Which auger

Now that everyone has had a chance to use their augers for season whats the good the bad and the ugly on augers?

Need one

Jiffy is built solid and very durable. But they’re the heaviest. My 2500 STX is 33 lbs. By contrast, the Strikemaster Lazer Mag which is a similar horsepower is about 26 lbs. Part of that is because the SM uses more plastic versus metal. All brands start good and cut good nowadays.
The STX has a thick, hard chipper blade mounted on a steel plate. I only need a few passes of a file a couple times a season to keep it sharp. If you get the other brands take care not to bend the auger where the blades mount on. When a guy’s auger doesn’t cut well, it’s usually because the auger is bent and no longer has the proper cutting angle.
I have an 8″ auger, but that’s probably overkill since I only jig for panfish. But no regrets.
Nils Master is worth a good look but I don’t have any direct experience with it.
I recommend only using gas with NO ethanol, and adding seafoam. Now you have the choice of 2 stroke, 4 stroke, and propane power. I like my traditional 2-stroke.

John S.

I ran the Jiffy Propane for a day as I was making a test run myself. I love the auger but I won’t be buying one. It was heavy and the auger was too aggressive, really tore into the ice and after punching 25 holes I was tired. The chipper blade throws ice and water all over your lower legs, makes for a frozen mess. Starting was awesome on the Jiffy but I think I will be going with the 4 stroke Laser for my style of fishing.

5 or 6 seasons on my Nils and no complaints other than the blade cover, 21 pounds and cuts fast and quiet…. No plans to ever replace it….

I had a an older jiffy model 30 and also agree that they are durable and reliable as can be. However, I am the run and gun type and the weight and speed were an issue for me. I now have had a strikemaster 2.5hp solo with the 8″ lazer bit for two seasons and the difference is drastic. Way lighter and way faster. This means more holes and more area covered which generally means more fish. I have found the powerhead to very reliable. It does have composite handles but I treat my auger like a several hundred dollar piece of equipment should be treated-with care. Can’t say enough good about this auger, but your style of fishing plays a big part in this decision.

I have an older (cir 1995)Strikemaster Lazer Mag that still works very well. However I been also been thinking about upgrading it to a newer model, and had the chance to fishing with a buddy today with his Jiffy Pro. Albeit the propane is cleaner, starts with little effort and cuts very well, you are certainly not going to want to punch a lot of hole with it. At 36lbs compared to my older Lazer Mag at 24lbs, that extra weight sure is a killer after a while.

Think I’ll be staying with a Strikemaster simply because we stick and move a lot. If you punch a handful of holes and sit around them all day, the Jiffy Pro is a good choice. But if your on the move, go Strikemaster.

This is a topic guys. I have ran strikemaster augers and Jiffy both are great, Both have their benefits over one another. I Ran lazer for long time was great fast! Down side blades seemed to wear fast. Got a good geal on a new stx jiffy stealth with 2 hp tecumseh and it cuts great long lasting blades and fast! Down side it is heavier then SM was and it does throw chips everywhere on your shins. I love the auger though. I am always on the move though so I may look for a lighter unit at some point. Remember if something is easy you’ll do it. I would give the Jiffy a 8 out of 10 for reason listed, Good drll.

I’ve got two full seasons on my Strikemaster Pro Lazer, before that i ran a Nils for two years and a Jiffy before that. I guess the best way to put it is all my fishing partners are now running Strikemaster as well. I’ll be the first to admit they are a bit hard starting usually 6 or 7 pulls but man do they cut. But the biggest plus side to me is nearly slush free holes when your done drilling. Not the case with those fancy Nils…

In all fairness the Nils leaves more slush in the the hole, but not as much as most think. It’s got to do with the size of the fliting. On the Nils it is about 1/2″ smaller than the cutting head.I actually like a little slush in my hole. It cuts down on light penitration in shallow water. I almost never use a scoop unless I plan on fishing that hole for a long time. If you kick the cuttings away from your hole before you back your auger out and give it a little gas it will clean it out pretty good.

I don’t like working on carburetors and thus love my jiffy propane. It is a bit heavy, but cuts like a boss.

There is certainly something to be said about working on carburetors, however I bought my Strikemaster Lazer Mag in 1995 and this is the first winter I’ve had to take it in for a tune-up. 18 years with proper care and maintenance has resulted in long lasting use.

Don’t get me wrong, I thought the Jiffy Pro was very good unit yesterday, however that extra 12 lbs sure added up in a hurry during the day.

I have had a Strikemaster Light for 4 years and it has worked great.Just let them warm up. Most people do not,and right on the side of the auger it states(warm up for 1 to 2 min.)Cant go wrong for $279,new . Jerry

Thanks for the welcome and insult. Much appreciated. Spin your Nils all you want it won’t clean the hole as well as a Strikemaster or Jiffy.

Tanaka power head and fit it with the auger of your likeing. Best of both. Light and fast. I have a 6″ Mora on mine currently and it is the cats [censored] for pan fishing. 18lbs and fits in my small jet sled. Can’t explain how good it works.

My Jiffy story- Bought a pro 4 2 years ago. Used it 4 times and had to have the power head replaced due to an oil leak. During a trip this season the throttle cable stuck while drilling a hole. I thought no big deal at the time but than I couldn’t get it unstuck, which sucked. Got home and thawed it out and than it wouldn’t even start. Took it in to get it repaired and called Jiffy to voice concern about having a new auger that has seen far too much shop time. Jiffy customer service was top notch, the guy apologized for the inconvenience and said to call him back if there are any more problems. A week later the auger was returned with a new coil, throttle cable, and carburetor. (so much for not needing to work on the carbs ) I started it before I left the shop with no problems. I was getting the truck loaded up later that night getting ready to leave in the morning and decided to try the auger again. Sure enough, the POS wouldnt start. Unreal. Called Jiffy again and the guy said it sounded like a carb issue. I told him I was very unsatisfied with the propane so far and would rather have one of the new 4 strokes. Sure enough, he mailed one out right away along with a box to send back the propane engine. Postage was prepaid, best customer service I have ever had. This was the second weekend with the new 4 stroke. Heres the report- It starts great and cuts holes just fine. For some reason though yesterday it started dying after I cut a few holes. If I had to walk more than a few steps between holes I had to restart it. Sometimes it didn’t re-start so great. Today I drilled 5 holes, set it down( in the right direction) went back and noticed a dark iquid by the handle…sure enough the damn thing is leaking. Done with jiffy

I’ve had a eskimo mako for 8+ years have a few buddys who have strikemasters and jiffys I honestly don’t notice a huge difference unless you’re fishing constantly and always moving I would say get a cheaper eskimo. if your fishing more than the average guy than remember you get what you pay for generally.