“Otter Auger Shield” mix feelings review…

I have my Strikemaster Solo Lazer Pro 8″ for the last 3 years and this past weekend slapped on a new set of lazer blades because I decided to do something dumb. Attempt to sharpen my blades by using one of those retail auger blade sharpener purchased from fleet farm. No matter how sharp the blades look to me it render my auger useless as it wouldnt cut or grip ice after this at all.

But before this I had purchased an Otter Auger shield and have felt that the shield may have dulled my blades from the beginning. The first year I purchased my Solo it was cutting great with absolute no down pressure needed. Half way through the season I decided to invest in the Otter shield to protect my auger and blades and that where it the issues started. Once I started using the otter shield I notice my blades werent cutting as good and would have to use minimal down pressure. The blades have trouble gripping ice without minimal pressure. Even had the auger bit tested at D rock for pitch issues to make sure. I had the feeling that the blades were rubbing up inside the shield and have contributed to dulling the blades even though they looked very sharp with out any dents or visual damage.

So I continue to use the auger as is and stopped using the otter shield. After making the mistake this past weekend of attempting to manually sharpen the blades I swap to brand new blades that I carry as a backup. Wow what a world of difference. The auger was cutting like I had just purchased it new and used it the first time on the ice. And absolutely no down pressure was needed.

I currently use the snap cap to to protect my blades and am very hesitant on using the otter auger shield again due to scare of dulling the blades.

Quote:

---

I currently use the snap cap to to protect my blades and am very hesitant on using the otter auger shield again due to scare of dulling the blades.

---

I think your blades got dull really quick. Perhaps you drilled on first ice with no snow cover and there was a fine layer of sand or dirt blown onto the ice from a nearby field???? That happens a lot to me.

The Otter shield wont have any effect on your blades. The snap cover will protect the blades.

Are you using the blade cover and the otter case or just the otter case?

Quote:

---

Quote:

---

I currently use the snap cap to to protect my blades and am very hesitant on using the otter auger shield again due to scare of dulling the blades.

---

I think your blades got dull really quick. Perhaps you drilled on first ice with no snow cover and there was a fine layer of sand or dirt blown onto the ice from a nearby field???? That happens a lot to me.

The Otter shield wont have any effect on your blades. The snap cover will protect the blades.

---

I have thought many times that I have may drilled on dirty ice. But I dont think that was the case. This was half way through the ice season before I used the shield. I specifically remember the auger was drilling just fine the day before I had put the auger into the otter shield. Left it sitting in the shield during transportation and took it out to use the weekend after. That very same day first drill gave me trouble already as the blade didnt grip properly and was cutting on and off.

If I look at the very bottom of the auger shield I can definitely see where the blades have rubbed and scarred up against the inside plastic of the shield bottom.

Quote:

---

Are you using the blade cover and the otter case or just the otter case?

---

I was under the impression you dont use the blade cover in the otter shield. I had tried putting the auger in with the original blade cover on but it doesnt fit properly or gets stuck.

Yeah you are not supposed to need the cover, but I thought I would suggest it if it would fit. Don’t know what to tell you other than maybe stick some foam in the bottom of that thing.

Quote:

---

Yeah you are not supposed to need the cover, but I thought I would suggest it if it would fit. Don’t know what to tell you other than maybe stick some foam in the bottom of that thing.

---

Ive thought of that too. But using any type of padding or even a cloth rag would cause freezing or sticking to the auger blades.

Quote:

---

The first year I purchased my Solo it was cutting great with absolute no down pressure needed. Half way through the season I decided to invest in the Otter shield to protect my auger and blades and that where it the issues started. Once I started using the otter shield I notice my blades weren’t cutting as good and would have to use minimal down pressure.

---

Exact same thing happened to me with my Jiffy STX and the otter ATV shield, not using the jiffy protector. Although my timing was about 3 years of not having to apply pressure and then 3 weeks after using the auger shield noticed an issue.

I had thought it was just a coincidence but not I’m losing faith in that auger shield.

Why not put quarter or half inch rubber at the bottom? Shouldn’t dull the blades what so ever and it won’t freeze to it. Good luck!

Well I see James and the other guys use the otter shield in most of the videos they have snowmobiles and I doubt they would use it again if that were the case. Just my observation

Jaxson Sobotta wrote:

Why not put quarter or half inch rubber at the bottom? Shouldn’t dull the blades what so ever and it won’t freeze to it. Good luck!

Hey mister your simple, easy, effective, and low cost solutions are not welcome here. We need to over analyze this thing to death. You my friend are way to early in a thread to offer such a good solution. Besides, you stole my idea and now I can’t save the day…do you know how that affects my self esteem? The only thing you left out was the adhesive recommend for gluing the rubber to the shield.

hamms wrote:

Well I see James and the other guys use the otter shield in most of the videos they have snowmobiles and I doubt they would use it again if that were the case. Just my observation

They are a sponsor of those guys, of course they will use them. Just like Frabill, Thorne bros etc etc used to be.

Jaxson Sobotta wrote:

Why not put quarter or half inch rubber at the bottom? Shouldn’t dull the blades what so ever and it won’t freeze to it. Good luck!

That is a good idea. It’s just too bad that someone has to do that in order to make a product work that they already spent $50 on. I don’t have an Otter Auger Shield, but reviews like this definitely make me think twice about ever purchasing one even if there’s a “simple, easy, effective” solution. Thanks for the heads up Fisherman Andy.

AaronMoore wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>hamms wrote:</div>
Well I see James and the other guys use the otter shield in most of the videos they have snowmobiles and I doubt they would use it again if that were the case. Just my observation

They are a sponsor of those guys, of course they will use them. Just like Frabill, Thorne bros etc etc used to be.

I understand they are the sponsor but James wouldn’t use it if it dulled his blades. I don’t care who the sponsor is you wont drive to the lakes James and IDO staff do and then put their auger in something that will make it so they cant drill holes when they are in the middle of know where…Its not the otter shield….

I have an otter auger shield and have not had any issues. I have the chipper mag, but I have a few marks on the bottom. Even with the lazor blades not sure how the hard plastic can dull the blades. It’s not like it’s any different than having the cap guard covering it other than it protects the whole flighting. Like James stated, you might have just got into some dirty ice.

AaronMoore wrote:

hamms wrote:

Well I see James and the other guys use the otter shield in most of the videos they have snowmobiles and I doubt they would use it again if that were the case. Just my observation

They are a sponsor of those guys, of course they will use them. Just like Frabill, Thorne bros etc etc used to be.

I realize most people don’t have an understanding of how sponsorships work. For that reason I won’t dwell too much on the assertion that we are somehow forced to use a fringe product that causes damage to critical gear and I’d somehow be OK with that. The truth is Otter would never want me to use a product I had issues with.

I’ve used the Otter auger shield for years and have NEVER experienced any dulling of blades.

Your mileage may vary. If someone thinks their blades were dulled from using a particular product I’m not about to try to convince them otherwise.

As for changes to the auger shield I’m not concerned about blade dulling one iota but I would like to see an upgrade that stabilized the head of the auger when it is riding in the tube. Not because I worry about the auger being damaged…I’d like more peace of mind that the auger isn’t going to fall out on a long run across the lake. Has it ever happened? Not yet. But I catch myself turning to look every few minutes and I’d like to see an upgrade that locked the head in place for peace of mind.

PS I do currently use a bungee to strap the auger in place during long runs and I still catch myself worrying about it.

I don’t care who the sponsor is you wont drive to the lakes James and IDO staff do and then put their auger in something that will make it so they cant drill holes

Exactly.

Interesting, thread brought back from the dead…

I still have my otter shield. But I will not use it. I can clearly see where the lazer power blades have rub and cut up on at the bottom of the auger shield. This to me is a red flag. I now use the red protective blade cap by Cold Snaps and a full auger bag when transporting in the vehicle. Have not had an issue cutting ice since.

However this was just my experience back then. Anyone else experience may differ, whether they have an issue or not. And yes I have seen the many scenes where the shield is used in the IDO videos. If my blades are rubbing, I aint using it. May be ok use for a chipper bit.

I no longer have the Solo Lazer Pro but the Honda now. The Honda has been rarely used since the Clam Drill plate has been my preference so far this ice season. I run it on 7″ SM lazer hand bit. Light, quick, and can cut 25″+ ice no problems.

It wouldn’t seem like the shield could dull the blades. I started using a Cold Snap cover too, and my Lazer blades have sliced that plastic in places where I didn’t have it lined up quite right too. The plastic is a lot softer than the blades, just like ice is.

Unless sand is getting packed into the Otter Shield, it wouldn’t ‘seem’ like it should really dull the blades.

I thought this mystery was solved…

look down into the otter shield with a flashlight and see if there is any spots down there that the blades have been rubbing and that will answer your question if the blades are rubbing.

Do any of you guys have any suggestions on mounting options for the auger shield? I do not believe the monster box would really work on my snowmobile. Does anyone know if otter sells that dove tail mounting system used on the monster box as an accessory? This would be slick to mount that right to the back rack on the snowmobile.

Cory, the Auger Shield was made specifically to attach to the Monster Box. I’m not aware of a mounting point that is sold separately. I have seen guys come up with some pretty creative ways to attach the auger shield to other racks, but most have them involve permanently affixing the shield.

As for mounting an Otter Monster box, there are a number of guys who have attached the Monster Box to their sled. Here are a couple of post with info on mounting to a sled.

http://www.in-depthoutdoors.com/community/forums/topic/back-from-the-fab-shop/

http://www.in-depthoutdoors.com/community/forums/topic/moving-my-loss-your-gain/

I was thinking about the same thing, maybe using large stainless steel Hose clamps.