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Can An Innovative Axe From Finland ‘Revolutionize’ Chopping Wood?

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Stubborn logs with annoying grain no problem. Meet the Leveraxe, a revolutionary axe that cuts and separates wood in the same swinging motion.

Leveraxe axe splits wood with lever technology

Axe design is a pretty stagnant field. With a few minor exceptions, this basic tool continues to remain pretty much unchanged for hundreds, heck, maybe even thousands of years.

The Flaw With The Basic Axe

A stubborn log with tight grain tends to take several hits to split. Axe heads easily get stuck in the log and a battle ensues to get the blade back. Who hasn’t lifted the entire blade and stuck log overhead for a second, third, and fourth swing? 

Well, the Leveraxe (Vipukirves) is a simple invention that was released a few years ago. It appears to genuinely speed up the whole log-splitting process.

Leveraxe axe splits wood with lever technology

The Leveraxe Solution

Invented by a Finnish company, the Leveraxe uses a side-weighted cantilever to force the blade of the axe to act as a lever when it impacts wood.

It took me a few seconds to puzzle out how this device would work, but eventually I realized its genius. While innovative, we suspect there will be some situations where it doesn’t work as well as a standard axe or heavy-headed maul. But we have yet to test it out.

The company claims the splitting force of a Leveraxe is considerably stronger than traditional axes.

Finnish 'Leveraxe' Looks To Go Mainstream In U.S.

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Upon striking a log, the design automatically turns to the right and detaches the chopped portion from the log. The result: chopped sections remove with a single strike and the blade doesn’t lodge in the log.Leveraxe axe splits wood with lever technology

The axe is not cheap and is available online for about $200 plus shipping.

We hope to spend a few hours warming (twice) by the side of a campfire testing this clever cleaver this summer.

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