Lithium 40 volt?

Looking at getting a new auger this year. Kind of looking at the new 40 volt lithium from Strikemaster. Has any one seen or got your hands on one yet?

I used one quite a bit last winter. Any specific questions I can answer for you?

Does it have pretty good drilling speed? And do the handles and switches feel chinsey?

I bought the 10″ ION X and returned it for the Strikmaster based on a friend who got to Demo it last year… I like that the Strikemaster comes with an extra battery, and is a little cheaper.. Now however, I got to compare them side by side at Scheels.. I don’t like the strikmasters trigger and button system at all, the Ion feels a lot more comfortable in hand.

Based on ergonomics I’m considering returning the Strikmaster for the ION… It’s not an easy decision

I’m only going based on what I have heard prior. It seems the Strikemaster having lazer blades will have a little more trouble re-opening holes. I have heard the Ion does a pretty good job re-opening holes. I do however have a gas Strikemaster for my LOW and Lake Winnipeg snowmobile ice fishing trips and would not give it up.

Scott wrote:

I don’t like the strikmasters trigger and button system at all, the Ion feels a lot more comfortable in hand.

I still have on of the “wimpy” ElectraLazers and found the button, handles and layout rather nice. It all just seemed to fit well with your hands and thumb for drilling.
I will be curious to compare now to the new Lithium 40.

I did get to play a little bit last year with the new Lithium 40v from Strikemaster and I did like the auger quite a bit… I did not notice any ergo issues whats so ever… It fit comfortably in my hands and the trigger system was pretty easy if I remember correctly…

Fast forward to today.. I do now have my own Lithium 40v auger myself and while I have not drilled any holes in the yard it still feels pretty comfortable in my hands… the push button is just that… a push button to turn it on and off…

A lot of speculation can go on before a season on the ice but I have been a huge fan of the electric augers since they came out and this one I think is going to be tops on the list !!

And if anyone is in my area and wants to check it out they are welcome to contact me, stop over and check out the new Stikemaster Lithium 40v auger !!
I also have a Marcum Shuttle hooked up to an M5 Marcum if your wanting to look…

I have had a chance to run both the 50V and 40V augers when fishing with James the past couple years and they are awesome units… The cutting speed is very close to, if not as good as the gas augers and not having to spend a minute or two starting the auger and wait for it to warm up was awesome. The only thing that kept me from going electric last year was the thought that I am someone who will keep drilling until I find fish and there are days where I might actually run the battery out and carrying a spare gallon of gas is a lot cheaper than carrying a spare $150 battery… When SM included a second battery with the 40V I decided to make the switch (pun intended) this year. Plus it only weighs in at 23-24 lbs and comes with the best auger bit on the market… I personally have never had an issue opening old holes with a lazer blade if you take it easy and slightly tilt the auger back and forth to get it engaged.

As to the ergonomics question posted above it is very interesting because it shows what a Ford/Chevy these discussions can be as I personally much prefer the traditional auger handles on a SM versus the handlebar types on an ION. I also was talking to a lady at Joe’s this past weekend who really liked the ION because it had a shorter auger bit versus the SM since she was only about 5’6″ where I prefer having the longest bit possible to avoid using an extension for as long as possible.

Will

It is definitely nit picking on my part. I did go to Scheels again today to mess with the two options, I decided to keep my Strikemaster. The extra battery, and cost savings is well worth the minor gripe over the trigger system. I also like the more traditional grips of the Strikemaster over the iON

Scott wrote:

It is definitely nit picking on my part. I did go to Scheels again today to mess with the two options, I decided to keep my Strikemaster. The extra battery, and cost savings is well worth the minor gripe over the trigger system. I also like the more traditional grips of the Strikemaster over the iON

Ask yourself how either auger will be supported in 10 years. Will the benefits of owning battery versus gas pay itself back in 5 years when your battery operated is no longer operating or supported.

Lots of gas augers still running from 20yrs ago. There’s already several battery gadget augers not being well supported and they’re how old?!?

To each their own. Don’t expect it to be your last auger!

I asked this question on the other StrikeMaster Lithium 50 thread and thought I’d throw it out on this thread too. I am curious…I do not have either a wheeelhouse or a permanent fish house, but wondering what those that do…do?

Question for any of you out there that have a wheelhouse or permanent fish house. Do you have or use electric, or do you fire up the gas machine inside the fish house?

Walleyestudent Andy Cox wrote:

Question for any of you out there that have a wheelhouse or permanent fish house. Do you have or use electric, or do you fire up the gas machine inside the fish house?

My dad inherited my SM Honda 4-stroke last winter and my other close friend who I often fish in their wheelhouse bought SM a big-volt years ago… They are both thinking about picking up a 40V this year after they’ve had a chance to try mine out.

Even with the smokeless oil a permanent/wheel house needs to be aired out after drilling with a 2-stroke before fishing.

I have a 9″ Jiffy that I am pretty happy with.. I just got a new Yetti this year and don’t want that smell in the house, that is why I went electric.

Walleyestudent Andy Cox wrote:

Question for any of you out there that have a wheelhouse or permanent fish house. Do you have or use electric, or do you fire up the gas machine inside the fish house?

Kdrill

pambro13 wrote:

Does it have pretty good drilling speed? And do the handles and switches feel chinsey?

The speed on the 40V is down-right impressive. When drilling side-by-side with the competition the 40V was nearly 2 to 1 with an 8″ drill and 2.5 to 1 with a 10″ drill. Cutting speed aside, what really impressed me was the “smoothness” of the power and the torque available. No matter how hard I leaned on it or the depth of the ice being drilled I could not get the auger to bog down appreciably. Is the 40V as fast a 3 HP Solo? No, but it is getting really close and the convenience of the electric has swung me over to using the 40V as my primary auger this coming ice season. Being able to get 100 holes through 16 inches of ice on one battery is good… getting a free spare in the deal means it will be a rare day when I will even get close to running out of juice!

I thought the handle quality and ergonomics of the controls was / is excellent. I never once felt like something needed to be moved or changed to make drilling more comfortable.

Hey folks. I bought my 40V SM recently. Drilling through 38” of ice I got to about 20 holes before the Battery went out. I was expecting a bit more out of the battery. On Lake Winnipeg I was able to get 12 holes in about 4 ft of ice but the 11 and 12th hole needed the second battery to help punch through. If this continues I may have to make a claim.

Also noticed on the lake the drill kept stopping when I was drilling. It was like +3 celcius out that day. And I kept batteries warm in lunch bag with hand warmers. This kept happening, drill 2-3 rotations and stops. After about 10 tries it finally drilled. Anyone else experience this?