Lazer Auger or chipper.

I have 2 8″ lazer augers and end of last season both sets of blades took a dump on me. One of them I think I ended up drilling where someone had previously parked a vehicle and could not see that thru the new snow and ended up drilling into sand and salt deposit. Have no idea what happened to the second one. I have never used a chipper set up and was wondering if they are that much slower. That style of blade I can sharpen myself and not have to dole out $50 bucks for a new set of blades. Does any body have a thought about this?

I’ve switched to a chipper auger for that very reason. Nothing worse when the lazer blades get dull and don’t cut properly. I know I can count on my chipper blade,yes it is slightly slower drilling than the lazer, but I have peace of mind that it won’t let me down. By the way the chipper bit is way faster than dull lazer blades.

Lazers let me down way to often, nevermore.

It depends on how many holes you drill.

Mine is a chipper but I dont pop alot of holes, if you drill alot of holes definitely go back to the Lazer blades.

At times I wished I had different blades.

BTW.. chipper is slightly slower but will take a little abuse.

JMHO Jeff

I have not really minded them till we get over 24″ of ice. After that it does seem to take quite some time especially when hole hopping with 30″+ and your buddy is running a Lazer. However, I am on the same chipper blade since 00′.

Flying ice chips make me smile, chipper all the way.

Chipper. I’m done with the laser blades. The increase in speed is not worth the hassle of keeping a sharp set of blades on the laser. And the chipper can easily reopen a partially frozen hole.

If you’re only punching a few holes any auger will do. If you value speed… Lazer all the way. Drilling more than a couple holes with a chipper reminds me of driving with the parking brake on. Every time I pick one up and start punching holes I’m honesty amazed at the difference in speed. Each to their own but if you value speed at all there’s really no comparison.

I just bought an 8″ Honda auger last winter and I’ve had problems with the auger “sticking” and pulling the whole darn drill down or actually just getting stuck and not being able to move at all. pretty sure they are the lazer blades. anyone else experience this or have a remedy for it?

Lazer Blades all the way for this guy!! I punch a ton of holes every season though. Seems like i have to buy a new set of blades every season. Alot of that has to do with the sandy wind blown ice out here in NE. If you are looking for durabilty and something you can sharpen up chipper blades are the way to go!! If you have the need for speed lazer all the way

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I just bought an 8″ Honda auger last winter and I’ve had problems with the auger “sticking” and pulling the whole darn drill down or actually just getting stuck and not being able to move at all. pretty sure they are the lazer blades. anyone else experience this or have a remedy for it?

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Fish-Core,

When an auger “hangs” like that at the bottom of the hole it is usually due to the angle of the blade carriers (the plate the blades bolt to) being out of whack. This can be caused by an incorrect pitch at the factory or if someone beats the working end of the auger on the ice. Give Strikemaster a call. They can re-pitch the carriers for you.

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Fish-Core,

When an auger “hangs” like that at the bottom of the hole it is usually due to the angle of the blade carriers (the plate the blades bolt to) being out of whack. This can be caused by an incorrect pitch at the factory or if someone beats the working end of the auger on the ice. Give Strikemaster a call. They can re-pitch the carriers for you.

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How easily can they be knocked out of specs, I do not just stick it to the ice but set it down to where I’m drilling. The blades on the first auger that hit the debris had a small bur on one blade but the second auger blades feel sharp but just don’t cut.

Whenever buying a new auger, first thing I do is check the blades. I make sure they are on tight. A loose bolt/blade will cause manor headaches when drilling and possible loosing the blade all together. A quick inspection after purchase is usually all a person needs.

So, now picture yourself going to Canada or a remote fishing trip. How many sets of Lazer blades would you have to take to feel comfortable getting thru it. One chipper will work.

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So, now picture yourself going to Canada or a remote fishing trip. How many sets of Lazer blades would you have to take to feel comfortable getting thru it. One chipper will work.

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1 set should be fine in Canada, places where blades go dull are prairie lakes such as south dakota where lots of top soil or sand blows onto lakes early ice and will dull them very quickly. Also if you drill where vehicles have driven like old tracks, chances of drilling into salt or sand are greater.
I would expect none of the above issues on a remote canadian adventure. I would pack an extra set of blades just in case. Always bring 2 of the bare essentials to canada.

I have noticed that if you put down pressure on the auger to get it to cut faster, (possibly dull blades), it will not completely drill out the bottom of the hole because you pushed it through before it can totally cut out the bottom of the hole. This causes the auger to hang on what’s left.

It takes a little getting used to when you are going to bust through, but when your close to the bottom don’t put any downward or very little downward pressure on the auger. Let it do the cutting and it will completely open the bottom of the hole preventing the hanging up problem.

If you are willing to sacrifice speed for durability then chipper is the way to go, still own a jiffy with a chipper and haven’t had to change blades in over 5 yrs just an occasional quick sharpening and still churning out ice “chips” like brand new. All of that aside, I do love my Lazer blades, so very fast and after an entire year last year, first time out this year it cut like a charm as well. With good care I think you can get a ton of holes with the Lazers especially with an occasional sharpening, however I think chipper blades will win the longevity contest without sharpening 9 out of 10 times.