We are all too familiar from old movies what men do before winter.
They would carry their axes, sledge hammers and wedge outdoors to find good logs to chop as firewood.
It is a healthy practice for young and robust men but when the man of the house grows old, chopping logs with an axe may cause muscle cramps and back pains.
Modern times also require things to be done quickly and efficiently.
People don't have too many hours or days to spare just to chop wood.
It is more practical to own a wood splitter.
Splitters are like mechanical axes.
Most of them have hydraulic pumps driven by motors to apply pressure and force on the log by means of a metal wedge.
The pressure would soon split the log into two.
Good that you are reading this as this is your quick and easy guide on how to find the best splitter.
The Three Best Feature of a Splitter are:

1. Horsepower or Tonnage - Tonnage means the strength or power that drives the wedge.
   Rule of thumb: the higher the tonnage the better.
   A 15 ton log ripping machine for example is more forceful than a 10 ton log cutter.
   The same goes for horsepower.
   The higher the hp the faster the logs will get split.
   
2. Cycle Time -For cycle time, the shorter the cycle period the better.
   It means the machine gets to reset back to its cutting position fast and wait time is shorter.
   For most splitters, the cycle time is at 12 seconds.
   
3. Horizontal/Vertical Operation - The positioning of the wood splitter matters as it affects ease of loading logs into the machine.
   Generally, vertical wood splitters are more convenient as you won't have to lift logs onto the unit especially if you are dealing with heavy pieces of wood or working on sloping surfaces.
   However, vertical wood splitters may not have as much power as horizontal splitters.
   
4. There are also dual-type splitters.
   If you work with different types of logs, it would be best to have this.
   Note: The dual feature is only seen in hydraulic splitters.
   

Two Most Popular Splitters As mentioned, there is a hydraulic splitter which is powered by gas.
Another most popular splitter type is electric and as its name suggests, it gets its power from electricity.
All electric splitters are horizontally operated.
Hydraulic splitters have the most outdoor power compared to electric splitters.
Highly rated hydraulic splitters have 5.
5 hp while the best electric splitter in the market will only have at most 2 hp.
However, if you prioritize portability than power, then you may settle with electric splitters.
Most electric splitters are surprisingly compact.
It can fit in your trunk.
You would find both splitter types for sale in many retail stores and direct manufacturer online sites.