Kdrill first impression

Finally got out today with my Milwaukee 8″ kdrill on 4″ of ice. I was quite impressed. Cuts well and faster then I expected, reverse dumps slush fine.

I was suprised by the clunkyness of start/stop – it made some pretty angry noises, and I learned to feather the throttle quickly. My float also seemed to slide down a bit which made the plastic plate rattle.

All in all I was very happy. I’m only 41, but the insane lightness of the unit was appreciated. If it continues to work well all season I’m not sure how long I will house my 2 stroke in the rafters…

I got the 6” AMAZING

tindall wrote:

I was suprised by the clunkyness of start/stop – it made some pretty angry noises, and I learned to feather the throttle quickly. My float also seemed to slide down a bit which made the plastic plate rattle.

Are you using the Milwaukee drill that’s recommended for it?
You need to make sure to set it in drill mode and at the lowest speed. Mine was clunky today until I switched it to the lower speed. Then it worked like a charm.

I have the hammer drill that is recommended with 5amp batts. Used in drill mode on #1. The first few tries had me worried it would destroy my drill.

tindall wrote:

I have the hammer drill that is recommended with 5amp batts. Used in drill mode on #1. The first few tries had me worried it would destroy my drill.

It takes a while to get the hang of it so just keep practicing. It helps to keep the auger perfectly vertical and to not apply downward pressure to it. Just let the blades do the cutting. I stand with the drill at my chest and hold it very firmly to avoid twisting and chatter.
Also, I thought about using reverse to flush the hole but was worried the chuck might loosen and send the auger down the hole. Maybe I’ll give it a try next time.

I’ve never used the K-Drill 8” with a handheld drill driver. I mounted it to an Ion powerhead which obviously doesn’t hammer. It cuts like a demon, why use the hammer feature if not really needed? I would just think it adds to the wear and tear on the drill.

Very curious about krdrill sure wish I thought of it

castle-rock-clown wrote:

It cuts like a demon, why use the hammer feature if not really needed? I would just think it adds to the wear and tear on the drill.

You dont run the drill in hammer mode.

Ive had my 8″ for at least 3 maybe 4 seasons cant remember exactly. Love the drill so much I also purchased the 6″ this season to add to my auger arsenal!

I did have my 8″ come out of the chuck last year on my very first hole and down it went to the bottom. I was “deer in the headlight” shocked! Put down the camera and low and behold it was straight down the hole and standing perfectly up and down. Put down a big weighted treble and hooked the float on first try! We were in only 12′ of water which helped. Called K-Drill/Vexilar and they sent up new floats pronto! Since mine was one from there first generation productions they felt a new and slightly bigger float would help and it did take care of the problem. I believe I also have another float on the extension but since I have not looked at it yet this year I am not quite sure.

I use the M-18 Fuel in DRILL mode and SPEED #1. I always back flush the holes.

These are truly a great addition to my Strikemaster!

Mocha wrote:

I did have my 8″ come out of the chuck last year on my very first hole and down it went to the bottom. I was “deer in the headlight” shocked! Put down the camera and low and behold it was straight down the hole and standing perfectly up and down. Put down a big weighted treble and hooked the float on first try! We were in only 12′ of water which helped. Called K-Drill/Vexilar and they sent up new floats pronto! Since mine was one from there first generation productions they felt a new and slightly bigger float would help and it did take care of the problem. I believe I also have another float on the extension but since I have not looked at it yet this year I am not quite sure.

This is why I always carry my small aqua vu mini. Even if I don’t use it to locate structure or fish. Never know when u may need to fish something outta a hole.

Anyone used a 20v Dewalt with them? Curious how well it works

backy33 wrote:

Anyone used a 20v Dewalt with them? Curious how well it works

I use a full-sized Dewalt Hammer Drill (995) and it works like a charm. Does K-drill recommend a Milwaukee? Yup, but I don’t care. I already had the Dewalt, it works good and it’s never let me down in 2 years.

Have had my 6″ Kdrill with the Milwaukee out 2X so far. Love it. I believe I punched close to 100 holes with it last weekend and still had 1/2 charge remaining on the 2nd battery. Not sure if the old gas Auger will even be used this season. I guess it will depend on how thick the ice ends up getting.

That’s what I use because it’s what I have. Works very well.

Interesting article by Dennis Anderson of the Strib recently. The inventor/creator of the K-drill currently owns Vexilar…although he did not create nor invent that. This article does give insight though on how the K-drill came to be.

http://www.startribune.com/minnesotan-bores-deeper-into-market-with-his-electric-drill-auger/468045463/

I finally got my 8″ out with the wheelhouse. Amazing. Drilled holes with the slush bucket in 16″ – barely had any stuff in the bucket. Reverse the slush down the hole, no fumes, such a great experience.

tindall wrote:

Finally got out today with my Milwaukee 8″ kdrill on 4″ of ice. I was quite impressed. Cuts well and faster then I expected, reverse dumps slush fine.

I was suprised by the clunkyness of start/stop – it made some pretty angry noises, and I learned to feather the throttle quickly. My float also seemed to slide down a bit which made the plastic plate rattle.

All in all I was very happy. I’m only 41, but the insane lightness of the unit was appreciated. If it continues to work well all season I’m not sure how long I will house my 2 stroke in the rafters…

tindall wrote:

Finally got out today with my Milwaukee 8″ kdrill on 4″ of ice. I was quite impressed. Cuts well and faster then I expected, reverse dumps slush fine.

I was suprised by the clunkyness of start/stop – it made some pretty angry noises, and I learned to feather the throttle quickly. My float also seemed to slide down a bit which made the plastic plate rattle.

All in all I was very happy. I’m only 41, but the insane lightness of the unit was appreciated. If it continues to work well all season I’m not sure how long I will house my 2 stroke in the rafters…

I’ve noticed the same abrupt clunk/rattle when stopping. (talking about the new MudMixer) Asked the Milwaukee factory man if it was an electronic brake. He said he didn’t honestly know but will ask the factory.
I noticed if stopping while drilling the mechanical noise is not there. Also not there when breaking through a hole and stopping while the auger is still in the water.

It is a brake. Try not to run your k drill when it is not under load(in the water or a hole) as the momentum from the auger spinning ramming forward into the brake with a sudden stop isn’t ideal.

I have the 6″ with the Milwaukee (my first powered auger). Probably only drilled 30 or 35 holes so far. I love it! Once I figured out that I need to kick the snow away before drilling, and when I lay the auger down, I have had no problems at all. It cuts a lot faster than a hand auger and it is very lightweight, which is nice for exploring and hole hopping.

Update: I forgot to mention that I tried reverse yesterday morning to flush the slush and never had to use my new Little Dipper XLH Ice Scoop. I was worried about the chuck loosening, so I kept checking it every few holes but it was tight. It took a bit of effort to get the K-Drill off when I got home.