Product images: Amazon listings
Written from the listing's specs, not from our own use · How we rate
An 18-ton rating, room for 16 in rounds and 2-second splits: the FORESTWEST 11097 18-Ton Electric Kinetic covers what matters most in a kinetic log splitter. It makes most sense for stacks of straight-grained stove wood; we rate it 6.9/10 from its listing.
| Brand | FORESTWEST |
|---|---|
| Category | Kinetic log splitters |
| Stated splitting force | 18 tons |
| Drive type | kinetic |
| Claimed cycle time | 2 seconds |
| Motor | 13.6 A |
| ASIN | B0C7WDYBFN |
Full listing title: FORESTWEST 11097, 18Ton Kinetic Log Splitter, 13.6-Amp Electric Kinetic Log Splitter for Firewood
| Stated splitting force | 18TonExact listing |
|---|---|
| Drive type | Kinetic Log SplitterExact listing |
| Claimed cycle time | 2s to 3s cycleExact listing |
Rated from the listing's specs, no buyer reviews yet
What it's made for: stacks of straight-grained stove wood.
The two kinetic log splitters closest to it on our rating, with a dated price.
The force the listing states at the wedge, next to 16 in logs and a 2-second claimed cycle. Whether it is enough depends on species, diameter and moisture; our tonnage planner turns your wood into a rough band.
What it has going for it
18 tons, per the listing. Our planner rates that for rounds up to about 18 in of seasoned softwood, or about 12 in of green hardwood. Most backyard firewood lives in that range. Tonnage is the maker's rating at the ram, not a measured result, and our tonnage guide explains why two "18-ton" machines can feel different.
Logs up to 16 in. Cut your rounds to 16 in or shorter; that leaves little slack for a crooked chainsaw cut. Measure your firebox before you measure anything else.
2 s cycle, claimed. That is flywheel speed: the wedge goes and comes back before a hydraulic ram has crossed half its stroke. You become the slow part, which is the point.
For stove wood, logs up to 16 in suit the usual 16 in stove length. A 2-second claimed stroke makes short work of a pile of straight rounds. It runs from a household outlet, right in the garage doorway.
On balance it is a stove-wood splitter; whole trunk sections are another machine's job.
The seller states, word for word, in the FORESTWEST 11097 18-Ton Electric Kinetic listing:
2.0HP (1500W) electric motor generates 18Ton splitting force.
Average 2s to 3s cycle time on kinetic log splitter.
Equipped with a solid table, can split firewood up to 16” long and suitable for most cases.
Large PNEUMATIC wheels make it easy to drag around.
Their words and their figures, not our measurements.
What the FORESTWEST 11097 18-Ton Electric Kinetic listing names:
In the box, per the listing: Stand, Log cradle or tray.
That is what the listing says comes, or doesn't come, with the FORESTWEST 11097 18-Ton Electric Kinetic. Check the crate on delivery day, before the cardboard goes on the burn pile.
Check the outlet, the circuit and the cord length the manual allows before you order.
At the price on Sep 30, 2026, each stated ton of splitting force costs about $83. That puts it in the pricier third of the 49 complete splitters we have a price for.
Cost per ton is only a rough yardstick: log length, cycle time and the engine count as much as the force.
The button opens the exact listing (ASIN B0C7WDYBFN), where today's price, stock and seller apply.
Need more force for knotty wood? The BILT HARD 40-Ton Gas Log Splitter (9.1/10) states 40 tons.
Rather roll the big rounds than lift them? The BILT HARD 27-Ton Towable Gas Splitter (7.7/10) tilts to vertical, per its listing.
Cutting longer splits for the furnace? The Landworks 20-Ton Gas Log Splitter (9.2/10) takes logs up to 20 in.
Our take
On the FORESTWEST 11097 18-Ton Electric Kinetic, an 18-ton rating is what caught our eye, and room for 16 in rounds doesn't hurt either. No buyer reviews yet, so the FORESTWEST 11097 18-Ton Electric Kinetic has to win you over on paper. The catch with this FORESTWEST kinetic log splitter: tonnage is the maker's rating at the ram, so knots, species and green wood decide what really splits. We'd pick the FORESTWEST if you split a few cords of mixed hardwood every year; otherwise, put it next to the BouPower 10-Ton Kinetic Log Splitter first.
Check the shipping weight before the truck shows up. Read the manual's start-up page before the first round.
Start with straight, seasoned rounds and learn where the wedge likes to bite. At 18 tons, knotty crotches are where you will find the limit. Anything longer than 16 in goes back to the chainsaw.
Plug in, split, unplug. No fuel to go stale between sessions, and with a flywheel the waiting is gone too. Keep the beam clean and check the oil level as the manual says.
Clean the beam, cover it and store it dry. Our maintenance and hydraulic oil guide has the yearly routine.
Before you order the FORESTWEST 11097 18-Ton Electric Kinetic: check your outlet, because a 13.6 A motor needs a circuit and a cord the manual allows, near where the wood is.
18 tons stated. Measure your typical round, note the species and whether it is green or seasoned, and run it through our tonnage planner. The answer is a band, not a promise.
It takes logs up to 16 in. Measure the stove or the furnace, then cut an inch shorter. Our cord calculator helps you size the winter's pile.
Find the breaker for the outlet you'll use and check nothing else heavy shares it. Our gas vs electric guide explains why that matters.
Check whether hydraulic oil ships in the tank or separately. Read the start-up and safety pages of the manual before the first round. Our safety guide is a ten-minute read.
How the FORESTWEST 11097 18-Ton Electric Kinetic stacks up against the closest alternative, the BouPower 10-Ton Kinetic Log Splitter.
| Criterion | FORESTWEST 11097 18-Ton Electric Kinetic | BouPower 10-Ton Kinetic Log Splitter |
|---|---|---|
| Our rating | 6.9/10 | 6.9/10 |
| Splitting force | 18 tons | 10 tons |
| Max log length | 16 in | 18.5 in |
| Max diameter | Not stated | 15 in |
Both score 6.9/10. The BouPower 10-Ton Kinetic Log Splitter adds longer logs (18.5 in) and wider rounds (15 in), while the FORESTWEST 11097 18-Ton Electric Kinetic brings more stated force (18 tons).
We rate it 6.9/10 (good). The rating comes from its documented listing alone, as no customer-review record is captured yet.
Its listing states 18 tons of splitting force, kinetic (flywheel) drive and a claimed 2-second cycle. Those are the maker's claims, not our measurements, and more tons does not guarantee an easier morning with your wood. Our tonnage planner gives a rough band for your rounds.
The listing states kinetic (flywheel) drive. Read the motor rating and the cord and circuit conditions on the exact listing and in the manual before you order. Anything beyond an existing standard outlet is a job for a licensed electrician.
Its listing states 18 tons of splitting force, logs up to 16 in long, a 2-second flywheel stroke, 13.6 A household power, a stand in the box and a log cradle that catches the halves. These are the seller's figures, not our measurements: how it handles your knottiest oak and how the controls feel after two hours can't be read from a listing.
Your wood: 18 tons stated. Measure your typical round, note the species and whether it is green or seasoned, and run it through our tonnage planner. The answer is a band, not a promise. Your firebox: it takes logs up to 16 in. Measure the stove or the furnace, then cut an inch shorter. Our cord calculator helps you size the winter's pile. The outlet: find the breaker for the outlet you'll use and check nothing else heavy shares it. Our gas vs electric guide explains why that matters. Oil, fuel and the first start: check whether hydraulic oil ships in the tank or separately. Read the start-up and safety pages of the manual before the first round. Our safety guide is a ten-minute read.
We link to the exact listing on Amazon, where today's price, stock and seller apply. It is an affiliate link, and it has no effect on the rating.
No, we haven't used it ourselves. Everything on this page comes from its listing, read line by line and weighed the way our methodology page explains.
If the FORESTWEST 11097 18-Ton Electric Kinetic hasn't sold you yet, see where it ranks, read the guides that feature it or browse all kinetic log splitters.