Mingo Marker Review

Our Mingo Marker review is designed to give you a full, honest opinion of a product designed to quickly and accurately measure firewood so you can cut it into consistent equal lengths.

Firewood that's cut into equal lengths has a lot of advantages over firewood that's cut into various different sizes.

Equal lengths are easier to stack, it looks a lot nicer and you can precisely cut firewood to fit your firebox resulting in a longer burn time.

Nothing is more frustrating than trying to load a piece of firewood into your wood stove or fireplace that's just a fraction of an inch too long. 

Unless you take the wood back outside and re-cut it, it's basically useless.

So, to prevent uneven pieces most of us try to measure firewood using our saw blade, a tape measure or a yard stick.

Although these methods will work, the accuracy is not that good and it's tedious and time consuming to do.

When it comes to cutting firewood, I'm always looking for a product that will make the process quicker, easier and more efficient.  

So, I decided to try the The Mingo Ultimate Firewood Marker........and it was a great choice!  

In fact, it worked so well I decided to write this Mingo Marker Review to tell everyone just how well it worked.

Mingo Marker Review

The Mingo Marker comes with a 16 inch marking wheel.  

Additional wheels can also be purchased that mark intervals of 14 inches, 18 inches and a multi choice wheel that allows 6-12-24 inches.  

The Mingo Firewood Marker

A new Mingo out of the box requires just a small amount of assembly.

You'll have to attach the 16 inch wheel to the unit with an included bolt and wing nut.  

Just match the 16 inch wheel up with the proper hole on the unit, tighten the wing nut and you're ready to go.  

When assembling the marking wheel to the unit, make sure the tab on the wheel is on the same side as the trigger mechanism as shown in the picture below.  

Also, don't over tighten the wing nut.

It should be just tight enough to allow the wheel to roll smoothly along the log.

The final step is to load the Mingo with marking paint.  

The devices uses inverted surveyors paint which is not included with the product.  

The manufacture recommends non fluorescent colors such as red, blue or white to prevent clogging, but I had some fluorescent orange surveyors paint laying around so I gave it a try.

For the device to work, you must use surveyors paint with a nozzle that activates with sideways pressure.  

It will not work with a nozzle that uses downward pressure to spray.

Don't worry, inverted surveyors paint is very common and can be found at just about any hardware or home improvement store.

To load the Mingo, place the paint can in the cylinder tube with the nozzle facing down.

There is a small hole on the trigger.  

The nozzle of the paint can must go inside the trigger hole.  

If the surveyors paint has a cap on it, remove it before placing the can into the Mingo Marker.  

You'll notice the can presses firmly into the Mingo which holds the can in place and doesn't allow it to fall out during use.

That's it, you're ready to measure firewood!

The Mingo Firewood Marker

To begin, gently drag the Mingo backwards until the wheel stops turning and the tab is resting against the trigger.  

Now, place the paint nozzle directly over the end of the log and begin to roll the Mingo down the log keeping the paint can in a vertical position.

As you roll the Mingo down the log it will accurately mark small paint dots along the log at precise 16 inch measurements.....or what ever size marking wheel you have attached.

The picture below shows a log I marked in just a few seconds.  It's really that easy!

To test the accuracy of the Mingo Marker review, I used a tape measure to measure the distance between two of the dots.  

From the center of one dot to the center of the other dot was exactly 16 inches.

When you're done marking, hold the spray can vertically and push the paint can nozzle sideways to clear the nozzle and prevent it from clogging.

Then, rotate the wheel backwards until the tab on the wheel rests against the trigger.  

Tighten down the wing nut to prevent the wheel from turning, preventing an accidental spray.

The final step is to cut your firewood using the dots of paint as a guide.

Just cut in the center of the dot and you'll have accurate 16 inch logs.

Mingo Marker Review - Overall

During the Mingo Marker Review I found the product was very easy to operate, the marks were accurate and I'm very impressed with the overall performance.  

The shipping box contains detailed instructions, frequently asked questions and safety precautions making the product easy for anyone to use.

If you like to measure and cut firewood to a constant length, I suggest purchasing The Mingo Marker Ultimate Firewood Marker.  

It's a great product at an affordable price.

About the Author

Nick Greenway

Obsessed with firewood, Nick is behind over 350+ of Firewood For Life's articles, as well as countless reviews, guides and YouTube videos to help readers like you reduce heating costs and create the perfect fire.