Which wood splitter is better to buy – Ukrainian or Chinese?
If you are thinking about buying a wood splitter, this information will be useful to you. You will be able to make a more informed decision, understand the advantages and disadvantages, assess the risks, and choose and buy a wood splitter that is right for your needs.
In this article, we described the advantages and disadvantages of Chinese wood splitters compared to Ukrainian-made wood splitter. So, let’s take a look in order:
What wood splitters will be discussed in this article?
Compact hydraulic wood splitters with electric drive. Designed for domestic use (private households) or for harvesting firewood on a small industrial scale.
Where are most of the wood splitters on the Ukrainian market manufactured?
The answer is simple – in China. When we first started to get acquainted with this topic, we initially thought that in addition to Chinese ones, there were many European manufacturers (Germany, Poland, Slovakia…), but then it turned out that almost all of their wood splitters are made in China.
If you decide to buy a wood splitter and carefully look at the variety of models on the Ukrainian market, it becomes obvious that the vast majority of them are almost identical to each other.
All the most famous and popular models of European brands, such as Scheppach, AL-KO, HECHT, Champion, Iron Angel, Konner&Sohnen and many others, are almost identical to each other. They differ in the design of the external hinged elements or the structure of the stand, but the main part (base) is the same.
After studying this issue in more detail, it became clear that all these wood splitters are first made in China at several factories, and then shipped to Europe. European companies either simply put their logo on them (possibly right away in China) or make minor improvements to the design, and also sell them under their own brand.
Advantages of Chinese hydraulic wood splitters
It is worth noting that modern hydraulic wood splitters are a very convenient and innovative tool. They really help to significantly reduce physical exertion and speed up the harvesting process. And Chinese wood splitters also need to be given their due – they are really convenient to use and help many households. Let’s consider their main advantages:
- Light weight. This is the biggest advantage of Chinese wood splitters. Thanks to the use of silumin alloy, the device is lightweight. It is easy to transport, assemble, move around the territory and change the lubricant in it.
- However, this advantage is also one of the biggest disadvantages – be sure to read about it in the disadvantages section.
- Compactness. In terms of size, Chinese hydraulic wood splitters are quite compact, which gives them an advantage in placement and storage. Such a device does not require much space – it can be placed in a small yard, in a garage, on a veranda, etc.
- Ease of use. The principle and mechanism of operation of a hydraulic wood splitter is very simple and intuitive. The log must be placed in the splitting zone, the engine turned on, and the process controlled using levers. An ordinary person can operate it without special education or training.
- Connection to a 220 Volt network. An electric motor is very convenient. If you buy a wood splitter with a gasoline engine, then in addition to the advantages of mobility and increased power, you will encounter a number of difficulties: these are higher costs for gasoline, its delivery, greater noise, the presence of odor, etc. On the other hand, an electric motor is devoid of these disadvantages.
If you buy a wood splitter that connects to a 3-phase network, then although it will be electric, it will not be able to be used in a household network. Therefore, hydraulic wood splitters that connect to 220 V are an excellent solution for household users.
Disadvantages of Chinese hydraulic wood splitters
In addition to the advantages described above, these devices also have significant disadvantages that you need to be aware of before making a purchase decision. Here they are:
- Silumin body and silumin parts. Silumin is an alloy of aluminum with silicon, known for its lightness, strength and corrosion resistance. However, it has significant disadvantages that are important to know:
- Fragility. Silumin has low plasticity and ability to deform. This means that under strong impacts or loads it can crack or break, instead of deforming. Since hydraulic wood splitters are precisely the devices that work with large hydraulic loads, this factor becomes very important. That is, when splitting wood, there is a possibility that the body or other parts may not withstand and split.
- Tendency to the formation of micropores. During casting, silumin often forms micropores that can reduce the mechanical strength of parts.
- Difficulty in welding. Welding silumin can be problematic due to its high thermal conductivity and tendency to form porosity in the weld. This is a very important factor when choosing a device. If any silumin part cracks or breaks, then to restore it, you will need a lot of time and effort, or such restoration will be impossible at all. If you decide to simply buy the necessary replacement part, it may not be available in Ukraine. Keep this in mind if you want to buy a wood splitter.
- Unavailability of parts in Ukraine. Often, there are no spare parts for Chinese and European hydraulic wood splitters. They are sold as is, but what to do in case of breakdown is your problem.
You can easily check this by typing in the search engine the following queries: “spare parts for wood splitter”, “wood splitter parts”, “hydraulics for wood splitter”, etc. You will find stands and splitters, but with hydraulic elements and silumin parts – a serious problem. - Weak household hydraulics. Before buying a log splitter, you can read its instructions. It can be found in English through a search engine, and then easily translated through Google. Well, if you read it carefully, you will see this or a similar sentence: “The performance level of the built-in hydraulic pump can reach a short-term pressure level for splitting with a force of up to 7 tons.” (official instructions for the Scheppach HL760LS log splitter, section 7 “Technical data”). This means that you cannot maintain the force of 7 tons, which is indicated in the characteristics of the log splitter, for a long time. That is, you can give such a force for a short time, but if you give it for a long time, the log splitter may fail. This can happen, for example, when you want to press a log that has not split.
- The need to work with both hands. The mechanism of action of these log splitters is designed in such a way that you have to hold the engine button with one hand, and with the other – control the hydraulic lever. Or press two levers with both hands. Manufacturers of hydraulic log splitters of such models argue this with safety precautions. However, many household consumers who have already bought a log splitter complain that it is not convenient.
Both hands are busy and you cannot hold the log so that it does not fly out of the log splitter. Yes, it is indeed potentially dangerous, but it is much more dangerous to lean into the splitting zone. And when you hold the engine button, you do exactly that – lean towards the splitting zone.
In addition, some consumers have even made hydraulic control with a pedal. This makes it possible to free both hands and during splitting – to prepare another log for installation on the log splitter. This significantly saves time and speeds up work. - Industrial use is prohibited. The instructions for these wood splitters clearly state that industrial use is prohibited and will void the warranty. These devices are not intended for industrial use, as they are made of cheap components and are not designed for long-term use. The engine may overheat, the hydraulics may leak, etc. If you want to buy a wood splitter for industrial use, this one is not suitable.
- Complaints about breakdowns and quality. While studying the issue of hydraulic log splitters, we noticed that those consumers who have already purchased them describe a number of shortcomings. We will simply add here a few screenshots of the reviews that we found on the Internet:
Ukrainian-made wood splitter – Ecopolymer Pinocchio LSH 520/5
Ecopolymer is a manufacturer of professional equipment in the field of processing. We constantly develop complex electromechanical and hydraulic devices designed for crushing, compacting and drying materials. Therefore, we have significant experience that allows us to develop high-quality hydraulic devices of varying complexity.
Having studied the field of wood splitters, we decided to develop our own model of this equipment, which would help farms in harvesting firewood and at the same time would be devoid of the shortcomings that Chinese wood splitters have. And when a person set a goal to buy a wood splitter, he would choose our device.
In addition to making the design more reliable, we paid special attention to making our hydraulic wood splitter such that it could be used in the industrial sector. That is, by purchasing our equipment, you can use it not only for small household needs, but also for industrial processing and it can become an important component of your production line.
So let’s consider the advantages and disadvantages of our wood splitter:
Advantages of the hydraulic wood splitter Ecopolymer Pinocchio LSH 520/5
- Lack of silumin parts. In case of breakage, such parts are extremely difficult to repair. Failure of one such small part can put the wood splitter out of order for a very long time and cause many problems with its restoration. We do not use silumin in our wood splitter.
- Metal quality. Silumin is famous for its unreliability and the possibility of splitting. Our wood splitter is made of Ukrainian steel.
- The engine start/stop button works in the following mode: press – the engine runs, the next press – the engine stops. This allows you to free one of the operator’s hands. In addition, the operator does not need to lean towards the splitting to constantly hold the button.
- Professional hydraulics. Steel piston and steel hydraulic parts, high-quality components that are designed for industrial equipment. Consider this if you want to buy a wood splitter.
- Possibility of long-term hydraulic load. The instructions for other log splitters state that they can reach a short-term hydraulic load of N tons. This means that a long-term load can lead to a breakdown of the hydraulic system. Our log splitter is equipped with professional hydraulics, which is designed for long-term load.
- High-quality engine. Competitor models have cheap, lower-quality engines. Increased capacity for lubrication. This allows you to change the lubricant less often.
- Spikes are already welded to the pressure plate. This improves the grip and pressure of the material to the splitting knife and, in addition, protects the operator from slipping and jumping out of the wood.
- Easily replaceable parts. At the time of manufacturing the log splitter, all replaceable parts are easily available for purchase and replacement in Ukraine.
- Connection to a 220 V network. Connection to a household electrical network provides numerous advantages.
- Designed not only for household, but also for industrial use. Commercial or industrial use by other manufacturers is expressly prohibited in the operating instructions and will void the warranty. Our wood splitter was designed from the very beginning not only for domestic but also for industrial use.
Disadvantages of the Ecopolymer hydraulic wood splitter
In the process of developing our wood splitter, we set ourselves the goal of making it one that would be as free as possible from all the shortcomings that existing models on the market have. We think that for the most part we succeeded. If we compare it with existing models of Chinese and European wood splitters on the market, we have removed the maximum number of shortcomings. However, the only really important drawback was its significant weight:
- More weight. Unfortunately, the use of steel instead of silumin, in addition to obvious advantages, also has an obvious disadvantage – an increase in the weight of the device. Steel, which can easily withstand the weight and blows of logs, as well as hydraulic pressure, must have a certain thickness. And the thickness of the steel increases its weight. Therefore, our wood splitter weighs a little more than 100 kg. While Chinese models weigh 47-55 kg.
Of course, the figure is significant – the weight is twice as much. A housewife simply will not be able to move this wood splitter. To move such a wood splitter, you will need outside help or, possibly, additional devices (for example, Rokla). It is less mobile and you should immediately choose a place where it will stand so that there are no difficulties with moving.
However, this is influenced not only by the thickness of the steel, but also by other factors, which are definitely an advantage, not a disadvantage:
- Increased oil capacity
- Higher quality hydraulics (its elements weigh more)
- More powerful splitter and pressure plate
- Higher quality engine (also weighs more)
Before buying a wood splitter, it is worth weighing all this. Of course, the choice is yours, and you can assess whether this is a critical drawback for you or not. We, in turn, do not hide important details from you.
We haven’t found any other shortcomings, at least at the moment. Otherwise, our wood splitter is much better than competitor models.
Conclusions
If you have carefully read this article, the only important advantage of Chinese and European wood splitters, compared to the Ecopolymer Pinocchio LSH 520/5 wood splitter, is their lower weight. Indeed – 50 kg versus 100 kg – it is important and you choose. However, in everything else, our wood splitter – prevails.
The compactness, ease of use, and connection to a 220 V power supply are the same. But the other components are much better:
- Better engine
- Professional hydraulics
- No silumin parts
- Easy replacement of spare parts
- Increased oil capacity
- Possibility of long-term hydraulic loading
In addition, we consider the biggest advantage to be the possibility of using our hydraulic wood splitter for industry. Industrial firewood harvesting will become much easier and more convenient for you with our device.
Ecopolymer is a manufacturer of industrial equipment for the processing industry and manufactures complex electromechanical, hydraulic and other devices on an ongoing basis. By purchasing equipment from our production, you get a high-quality, reliable and professional tool for many years!