Ion Ice Auger

Bought the Ion ice auger around Christmas time. It ran great at first but now only a month into it, it doesn’t last more than 15 holes. I went out today and granted there was a good three feet of ice, but it only drilled 11 holes I kept the battery warm the entire time and it wasn’t even cold. Does anyone have any suggestions on what I can do? I have had this thing for a month and a half and it should be able to drill a lot more than this. Any feedback is great.

Send them a email and explain whats going on or call them

https://www.ioniceaugers.com/Contact

Thats alot of holes in 36″ of ice.
I have one of the original Ions ….their claim then was 40 holes in 12″ of ice. I still use the original battery but do have a back up. It works good for northern Illinois or southern Wisconsin….but if I lived where I got 3′ of ice I would have a gas or propane.

Take it back and Beth the strike master lithium 40v

If you leave the battery on the charger too long for over 24 hours it can start to kill the battery.

My ion has been great for early season and now if I know right where the fish are but Im taking my gas to Winnie this weekend. There’s no way the ion could hang there now.

Hi my ion is 4yrs old now but when it was newer I checked to see how many holes I could get on a charge . The ice was about 40 inches and I got 17 holes . I haven’t tested like that since, meaning I usually only drill maybe 6 holes . I wonder if I you’re blades are a little dull ,that might be the problem.

I bought an IonX and have used it every weekend since new years. I charged it overnight when new and I have not charged it since. I probably only open about 6-8 holes per weekend however. I expect it to last until ice out.

From ION:

WHAT IF I LEAVE MY BATTERY ON THE CHARGER?
Leaving the battery on the charger will not harm the battery because the charger is programmed to shut off after the battery reaches a full charge. It is best to unplug the charger and remove the battery after a full charge has been reached, signaled by the solid green light on the charger. (This is because the charger’s electronics inside will continue to use power when plugged in.)

CAN I PUT A PARTIALLY DISCHARGED BATTERY ON THE CHARGER?
Yes. There is no reduction in battery pack performance or life due to recharging it at any point in the charge or discharge cycle. Best practice would be to recharge the battery after each trip on the ice.

Im waiting for a answer from ion but until then does anybody know if the ion balances the cells when it charges them and does the auger stop working at a cut off voltage or does it just go till the batteries are dead?

First off to the OP 15 holes in 30″+ of ice with an ION is about right.

I have used the following drills in the past two weeks.
Ion
Strikemaster
Millwaukee / KDrill

These are my observations, so please don’t get any hurt feelings.

The ION cuts a bit slower than the StrikeMaster but the Strikemaster can’t open old holes very well. I know numerous people that have bent their augers trying to do so. StrikeMaster will fix them, I think it’s $75 to adjust the pitch.

Millwaukee / KDrill didn’t cut well at all IMO. Over the past week all I have seen is KDill users out drilling and they need to clear the ice chips 50 times per hole and they don’t get any where fast. When I was using one and watching others I think any other option would be better in 30+ inches of ice. (Love the KDrill on thinner ice)

There is a lot of energy wasted in clearing chips and resistance when drilling so much ice. There really isn’t an electric option out there that does well in 30″+ of ice.

IMO if you need to punch a bunch of holes use a gas auger. I love my electric for less than 2′ of ice and when drilling in the house. As for now I’m using the gas anytime I’m not drilling in a wheel house.