If a guy wanted to buy a new Strikemaster Solo what are the advantages and disadvantages between the two blades? They are different in price with the Lazer being more.(if I understand that correctly) Common sense just says more money = better performance. But I want to hear about any experinces people have had between the two styles of blades.
I have had both Chipper and the blades. They are both great products and you will not see the chipper blade go away anytime soon.
The chipper is less to replace and will take a little more abuse than a cutting blade, such as sand or maybe that occasional stump.
The blades however are much faster and smoother saving on the arms when it is necessary to drill a large number of holes. With proper care and clean ice the blades will perform for a couple of years flawlessly but, when fishing river ice it does not hurt to carry a spare pair. My last set of blades did last 2 years and didn’t get replaced until the third year, before I found mud and sand while on an expedition with Blue Fleck 
I myself will not go back to a chipper blade because of the number of holes I normally drill in one day while on the ice.
Bret pretty much summed it up. The one thing I can add is that the chippers are lighter than the shavers at a given diameter. So if you’re looking to “shave” a little weight off your hole puncher, the chipper will do that. How much weight you ask? A LM-10 (Lazer Mag with 10″ shaver) weighs 29 lbs. The same powerhead with the 10.25″ chipper is listed at 27 Lbs.
I have used the blades on a few buddies augers. They are nice no doubt about that. However I went with the chipper blade on mine, only because price was an issue, and after doing 35 holes yesterday I feel it in my arms today, but it’s WAY less than what I would feel after 5 holes by hand. 
OK, so I went to Gander after work tonight just to touch and feel. I found out that the chipper isn’t gonna open up my holes in my permanent shack. But the Lazer will. Only problem is that it’s a 100 bucks more.
Hey Dan,
I don’t know who told you that you cannot reopen a hole with a chipper blade but I do this all the time with mine,another advantage to a chipper is that most have a pointed auger tip and don’t hop around as much as a blade. 
Quote:
OK, so I went to Gander after work tonight just to touch and feel. I found out that the chipper isn’t gonna open up my holes in my permanent shack. But the Lazer will. Only problem is that it’s a 100 bucks more.
The guys at Gander had this backwards. Strikemaster advises the use of the chipper for re-opening holes. The shavers will work but you do risk knocking the blades out of alignment if you get too rough with it.
Quote:
Quote:
OK, so I went to Gander after work tonight just to touch and feel. I found out that the chipper isn’t gonna open up my holes in my permanent shack. But the Lazer will. Only problem is that it’s a 100 bucks more.
The guys at Gander had this backwards. Strikemaster advises the use of the chipper for re-opening holes. The shavers will work but you do risk knocking the blades out of alignment if you get too rough with it.
What James said
Because I dont drill alot of holes per outting I went with a chipper for those 2 reasons. Reopening holes and save some $$$$.
I have always liked chippers and the ability to sharpen them myself.
Thanks everyone. I knew if I asked here that I could get the straight scoop. Preciate it.
Quote:
I have always liked chippers and the ability to sharpen them myself.
Another good point. Most people can do a serviceable job at re-sharpening a chipper blade. Nobody seems to do a good job re-sharpening the shavers. Not even those that try to charge for the service.
I have liked the blades on my lazer and they have lasted for almost 12 years now (I had a chipper on a Jiffy prior). I actually had them ready to exchange, but Strikemaster didn’t have new 8″ ers. I cut on average 10 – 30 holes a day and fish 30 days a season, so I have gotten my use from my blades. I couldn’t believe it when I found out my auger was a ’97 model. Needless to say, I have not found sand, rocks, stumps, etc when drilling.
You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
