I know these have been out for a few years now so nothing jaw dropping, but I recently picked up a KDrill and wanted to see how many holes I could get with one 5ah battery. The ice was 15″ The DeWalt 996 is a Hammerdrill with 820 UWO (units watts out) which is estimated at about 900 in/lbs torque.
That is awesome!
Thanks
There is definitely a tradeoff between the KDrill and something like a Nils. I think the Nils would probably be much faster and might get you a few more holes paired with this DeWalt, but the KDrill is much lighter, does not need an adapter, has a float built in, will reopen old holes, and has a free lifetime sharpening on the blades. Knowing I have a second battery waiting on the bench and only an hour wait time to charge primary. I feel it’s a solid gasser replacement.
has a float built in
You may want to reevaluate based on this thread: K-Drill Does Not Float
I did some poking around after reading that the other day. So far that is the only occurrence I’ve heard of. About 15-1 have said no issues with their 8″, it floats fine. I’ll have to test mine next time I’m out.
I’ll have to test mine next time I’m out.
Make sure to make a video of that test, too! 
Thanks
There is definitely a tradeoff between the KDrill and something like a Nils. I think the Nils would probably be much faster and might get you a few more holes paired with this DeWalt, but the KDrill is much lighter, does not need an adapter, has a float built in, will reopen old holes, and has a free lifetime sharpening on the blades. Knowing I have a second battery waiting on the bench and only an hour wait time to charge primary. I feel it’s a solid gasser replacement.
FYI, you can get the Nils convertible auger which the end is for a drill chuck and also has a hand crank. It has a round disk welded to prevent it falling through the hole. Blade sharpening/replacement is a negative on Nils however, and probably doesn’t reopen holes too well.
Yeah that’s a good point, I forgot about the new convertible. Lots of options for sure.
I have a Nils 6″ it’s my original one that had the hand crank. I purchased the chuck adapter at Cabelas and the disk with bungee cord to prevent loss of drill down the hole. Another thing I added was a pool noodle to the shaft at the top of the bit just in case but I’ve never tested it’s flotation. The set up is super fast with my Milwaukee Fuel but it’s a little tall for me but manageable and it’s not as light as a 6″ K drill would be. Yesterday I got 60 holes through approx 5-7″ of ice then the battery died. It slowed down a little but when it was done it was done it just quit. I have tried a K drill out and I believe I like that setup better than the Nils even though the Nils is maybe a little faster. Makes a big difference drilling that 8″ hole compared to a 6″ for sure !! Great job on the video and test.
My buddies son got one and we took it out to Bald Eagle, tied a rope around it and set it in the hole and it floated. I should say it suspended just below the surface.
It wouldn’t be a big deal to add some pipe insulation around the existing foam for insurance. I also suspect guys will get in the habit of tightening the Chuck frequently.
It’s a pretty cool set up and like the op stated it definitely is worth it’s weight (or lack thereof) when trucking through the woods to remote lakes.
Great video!
That was a great video. Thanks!
That was a great demo!
I’ve never used one and am intrigued. Especially with that 10lb weight. I’ve used my buddy’s ion and that’s great too but this would be even lighter obviously.
250 seems a bit spendy. Is that the usual price or do they ever go on sale?
250 seems a bit spendy. Is that the usual price or do they ever go on sale?
I’ve seen them on sale for $219 and I heard they were letting them go for $200 at the ice show. They are sort of tough to find though… I got mine from Dave at http://www.profishingsupply.com
I use the 6″ K-Drill. Much faster when searching for fish. If I’m going to be in one spot for awhile like sundown for walleyes I will drill a hole halfway on top of the first one. This auger will allow you to do that. It won’t jump around on you. So you can fish bigger hole with a smaller auger.
You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
