The truth about electric augers…

Hi guys,

As of late, I’ve been trying to find a reasonably priced electric auger (new or used) for my wheelhouse. I’ve been to several retailers, dealers, and even service centers…all of which I have dealt with before and trust. I’ve looked at different models with different blades, chipper and lazer, and I’ve been frustrated with what I’ve been told. Can lazer blades re-open old holes, yes or no? I used to think that they couldn’t, but several sources have now told me they can. I’m not sure whether they’re trying very hard to make a sale, or they’re being truthful.

Thanks

I always thought lazer was a NO but chipper was a YES.

Yes they can but you take the risk of damaging the blades or the bit itself. They are not made to open old holes.

That’s my 2 cents on it anyway.

Not the Lazer but I’ve re-opened holes with my 8″ Ion. IT worked fine to re-open the holes and it worked fine after too.

I got through all of last season without swapping my blades out and I re-opened plenty of holes.

Ion uses shaving-style blades that make snowcone like shavings.

Just my experience with my electric that I figured might help.

Can they? Yes. Are they as good at opening old holes as a chipper blade? No.

A lazer blade is meant for cutting fresh ice and it does sometimes get caught while re-drilling an old hole, but it’s easy just to let off the throttle and lift up so I’ve never seen it as a huge issue. If you are only re-drilling a few holes once in a while I find that the benefit of how well the lazer performs on fresh, clean ice far outweighs the negative that it isn’t as good for re-opening old holes. However, if a majority of your fishing is done in a permanent house and you will be re-drilling the same holes every weekend I think you would be better off looking at getting a chipper blade.

Ive had a SM electric lazer for several years. They will re-open a hole, but not as easy as a chipper blade. Gets “grabby” at the bottom of the hole. (Not the same torque or blade speed as a gas motor.) At that point I’ll finish up with a spud bar if needed.

Not saying it gets hung up on every single hole. But it does happen. You must resist the urge to pick up the auger and slam the blades down to finish. You will just wreck the alignment of the blades.

Hope that helps.

-J.

icenutz wrote:

Yes they can but you take the risk of damaging the blades or the bit itself. They are not made to open old holes.

That’s my 2 cents on it anyway.

I’m not saying it won’t happen, but I’ve never personally damaged Lazer blades opening old holes.

I think the key her is that the pitch of the blades is critical and if they do catch let of the throttle and lift. I have watched others who start trying to use their auger like a jackhammer to open an old hole and that definitely will ruin the pitch of your blades.

Looks like Will and I were posting about the same time. Just saw his comments.

Where Will has the gas head unit to power through the bottom of the hole, (Without jack hammering) the electric many times does not.

-J.

Great minds think alike Jon

I have not used it in the field yet, but did have a chance to run the Lithium Strikemaster on a block of ice at Joe’s earlier this year. I was blown away by the speed/power versus other electric augers that I’ve seen. It’s no exaggeration to say it is very close to a gas auger.

No experience on the new lithium. But it a completely new design. Red Lake ice guide Bard Hawthorne is using this unit for his main auger this year. If you go to his FB page you can see this auger in action. It blazes through the ice. I was impressed. And for Brad to be using this for his job says a lot IMO.

-J.

I have Strikemaster lazer and about 8-10 sets of bad blades that say go chipper or shaver. If they lose an edge you might as well try getting threw with a butter knife. I have a lot of respect for Will and the staff but remember this is a Strikemaster sponsored site and they have only used them on fresh blocks of ice where lazers outshine any of the others. Time may prove me wrong on the new SM but history so far will back me. Even SM would have told you no when they were a family owned Big Lake company. I may have gotten a lot of the bad China blades but my SM stays home and my Ion goes with me to the house. I think I’m starting to sound like an Ion rep aren’t I? I’m not, so take my comments only as a satisfied user.

The small difference between the speed of the Lazer blade and the chipper blade is not worth the hassle of maintaining the Lazer. I can easily resharpen my chipper blade on a 4″ belt sander. For me any of the gas powered blades are very fast compared to the hundreds of holes I opened with either a chisel or a hand auger.

Boss Hawg wrote:

I have a lot of respect for Will and the staff but remember this is a Strikemaster sponsored site and they have only used them on fresh blocks of ice where lazers outshine any of the others.

I have to chuckle when people think someone is pushing Strikemaster Lazer blades simply because they assume there’s a sponsorship involved. I think it worthwhile to mention that Strikemaster makes chipper blades as well and anyone that was sponsored by Strikemaster would have their choice of the blade style to run.

Case in point, Chipper Magnum The chipper mag will drill holes with any chipper made.

The truth is the shaver Lazer blades are faster. So that’s why people that punch a lot of holes tend to favor them. If you go out to your hard sided house to punch your 4 – 8 holes, the auger you use isn’t going to matter much as long as it starts, be it powered by gas, propane or battery.

And for what its worth Strikemaster’s official stance is augers with Lazer blades shouldn’t be used to open old holes. That said, every hole I punched on Monday earlier in the week was reopened on Tuesday with my Lazer Mag. FWIW.

Boss Hawg,

The main question was “Can lazer blades re-open old holes, yes or no?”

Both Will and I say yes, but there can be some issues punching that last inch or so. Honest answer based on real experience.

If our only use was to re-open holes would the lazer blade be the first choice? Probably not.

I’m not sponsored by SM or anyone else.

-J.

Boss Hawg wrote:

I have Strikemaster lazer and about 8-10 sets of bad blades that say go chipper or shaver. If they lose an edge you might as well try getting threw with a butter knife. I have a lot of respect for Will and the staff but remember this is a Strikemaster sponsored site and they have only used them on fresh blocks of ice where lazers outshine any of the others. Time may prove me wrong on the new SM but history so far will back me. Even SM would have told you no when they were a family owned Big Lake company. I may have gotten a lot of the bad China blades but my SM stays home and my Ion goes with me to the house. I think I’m starting to sound like an Ion rep aren’t I? I’m not, so take my comments only as a satisfied user.

In all honesty I’m a terrible salesman… But I can truthfully say that I haven’t changed the blades on my SM in over 2 years and that includes opening holes in our permanent house up on Mille Lacs; however, I do go out of my way to take good care of my gear because any time spent fixing broken gear is time not spent fishing.

That’s the reason I spoke of my respect here, you allow differing opinions and let us debate them. I also have a SM chipper and wouldn’t have anything else besides the electric. On another site I frequent that post would have been dusted and my access would be limited for a while. For that I thank you.

Boss Hawg wrote:

That’s the reason I spoke of my respect here, you allow differing opinions and let us debate them. I also have a SM chipper and wouldn’t have anything else besides the electric. On another site I frequent that post would have been dusted and my access would be limited for a while. For that I thank you.

If we all thought the same way or used the same gear this place would be utterly pointless. I know I appreciate the differing perspectives.

Will Roseberg wrote:

Can they? Yes. Are they as good at opening old holes as a chipper blade? No.

A lazer blade is meant for cutting fresh ice and it does sometimes get caught while re-drilling an old hole, but it’s easy just to let off the throttle and lift up so I’ve never seen it as a huge issue. If you are only re-drilling a few holes once in a while I find that the benefit of how well the lazer performs on fresh, clean ice far outweighs the negative that it isn’t as good for re-opening old holes. However, if a majority of your fishing is done in a permanent house and you will be re-drilling the same holes every weekend I think you would be better off looking at getting a chipper blade.

I agree with Will 100% on his opinion and this is coming from a Blue sponsored guy.

I bought the Strikemaster big volt with the dual stage chipper blade expressly for use in a fish house. I run dual deep cycle batteries with one in a Minn kota battery box that has external posts for the auger leads / cables. This is all new for me this year, and as of yet personally unproven. I will give a review once I get busy on Castle Rock. Strapped to to ATV is a gas powered Eskimo that works great, and is on it’s fourth season.

Thank you everyone for the input and opinions. I, myself, have always been a loyal Strikemaster and TUCR man, but I also happen to be a budget-minded public school teacher. Therefore, cost is an issue and while it would be awesome to jump in the truck and purchase a new SM Lithium, it’s simply not in the cards. So, brands notwithstanding, I was in the market for anything effective and affordable. I currently have an older SM Mag Express with an 8″ chipper that has seen better days. It’s, no doubt, in need of a good sharpening or new blades altogether. However, it smokes more than George Burns and leaves you feeling woozy in the wheelhouse after drilling six holes. I’d rather not subject my friends nor family to that experience and thought it was time for an electric. Thanks again and be safe this season! Happy holidays!