Question for people that know a little or a lot about ice fishing with a drill auger. How long does the drill last? Not the battery.I have a dewalt hammer drill and I’m thinking of getting a kdrill for it or something like that.
The battery life or the life of my drill? I been running my hilti for 4 years now I think and no sign of slowing down. I can’t remember what battery life was per hole. But I drill a ton of holes some days and never ran out of 2 batteries.
My Milwaukee drills have fallen off roofs, dropped off tailgates, been left in fields by accident on fencing projects (during rain), drilled thousands of ice holes…and keep ripping.
My Milwaukee tools are the one thing I knowingly beat on and won’t deny it. Vehicles, recreational toys, fishing gear, etc I’m far more likely to baby.
I’v got a 996 that I’ve been using on the ice for probably 4-5 years now. I use it all summer as well and it just keeps ticking. No issues. I beat the p1ss out of the thing and hasn’t let me down.
I broke a Ryobi after a year…case on the drill cracked. Problem is, I was going cheap on the drill and you get what you pay for. The drill was a bit underpowered, especially when the ice was beat up. It would catch a lot while cutting. That catch was pretty violent and eventually cracked it. It was a brushless hammer drill rated at 750 inch pounds of torque.
Bottom line, have the right setup and use them properly and they should last. Mine was an interim setup til I bought the strikemaster 24v but a better drill would’ve been nice.
The battery life or the life of my drill? I been running my hilti for 4 years now I think and no sign of slowing down. I can’t remember what battery life was per hole. But I drill a ton of holes some days and never ran out of 2 batteries.
What kind of Auger bit are you running? I also plan on using my Hilti drill for it and have been looking at getting a K-Drill.
I am embarrassed to admit it (a little), but I am running a Masterforce lithium drill, 7 amp hour battery, with a Light Flite, 6 inch auger. The drill was like $90.00. Battery was another $40.00. The auger was $120.00 or something? I sort of pieced it together over time. It makes sense to get the best drill you can.
I am going on two years with zero problems. In a pinch, I have also used a standard Mora auger. Worked fine. I don’t drill a lot of holes, but I would guess that 7 amp hour battery with that drill could get me 40-50 holes on 1 charge. I usually drill no more than 20 holes.
I really like the setup. My only two cents is, yeah, buying a more expensive drill with metal frame, nicer button, and a better overall build is probably the way to go. Stuff breaks. However, as of today, I am getting away with my cheap setup just fine. I treat it ok and don’t let water get all over it. I use the drill all the time at home. Love it.
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Bearcat89 wrote:</div>
The battery life or the life of my drill? I been running my hilti for 4 years now I think and no sign of slowing down. I can’t remember what battery life was per hole. But I drill a ton of holes some days and never ran out of 2 batteries.What kind of Auger bit are you running? I also plan on using my Hilti drill for it and have been looking at getting a K-Drill.
8 inch lite flight. Before was both 6 and 8 lazers. Lite flight was new last year. I bought a 6 and 8 but the 8 was so light and drilled so easy I never even opened the 6
Now I might have to look into the Lite Flight. So far I’ve seen some good reviews on them.
I utilize a makita drill and 6″ lazer set up for early ice and haven’t ran into problems as long as I have 2 batteries, and I drill 50-100 holes a day. Any big difference to justify the Lite Flight over the lazer besides weight?
This will be my 4th winter with my Milwaukee drill and KDrill set up. I also use the Clam plate to help with the torque because of a bad shoulder. I LOVE the set up. NO problems with the drill. Normally I drill 30-40 holes each time I fish and I go 3-4 times a week. I use 2 batteries to always have one that is charged. I think I only ran through both batteries two years ago when the ice got to be about 33″ here in Iowa.
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