This is the first year where I’ve had an interest in ice fishing and I’m looking for some advice on ice augers.
I was thinking about getting a good hand auger to start with and then getting a powered auger later on. Is this a good plan or should I just buy a powered auger right away? For hand augers I was looking at Nils – how much harder is the 8″ to use over the 6″?
One thing I can guarantee is with a hand auger you will for sure drill less hole…..meaning trying fewer spots. IMHO
I would get a powered auger to start but maybe if you have a 18vlt cordless drill you could start with a auger bit for the drill and then decide if you want to move into a gas machine. If you decide that ice fishing is not for you then you don’t have as much invested and you could easily sell your auger bit and get at least half your money back. I use both the K-drill on my Milwaukee 18vlt and also a gas powered StrikeMaster. Good Luck!
One thing I can guarantee is with a hand auger you will for sure drill less hole…..meaning trying fewer spots. IMHO
I would get a powered auger to start but maybe if you have a 18vlt cordless drill you could start with a auger bit for the drill and then decide if you want to move into a gas machine. If you decide that <strong class=”ido-tag-strong”>ice fishing is not for you then you don’t have as much invested and you could easily sell your auger bit and get at least half your money back. I use both the K-drill on my Milwaukee 18vlt and also a gas powered StrikeMaster. Good Luck!
What Mocha said. My go-to set up for well into the ice season. It’s also great for light weight fishing. I have a gas auger as well, but it generally stays home until the ice gets really thick.
Where are you located and what kind of fish do you plan to go after?
I’m in Minneapolis. I plan to fish panfish, walleye, and pike. Most likely staying near the metro area.
I’d stay away from a hand auger, unless you did go with the drill and auger route. But I’d suggest looking for a used power auger that’s in pretty decent shape. Lots of guys are selling them with the huge popularity of electric augers. I’d look for an older Strikemaster with the Tecumseh motor which were excellent motors. You should be able to find one for $200 or less fairly easily.
If you are going to eventually get a powered forget the handcrank.
Only time I use mine is on sketchy ice around the river. Anything over 4-5″ after 10holes you’ll want power.
Absolutely get a power auger if you can afford it. You will enjoy it a lot more. Drill more holes, find more fish, catch more fish.
If it ends up not being for you, you’ll be able to sell it for very little loss. If you find a nice used one, you might even be able to re-coup all of your money to be honest.
I could be wrong, but one thing you should be aware of with NILS augers is the process you would need to go through to get something fixed, you have limited options. We are aware of a gentleman up in Duluth who may be able to service the unit, but outside of that I believe you would need to send the unit overseas to get warranty work done. In addition, the cutting heads on a Nils auger run around $100.
If you are looking to upgrade at a later date, I would suggest putting a Gas Auger to the top of your list. You will spend less time hand drilling holes, and more time fishing. Just my two cents, for free!
Thanks for all the responses everyone! Any opinions on gas vs. electric vs. propane for augers? I’ve used an Ion before and liked it but I don’t have much experience with gas or propane.
Coming from a guy that only used a hand auger for years- IT SUCKS!!! Especially if there is more than 5-6 inches of ice. I bought my first gas auger 4 years ago and haven’t looked back! As before stated there are a lot of good used options out there in the $200-$250 range. check out the classifieds here on IDO. There are Usually at least a couple of augers for sale here.
Any opinions on gas vs. electric vs. propane for augers?
There’s lots of debates and personal preference where no one is the winner. That said, most of the advice above is to get a high quality used auger. That will put you in the category of a 2 stroke gas auger. This is the standard that’s worked well for many years for many people.
6 years ago I had the same debate. Got a good deal on a 2 year old Strikemaster and never looked back. Take care of the carb and it will take care of you.
I am in the Minneapolis area too so here’s my advice…
I would recommend a power auger over the hand auger because it’s going to give you more, and better fishing time. I strongly recommend propane over gas augers. I have a jiffy auger that I have used for years and i love it because you don’t have to worry about waiting for a few minutes to warm it up like a gas auger, it has just a little less power than gas but I drill many holes and I don’t have to change the augers propane tanks more than once or twice a season so I have found that it is cheaper for fuel. I can do without the extra power especially if the time difference for drilling a hole is just a few seconds.
MonsterMatt wrote:
Any opinions on gas vs. electric vs. propane for augers?
In the past two years I have drilled holes with the clam gas, polar fire 33cc, jiffy 3hp stx, jiffy pro4 propane, eskimo stingray, Eskimo h.o. propane, strikemaster lithium and I.o.n. 40Lithium.
They all worked. My preference is toward the propanes. Both worked well and the efficiency of the amount of propane used to cut holes is great. I am not in to charging another battery or dealing with battery life. We have enough of that for cameras and flashers.
I own a Jiffy Stx 10″, jiffy propane 8″, Ion 8″, and a 6″ laser that I use with a drill. All of these augers have there place but if I had to pick one I would pick the Ion with the 8″ auger. I have had some problems with the propane but it is still a nice auger as well.
Being tired after drilling 10 holes in 6 inches of ice baffles me. If that’s the case you need to replace your blades. Takes my 8″ hand Lazer about 10 seconds for a hole like that. Just let the auger do the work, minimal down pressure is needed for a smooth effortless cut, IME.
An 8″ hole removes twice the amount of ice a 6″ hole, which needs to be considered while selecting a cordless drill. You need more foot pounds of torque to remove more ice. Bigger hole=bigger drill=more power to turn the drill and not burn up your drill motor.
Now once ice gets over 18″-20″, an 8″ hand hole becomes a chore after about 5-6 holes. Having said that, if you haven’t purchased anything yet, look for a quality auger (I’d use a Lazer) and find a good deal on a Milwaukee fuel drill and slap a clam plate on it. That’s what my plan is eventually. Until then, hand drilling works fine for what I do.
I’m from central Michigan and we hardly ever get ice over 24″ but a cordless drill setup is cheaper than any electric or gas auger (full price anyways), also lighter and you can use the good cordless drill year round which can be a big selling point. It just helps spread the initial cost a little thinner of buying a several hundred dollar drill, that is if you dont already have one.
I would look on craigslist for a used power auger. I Enjoy the propane jiffy pro 4 lite I have. Fishing Metro lakes might mean more sand on the lake from vehicle traffic. Due to this your blades may reflect that. A dull chipper blade will still drill. A dull shaver such as a laser or Nils will not. I’ve drilled thousands of holes with a laser and Nils both. The jiffy is a single chipper blade but has a high rpm to drill faster due to the single blade. Hole is clean when done. Check out your options and try one. You aren’t married to it. If your wanting something different sell it and get different one. Good luck
What HP is recommended for an 8″ auger? Are the 1.5 HP models like the chipper lite going to bog down too much or do they cut pretty decent?
Get on dicks sporting goods sight right now and order the ion… 25% off. $412 with some tax, not a bad deal. You’ll never look back. (grab a spare battery too)
I only fished thick ice once last year and used my gas. All other fishing was with my Ion. I am very very pleased with it but would still use gas once the ice gets real thick. For one single do-it-all auger I would still recommend gas but I cant imagine not having the Ion because its so light and quiet and it fits my needs perfectly.
It really depends on your other gear… Are you riding a quad or sled pulling a shanty? Or walking. I have an 8″ nils. We have used a rigid cordless on it and it worked like a champ. Gas is great, it you have a way to transport it. I agree with holst on the service and nils isn’t really great on customer service. Heads are expensive but they are razor sharp. They are great gear.
Get on dicks sporting goods sight right now and order the ion… 25% off. $412 with some tax, not a bad deal. You’ll never look back. (grab a spare battery too)
I ended up taking this advice! Ion on the way.
I got a hand auger for free and it broke. It’s was old nothing to do with hand augers. I was faced with the same dilemma and knew eventually would get a power auger so just ponied up the rest. Haven’t regretted it.
I love my 6 inch Strikemaster lazer hand auger, on year 3 using it now, have tried the 8, once you start getting towards 10 inches of ice or so, the 8 is a huge pain compared to the 6. Very noticeable difference in cutting time. That said, I just received a Strikemaster electric auger for an early birthday present this year so aside from early ice the hand auger most likely wont see alot of action this year. If you are set on going hand auger, I would go strikemaster over Nils, but honestly I would recommend going propane or electric. Though I guess you could go the hand auger route and get a k drill or something similar.
With a chipper style blade I’d want a decent motor/gear ratio. The strikemaster chipper style augers are just to slow in my opinion. My jiffy has a 38 cc 4 stroke propane plenty of power for the 8″auger on it. Drills well., my Nils has a 1.35 hp but it’s turning a super efficient blade system so a huge motor is pointless.
6″ nils hand auger is a great start. Might as well start with the best. You can always upgrade to a powerhead or use an electric drill. Nils has the best cutting head made with hardened steel and it cuts better and lasts longer.
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>crappieguy wrote:</div>
Get on dicks sporting goods sight right now and order the ion… 25% off. $412 with some tax, not a bad deal. You’ll never look back. (grab a spare battery too)I ended up taking this advice! Ion on the way.
Congrats!
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