WEN 56207 Review ǀ A Powerful Electric Log Splitter

The WEN 56207 is a 6.5 ton electric log splitter designed to make your life easier when it comes to splitting firewood. It’s fairly simple but it saves you from all the back-breaking work of using an axe, which many people still continue to do. Because it’s an electric log splitter it can also safely be used indoors as there are no fumes to worry about.

Let’s take a closer look at the WEN 56207 and see if it’s the right wood splitter for you. We also compare it to two other great electric log splitters : Southland Outdoor Power Equipment SELS60 and the PowerSmart PS90.

WEN 56207 — Electric Log Splitter

WEN started out in 1951, building power tools that offered us extremely high quality at a price that is difficult to beat. This combination of quality, durability, and affordability has made the WEN brand a formidable force in the power tool industry for almost 70-years. This review is going to focus on the WEN 56207 log splitter and compare it to two other options in the same price range. This will give you a good idea of what you get when buying an affordable electric wood splitter.

If you’re looking for an electric log splitter, you know that you’re going to be sacrificing power for convenience. Gas log splitters are way more powerful than electric models. What makes an electric log splitter such an attractive option for homeowners is mostly their size and weight. A gas wood splitter will need to be towed with a vehicle and needs a lot of space to store. Then there’s the convenience of electric power – no gas, no fumes, very low service costs and you can start them with a touch of a button in any weather.

So what kind of power does an electric log splitter provide when compared to gas-powered machines? Gas log splitters are typically between 25 and 40 tons, whereas electric wood splitters are generally around 5-tons. We measure the force of the hydraulic ram by how many tons of pressure it provides to split the log. More tons of pressure will split wider logs and be able to handle harder wood.

So, generally you have to settle for about 5-tons of pressure with an electric log splitter and this will allow you to split soft wood of about 6”-10” in diameter and if you’re dealing with hardwood, you might not even be able to split a log that’s 6” in diameter. This will depend on the wood and how dry it is – dry wood will split easier.

The WEN 56207 beats most other electric log splitters when it comes to power. The WEN 56207 provides 6.5-tons of force. While the other two log splitters in this review (the Southland Outdoor Power Equipment SELS60 and the PowerSmart Power Smart PS90) aren’t far behind at 6-tons, the WEN 56207 emerges as the winner when it comes to power, though all of them are above average.

So apart from being the most powerful electric wood splitter, what else does the WEN 56207 have to offer?

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WEN 56207

6.5 ton electric log splitter

Features:

• Powerful 15A motor provides over 13,000 pounds of log cracking pressure
• Use the log splitter with or without the 34-inch stand depending on user preferences
• Included pull handle and 5.5-inch never-flat wheels make for easy transportation between jobs
• Electric power means no gasoline, no carbon monoxide emissions, and limited maintenance
• Split logs up to 10 inches in diameter and 20.5 inches in length

The WEN 56207 log splitter is very convenient to use. It has a stand (height: 34”) for working upright or you can work close to the ground without the stand. It’s really easy to set up and the 5.5” solid wheels will fit onto either the stand or the base of the machine so it can be moved easily with the stand or without. It weighs 98 LBS, so the wheels will come in handy.

The 15A 2.5 HP motor provides enough power to split logs up to 10” in diameter and, being a bit more powerful than most, it will do a better job of splitting hardwood logs. The sturdy table with great side support can accommodate a length of 20.5”. With a heavy-duty steel push plate measuring 16 square inches and a really solid 5” wedge, the operation is quite effortless even when working with harder wood. The cylinder stroke is 14.75” and a full cycle will take 20-seconds. This a reasonable cycle time for a light to medium duty electric wood splitter.

The WEN 56207 uses a two-hand safety feature – common on many electric log splitters. I’m too fond of this system because it requires that you always need to use one hand to hold the start button while you’re working. This means that you only have one free hand. You don’t actually need both hands when the machine is splitting the wood, so this isn’t really a big deal. Many people will prefer the extra safety aspect of this two-handed operation. It does prevent the machine from accidentally starting.

The extra horsepower that the WEN 56207 has, translates into more tons of pressure and this is what really counts when you’re using a log splitter. When it comes tough robust engineering, the WEN 56207 is a winner. It’s going to perform well for many years. You also have the backing of a nationwide network of WEN service technicians and a 2-year warranty.

Learn more by visiting the WEN site, a brand that consistently manufactures high quality power equipment for a very fair and reasonable price.

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Southland Outdoor Power Equipment SELS60

6 Ton Electric Log Splitter

Features:

• 6 TON splitting capacity
• 1.75 HP, 15 AMP heavy duty induction motor
• 18 second cycle time
• 7″ wheels for maximum portability
• Able to be stored vertically
• Integrated stroke limiter can adjust to a shorter stroke for smaller logs
• Extension cord recommendations for optimal performance :
  • 14 gauge if using a 25 foot extension. For example : Coleman Cable 02407 
  • 12 gauge if using a 50 foot extension. For example : US Wire 74050
• 120 Volt AC, 20.5″ maximum log length

The Southland SELS60 costs just about the same as the WEN 56207 but isn’t as powerful. The 15A motor on the Southland pushes out 1.75 HP (that’s 0.75 HP less than the WEN 56207) and this means that this one is only rated for 6-tons. When compared the WEN 56207, this looks poor but compared to most other electric wood splitters, it’s one of the more powerful machines.

Another feature that’s lacking on the Southland SELS60, when compared to the WEN 5620, is the stand.  But the Southland has some redeeming features that you won’t find on the WEN 56207. One of these is that the Southland can be stored in a vertical position which takes up less space.  If you’re storing your log splitter in a small shed, this can make a big difference.

VIDEO | Southland Outdoor Power Equipment SELS60

The second reason why some may prefer the Southland SELS60 is the shorter cycle time. The WEN has a 20-second cycle time and this one does a full cycle in 18-seconds. It also has a stroke limiter. So if you’re splitting shorter logs and don’t need to use the full length of the stroke, you can set it for a shorter stroke and this will reduce the cycle time even further.

Other than these differences, the Southland SELS60 compares very closely to the WEN 56207. It has a tough tubing frame a strong 5” wedge and push plate. The 7” wheels are just as good as those on the WEN. Though the Southland can also accommodate logs up to 20.5”, I prefer the side support that you get on either side of the table on the WEN 56207. The Southland also weighs slightly more – just over 105 LBS. I don’t think this small difference really matters, both machines have similar wheels for transporting.

When it comes down to it, these two machines aren’t all that different. They’re both very affordable electric log splitters with above-average power and a really durable design. The WEN 56207 is more powerful, but the Southland SELS60 has the ability to work much faster – especially if you’re splitting short logs.

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PowerSmart PS90

6 Ton Electric Log Splitter

Features:

• Perfect for small to medium size jobs
• Split logs up to 21″ Long ; up to 10″ Diameter
• Easy push button electronic start
• Requires 2 hands to operate with safety
• Let’s you work inside a garage or barn where it’s warm

The PowerSmart PS90 fares well when compared to the Southland SELS60, it’s also a 6-ton machine, making it less powerful than the WEN56207 but the same as the Southland. The tubing frame is also very similar to the Southland and it also doesn’t have the same great side support of the WEN 56207. Though I should point out that the tubing that runs along the side of both the Southland and PowerSmart machines provides a good deal of support – the logs aren’t going to be falling off the side. I just prefer the way the WEN 56207 has large steel plates that run along the side of the machine.

If transporting a heavy log splitter is difficult for you, this one’s going to be your favorite. It weighs about the same as the other two (101 LBS) but has much wider wheels with excellent tread. The robust tubing frame also wraps around the front of the machine and this forms a really cool handle with thick padding for a comfortable grip. It can also be stored in a vertical position.

You’re getting very much the same log capacity as the other two – 10” diameter and 21” length. Though it has the longest cycle time (22-seconds) and, like the WEN 56207, it has to complete the full cycle every time. You can’t set it for a shorter cycle like you can on the Southland.

The PowerSmart PS90 stands solidly on the ground and is as easy to operate as the other two. You also need to use two hands when using this log splitter – it has the same safety power switch that has to be pressed in to keep the hydraulic pump running. Like the other two, the push plate and wedge are made of really thick steel and are super-tough.

So, like the Southland, this is a less powerful machine than the WEN 56207. The real advantage that this log splitter has over the other two is that it’s going to be the easiest to wheel around. This will make it much more practical when transporting over bumps and uneven terrain.

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Conclusion

The WEN 56207 is the most powerful of the three and it has a stand which neither of the other two does. I think that the extra half ton of force is what really sets the Wen56207 apart from the other two. This might not seem like too much of an advantage but it will help when splitting thicker hardwood logs. Another advantage of having a little extra power is that the motor will never work as hard as a less powerful one. So even if you’re not using all of the 6.5-ton force of the WEN56207, you won’t be putting as much strain on the motor. This should mean that the motor will last longer.

This is not to say that the other two wood splitters aren’t without their own merits. The Southland is the fastest and this can make quite a difference when you’re splitting a big pile of loges.  The PowerSmart is probably the easiest to transport and this would be its strong point.

Because they’re all about the same price and they all seem to be built really tough, you will be getting a great machine, regardless of which one you choose. Ask yourself if you prefer more power, more speed or easier mobility – these are the three major differences that I can see in the three different options.

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Is a 6-ton electric log splitter going to get the job done?

When you look at a gas-powered log splitter that give you over 20-tons of power, you may be asking if an electric log splitter is going to make the cut.

In the beginning of the article, I touched on this briefly but it would be a good idea to elaborate on this a little. Once you’ve bought an electric log splitter, you’re stuck with it – so you want to be sure that it’s going to give you the power that you require.

An example of a heavy-duty wood splitter | Remington RM20 Sequoia

Conservatively speaking, you will be able to split softwood up to about 10” and hardwood up to about 6” with an electric wood splitter with a 5-ton or more capacity. So to play it safe, let’s assume that this going to be what you can expect at the very least.

That being said, I’ve seen a 6-ton wood splitter push through an oak log a little over 10”. Oak is pretty hardwood and it has to be properly dried to get that kind of result. I’ll also say that you could hear the motor working extremely hard to do this and this tells me that it was pushing itself to the max. I’ve also seen the same machine push through a cherry log that was almost 9” in diameter – cherry is usually quite a bit harder than oak. Though, again, the machine seemed to be working hard.

So if you want your log splitter to last for many years, I’d say that you should stick to the lower rating – up to 10” for softwood and around 6” for hardwood. Like I said, you can go higher and if this done occasionally, I don’t think you’ll run into too many problems. If you’re going to be splitting hardwood of around 10” on a regular basis, it’s likely that 6-6.5 ton log splitter is going to do it, but I can’t guarantee for how long. You’re probably better off using a gas-powered log splitter for more heavy-duty work.

Because 10” is large a diameter for any log, most homeowners will be perfectly fine using an electric machine. Though, remember that if you’re using hardwood, it’s not recommended to go over 6 inches, at least not on a regular basis.