Ice Auger

[cooper]

I'm looking to get a new ice auger. My trusty strikemaster kicked the bucket after about 14 years of hard abuse and minimal maintenance, so i think i got my money out of it, though i should have taken care of it better. So my question is, what would you guys recomend, best bang for the buck. Brand? 4 stroke? 2 stroke? i'm hesitant on an electric one, but maybe you can change my mind.

Thanks,
Cooper

 

[k9guy82]

Depends on how much you Ice fish, holes you drill per trip (roughly), You want light weight?.... and your price.

 

[Jm1986]

Fargo ice show is next week. There will be plenty of vendors wanting to sell you their auger at a marked down price
i have an Eskimo gas auger. I would recommend it to anyone. I know I can depend on it on the coldest of days for the past 10+ years

 

[AR-15]

Electric all the way, got Ion they put out first year still going strong with original battery, have made augers with electric drills and the Clam Conversion with the KDrills 6in and 8in

 

[Bfishn]

It depends on type of fishing you do. If i had to buy one new auger right now i'm not even quite sure what i would do. I will say i do like my Honda Strikemaster, it weighs 23 pounds so isn't bad for early ice walk on and still works well with a 20" extension drilling through 4' of ice on Winnipeg.

I've been very tempted to get a lightweight electric drill set up for early ice, but still don't think id want that as my only auger.

 

[NDSportsman]

K-drill paired with a Milwaukee M18 Fuel drill

Have not used my Jiffy since purchasing that package

 

[JB_24]

K-drill paired with a Milwaukee M18 Fuel drill

Have not used my Jiffy since purchasing that package

I second the kdrill & milwaukee. I put my jiffy up for sale after using the kdrill setup this past weekend.

 

[ndfinfan]

Sold my Eskimo gas and bought the Strikemaster Lithium 40v 8 inch few weeks back. Used it 4 times...so far so good. But I don't usually drill more than 20 holes in a day. Curious to see how it holds up when we've got 30 plus inches of ice, but man it cuts fast and is super easy to use. Will run you about $550 unless you can find one on sale somewhere.

 

[Lungdeflator]

If you fish LOTW, Winnipeg, or anywhere 3-4ft of ice is common, I would say gas is almost a must. I also dislike fishing 8" holes, so I am a fan of gas powered 10" augers. Strikemaster solo lazer pro gets the job done for me, although the blades dull very quick in dirty ice.

 

[Captainbrad]

I held out for a couple years on the move to electric. Ultimately I recently went with the new Jiffy E6 because I wanted the chipper blade. I used an Ion a lot two years ago and it worked very well but again I wanted the chipper. The K Drill is great (loved testing it) right up until I talk to guys who drill tons of holes and burn up drills. Knowing how little compared to some that I use augers, I figured the $500 drill would burn up about 6 months after the warranty went off. Then I think about the drills that were never intended to drill 8" holes in ice. At some point the companies are going to stop the warranty if the unit was used for ice fishing. (of course all speculation on my part)

So here is what I know. I have used the Jiffy three times and drilled about 60 holes. It cuts like a Jiffy. I had an issue with the switch on the battery which now is gone. I plan to meet with Jiffy about it in St Paul this weekend. With all that said, I still have my gas augers until I can use it more but so far I like it.

 

[luvcatchingbass]

If I was replacing or supplementing my Jiffy Model 30 my personal preference would be 8" (7.5") Kdrill for the type of fishing I do predominantly. For most of the places I seem to go I like to have chipper blades for the event of dirty ice.
Like mentioned above it basically comes down to what type and where do you plan to fish, how many holes do you want to expect to drill in a day, what is your budget, is hole size a big deal 8'' vs 10''. Like above the Fargo Ice Show next week should be a very good way to look and see just about anything available out there with hopefully some good show pricing.
Good Luck

 

[Captain Ahab]

If you fish LOTW, Winnipeg, or anywhere 3-4ft of ice is common, I would say gas is almost a must. I also dislike fishing 8" holes, so I am a fan of gas powered 10" augers. Strikemaster solo lazer pro gets the job done for me, although the blades dull very quick in dirty ice.

I cut(I mean I made my buddy cut half of them) ~25 holes all the way to the powerhead with a 12” extension and 10” bit using the 40v Lithium one day last year. It handles thick ice as good as anything. Even didn’t make it through on a few holes(ice too thick for one extension). That was with a 10” Nils bit(which I don't see for sale anymore).

- - - Updated - - -

Raced a new Jiffy propane with an 8” bit and still beat him by about 20 seconds through 40-45” of ice.

 

[guywhofishes]

gas and propane are doomed

 

[3Roosters]

milwaukee fuel with k drill here also. If the need is for another unit better suited for ice conditions/thickness etc than my unit can handle, i would just invite a friend to bring his ROCK STAR unit along and have him drill baby drill, all the while i keep praising him, congratulating him on his auger and what a fine unit it was. lol He would be like a caddie in golf... an auger caddie..yeah..thats it. an auger caddie.

 

[raider]

if you use a drill rated for what the k drill needs, i don't see a problem... hammer drills are 1 of the most abused pieces of equipment in the construction world... i've seen 300# guys discharge 3 - 3 amp hour batteries laying on the newer 18 volt cordless drills to cut 1 hole through buried rebar in 8" of concrete... if it's gonna break, it will break, but i just don't see wearing one out with a k drill...

 

[3Roosters]

Someone told me they use the mud mix fuel 18 instead of the driver drill. Any of you use this unit and can give a report?
[h=1]Milwaukee M18 Fuel Mud Mixer — Tool Only, Model# 2810-20[/h]

 

[raider]

I read on the k drill site that it is not recommended... was in their frequently asked questions...

 

[NDSportsman]

Someone told me they use the mud mix fuel 18 instead of the driver drill. Any of you use this unit and can give a report?
Milwaukee M18 Fuel Mud Mixer — Tool Only, Model# 2810-20

I wouldn't think that has the torque need for the K-drill. Mixing mud is not the same as drilling an 8" hole thru ice. Is there a torque spec on it?

 

[MuskyManiac]

If you fish LOTW, Winnipeg, or anywhere 3-4ft of ice is common, I would say gas is almost a must. I also dislike fishing 8" holes, so I am a fan of gas powered 10" augers. Strikemaster solo lazer pro gets the job done for me, although the blades dull very quick in dirty ice.

We've used the Fuel drill setup to fish Winnipeg the last two years with zero issues. Easy on the body and the ATV mounts as well compared to gas. It's an 8 inch hole, but that has never been an issue yet either. We've had some fish get off in the hole, but with an 8 they're not going anywhere but up to the surface.

I also have the new 12.0 Fuel battery this year...I bet on Stump/Devil's I'll get 60 holes out of a charge.

 

[luvcatchingbass]

The Eskimo Pistol Bit intrigues me a little as it is supposed to be a true 8in hole. I see that it has shaver blades on it so I wonder what would happen if one was to put their quantum blades on it, if they even are interchangeable. I don't have an experience with Eskimo augers and blades really and am unsure if the shaver/chipper combo would cause much more drag or additional torque over just normal shavers.