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I broke my Ice Auger last night that I've had for almost 20 years. I was wondering if anybody has any opinions on any of the new ones. I have had good luck with my strike master but am wondering what else is out there?? Thanks

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I'd look at:

1: Nils

2: Nils

3: Nils

4: Strikemaster electric (if you only fish in a hardside).

All kidding aside if you can afford the Nilsmaster I think you'll love it. Easy starting, 8 inch hole, cuts great very lightweight. search for Nils in the icefishing forum or just scroll. It's the FM most common ford vs chevy issue. Good luck

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It wasn't a Mag 3 by chance ?. I'm with the same mindset as Offalot If you are happy with Strikemaster why switch ?. Now I am by no means slamming Nil's but how easy is it to get repaired or part's. I know Strikemaster is a Minnesota company who back's there products. Just a thought.

Mike

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Not a concern waterwolff

On others posts this has been talked about and a Nils is just as easy to get fixed as a Strikemaster. There are plenty of Tananka dealers around to fix the motors. One can also go to a non Tananka shop and have ones auger repaired also. Their is no difference in time or expense to have a Nils repaired. here is what Jeff Borchardt had to say about the Nils CS>

Well let me tell you a bit about Nils and Tanaka's customer service. In the past when I needed an extra auger bit for my Nils I had one within 3 days on my doorstep from Nils Master USA in Vermont. This week I had some issues with mine and called Nils. Once there I was directed to the top Tech guy at Tanaka USA in Seatle. Since I was under a tight time frame for getting my unit fixed he took time to trouble shoot with me over the phone. This didn't resolve the issue but did narrow down what the issue was with my Tanaka engine. He shipped parts out to one of my local service centers next day air all covered under the 2 year warranty. There are no issues in getting parts. Most of the parts are distributed from Rogers, MN and when they are out, they are shipped from Washington. There are a lot more Tanaka service centers around than you are aware of. Most of the Northern Tool & Equipement stores are Tanaka service centers. I'm working with a smaller shop who has a bit more flexibility for my situation. In the St Cloud area I found three shops in a short search. Most of the shops had a 1-2 week turn around time frame do to the volume of stuff they are working on this time of year. Mine took 3 days and now I'm in action now for this weekend.

I've had serveral strike masters and they are good about fixing hteir stuff as well. Repairs took 1-7 days for augers I had them work on for me in the past.

So you can see that the anticipated worries of some regarding service is just not a big deal. Pretty much the same repair turn around as any other brand.

--------------------

A bad day of fishing? I honestly don't know what you're talking about.

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Thanks for the clarification Harvey. I myself had been thinking of going with the Nil's for my next auger I think you may have just sold me .

Mike

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Many believe that the Nils is harder to find a repair shop as they are not located in Minnesota. They are a very good auger with good CS. As they become more popular, I would assume things will get even easier for repairs if needed.

I'm not saying that the Nils is a perfect auger but I will say this, they cut very fast, are light and are well built. I have used and owned numerous auger brands and have had good luck with other brands but I do like my Nils very much.

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It was a mag 3 and the bottom welds broke when I was drilling. Do they have extensions for the nils master? I like to drill in my wheel house before I set it down. Example, if there is 4 ft of ice, my house is up 18" so I need a 6' worth of auger bit. Does anyone know the difference for the price on Strikemasters mag 2000 and the Lazer Mag? There is a $100 difference and I can't see why.

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lazer mag is a real nice auger...i've had one for a couple yrs now and i drill 20-50 holes with it almost everytime i go out...never had a problem with it yet...starts everytime in a couple of pulls and drills fast..i got the 10"...zero maintaince except i just put new blades on her.

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An auger that has never let me down has been a Jiffy!! Always starts easy - the primer button help out a LOT with the starting. Never have to pull more that twice to get it running. I have never ran a Nils though, so i would not know about that brand. from what I am reading, they sound dependable!!!

Good Luck Fishing!!

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Would the chipper style augers work better for reopening holes? For example, sometimes in my wheel house the holes start closing in from the sides. I know with my mag 3 it really struggled to open those holes back up.

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I have a mag 2000, never used a Lazer Mag. But with the Mag 2000 it has a lot more torgue than top spend. So it cuts with a lot of power at a slow auger speed. Now that is compared with a Jiffy which cuts at a higher auger speed with less power at the blade. The Mag 2000 doesn't those ice chips all over the place because of the slower speed which is really nice!! Don't know if that helps you at all, but that is what I know!

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My father in-law reopens holes all the time with a strikemaster chipper style auger.

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Quote:

Would the chipper style augers work better for reopening holes?


Chipper blade works way better to re-open holes. My Lazer Mag jumps all over the place. Not a very fun way to re-drill.

If speed is not an issue and you fish a lot out of permanants...get the chipper. If you are wanting to punch a bunch of holes and you are a hole hopping type of guy, get a double blade auger.

Everyone will tell you the good the bad and the ugly of every different auger out there. Jiffy and Strikemaster are typically the most common out there, however if money isn't an issue, look at the Nils.

CA

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