The head of splitting mauls features blunt edges that easily create cracks in the wood, and its V-shaped part is perfect for splitting the wood. Meanwhile, the head of the axes is sharper and creates small, sharp chips when they hit the wood. Hence, they are more suitable for cutting wood than splitting wood. Also, splitting mauls are heavier and have a more extended handle than splitting axes typically, so using them to split logs will be safer and more effective. In general, we can say that if you want to compare splitting axe vs. traditional splitting maul, a standard maul is even better at splitting wood than the best splitting axe.