New Strikemaster chipper blade auger..way too slow cutting

[catflisher]

My buddy just got a brand new Strikemaster power drill chipper blade auger, and it took 30 seconds and a good bit of leaning to cut a hole..I was bushed after 3 holes..My lazer mag is on it's 2nd year on the same blades, and thats with a good bit of use both years, and I still just stand there and hold it while it cuts..Is this inherent with the chipper blades? It also took a good bit of pulling to get it to finally start, which I figured might be a break in period..We didn't hit any sand,..so I am wondering..Bad auger, or nature of the beast compared to the lazer?

[tonkapat]

thats the way they are. Feel glad u bought a laser.

[nate larson]

I used my dad's chipper a few weeks ago and thought the same thing. I am definately glad I got the laser instead.

[jwhjr]

Yep, big difference between how the two cut. It can definitely wear you out if you are drilling a lot of holes with a chipper.

[catflisher]

Then why do they make a chipper?..What is it's selling point besides the extra exersize??

[Fazerfish]

Just curious, what does a chipper blade look like?

I just bought a used strikmaster, guy said it was a 99' model, the blade is not one continuous edge, it has about 1/4" gaps spaced evenly along the blade. I took it onto Medicine lake yesterday to try it out, and it cut thru about 12" ice in 10 seconds, worked great.

[catflisher]

That sounds like a chipper...My Lazer goes thru 2 feet of ice in the same amount of time

[McGurk]

Use a chipper for de-drilling old holes, as in a permanent fishhouse. The Shaver style (Lazer) will bind up in the hole if you try to re-drill a hole that's not completely frozen through. The chipper will plow right through, though, at a slower rate. I have both augers for my powerhead, and switch them out as needed.

I will NEVER drill a new hole ever again using the chipper now that I have my Lazer! But it has its purpose in the permy house.

[catflisher]

Well I just called Strikemaster, and they said about the same thing...I never had a problem re-drilling with my lazer, but I guess the chipper works better for that, but it sure sucks for popping a bunch of holes..Thanks gang!

[Bottle Fish]

A lazer you just have to keep the power head from spinning. The chipper you have to put a lot of downward pressure on them and they will wear a guy out in a hurry. Do not do this with a lazer you will wear out the blades really quick.

[Sandmannd]

I believe at D-Rock you can get blades for $75. Have him get a lazer blade and just use the chipper for re-opening holes. Laser is the way to go for running and gunning.

[south_metro_fish]

How much down pressure should you use when using lazer blades? I have been having a hard time getting it to cut very fast and they are new blades.

[jwhjr]

You shouldn't need any downward pressure with the Lazer. I just set it on the ice and hit the throttle. If you need to push down you could have dull blades, blades out of pitch, or some ice frozen into the blades so that they're not contacting the surface correctly.

[nate larson]

I have to push down on mine a little also...I probably should have it looked at I guess. That is the one thing about the Lazer that I am not crazy about...it seems like the blades are very sensitive.

[Getanet]

Was it an 8 or 10 inch? I bought a 10 inch chipper this year. My dad has an old 8" chipper so I've never known what I might be missing out on. I can tell you the 10 doesn't cut as fast as an 8.

As for why they make the chipper, here are a the advantages from what I can tell:

1) Price - my 10" strikemaster was $310. A 10" Laser was closer to $450-500 I believe

2) As some have mentioned, they are supposed to reopen holes better

3) Less fuss - read some posts and you'll see some guys with Lasers unable to cut a whole. Sounds like if the blade gets a little dull or is slightly off balance you can sit there spinning. That's not a problem with a chipper

Ice thickness has a ton to do with it too. Early in the season my auger caught through a foot of ice with no wear and tear on me. Once the ice got to 2 feet it definitely wears you out to pop a few holes.

I'm kind of stubborn though and once I'm set up, I don't move around as much as other people do.

[tomfromblaine]

I'm with sandman get the lazer set up at d-rock. I did the same a few years ago and it blows through the ice.

[snoozebutton]

The chipper you have to put a lot of downward pressure on them and they will wear a guy out in a hurry.

I've got a Jiffy STX with the chipped blades and I don't put any downward pressure, it pulls itself through the ice. If fact, I have to hold it back a little.

[McGurk]

I've got a Jiffy STX with the chipped blades and I don't put any downward pressure, it pulls itself through the ice. If fact, I have to hold it back a little.

We're happy for you. No one is asking what to buy, just for comparisons on the augers they already own, which all have happened to be SM. Besides, you don't have to push a Jiffy down due to the additional weight already pushing the auger down!

Just ribbing you; Last weekend I saw 2 guys w/ SMs and 2 guys w/ Jiffys all practically laying down on the handles of their augers, while I was popping 3 holes to their 1 with my Lazer.

[Surface Tension]

The old SM and Jiffy's have the big fixed center point with a single chipper blade.

Right there is a limiting factor on cutting speed.

Now how many of those center points have been sharpened, and how many have been sharpened correctly. End result, cuts even slower and need lot of down pressure to cut. Still its better then cutting by hand.

Why would they still make the single chipper with fixed centerpoint?

Why scrap a design when there are still people buying them.

Having the power of choice is the American way. Price point too, you've probably heard that one.

One plus of a chipper blade is it can slowly dull but still cut.

Eventually it'll take forever and a lot of pressure. Some guys don't mind that as long as it makes a hole.

Can we all agree that the single blade chipper with a fixed centerpoint are the slowest augers on the market? Nope, see above paragraph but just beware that because of the design it is limited to how fast it'll cut a hole.

There isn't any power auger that will redrill an old hole as seamless and smooth as cutting a new hole. Well thats unless your blades are shot and grinding a new hole becomes more work then hunting for an old hole to drill.

There is going to be some operator adjustment when drilling old holes. Dual curved blades, Nils for example will center the head. A chipper will redrill old holes but after the centerpoint enters deep enough past the top frozen ice there is no ice to guide the centerpoint and only one blade, the fluting of the auger keeps it centered then. Again the operator will need to keep the auger from bucking around.

[Ed Carlson]

As with any singly edge chipper cutting system equipped with a center point, be sure they are BOTH sharp...and especially the center point.

If the center point gets blunted, it spins on it's toe like a ballerina....it will not feed the blade to cut properly.

The benefits of a chipper over a shaver is easier self maintenance and lower maintenance cost. With a chipper blade such as used on a StrikeMaster 2000, or a Jiffy, ...anyone can sharpen them, and the chipper system also cut a wider variety of ice without loosing there edge.

Chippers are ideal for reopening once used holes or for dirty ice conditions that quickly destroyed a shaver blades cutting edge requiring replacement. With a shaver, if dulled or blunted, simply touch them up with a file and get back to burn'n ice.

With my well maintained Jiffy Stealth 9.25 for instance...I just hang on tightly..... and it rips through 42" of ice in seconds...I practically have to hold it back...never will I need to put any pressure on it..if it is well maintained. If it slows down due to me dinging the center point or drilling through a log or something like that, I quickly notice it and with a few strokes of a file...she is burn'n ice like a Badger again.

A Jiffy STX Stealth system has a progressive cutting edge with a controlled metering gauge on the outside perimeter of the cutting assembly (The Mag 2000 also has a gauge on the outside edge). This allows for a metered controlled cutting sequence in a partially frozen once used hole...so it will meter the cut even when the center point and the two badger claw cutters drop into the water and away from contact with the ice. I feel this system is the best available for re-drilling an old once used hole, and for all use in a nearly all conditions except drilling post holes. I tend to avoid post hole drill'n with my Stealth STX.

[RonWBasser]

I switched out my chipper for a new Laser 224 shaft, the one with 4 blades. Now, talk about a difference..... about 4 times faster.

I will also keep both shafts as the chipper will be my mule for reopening holes and such next winter, but for on the go fishing where you punch a lot of holes the 224 shaft for $135 was a the deal.

[Steve Foss]

catfisher, if you have to lean on it, there's a problem with blade sharpness or the blade angle, and it should be looked at. A properly sharp and angled auger will require no downward pressure from the operator to get it to cut, regardless which blade system is used.

I cut for years with a 3 Hp Strikemaster XL3000 10-inch, which had the Lazer blades, and it cut VERY fast. It was the fastest cutting auger I'd ever seen. As recently as last year no one with a 3 hp 10-inch or 2 hp 8-inch, even with the newest designs, beat it for speed. Because I wanted something lighter, I traded even up for a newer 2 hp Jiffy Legend Lightning with an 8-inch chipper blade, and it cuts only slightly less fast than the Lazer did. We're talking about a difference of about 2 seconds through 2 feet of ice. I've got a friend with a very sharp Nils, and I'm cutting holes with my chipper blade as fast as he is with his.

In the end, the difference in cut speed is minor between Lazer and chipper systems as long as the blades are sharp and at the proper angle. There is a difference, no doubt about it, and I'm not saying there isn't, simply that for me the difference is small enough that it doesn't matter. If it takes me two seconds longer to drill a hole through two feet of ice than it takes my buddy, that's just fine with me.

One thing I've noticed about the chipper blades that's already been mentioned is how well they'll still cut when they get dinged a bit, which of course is not true at all for Lazer type systems. So since the chipper blades take a licking and keep on ticking, there are plenty of folks out there who are not keeping their blades in great condition, and that slows down the cut significantly and may explain why there is such a big difference in cut speed compared with Lazer systems.

[metrojoe]

I'm beginning to think that a number of people posting on this topic are to young to remember what it was like to chop holes with the old spud bar. Now that was work.

[Steve Foss]

Or those old cup-style hand augers. Yikes!

[Ed Carlson]

I'm beginning to think that a number of people posting on this topic are to young to remember what it was like to chop holes with the old spud bar. Now that was work.

LOL... Ah....YUP..an excellent reminder Metrojoe.....if you have chiseled lots of holes through 3' of ice with a ice bar for years when young like many of use had...and then get an ice auger of any type, hand or power...you seldom complain about speed of cutting .... ever again.