Best Hand Auger?q

So anyine use a hand auger out there and can anyone point me in the direction of the best brand/model?

I’m not going to be able to get a gas one this year and Michelle says I need the workout. I told her that from now on I am asking if it is ok if I go workout, instead of asking to go ice fishing.

So I am not one for exercise, so tell me which one requires the least amount of effort.

I love my Nils

I have never drilled holes with a Nils.. but hear a lot of good things about them….

What I do have a ton of holes drilled with is the SM Lazer.. I have a 6″ for panfish in the back waters of the Mississippi..
Easy to re open holes.. cuts like butter thru the ice and is very rugged… some augers are delicate when it comes to abuse on the business end..

My vote goes to the SM Lazer..

x2 SM Lazer.
One time I laid this auger down in my portale without the cover on it. Was only moving a short distance. Got to the next spot and saw that the blade put a 5″ slice in the canvas Pretty sharp

X3 on the laser. See I do like augers that aren’t yellow

The Nils are awsome but can’t go wrong with a strike master lazer

Do they just make one model, not including the synthetic one?

Never mind, I realized I was a big boy and could just go to their site and find out.

LASER! If you have a 1/2″ cordless drill with over 500 inch pounds of torque, you can get or make an adapter to use with the hand auger. Two batteries last about 50 holes in 15″ of ice with a 5″ auger. The 6″ cuts 44% more ice so the drill doesn’t do as many holes. A 7″ requires the strongest of drills to cut even one or two holes.

Mora= budget model
Lazer= standard model
Lazer Synthetic= ultra model

With sizes from 5″ to 8″
Strikemaster hand augers

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LASER! If you have a 1/2″ cordless drill with over 500 inch pounds of torque, you can get or make an adapter to use with the hand auger. Two batteries last about 50 holes in 15″ of ice with a 5″ auger. The 6″ cuts 44% more ice so the drill doesn’t do as many holes. A 7″ requires the strongest of drills to cut even one or two holes.

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This Info Rocks !!!

I have an 18v Dewlalt that does not have the torque…

I’ve had my Strike Master, 6″ for 10 years now. I used it all season for several years until I got my Lazer Mag. I still use it on early ice like yesterday and the blades are as sharp as the day I bought it.

What size would you suggest for panfish and possibly pike on tip ups?

I have two Nils, a 4 1/2″ and a 6″. I think I have used them a lot and am very happy with them. I put the 6″ on an Ice Gator when/if we get over a foot of ice and it is an ice eating combo.

Duke

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What size would you suggest for panfish and possibly pike on tip ups?

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6″ or 7″ will be fine

Lazer is my go to .Consider a 5″… lots easier cutting, less light down the hole. plenty of room for panfish and early season thin ice walleyes,plus a stealth factor you will never get w. a power auger.

I purchased an 8″ Nils a year ago and couldn’t be happier with it. It is a breeze drilling holes. I was also in a situation where I planned on getting a power auger at some point down the line as well. I bought a power head for it this year and once the ice gets over 10 inches I will remove the handle and replace it with a power head.

I use a Nils and have been very, very pleased. My second choice would be a SM Lazer. It would be a hard sell to turn my head with anything else I’ve seen or heard…but there’s always something new coming along so I won’t say never.

Fastest easiest drilling hand auger hands down is the Nils…add a powerhead and you have the best of both worlds in 1 auger///

SM Lazer 6 inch

No doubt about it the Nils IMHO is the best. So fast and smooth it’s freaky !!!!

NILS!

Nils if your coorinated enough for the double action handle otherwise a 6″ lazer hands down, nothing bigger.

Have owned and drilled a ton of holes with a Mora a Lazer and a NILS. IMO NILS is by far the best hand auger I’ve ever used.

Tanaka is what Nils uses to power their augers…Industrial grade motors…

Hmmm, I may have to flip a damn coin! Thanks guys.

A Nils is the one with the offset handle. That is the one I thought about getting last year. It would seem like the offset would make it easier and faster, what do you Nils users think?

Pug,

I’ve been usine a laser 6 inch for the last couple years and that thing is a fine auger, I have mine on a 19.2 volt cordless drill. My power haug now sits in a closet for most of the season. I only use it for tipup fishing. My laser6 and drill have busted through a foot plus of ice and I get 10-20 holes per battery.

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Have owned and drilled a ton of holes with a Mora a Lazer and a NILS. IMO NILS is by far the best hand auger I’ve ever used.

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I too have all three and agree, the Nils simply cuts faster with less effort. I do cringe thinking about my old Mora…. my Oh my have things changed, got my Mora at Fleet Farm in Hudson when I was 10 or 11, on sale, less then $20 at it served me well but both the Lazer and Nils are huge upgrades IMHO. I only have an 8” Nils now, use it with an 18volt Milwaukee LiON drill and a really nice adapter I made, works really really well, but I always bring the handle just in case.

The advantage of the Lazer is price and availability of blades, also might be easier to find someone that can correctly sharpen Lazer blades. The Nils is the Ferrari of hand augers, everything about it costs a bit more, but how many Ferrari owners would settle for a Corvette, even if the maintenance was cheaper, my guess is not many.

I use the Normark Finbore III. Off-set handle like the NILS, and same Mora of Sweden blades as the Lazer. Off-set handle makes it a lot easier once you get the hang of using both arms. Blades are readily accessible and easy to change.

So I got a gift card from Gander and some cash that was specifically intended to help me buy an auger. I wish I was not stuck going to Gander, but it is what it is. Anyone want to trade me straight up for cash?

There are 3 routes I can go, want to help me decide?

I could just get the Strikemaster hand auger and have money left over for other goodies. I am sure I would regret this later in the season, but I (at the suggestion of the GF) was thinking a hand auger would be a nice source of exercise for my atrophying muscles due to lack of exercise.

I could spend a little of my own cash and get the Strikemaster Magnum with the ice chipper blades. I am sure this would serve me just fine.

Or I could go with the Strikemaster Lazer Mag with the ice cutting Lazer blades. I probably wouldn’t make this an option, however with the Ice Force Tackle Pack thrown in, it makes it enticing. Nice job of marketing. I don’t need to re-drill any holes and have seen some posts about blades that had the wrong pitch, were made in China and that you have to be careful with the blades. Albeit, the pitch and China posts were from a few years ago I believe.

I don’t think I am interested in any other brand or higher end models. You also have to take into account that I am not hardcore and would most weeks only get out once or twice. But being that I target panfish, I will be drilling tons of holes for ice hopping.

So there it is. What say you fellow IDOers?

My advise when it comes to fishing equipment is to buy the abslout best you can afford. If you plan so drilling lots of holes go with the lazer drill.