4 stroke auger

CAN ANYONE TELL ME WHAT THERE EXPERIENCE IS WITH A 4 STOKE AUGER? IS THERE ANY ISSUES I SHOULD BE WORRIED ABOUT?

Welcome to IDO

I dont have one BUT have used one ,and it will be a future purchase for me smooth ,quiet ,smokeless,light weight. It has a definate from me !
The one I used was a Strikemaster Strike-Lite .

I picked up a Strike-Lite this year. I’ve used it twice for a total of …maybe 15 holes…so I’m not going to say I’m an expert with this unit.

One thing I noticed is that it needs to be set down on the ice with the spark plug up. There is a label clearly noteing this and it’s listed in the instruction booklet…if one takes the time to read it.
I’m use to keeping the gas tank up in the air to avoid leakage…this is just the opposite of the Strike-Lite. (old dog new tricks phenomena)

The other day it was slushy on the ice. My auger just stopped cutting. It was like the auger was going in reverse. I checked the blades and the slush had froze to them. Once cleaned off with my hands, I was more careful to not set the blades in the snow/slush after cutting a hole and didn’t have a problem after that.

This might happen to other augers…but it’s the first time it happened to me, so I’m not sure if it’s just Strike-Lites or all augers.

Besides the above…

I’ve heard they drill slower than their two stroke counter parts. That might be, but in the 5 to 7 inches of ice…I would be hard pressed to prove that. I cut next to a StrikeMaster and a brand spanking new Eskimo. Took the same amount of time.

Not having to mix the gas/oil…I didn’t think was that big of deal…until I filled up the truck with gas and topped off the auger at the same time. Just one less gas can around the garage.

The short pull of the starter rope is a plus for us old guys. Just pull it slowly until the feel of the compression stroke…then on little/short pull and off she purrs.

They are quiet!

For cutting holes inside a permanent shack they are very nice. No blue smoke coming out of the doors after drilling 6 holes…that’s pretty nice.

But by far the best feature of the StrikeMaster Strike-Lite is the weight coming in at 20 lbs. I’m always looking for ways to cut down on the weight I have to carry around on the ice. Sure, the auger is strapped to the portable and pulled by the wheeler or sled…but I still have to carry it from hole to next hole…and then back.

I can’t see why 4 strokes won’t be dominating the market over the next few years.

…and Welcome to IdoFishing tweeres!

On my third season with my strike lite no problems. In my opinion its worth spending the extra money for an auger.

I have nothing but good things to say about my strike lite!

I have owned one since they were introduced!

Ok…fess up Luke…you had a Strike Lite go to pieces on you. I recall you had to buy a new one…

Please, tell our readers what happened to your first Strike-Lite.

I had the “spanking” new Eskimo out next to the StrikeLite 4 stroke and I have to say as far as cutting the 2 stroke is noisy with vibration like a chainsaw and the 4 stroke seemed top be smooth and quite as far as power and quickness we were not on thick enough ice to make a comparison and weight the 8 lb difference between the 2 was noticable

I’ve had a strike lite for a few seasons now. Here are my honest opinions. I love the auger as it is quiet, easy to start, and I think it cuts just as fast as the two strokes in thinner ice (less than 15″). I did have some durability issues.

Here are the problems I have had.

1. I have broken the composite auger twice while trying to drill through thick ice.
2. My composite handle broke.
3. If you leave it outside overnight as -30 F, it will be hard pressed to start in the morning until you warm it up for 10 minutes in the house. Once it is warm, it fires up great.
4. Auger tip ices up sometimes and will stop cutting halfway through a hole.

Although I have had problems, I do really like the auger. I suggest swapping out the composite shaft for a steel lazer. There are not enough pitches on the composite auger to hammer through thick ice. It requires a lot of lift outs to clear the blade from the chips. If you do not clean it out, you have broken flights, broken handles, and a stuck auger. Basically, I love the powerhead, but would easily sacrifice some of the weight for more durability.

Tomorrow morning before work I will be hitting the ice with my new Strike-Lite. It will be my first time using the Strike-Lite hopefully I can give you my 2 cents. And maybe a good fishing report.

Well like I said I went out with my new 4 stroke strike-lite and had a blast with it. I think I drilled more holes than fished . Started right up and after it was warmed up it started on the first pull every time. As for the fishing a lot of smaller fish. Fished in pool 5a today.