko doesnt need that extra weight. Helko has combined a bunch of awesome features all in one maul which leads to this bad boy striking like a 6-9 pound maul. The head is forged and expertly crafted with the perfect angle, balance, and weight. The handle is an awesome shape and very high-quality american hickory. I have been splitting wood for 20 years by hand for exercise and for heating. This thing is miles above all of the other mauls I have owned. Another cool part is how the Vario line of tools offers interchangable heads. If you're in the market for a good axe as well, you could buy their vario axe head and with just two bolts just switch the heads when needed. The only downside I will say😏, Although expected from a top quality product l, The handle itself is very expensive for this 36" model. Anywhere from $85-$125. It does have a steel guard a couple inches long protecting the striking area, but do yourself a favor and be extra careful not to break the handle. For that high of a replacement handle price, this product should really only be used by experienced users... I recommend all Helko Werk products ANYDAY. They are not only equal to the best in the world but they are priced better and their customer service is second to none!