Ion or Propane?

Time to pull the trigger on an auger upgrade, I like the idea of both the Ion Electric and the new propane augers.
Any definite reason to go either way? I see lots of Ions for sale, not sure if that is a warning sign?

I used my buddies ion and it is pretty sweet auger. Go strike master 2 stroke lol jk but my vote would be ion

Go propane. Don’t have to mess with charging batteries every day or having them die while you’re still fishing. Just change the oil at the end of the season is really the only maintenance for a propane auger. You’ll maybe go through 2-4 propane bottles over the entire season and that only takes 1 minute to replace. Batteries/electronic technologies are ever changing, your electric auger will be outdated in 5 years while your propane auger will still be running for 20+ with only a few tune ups.

I also used my buddies Ion a couple times. They are awesome. Extremely light. Using the reverse to blow the slush out the bottom of the hole works great. That said, I bought a propane Eskimo last year. It is much heavier than the Ion. It was over 150.00 cheaper though. My main concern with the Ion is how well the batteries work after year 3. Seems like everything I’ve owned that uses a battery works well year 1, ok year 2, not so good year 3. I would rather not have to spend 150.00 for a replacement battery every 3 years.

If only buying one go with propane or fuel. The ion is not ideal once the ice gets real thick. It will work but slow and not as many holes.

I debated the same thing for months and went with the Eskimo propane. The battery thing was my concern. It sat all summer and started with the second pull this fall. I would recommend this auger to anyone.

I purchased an Ion late last ice season. I really like it so far. I can get about 30-40 holes a battery. I did use it late last season through thick ice and it was fine. I have purchased a spare battery but I have not yet regretted my purchase.

I bought my ion 4season’s ago with no regrets . I’ve never run out of battery all day on 12″-13″. Had half a charge and still drilled 30holes in 10″ just to run battery out last year.would like to but an x battery but other than that would not change anything. Hope this helps . good luck stay safe.

Besox wrote:

Time to pull the trigger on an auger upgrade, I like the idea of both the Ion Electric and the new propane augers.
Any definite reason to go either way? I see lots of Ions for sale, not sure if that is a warning sign?

Whatever you do don’t buy an ion, I have one never a problem, you can’t own a product other than what’s pushed hard on this site, good luck

I own a StrikeMaster Electra 12000. It is good in 2 feet of ice or less for about 30 holes. When drilling 2 to 3 feet of ice, you don’t get as many holes. StrikeMaster now sells a lithium battery for it which is supposed to last longer but it costs $150 whereas the SLA batteries are $20.

I have a ION, my buddy has a HC40. We both love our augers never lets us down. flip a coin and you will be fine

We have both an ion and a gas strikemaster. The ion is great for earlier in the season but I will admit that once the ice gets over approx 18 inches, the gas auger cuts better without a doubt.

I think the downfall of the electric augers is when the ice gets really thick late in the season. They just dont cut as good as gas/propane augers do in the really thick ice.

Also, I’ve found a lot of people say “I drilled X number of holes” etc with an electric auger… I always find this misleading because it largely depends on how thick the ice is, how sharp your blades are as well as if you store the battery inside or outside your house when fishing. The blades obviously come very sharp when its brand new but just like all augers, they dull over time with increased use. I think slightly dull blades on an electric auger have a much more noticeable impact on your drilling speed than a gas auger with the same dull blades.

I have a pro 4 that I bought the first year they came out. Had to replace a leaking fuel hose and 1 spark plug since I’ve had it. They are heavy but when thick ice comes the weight helps it cut in my opinion.