Ice augers

[osok]

Seriously looking at purchasing a new auger this year. I am curious what other people are using or recommend. Price wise an Ion is out of the picture, what are your thoughts on make, gas, propane, 4 stroke...?

[monstermoose78]

Look at all the cordless drill ones as well

[osok]

18 hours ago, monstermoose78 said:

Look at all the cordless drill ones as well

I tried the cordless drill route in the past, and it just wasn't for me. But I do appreciate the response. 

[monstermoose78]

I like the strike master lazers I have one hanging in my garage now

[hardcore365]

This will be my third year with the 8" 4 stroke  SM. So far so good, I run 91 octane N.O. gas in it and change the oil twice a season. Might be over kill but I don't see a problem with fresh oil. Don't exactly remember how much I paid for it though. With that being said those big money items you get what you pay for. Only "problem" I've had with it is it seems to take a little longer to warm up than my old one(lazer 224). 

[Flyin Ryan]

What kind of budget are you thinking? You definitely get what you pay for. 

[I fish, therefore I lie]

I recently purchased a Nils 8" "convertable" auger #UR800C from Marine General for about $200. It can be run with a standard 18v cordless drill. I tested it with mine and it cut at a rate of about 1" of ice per second (10 inches in 10 seconds).   Even without power they drill through ice faster than any manual auger. They're a bit pricey as compared to a Mora, but in my busted up shoulders' opinion, worth every penny. Plus they weigh about half of what my old Jiffy weighs.

[jwmiller33]

Can't beat a 2 stroke strikemaster with a chipper blade in my opinion.

Edited January 9, 2017 by jwmiller33

[leech~~]

2 minutes ago, jwmiller33 said:

Can't beat a 2 stroke strikemaster with a chipper blade in my opinion. I'd argue its the best combo of reliability, price and weight out there for all augers.

 

I agree, never been left without a hole to fish in with a Strikemaster 8" chipper. A few nicks in a shaver blade and your spinning air, not charge your batteries and your done for the day. Even if a chipper gets dull it still bangs out a hole to save the trip. I'll always be using a gas auger.

[osok]

5 hours ago, leech~~ said:

 

I agree, never been left without a hole to fish in with a Strikemaster 8" chipper. A few nicks in a shaver blade and your spinning air, not charge your batteries and your done for the day. Even if a chipper gets dull it still bangs out a hole to save the trip. I'll always be using a gas auger.

 Now we are getting somewhere, I had Strikemasters in the past, but the last one spent more time being repaired then it did running. if it wasn't a carb issue, then it was a recoil, gear box, magneto, or flywheel issue. Hard to believe that a one lunger could cause so much headache. I'm sure those problems have been addressed and corrected, I don't know, maybe it was just a lemon. But now I am reluctant to throw $$ towards SM. 

 Have a buddy who swears by his Eskimo, another says Jiffy.

 I guess I am looking for pros/cons of all makes.  Electric is out, can't afford an ION, Propane isn't ruled in or out, just not stoked about producing more 1# cylinder waste.

 Right now I am leaning towards an 8" auger, either Jiffy SD60i or a Eskimo Mako.

  

[osok]

12 hours ago, I fish, therefore I lie said:

I recently purchased a Nils 8" "convertable" auger #UR800C from Marine General for about $200. It can be run with a standard 18v cordless drill. I tested it with mine and it cut at a rate of about 1" of ice per second (10 inches in 10 seconds).   Even without power they drill through ice faster than any manual auger. They're a bit pricey as compared to a Mora, but in my busted up shoulders' opinion, worth every penny. Plus they weigh about half of what my old Jiffy weighs.

I do agree, Nils makes a darn fine auger. 

[monstermoose78]

I would buy a older strike master before the switched motors. 

[leech~~]

1 hour ago, osok said:

 Now we are getting somewhere, I had Strikemasters in the past, but the last one spent more time being repaired then it did running. if it wasn't a carb issue, then it was a recoil, gear box, magneto, or flywheel issue. Hard to believe that a one lunger could cause so much headache. I'm sure those problems have been addressed and corrected, I don't know, maybe it was just a lemon. But now I am reluctant to throw $$ towards SM. 

 Have a buddy who swears by his Eskimo, another says Jiffy.

 I guess I am looking for pros/cons of all makes.  Electric is out, can't afford an ION, Propane isn't ruled in or out, just not stoked about producing more 1# cylinder waste.

 Right now I am leaning towards an 8" auger, either Jiffy SD60i or a Eskimo Mako.

  

 

Oddly, I have had 3 StrikeMasters over the years 2 Mag III's and still have Mag 2000 and not one motor, rewind or gear box issue with any of them. I just sell them every 5-8 years. But, a lot is how you do, or don't take care of them.

[ZachD]

I would say I like my mako better than the chipper I have now. For some reason I have a hate for the newer Jiffys though so I would say go with the Eskimo or Strikemaster

[Flyin Ryan]

My suggestion would be Eskimo. I had a Strikemaster and had nothing but issues with starting, running, and bogging down. I then bought an Eskimo and it has been great. It started first pull after sitting from March-December. It runs flawlessly and cuts like crazy. The only con I can think of about Eskimo is their recoil ropes seem thinner than others. I did have to replace that when the rope snapped, however it was nearly -25 degrees.

[jwmiller33]

A buddy of mine just picked up a new eskimo auger at the ice show in December. Last weekend was the 2nd time he used it and it gave him nothing but problems. First, something broke on the throttle cable so when you gave it gas, nothing happened. Played around with that for 5 minutes and jimmy rigged a fix. It came off 3 more times throughout the day. Then after that fiasco, he was having problems with the fuel line. This was with a brand new auger that has drilled less than 10 holes. My first and probably last experience with an eskimo. Definitely glad I decided to bring my strikemaster along on that outing.

Edited January 10, 2017 by jwmiller33

[BD110]

29 minutes ago, jwmiller33 said:

A buddy of mine just picked up a new eskimo auger at the ice show in December. Last weekend was the 2nd time he used it and it gave him nothing but problems. First, something broke on the throttle cable so when you gave it gas, nothing happened. Played around with that for 5 minutes and jimmy rigged a fix. It came off 3 more times throughout the day. Then after that fiasco, he was having problems with the fuel line. This was with a brand new auger that has drilled less than 10 holes. My first and probably last experience with an eskimo. Definitely glad I decided to bring my strikemaster along on that outing.

 

Getting an auger with troubles could be compared to getting a car with troubles, you just never know.  I have drilled many holes with an Eskimo auger with no trouble at all.  That's not to say I have not had to do some work on them from time to time over the years.  If you're able to keep the heads dry and free from road grime for example you are going to have less trouble.  Using your auger as an anchor point can not be good for them now matter the brand in my opinion. No idea what trouble your buddy had I'm just throwing out thoughts.  For the money I would have no trouble recommending Eskimo augers to anyone.  I have found there customer service great when needed.  Was your buddy able to return his auger to the company he bought it from for replacement or not?

 

As always,

Take care

Tom (BD110)

[Jonny 2 shot]

I bought an ION off of craigslist year after reading good reviews.  I paid $400 and love it! Two friends of mine went out and bought IONs this fall after experiencing mine.  You can set up the house and drill inside no problem! Ive never had a problem with battery life but typically only drill 6-12 holes when I am out.  I know you said the ION was out of your price range but some deals can be found on Craigslist this time of year from guys that got a new one for Xmas or upgraded to the latest and greatest ION so its worth a peek.

 

Jon

[jwmiller33]

BD - you bring up a great point. Regardless of the brand, there are people that have everything from great to horrible experiences with every brand of auger. Just like cars, there are without a doubt "lemons" out there. As far as my buddies eskimo, I haven't heard the latest but he was going to talk to eskimo and try to get his auger fixed or get a brand new one. Hopefully they have good customer service and make the situation right. There's no reason a brand new auger should have issues like that but its not unheard of (i.e. the new IONs this year or when the strikemasters had recoil issues about 8 years ago for example). I would like to think he got a lemon but that is my one and only experience with an eskimo auger. I'm sure they are great augers most of the time. As you mentioned, its hard to beat the price of an eskimo. But at the same time, you get what you pay for.  Not sure what you mean by using the auger as an anchor point?

Edited January 10, 2017 by jwmiller33

[osok]

10 hours ago, leech~~ said:

 

Oddly, I have had 3 StrikeMasters over the years 2 Mag III's and still have Mag 2000 and not one motor, rewind or gear box issue with any of them. I just sell them every 5-8 years. But, a lot is how you do, or don't take care of them.

 You like your SM's and have found a brand that works for you, I respect that loyalty. You've always been a straight shooter and have given good advice.

 I DO take care of my equipment, the last SM had I had, had "never see this happen before" issues. I haven't completely ruled in or out any brand, but with SM I am a skoosh gun shy. 

[AlwaysFishing23]

18 hours ago, jwmiller33 said:

Can't beat a 2 stroke strikemaster with a chipper blade in my opinion.

 

Right on!

[opsirc]

2 hours ago, Jonny 2 shot said:

I bought an ION off of craigslist year after reading good reviews.  I paid $400 and love it! Two friends of mine went out and bought IONs this fall after experiencing mine.  You can set up the house and drill inside no problem! Ive never had a problem with battery life but typically only drill 6-12 holes when I am out.  I know you said the ION was out of your price range but some deals can be found on Craigslist this time of year from guys that got a new one for Xmas or upgraded to the latest and greatest ION so its worth a peek.

 

Jon

If you can find a Ion, go with it. Bought one last year and do not regret a second of it. No more lugging gas and oil to mix or one pound propane bottles. Or trying to get it started in cold weather.

[Vitreus]

A couple years ago, I was in the same boat, and ended up with a Strikemaster solo laser mag 2.5hp. Can't say a thing bad about it. Usually starts on the first or second pull. Real cold conditions, below 0F, maybe 5 pulls. But..

 

My next "auger" will be a cordless drill setup. Probably a milwaukee fuel 18v with the k-drill. So much lighter, quieter, no starting, no smelly gas to spill, ec. Talked to Dave Genz a few weeks ago and this is what he's running. 

[Jim Panfish Uran]

I'd get an Eskimo Mako, I've got an Eskimo Shark but I don't care for the handle, the motor runs like a champ and the cutting system is so darn smooth.  

[Surface Tension]

  Electric is a legit option and you don't have to give up performance.  What you gain is a lightweight no muss no fuss drilling rig.

The direction I'm going is with a cordless drill using high torque brushless drills along with high capacity lithium ion batteries.  My setup is the Milwaukee 2704 @ 1200 in lbs of torque and 5 ah batteries.

Auger of choice and one that is a perfect match for the cordless drill is of coarse the 8" Nils Master.

I've posted the videos before but if haven't seen a Nils/Drill combo have a look. 

 

 

 

 

[Flyin Ryan]

Just an FYI, there's an Ion for sale on Craigslist in Cloquet for $375. 

 

[Northlander]

I have a 8" Eskimo auger for sale that has had less than a tank of gas ran through it. Runs and cuts great $200. Duluth/Superior area.  [email protected]

 

[2thepointsetters]

I have one of the original ION's and love it. Almost everybody who has asked to try has went and bought one after they used mine. I have had zero issues with it.  

[live4chrome]

I have been very happy with my pro-4. Always starts in one or two pulls, even when it's 20 below. 

[DLD24]

I have an Eskimo and love it. I fish a lot and punch a lot of holes most outtings. I had to rebuild the carb this year, but I've had the auger for 4 years or so... Always starts no matter how cold...I've drilled with jiffy and can't stand them... The blades on the Eskimos last a long time and are cheap when you have to replace them... I drilled with a SM last year and really liked it, but they are so pricey. I got my z51 shark dirt cheap ($220 shipped to my door) from Glens Army Navy in Rapids. I'd go Eskimo or Strikemaster if I was you.