New Ice Auger???

[Dahitman44]

I think it is time for a new ice auger. Any thoughts on what I should get?

I have a six-year old Jiffey Model 30???? It sttill works fine, but the new technology of Strikemaster is hard to pass up. Those new blades just rip through ice with no effort.

What do you guys use?

[minneman]

Ive only owned jiffy, my first was a model 30-10" boughtin early 90's. sold it a couple years ago, it still ran and worked fine.

I now have the new jiffy 10" stealth, It cuts ice like butter, no effort needed, just its own weight.

Its weight is a non issue for me, its called exersize.

Ive had no starting/ideling problems that have been mentioned.

I think Rick said it best.

"Jiffy is run by engineers.

Strikemaster is run by those who know how to market.

Jiffy is known to take a licking and keep on ticking then good customer service.

Strikemaster is known for good customer service."

[cliffy]

well, here are my two cents.

I have been a Strike Master owner for 3-4 years now. I ice fish every chance I get...must drill 100s if not 1000s of holes per season. Most of my fishing is done in the DL/Pelican are...but I also make a 6 or more weekend trips per season to LOTW. I have never had a problem with my auger. I still am using the original blades, but they could use a sharping soon.

This auger has survived mile after mile of being bounced around in my portable as I have pulled it behind my sled. It has been used on LOTW with air temps of nearly 40 below and has always started when others have not.

I cant say anything bad about Jiffy as I have never owned one. I think most augers on the market today are of good quality so do your research and pick one you like.

Good luck to ya.

[slick2526]

I bought minneman's old auger. thing runs awesome. sure he took good care of it, as do i. honestly that thing will cut as fast as any new jiffy. its also a 10in.

my uncle has a strike master 8in. that thing feels like a piece of junk. I guess if you were planing on drilling through old holes it would be alright. IF you didnt have to drill through the same holes i def wouldnt buy one. in my opinion it cut like crap, atleast compared to my jiffy. the throttle lever is cheap, and all the components accept the flighting look cheap.

Everyone has their own opinion and im sure you will figure out for your self when your looking at them wich one you will like more. But you can almost bet your going to be sending in that strike master some time. my uncles has maybe cut 200 holes and it takes almost 30-40 pulls to get it started the first time. and you half to choke it everytime to start it when its cold. the old jiffy takes 2 hits of the primer and you can put money on it that it will fire the 2nd pull and if i plan on useing it within the next 20 minutes it will start right up without being primed.

[fisherdog19]

I've got a 10" Jiffy Stealth, going on year 4. No problems with it, just wish it was a little lighter. I would recommend getting a 2 horse engine whaterver you get. I've also heard great things about the Nils Master augers, might want to check them out too.

[eyehunter]

I too own a Strikemaster and never a Jiffy, I would echo the same words as Cliffy on this one.

[Havin' Fun]

Gotta love it. Every year this comes up and every year it's the age old debate. I can give you experiences with both Strikemast(which I own) and Jiffy(which my dad and father in law own).

The engines are made by Techumseh on both. So engines are pretty much the same. You can choose either a 2 or 3 hp model. Many like the 2 hp because it considerable lighter. The Jiffy has a LOT of torque, which is nice for cutting but can be somewhat dangerous if you aren't strong enough to hold on and can literally break your arm if your not careful. However I like the steel gas tank and steel parts on the Jiffy because I drop things!!!! Strikemasters gan tanks are plastic and can crack easy(they are easy to replace though).

Really, the cutting of each is very nice. I've had and heard of little trouble with durability of either. Strikemaster has always taken care of me with parts(sometimes for free). I have only had gas tank and blade problems with mine in 5 years.

Biggest issue is weight though. My 2hp strikemaster is like a feather compared to the Jiffy. If cutting a lot of holes is your thing or you pull a sled a lot, go with a strikemaster. Otherwise, you will be happy either way.

[DEADhead]

different strokes for different folks.

this is like comparing a chevy to a ford...

as long as it's not a dodge

I'm sure you'll be happy with whatever auger you end up with. However, I do like the versatility of the Nils augers. For now I'll stick with my Strikemasters, Lazer and Mag2000.

[cliffy]

I like the plastic gas tank on my Strike Master. Its easy to see how much gas you have left and very easy to refill...due to the spout location.

I will be honest, I dont treat my auger the best...its always bouncing around in the portable..etc. I have not broken the tank (yet) but I am glad to hear they are easy to replace. The only upgrade I have ever done on my Strike Master is to replace the gas cap. I think the new models come with the plastic cap compared to the cheap tin model I got.

I agree, this is just like a Chevy v. Ford debate. I think it would be very difficult to buy a bad auger due to the quality of today's models....no matter what the brand.

[Dahitman44]

Minneman --

Thanks for the thoughts.

My Moddel 30 has always but holes, but has not been the most reliable starter, especially when it is really cold/windy. It is a cold-blooded sun-of-a gun.

Usually, my buddy and I have to take turns trying to start the sucka.

No kidding.

I am always messing with the carbs.

So, you like your new Jiffey, eh?

[Dahitman44]

Cliffy --

Which Strikemaster do you have? There are so many now.

[Dahitman44]

Slick --

I know what you mean by quality. When you look at a Jiffy it looks like it could go through a war. The Strikemaster looks like one slip and it is a broken kid's toy.

All I know is my auger is hard to start in the cold, while my Bro-in-law's fires up right away and cuts like a crazy. He uses a strikemaster.

Thanks for your thoughts. So -- how do you like Hawley-wood now?

[Dahitman44]

Dog --

Is that Stealth a 3 hp? How does it start/ cut/ re-open holes?

Thanks

[Random guy]

My two pennies. I am a jiffy guy .I have been for a long time but a while back I bought one of the Strikemaster electric jobs with the battery. This thing is cool if you aren't hole jumping. It's noise free, smoke free and I can fish for two or three days before I need to recharge the battery. For a hardside shack it is awesome. It even fell of the wheeler at 30mph once and took the crash fine. It also does a nice job of re-opening holes.

[Dahitman44]

Eyehunter--

Have you had any trouble with your Strikemaster?

Are you still going to fish in the same place? I need to talk you into going to Big C or Pelican.

[Dahitman44]

Hammer --

Which Jiffy and Strike master do you guys use?

Don't you agree that the Model 30 is a "piece"

[Dahitman44]

Dead --

What is this Nils auger I keep hearing about?

Have you had trouble with either starting or breaking on your Strikemaster?

[Dahitman44]

Cliffy --

I think you are right, they are all good ttoday, but I understand that the stealth is like night and day vs. the Model 30.

Have you heard that?

[cliffy]

I own the Lazer Mag Express, 10 inch model. I have really enjoyed it so far. If I had to do it all over again, I would buy the same auger, perhaps only a 8 inch. I have the ability to find that darn 10 inch hole every season, slip right up to my knee a few times.

I went with Strike Master for a couple different reasons. I was concerned about the auger weight as I use to have to pull my portable by hand...and I like to run and gun...so I cover alot of ground. I was trying to lower the total weight of my set-up as much as I could. I know there is only about 5lbs difference between the two similar augers...but hey, its 5lbs. I now pull my portable by sled or 4-wheeler, so the weight issue isnt that important anymore.

I also like the plastic gas tank for the reasons I stated before. Its a small thing but I like it.

I also had heard good things about them and their customer service on this web-site and the sporting goods store that I bought it from.

I am not trying to sound like I am promoting one auger over another. I have friends that own Jiffy and they seem to work just fine. I also have friends that own Jiffys that dont work so well. The same is true for strike master. I think a lot of it comes down to how a person treats and cares for the auger during and after the ice fishing season.

I dont think you could go wrong with either model or any other one on the market. Good luck with your search.

[Dahitman44]

Jon --

Thanks for making my mess even murkier.

An electric one, eh? Very interesting. I'm glad to hear they can fall off 4-wheelers, 'cause that is me.

[cliffy]

Sorry, I dont know much about the Stealth. I am sure its a fine auger.

Update: Just did a little research on the Stealth. Looks like a darn nice auger. I dont think you could go wrong with that auger at all.

[DEADhead]

I've never had a problem with anything breaking with the strikemaster. My auger usually starts on the first pull. I picked the Mag2000 beacuse it was light weight, and an 8" hole is plenty big for what I fish for. I too like having the clear fuel tank to see how full, or empty, it is. My only beef is that I wish I wouldn't close the air vent knob on the fuel cap so darn tight and stretch out the rubber gasket. Then you get fuel leaking in the vehicle...

You can check out the Nilsmaster augers on this site's online store. The nice thing about the auger is that the power head can be detached from the auger and you can use it as a hand auger. I wish it wasn't so spendy...

[Dahitman44]

Cliffy --

Where do you find research???

[cliffy]

Ok, the word "research" was a little over the top. I just plugged "jiffy Stealth auger" into google and did a little looking around. Looks like a nice auger.

[zelek]

Hitman....slow day at the office?

[slick2526]

Dahitman44- yeah its pretty intresting the mayor being physco and all. and the crazy thing is that is my best friend the threatened. all started cuz his wife is the accountant at where my buddy works and he called her and simply asked if she had any idea why his check hadnt showed up yet. and she said because of the holiday. and he simply said ok thanks. then the mayor freaked out and said he was harrassing her. all he would of had to do was appoligize but when my buddy tried to talk to him he even freaked out more.

lol well their is they story for yah

[minneman]

Hitman, one thing about my old jiffy, It HAD to be primed enough to see fuel dripping from the carb area, just a couple drops was enough, and like slick said, 2 pulls was usualy enough, even at -20. one other thing I did with that old one was I ran all my 50/1 mix from the boat tank threw the winter in that auger. it still smoked some.

Also they dont cut/run worth a darn leaned out. they like it rich on the carb setting.

[Random guy]

Starting instructions for my 3hp Jiffy:

1) Prime 21 times

2) Pull rope 10 times

3) Prime 12.875 more times NOT 13!

4) Pull rope until feet rub a hole in ice

5) Your'e fishing

It truly is a good auger as long as you keep the fuel clean and clean out the carb every fall.

[Dahitman44]

Zelek --

Yeah, I am pretty focused on this auger, deal.

So, what do you think of that DJ fella?

[Dahitman44]

Jon --

I see we have the same Jiffy.

Our instructions:

1. Open cool beverage

2. prime 15 times

3. have a couple of drinks

4. Pull 25 times, fire once.

5. finish beverage open another.

6. give auger to buddy, put his beverage down.

7. he prime 10 more times.

8. Drain second can.

9. watch/laugh as buddy slides on ice trying to pull start 15 more times.

10. put auger down start heater

11. have another beverage or two, play with bait. Discuss why shiners die so "quick"

12. look for matches for smokes/cigars

13. Prime 15 morre times

14. pull 5 more times and it usually starts

15. prime to beat heck while getting it to cut at high speed.

16. clean holes

17. open more adult beverages

18. Bait hooks

19. make yellow snow.

20. fish.