My seasoned lodgepoles pop just like that, but it has to be very dry. "Kinda dry" takes a few swings.
But in general, even if it takes a few swings, not having to bend over repeatedly (insert joke here), is great. Then not having to gather all the chunks and stack each individually...awesome. my 9 year old would love that part. I may try this on logs over maybe 12" diameter. Smaller than that it's not worth it.