Power drill advice?

New to getting a drill style auger setup. What do you recommend for brand and model to make sure I have enough power. I am not very educated on this subject yet. Any help would be appreciated

What size auger flight do you plan to use?

I think the recommended torque rating of the drill is supposed to be 800 in. lbs. minimum. But the higher torque rating drills will last longer. I can recommend the Milwaukee 2804 which has 1200 in. lbs. of torque.
If you are not already invested in one brand of tool or another, make your decision based on the brand of cordless tool you want to own, and then start building your collection.

I have the Dewalt DCD996B and it is amazing. I just bought a 2nd one 2 weeks ago to have as a backup and got it for $137 on Amazon. You also need the 5ah batteries, which you can get as a kit with 2 batteries and a charger. Highly recommend! I use mine with an 8″ Strikemaster Lite flite, cuts like a hot knife through butter.

Either Dewalt or Milwaukee. If you have neither brand and are looking to start building a collection, I’d definitely lean Milwaukee.

Both will do the job and are a substantially better investment over a 1 trick pony electric auger if you generally fish in areas with less than 2’ of ice.

Would be using 8 inch size.

Make sure the drill you buy is brushless. Some of the big box stores sell lookalike versions of Dewalts but are not brushless. My neighbour fell for that a few years ago. He was so happy because he had an auger and saved a bunch of money compared to mine . His new drill looked just like mine.

Until we went fishing

His drill started to smoke and didn’t make the first hole. He was a bit humble after I drilled his holes for him . Next day he took the drill back to the big box store .

I went to the K Drill web site when I purchased mine . They had a list of drills that where compatible. Use that list as a guide.

Joes will sell a package with the Milwaukee, right now they are waiting for the drill to come in, you can also ask to hook the thing up too-make sure you have the speed set right. I bought mine on e-bay only because I had the M. batteries and charger. Good luck

I run a hilti but go buy your self a Milwaukee and I would buy it from a place that deals with there products alot, not Joe’s. That way the store will help with any warranty issues that may come

Joes service is great, they deal with many brands, plus you get a warrente from
Milwaukee, as always when you spend more than 50 bucks use your credit card because they will give you extra protection.

I have had a Ryobi for going on my 4th year. I have had no issues and all of my other tools are Ryobi so that is why I went with that brand. I also have the 9-amp hour battery and it works great with it. I run an 8-inch pistol bit.

tim hurley wrote:

Joes service is great, they deal with many brands, plus you get a warrente from
Milwaukee, as always when you spend more than 50 bucks use your credit card because they will give you extra protection.

My point was to buy a power tool at a power tool shop there Timmy. And I’d think most guys would understand why

Go with Rigid Octane lifetime warranty on the product . My octane is 1300 torque the new one coming out this year is 1250 torque.

I did all the research last year and ultimately went with the Metabo 36V paired to an 8″ pistol bit with the Deep Freeze quick connect. It has a pretty unbelievable amount of torque.
The Metabo stuff is readily available on eBay. If you keep an eye out you can land the tool for under $100 and brand new batteries for $60.

2804 milwaukee will run an 8″ auger great. Ive used mine with a k drill and an eskimo pistol bit.

x2 on the Milwaukee 2804

brandmoney wrote:

x2 on the Milwaukee 2804

X3 on Milwaukee 2804. There is a reason you see more of these on ice drill setups than on all other brands combined.

The Milwaukee 2804 is an awesome drill. Has a hammer-drill setting, very good clutch, the chuck holds great, it is extremely powerful despite it’s very compact size and weight. An excellent tool for everything, and has the power and durability to run an 8″ Lite Flite with no problem.

I use dewalt 996?? I think that’s the model on an 8 inch Lite Flite. No issues for 3 winters.

I have been using the 999 Dewalt.

Milwaukee has a new 2904 out now for even more power. 1400 in-lbs of torque vs 1200 in the 2804.

fishthumper wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>brandmoney wrote:</div>
x2 on the Milwaukee 2804

X3 on Milwaukee 2804. There is a reason you see more of these on ice drill setups than on all other brands combined.

No offense to the red guys but I have used Milwaukee drills for work over the past 5 yrs and curse at them everyday. They are beyond garbage compared to a Dewalt 996 or 999. I’ve seen numerous Millwaukees in pieces being used with an auger. I haven’t seen one issue with a Dewalt and we reopen holes with them and beat on them.

There’s a reason Milwaukee will no longer warranty a drill used on an auger. They simply can’t handle it. This is just facts from first-hand experience, guiding and fishing with 100’s of clients. Not really an opinion whatsoever.

It blows me away when I see someone recommend milwaukee. Makes me think they haven’t used one or really don’t fish much.

I’m surprised at your experience Joe. What models are you having issues with?
I’ve tortured my Milwaukee M18 stuff over the years and have been astonished at what they can do, granted I don’t use them on 3′ of ice, or nearly as often as you. I did have a 2606 drill (not used for auger duty) that had issues with the trigger, but it was replaced under warranty. I’ve also had batteries replaced under warranty. But my experiences have left me very satisfied. My mechanic and construction work friends continue to buy Milwaukee and use them daily with no complaints.
I would be curious to know more about the failures you’ve experienced.

My hilti stuff is top of the line, can’t recommend it enough

At work I don’t care for my hilti but with the auger bit attached it is a beast.

I have the Dewalt brushless hammer drill. Love the power for the Kdrill but have problems with the chuck loosening up.

Joe Scegura wrote:

No offense to the red guys but I have used Milwaukee drills for work over the past 5 yrs and curse at them everyday. They are beyond garbage compared to a Dewalt 996 or 999. I’ve seen numerous Millwaukees in pieces being used with an auger. I haven’t seen one issue with a Dewalt and we reopen holes with them and beat on them.

There’s a reason Milwaukee will no longer warranty a drill used on an auger. They simply can’t handle it. This is just facts from first-hand experience, guiding and fishing with 100’s of clients. Not really an opinion whatsoever.

It blows me away when I see someone recommend milwaukee. Makes me think they haven’t used one or really don’t fish much.

I’m on my 4th season on my Milwaukee. Have 2 fishing partners who have more seasons than that on theirs. Not one problem. I/We probably don’t drill as many holes as you do, but probably close. I know Dewalt also makes a good product. I know several people on the construction trades. They all use Milwaukee Products in their business.

Curious why if you have so much issues with them why you would be using them for your work for the last 5 years. If I had the problems it sounds like you have had, I would have switched long ago.

I bought the ridgid combo pack last year (both brushless hammer drill and impact gun) lifetime warranty with them I used it with a lite flite last year had no issues going through 2 feet of ice and about 30 holes till the 1st battery died