Buyer's Guide
STIHL Splitting Axes & Mauls Buyer's Guide
STIHL splitting axes and mauls provide powerful, reliable performance for processing firewood, breaking rounds and tackling difficult hardwoods. This range covers STIHL's Cleaving Axe line, the heavier AX 30 C Cleaving Hammer, the compact AX 13 C Cleaving Hatchet, and genuine ash and hickory handles to keep an existing splitting axe working rather than needing a full replacement.
STIHL Cleaving Axes
STIHL's cleaving axe range covers different head weights and handle lengths for splitting rounds into firewood: the AX 20 PC and AX 28 CS both use a wedge-profile head to force wood apart on impact rather than just cutting through it, while the AX 15 P Forestry Axe gives a lighter, more general-purpose option for felling and limbing work alongside splitting.
AX 30 C Cleaving Hammer & AX 13 C Cleaving Hatchet
The AX 30 C Cleaving Hammer adds real mass behind the head for breaking apart larger, more stubborn rounds that a standard axe struggles with, working more like a splitting maul than a felling axe. The AX 13 C Cleaving Hatchet sits at the other end of the range — a compact, one-handed tool for kindling and smaller splitting jobs where a full-length axe is more than the task needs.
Genuine STIHL Handles & Spares
A cracked or worn handle doesn't mean replacing the whole axe: STIHL's Ash Handle (85cm) and Hickory Handle (80cm) both fit the Cleaving Axe range, with hickory generally holding up to harder use before ash. The AX 10/AX 12 T Axe Ring Wedge (18mm) keeps the head seated tight on the handle, preventing the dangerous wobble a worn wedge can cause.
Choosing Between an Axe, Maul and Hatchet
An axe cuts and splits, relying on a sharper edge and controlled swing; a maul or cleaving hammer relies on raw mass to force wood apart, forgiving a less precise strike on tough or knotty rounds. A hatchet trades reach and power for control, better suited to kindling and one-handed work than processing a full round. Match the tool to the timber: straight-grained softwood splits easily with a lighter axe, while gnarled or seasoned hardwood rounds call for the extra mass of a maul.