Ion Ice Auger

Thinking about picking one of these bad boys up…

I’ve heard good things so far. Any first hand pros and cons anyone wants to share?

Anyone wanna trade their Ion for my musky gear?!

Fast, quiet, scent free, and light.
If you have a way to keep the battery(s) warm, buy it.
If not, dont bother.

My dad bought one and it’s not bad. His fishing buddy bought a nils 8″ and has a Bosch 36v hammer drill cordless rig. He gets more holes with one battery on the Bosch/nils setup, it’s lighter, and he got 2 batteries. He has $419 into that setup vs the Ion at $500. Dad wished he would have gone with that setup. For what it’s worth I would not buy a ion either!

Do a search, 100 good comments from owners to 1 negative from non owners who wasted money on a different set up.

Been neat to see them on the ice this winter. Not sure if you can even call them quiet. Other than the blades swooshing through the ice there is no noise. For someone drilling just a few holes I could see them working out well. No way Ill trade in my gas auger for one.

Negatives: Batteries cost $150 to replace, plus having to keep them warm in cold weather or the auger won’t work – carrying an auger battery around in my coat is more of a “personal relationship” than I care to have with an auger.

If you go on extended trips it’s easy to add more gas to a gas auger, not so easy to plug in an electric while you’re on the ice….

All that being said, they have their pluses and would be a great option as a second auger, but I wouldn’t want one as my ONLY auger.

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My dad bought one and it’s not bad. His fishing buddy bought a nils 8″ and has a Bosch 36v hammer drill cordless rig. He gets more holes with one battery on the Bosch/nils setup, it’s lighter, and he got 2 batteries. He has $419 into that setup vs the Ion at $500. Dad wished he would have gone with that setup. For what it’s worth I would not buy a ion either!

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I’ve got a pair of Bosch 36V hammer drills and five of the big battery packs, they do work well if warm. It’s faster, packs smaller and is significantly lighter than the ion. I have it setup with a 6″ lazer hand auger. My only issue is that when even slightly cold the batteries current output stutters, making drilling a pain. It works, but it’s not constant like when they are toasty. The ion performs much better at lower temps IMO. The Bosch batteries look like cousins to the ion batteries.

I don’t have one, I run a gas auger now. After seeing the Ions and Pro 4’s and numerous gas augers work. My next auger will be propane.

I’ve heard a lot of good things about them this year. Last year I read a TON of bad reviews, all pertaining to the battery dying after just a few holes. Some made their own battery koozie, some got Ardisam to send them a new battery, and some take the battery off the auger and put it in a heated cooler every time.

So far, thats the only negative I’ve heard on them. Appears the motor itself and the bit are great.

Another thing to consider with the $150 batteries is if you buy an extra battery with your unit a $500 auger becomes a $650 auger.

In two years when you have to replace the battery(s) it becomes a $650 or $800 auger.

Two years after that…….

I’d bet the batteries last longer than 2 years. My li power tools last way longer than that. I get 5+ years out of those.

I’d like to build/buy a wheel house to keep at the cabin in the near future. This would be the first thing I buy, perfect for popping six holes inside I would think.

One question I have about the Ion is can you get an extension for it? Late in the winter or if you are drilling holes in your permanent that is higher off the ground you are going to need some extra length. seems like the bit on the ion is alot smaller then the gas models.

Never mind. looks like you can get a 12 inch extension on their website…

I’ve had one for three weeks now and am very happy with it. It drills really nice and I haven’t noticed any loss in power drilling 8-10 holes a day. I do keep the battery in the heated shack most of the time, but the one time I forgot and left it in the bed of the truck for 5 hours in 4 degree weather, it still drilled just as well.

I don’t have a lot of time on this thing yet so my input isn’t gospel, but so far, I’m very happy.

I’ve had some very bad luck with new popular brand augers over the last few years, so to just grab the auger, pull the trigger and drill holes is priceless!

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One question I have about the Ion is can you get an extension for it? Late in the winter or if you are drilling holes in your permanent that is higher off the ground you are going to need some extra length. seems like the bit on the ion is alot smaller then the gas models.

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That is something to keep in mind though because I think they run a little shorter that most gas models. I might be wrong(shocker) Propane is obviously an option as well. No smell and light!

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Do a search, 100 good comments from owners to 1 negative from non owners who wasted money on a different set up.

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I wouldn’t call any set up with a nils a waste of money lol. After all with a nils bit you could still put the handle on and drill away.

All batteries get “cold soaked”! I put my ION batteries and dewalt cordless batteries, which I use my drill attached to the 4″ auger for jigging holes, in a small soft insulated zippered cooler bag and I put 2 to 4 hand warmers in the cooler bag(temperature dictates how many warmers) to keep batteries warm. I put batteries back in the bag once I am finished drilling my holes. I drilled 35 holes yesterday in 14″ of ice on one charged ION battery! Again, all battery operated tools and equipment come with a disadvantage with the cold. Move to Alaska if you wish to challange this advice, even car batteries have to have a heating pad on them and plugged in when not in use! Then post your opinion on how battery operated stuff should work anytime! Until then, shush! I also bring a 400 watt(minimum) inverter that plugs into truck cigarette lighter plug to recharge batteries if I to recharge battery. This ION auger is awesome! No gas, oil, not starting, blah blah blah! Highly recommend this product! Again, all battery operated stuff has some inconviences!

Propane has same issue’s as batteries! Tank with frost up in cold when used and with have to be warmed to build pressure back up in tank after each use on the auger!

Made the purchase! Found that the battery isn’t that big so I can slide it in my jacket. I have a bag that is insulated with some hand warmer pockets and that keeps it from getting too cold just fine!

Rolling to lake of the woods Thursday. Gonna put it to the test and I’ll let everyone know.

The nice thing is, though the shaft runs shorter than some other augers, it did come with a 12 inch extension. Cutting through 25 inches of ice no problem in the cities!!

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I don’t have one, I run a gas auger now. After seeing the Ions and Pro 4’s and numerous gas augers work. My next auger will be propane.

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x2 on propane. My brother bought a new jiffy propane auger and it starts easily even when below 0, no gas mixing or gas smell, no primer ball, and cuts through 30″ of ice quickly. Dozens and dozens of holes per cylinder of propane. Highly recommended!

An important thing to remember also is that when you cut a hole with an ION you get a nice small pile of shavings. Do the same with any gas auger, propane or gas, and you have chips everywhere even with a slush bucket because they spin so fast. That’s as much a plus for me as the no smell.

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An important thing to remember also is that when you cut a hole with an ION you get a nice small pile of shavings. Do the same with any gas auger, propane or gas, and you have chips everywhere even with a slush bucket because they spin so fast. That’s as much a plus for me as the no smell.

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What?

I’ve had 2 guys b1tch that my gas auger shaves the ice too thin and it goes through their scoopers. With the correct pitch they should not be leaving big chips of ice all over the place

Was that humor?

I guess I didn’t say that right. What I meat was, my auger makes a big cone of tiny snow shavings and leaves the hole full of tiny shavings.. and its gas. Yeah it spins faster than an Ion, but it surely does not throw ice chips all over the ice unless its bare ice and not very thick.

Jiffys are known ice throwers but strikemasters and eskimos are alright as long as the blades are sharp and the pitch is correct. Throwing shavings means too much speed and not enough bite.. or just a ton of POWER. *insert Tim Taylor grunt*

Check this guy out. Wouldn’t want to be fishing near him! (loud video warning) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDu8J6A-BcQ

My Strikemaster leaves a nice pile of shavings at the hole. On the other hand my buddies Jiffy throws ice chips 5-6 feet from the hole.