Current discussion on Electric Augers

Ralph Wiggum wrote:

I love the speed at which you make decisions about purchases. Seriously, I do!

Order placed at 1:54.

crappie55369 wrote:

stop it guys – I passed up on buying the ION from dicks when I could have got it for 340$ and now I’m regretting it big time. “I LOVE MY ESKIMO, I LOVE MY ESKIMO, I LOVE MY ESKIMO…

Eskimo is the maker of the ion, they wanted to separate themselves from their past augers because they weren’t top of the line. Great units but nit a jiffy or strikemaster. It doesn’t even say on their boxes that they’re Eskimo, they really wanted to make it look brand new and it worked perfectly! Ions are great but strikemaster has redone their throttle, my thing is that the Ions have a lag time between the throttle and when the auger spins, SMs are instant with the pull of the trigger. And they drill more holes per charge it’s a 50 Amp vs the ions 40 amp battery, gives roughly 20 to 25 more holes on 1 charge.

rjthehunter wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>crappie55369 wrote:</div>
stop it guys – I passed up on buying the ION from dicks when I could have got it for 340$ and now I’m regretting it big time. “I LOVE MY ESKIMO, I LOVE MY ESKIMO, I LOVE MY ESKIMO…

Eskimo is the maker of the ion, they wanted to separate themselves from their past augers because they weren’t top of the line. Great units but nit a jiffy or strikemaster. It doesn’t even say on their boxes that they’re Eskimo, they really wanted to make it look brand new and it worked perfectly! Ions are great but strikemaster has redone their throttle, my thing is that the Ions have a lag time between the throttle and when the auger spins, SMs are instant with the pull of the trigger. And they drill more holes per charge it’s a 50 Amp vs the ions 40 amp battery, gives roughly 20 to 25 more holes on 1 charge.

Interesting. I was not aware of that. I like my eskimo ok although its on its 4th season coming up and ive already had to give it a tuneup and change out the pull chord and the gas tank (not owner abuse it leaked from day one). My biggest beef with it though is the weight. Its a bear and I cant easily drill a lot of holes. My buddy has an ION and I could walk around all day with that thing and be fine.

Ion is not made by Eskimo and Eskimo is not even made by Eskimo either. Similar situation to what Rapala has going with many different brands under 1 bigger company.

Either way they hit it right with the ION that’s for sure! I have been very happy with mine! What this is the 4th or 5th season for them and only change I have herd of was the addition of reverse? No real malfunctions and no redesigns that I am aware of.

The Ion’s slight delay is a safety feature they designed…has ZERO impact on performance whatsoever…

JoeMX1825 wrote:

The Ion’s slight delay is a safety feature they designed…has ZERO impact on performance whatsoever…

Exactly. To be honest, I’m surprised other brands don’t have this on electric augers when your considering its a push button to run an 8″ auger blade…

If you can’t wait a second or two for the purpose of safety, then to each their own I guess.

JoeMX1825 wrote:

The Ion’s slight delay is a safety feature they designed…has ZERO impact on performance whatsoever…

It doesn’t bother me that much, I just work retail selling them, I just personally don’t like the lag time, especially since there’s a trigger you pull and lever to push to get it going, that’s more than safe enough for me. I personally use a Jiffy gas but if I were to use an electric I would probably go with the Strikemaster because I run and gun a lot and drill tons of holes, the extra 20 holes would help a lot for me.

suzuki wrote:

Lot to consider. Price is comparable though I already have two nice hand augers blades to use so I would save there. BUT if I go drill plate I am limiting myself to 6″. I’m leaning towards ion but havent decided.

I have a 6″ Mora and 8″ Nils hand augers that I adapted to my Clam plate.I use the Milwaukee Fuel drill and will never drag that 3 hp 150 pull Eskimo on the ice again.

JoeMX1825 wrote:

Negative issues:
1) maybe some get spooked by the price? ($420 at Dick’s Sporting Goods)
2) extra battery if you want more than 40+ holes? ($120 at Dick’s Sporting Goods)

Have you or has anyone tried using a 120 volt inverter to charge the battery instead of buying a second battery?

Just curious. I bought an inverter specifically for charging cordless power tool batteries and it works fantastic. Seldom if ever need a generator unless I have to run air tools. Takes about 20 minutes to charge an 18 volt Milwaukee battery and has no effect on the truck’s battery even with multiple charges over the course of a day.

Grouse

suzuki wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Ralph Wiggum wrote:</div>
I love the speed at which you make decisions about purchases. Seriously, I do!

Order placed at 1:54.

Order received at 10:45 this morning! WOW!

TheFamousGrouse wrote:

Have you or has anyone tried using a 120 volt inverter to charge the battery instead of buying a second battery?

Just curious. I bought an inverter specifically for charging cordless power tool batteries and it works fantastic. Seldom if ever need a generator unless I have to run air tools. Takes about 20 minutes to charge an 18 volt Milwaukee battery and has no effect on the truck’s battery even with multiple charges over the course of a day.

Grouse

I use the 12v charger sold by Milwaukee, it charges fast.

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Anyone seen anymore deals on ions? Ive been itching to buy one since they ran out when dicks had that sale.

several below $400 on c-list, you’ll start seeing whatever inventory is left clearanced in the next 4-6 weeks…

My buddy just picked up an ion on Saturday after wrestling with his gas auger.
He drilled 60 holes through 10 to 12 inches of ice and he said it was still going strong. That’s encouraging.
He did say that it is very slow though, definitely not cutting through the ice like a gas auger, but one of the tradeoffs I guess.
He still plans to get his gas auger going as a backup for when the ice gets a ton thicker since we have run into 4′ plus of ice on LOW in April.

CaptainMusky wrote:

He did say that it is very slow though, definitely not cutting through the ice like a gas auger, but one of the tradeoffs I guess.

That’s why I sold my Ion. It it didn’t turn fast enough; the switch safety delay was also personally offensive.

hole drilling speed is a joke, one could argue the Ion’s reverse feature then gains those lost seconds back while you’re scooping out your holes…

what will they think of next… the color green spooks the fish under the ice?

Tell that to the guy leaning on his jiffy… I’m happy with faster.

The next worst part of the ion is the size of the battery. It’s just too big for any ordinary pocket.

______________ wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>CaptainMusky wrote:</div>
He did say that it is very slow though, definitely not cutting through the ice like a gas auger, but one of the tradeoffs I guess.

That’s why I sold my Ion. It it didn’t turn fast enough; the switch safety delay was also personally offensive.

Those two things got my attention when I started using mine. I like it a lot for early ice. No doubt I will never go back. But I cannot imagine using it at a foot or more ice when running/gunning.

with the recent cold snap, you can probably carry that hefty Jiffy on the ice without fear of falling through now?

JoeMX1825 wrote:

hole drilling speed is a joke, one could argue the Ion’s reverse feature then gains those lost seconds back while you’re scooping out your holes…

what will they think of next… the color green spooks the fish under the ice?

You don’t have to get butthurt about it. Its not like I kicked your dog. Its an auger, so what? He knew going in that there were some tradeoffs with electric, but speed wasn’t one he was aware of. It isn’t that big of a deal, but worth mentioning, I didn’t post that comment to start some debate.
He laughed at the reverse because he said that slush will all just come up the hole when fighting a fish some time. There are other ways to avoid slush where you don’t need to scoop too. I just lift the drill out of the hole before fully breaking through and the ice chips fly everywhere. Once I break through very little slush.
My next auger will likely be electric when my gas one craps out on me, but that wont be for 20 or 30 years based on how long my last one lived.

I’ve used them both. I preferred the SM as its a bit taller, cuts faster, and does more holes before wearing down in my experience. Its reliability is a factor to consider though,…I would have hoped they nailed the switch problem. I don’t believe there were any other issues. SMs gas auger support has been poor in my experience.

I talked with a couple of my friends who have had Ions for three years. I have even used one a couple of times & was pleased with the performance, weight, and ease of use. Even knowing that, I looked at as much information as I could find. Today, I just bought one from Glen’s in Grand Rapids—free extension shaft, free shipping. It ended up being about $70 cheaper than conventional prices. And now that we have ice……look out fish!!!!!!!

I don’t know , ive owned both sm and ion and i know that my ion cuts faster then the sm??? I surely know the battery is easier to remove then the sm. Trigger lag, give me a break?? Longer reach on the sm, get another extension for the ion if needed. they are both good augers, its what ever strikes your fancy??

This is my third season with the Ion. Absolutely love it. Its been to Devils Lake, Lake Erie and multiple other destinations. The only drawback is the shorter shaft. The extension was used on Devils Lake and barely made it thru. I drilled 32 holes and had battery left. I was able to pick up a second battery at Cabelas for $112 about ten days ago. I’m good to go. The speed concern is laughable…I used to drill by hand.

Matt S wrote:

Th The only drawback is the shorter shaft. The extension was used on Devils Lake and barely made it thru.

Pick up a clam drill plate extension, they work great with the ion. It has an additional 6″ and is adjustable. I left mine on my ion all winter in the shortest setting, it made the ion right-sized.

Matt S wrote:

The speed concern is laughable…I used to drill by hand.

Not really a concern, just a feature. The ions RPM is a bit slow compared to other options. I prefer a faster drill. Drilling holes in the ice has never been enjoyable to me. The ion is a dream compared to any hydrocarbon based unit; my mom loves hers including the speed and trigger delay, but she’s pushing 70.

Several online stores are clearancing the 24″ Ion extension for $22 (I picked one up) so unless you’re drilling in Alaska, you shouldn’t need more depth than that…

You’re never going to convince the naysayers about how nice electrics are. Ion’s aren’t that much slower than any gas auger to make it a deal breaker plus the reduced turning speed has a lot of pluses in a house. Yup, the color green scaring fish will be the next argument. Even Mr. Holst took a while to convince but have you watched his shows lately as to what he’s using?

I took a 7 year sabbatical from ice fishing that ended last winter (14-15). I managed to leak and limp through last winter with my Strikemaster Lazer that I bought over 13 years ago. It’s a miracle the thing fired for me at all, especially after the On/Off switch broke.

I never was a drill a million holes kind of a fisherman and am even less so now that I’m over 45. Now I’m also a fair weather ice fisherman as well, if it’s below 15 degrees I’m not going.

Thanks to this thread, some other online research, some Christmas and birthday $, and a sale at Reeds I just bought a 8″ ION. Thanks for the info guys.

and to those post the “I drill 200+ holes an outing” argument, I say that an electric auger is not for you…
[/quote]…200 holes.??!!? Did you have time to fish 2.? If ya had to drill 200 holes to find fish.? Hope you got into them really good. … rrr PS How much time do you fish each hole.?? Before you move to the next one.