Ice auger Stikemaster or Jiffy?

[fishmounter]

Looking to purchase a 8 inch or 10 inch auger what's the pro's or con's.

[monstermoose78]

Well strikemaster is made in biglake so thats a plus if you need anything. I like my strikemaster augers that I had. Thats only 2 and the only reason I traded my old one was I won a new lazer mag in a ice fishing contest.

[Fisherman1526]

Strikemaster will cut a touch faster if the blades ain't bent and are razor sharp. I use a Jiffy for durability, as I overlap holes for cutting spear holes. The blade holds up as it will not bend and you can sharpen them with a file. I have owned my Jiffy since 1992 and been putting it through alot of abuse year after year and never had to take a wrench to it. "Knock on Wood"

[jaydog]

i think jiffy is more durble but that solo motor on the strikemaster should be good but blades dull easier strikemaster i personal hav eskimo and love it

[river rat316]

IMHO StrikeMaster is the only way to go, especially the new ones, the older shipper bladed ones are a horse apeice.

[Jacob]

You CAN NOT beat Strikemaster customer service!

[Fisherman1526]

I guess I never had to try Jiffy's customer service. "knock on wood". Just giving my opinion.

[executive]

anyone been up to north center or green in then last day? how is the ice seen portables out on the channel between north and south lindstrom?

[river rat316]

I guess I never had to try Jiffy's customer service. "knock on wood". Just giving my opinion.

I have never needed much, a blade cover, new blades, oil, little stuff like that, but they always treat you like your a king in there, answer any questions you hav,e and you never feel rushed I personally like that and it keeps me touting there product, ohhh and I will need a carb kit maybe tomorrow, but thats my fault. I stored it like an [PoorWordUsage] and now am having to pay for it!

[gardn184]

still using my dads model 30 jiffy, the paint is gone, the edges of the drill portion are bent a bit, but it still starts up on the first or second pull every year, every time out, knock on wood, theres something to be said for reliability in a sport where the weather conditions are brutal. I personally will never buy anything but a jiff, and the way this ones running that might be a ways off

[thehawk]

I owned an older jiffy model 30 and it ran like a champ, but was almost 80lbs. I just got a strikemaster yesterday and fresh out of the box it started on the 5th pull, and on the 1st or 2nd pull after that. I switched because im 5'7" and an 80lb auger will simply just wear out a smaller guy like me. I like to go to the mud flats on the big pond and drill 50 to 100 holes and a 27lb strikemaster vs. a 80lb jiffy...thats a no brainer to me. I do agree that the jiffy was very reliable and I have not cut one hole with the new strikemaster yet, hopefully this weekend somewhere. just my two cents worth.

[hydro]

Did you have a pre-war model with a cast iron motor? 80 pounds sounds like way too much for a Jiffy.

[thehawk]

My old man bought one in 2000 and I got mine the next year. jiffy model 30. weight on the package was 79lbs...dry.

[IcePro]

The heaviest shipping weight I can find on record for a Model 30 is 46 pounds; however the actual weight of the unit is less.

The 79 pound units must have been the Willey Wonka units that had a bar of gold in the box.

[fishmounter]

Just bought the 8'' 2 hp Stikemaster and what a breeze to start with the decompression switch and it's so light, cuts excellent, was looking at the 10'' but with tip ups I was afraid I might lose one down the hole since they are the same size as the 10'' auger. They also have a hanndy on/off switch right on the thumb throttle to switch it off or on.

[MarkAlm]

If your going to get a 10 inch auger I would recomend that you get a 3h.p. in either model. I personally think the gear box on the Jiffy will hold up longer, yes it is heaviar than a Strikemaster but if you dont walk out very far or you just drive on then it really does not matter! AS far as customer service goes, I had purchased a Strikemaster 20+ years ago when they were blue and their building was down on Washington ave. Well the first 4 times out I had 2 broken recoils and it did not start the other 2 times . after the last trip I went back to the retailer and they called Strikemaster and said " take it downtown and they will give you a new auger" , Well I got there and they took it in back and put a new recoil in it and handed it back to me. I turned around and took it back to the retailer and got my money back.

Had a lite Eskimo for about 4 years and wore out the clutch in about 4 years. Bought a Jiffy, I sold my Jiffy I had for 15 years and not once did I have a problem with it and I had some years with as many as 40 trips on the ice.

I hope that customer service would be your last thing on your list as a deciding factor. GOOD LUCK!!

[Fredd]

Jiffys years ago seemed to be hit or miss (you got one that would run or you got one that wouldn't run enough to drill a hole to sink it in). At least this was my experience with the people I knew. I do know people who still have Jiffs still going strong after 20 years though. I got a lazer 10 years ago and have never been let down. I think that Jiffy is made better but Strikes are lighter. I love the 2hp model personally. I know that the Jiff was heavier but I didn't think it was 40+lbs heavier. An 8" hole is all you ever need.

[Lipriper84]

I bought a Strikemaster Lazer 10" 3 winters ago. On my first outing a Gear snapped off on the 3rd hole I drilled, forcing me to use a hand auger the rest of the trip. Strikemaster fixed the problem free of charge but it still ruined my next weekend since they arn't open very late in big lake and I had to bring it to their repair guy at D-Rock in the cities on a Saturday. The next year when I was close to the bottom of the hole where the blades always seem to catch the handle on the auger snapped. The Composite handle they have on those augers is pure [PoorWordUsage], and cost over $40. Now the blades on the auger seem to have a little bend to them so the auger will only drill a hole at almost a 45 degree angle. The motor has always run great, but as for the other components surrounding it I've been very disapointed. As it was said on Tommy boy, if you want me to [PoorWordUsage] in a box and mark a guarantee on it I will, I have spare time.

[Lakeeyes.com]

Just wanted to put a note out there about the Hypercoil recoils on the Eskimo Ice Augers. The problems with this recoil system are fixable, but there is a reason why they sell the replacement for $40 plus shipping....they are probably selling a replacement for every auger that they ever sold. My neighbor's broke...almost brand new....it would pull and recoil, but it would not spin the flywheel. I proceeded to take the recoil system apart and sure enough, a piece of plastic from the pulley wheel had broken off. The secondary recoil spring is a thick strong spring and just busted out the little piece of plastic that it was hooked to. I've gotten to be kind of an expert at reloading the recoil springs, so I tackled it and got it working like new. This was one of the toughest recoil springs I've encountered.  I should have made a video on it, but did not. If anyone needs any guidance and you are a cheapskate like me, I would be more than happy to give you some advice. Or you could send me yours and I could try to fix it for you.....but like I said, for $40 plus shipping you can order a brand new one.....might last or might not. I personally like to fix my stuff and most of the time it ends up being better than when it came from the manufacturer. Happy Fishing