I have not kept up with the electric auger evolution thinking it would not work for me up north due to ice thickness . It seems that I may have been wrong !I now think I would be able to use an auger and am in the market for one.
I know the K drill fits an electric drill and the Ion has its own motor and battery . What is the Clam plate and Nils story ? What are the pros and cons of each ? I only drill a few 8 inch holes when I fish .
Thanks for your help
Each combination has its place but for a few 8″ holes… I’d recommend an Ion or a Strikemaster 40V. Plenty of power for nearly any ice thickness.
I always thought that electric augers weren’t for me as well. Mainly because of frigid temperatures and needing to drill a lot of holes through extremely thick ice.
After using the Strikemaster 40V this past winter in extreme weather and ice conditions, it will be my go-to auger for this coming season.
I purposely left it outside the shack one day in Canada when it was a high of -18F. It was outside with the battery connected to it for about 6 hours. When I packed up for the day I drilled 6 holes with it like it was 40 degrees outside. I was sold after that.
I’ll always keep my Strikemaster LMP-10 as it still has its place, but I doubt I will use it much with the advancements in Lithium Ion powered augers. Heck, the 40V is faster than most gas powered augers anyways.
I LOVE my KDril – I have the Clam plate as it takes some tension of my injured shoulder. I previously owned a gas and that was fine, but here in Iowa I haul all my stuff all the time so the light weight of the KDrill is why I got it. It cuts FAST! I also have a 3 year old electric Strikemaster that runs off the same 12v I use in my depth finders. I like that one too, but KDrill is so much faster. If you are just cutting a few holes per day I think you can get by with about anything. If you are interested in buying my 3 year old Strikemaster, let me know and I will make a heck of a deal on it.
So I still don’t understand the clam plate thing . I think a k drill would be more easily transported than an Ion ??
So I still don’t understand the clam plate thing . I think a k drill would be more easily transported than an Ion ??
Let’s back up…let’s figure out WHY u want/need an electric auger.
Biggest benefit is for a wheel house. No fumes is great. If you only have a car or suv, they can be nice so no spilled gas or fumes in the car. If weights an issue, they are extremely light. If popping limited holes is your style, again, great choice. Back or shoulder problems? No pulling a cord.
Why you shouldn’t buy one:
If you solely want an electric auger cause mixing gas is too hard, maybe fishing isn’t your cup of tea. Run and gun style fishing. Drill 50+ holes (shut up guys…I don’t care if u say your electric auger drills 100+ holes) get a gas if that’s your style. 30”+ of ice kills a ln electric auger so keep that in mind. If you always or mostly use ATVs snowmobiles vehicles for travel, use portables, just keep the gas auger.
Regarding brands:
Strikemaster has a lot of work to do to get loyalty back after the Electra lazer era…that thing was shiat! Still not sold on their newest version, mostly pro staff endorsements.
Kdrill is straight out great. Again, not for all applications but wonderful for limited holes, light weight, permo houses. Cuts pretty darn good too.
Clam plate turns a light weight auger into a heavy gas auger. Not sold on it. It takes away 50% of the reason you buy electric.
Well, that’s my thoughts.
Thanks Bob
Looking for light and portable snowmobile/atv use
I am very happy with the Strikemaster, tons of torque, have never had a battery issue.
what does a 8″ kdrill go for- $200? plus atleast $200 for a cordless drill? that right there pushes me towards a ion or strikemaster lithium. I dont do enough home projects to need a $200 cordless drill vs my black and decker 12volt
My thought on the electric drill combo vs an Ion/Strikemaster is that the Ion/Strikemaster is built specifically for drilling holes in ice, nothing else… I’ve owned an Ion for 5 years now, love it….
what does a 8″ kdrill go for- $200? plus atleast $200 for a cordless drill? that right there pushes me towards a ion or strikemaster lithium. I dont do enough home projects to need a $200 cordless drill vs my black and decker 12volt
You’re right. But what the Kdrill has vs the other two is it’s incredible light…The end user needs to make a list of pro’s and cons. If the prices are the same, why did you choose the Ion or Strikemaster? Help other out as to why.
Why you shouldn’t buy one:
If you solely want an electric auger cause mixing gas is too hard, maybe fishing isn’t your cup of tea. Run and gun style fishing. Drill 50+ holes (shut up guys…I don’t care if u say your electric auger drills 100+ holes) get a gas if that’s your style. 30”+ of ice kills a ln electric auger so keep that in mind. If you always or mostly use ATVs snowmobiles vehicles for travel, use portables, just keep the gas auger.
A year or two ago, I would have agreed whole heartedly with this statement.
I actually have less problems with electric than I do with gas when being transported behind an ATV or snowmobile. No snow dust in the intake. Just put the battery in and hit the button.
I will still use a gas auger when it makes sense to. For me, this is when I know I need to drill a ton of 10″ holes through very thick ice. Usually this happens when i’m fishing with 2-3 other guys that don’t have their own augers.
I love gas augers. An LMP with sharp blades rips a lot of holes fast. That being said, I bet I will use my Lazer Mag Pro 2-3 times this year because the 40V is simply that good.
You’re right. But what the Kdrill has vs the other two is it’s incredible light…The end user needs to make a list of pro’s and cons. If the prices are the same, why did you choose the Ion or Strikemaster? Help other out as to why.
I have not made the switch yet but would like to this fall. I do alot of hole hopping, but wont be as much now that we have a ice castle. I have thought about the kdrill solely for the ice house but the price doesn’t justify it. I figured I will get rid of my 3 year old gas lazer and go lithium for the house and hole hopping. A Kdrill 6″ setup would be spectacular for panfishing I imagine, that or the Nils setup.
Exactly like Pat, I was always hesitant to make the switch to an electric because I felt it wouldn’t have gotten me the number of holes that I needed. I caved last year and picked up a 40V and it never held me back.
The huge benefit that I found was how much more efficient it was for running and gunning. I drill as many holes as it take to find fish but I typically will only drill 8-10 holes at a time and then spend a few minutes checking each hole before moving or drilling more holes. The awesome thing with the electric was that I was able to pick it up and start drilling instantly where with a gas auger you always want to let them warm up 1-2 minutes and with the 40V I was usually done drilling holes before my gas auger would have even been warmed up. I carry my auger on the front of my ATV and had zero issues with it last year.
The only minor issue that I experienced was that I needed to let the batteries warm up before charging them or they wouldn’t take a full charge.
Will
Switch from a Nils/Tanaka to the drill/clam Plate/Mora 3 years ago. Loved the Gas Nils but the new setup works better for me. I’m going on 70 years old with bad shoulders and a pacemaker. Last winter I added the K-drill to my setup to get the center point. I only drill about 30 to 50 holes a day so it works great for me.I also like that you don’t have to clean the holes or worry about dirty ice with the K-drill.No problem drill a extra hole for the transducer. No binding at breakthrough is nice. I tried my buddies Strikemaster 40 volt and really didn’t care for it, to heavy. Everybody has an idea which is the best option, the trick is finding the best option that works for you.
There’s a lot of talk about the K-Drill on this thread but the OP said
I have not kept up with the electric auger evolution thinking it would not work for me up north due to ice thickness .
I have no issues with the K-drill other than with thick ice. It clears holes very poorly and bogs down the drill. I would not recommend a K-drill for thick ice… less than 2′ great, but anymore than that no thanks. A Strikemaster auger IMO is the best bit for thick ice.
Put a Strikemaster bit on a drill or use the 40V Strikemaster/Ion. Either one will work great for thick ice!
There’s a lot of talk about the K-Drill on this thread but the OP said
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>cheers wrote:</div>
I have not kept up with the electric auger evolution thinking it would not work for me up north due to ice thickness .I have no issues with the K-drill other than with thick ice. It clears holes very poorly and bogs down the drill. I would not recommend a K-drill for thick ice… less than 2′ great, but anymore than that no thanks. A Strikemaster auger IMO is the best bit for thick ice.
Put a Strikemaster bit on a drill or use the 40V Ion. Either one will work great for thick ice!
This is true, guess I forgot the question. I would agree with 2 plus feet of ice go gas or the Strikemaster 40 volt.
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Joe Scegura wrote:</div>
There’s a lot of talk about the K-Drill on this thread but the OP said<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>cheers wrote:</div>
I have not kept up with the electric auger evolution thinking it would not work for me up north due to ice thickness .I have no issues with the K-drill other than with thick ice. It clears holes very poorly and bogs down the drill. I would not recommend a K-drill for thick ice… less than 2′ great, but anymore than that no thanks. A Strikemaster auger IMO is the best bit for thick ice.
Put a Strikemaster bit on a drill or use the 40V Ion. Either one will work great for thick ice!
This is true, guess I forgot the question. I would agree with 2 plus feet of ice go gas or the Strikemaster 40 volt.
I’ll third that! I tired acknowledging that in my above rambling about electrics in general that 30″+ is not the best but you’re 100% right about the K-Drill (and yes, 30″ is generous…more like 24).
I have the 8″ ION X and am happy with it overall. I got one of the first ones that had the ice up problem on the bit due to the coating, but they replaced it no questions asked right away. I had 1 other issue with it that turned out to be a connector that came loose on the trigger. They sent me a new assembly no questions asked and while taking it apart to replace, I saw the problem and was able to fix it so now I have an extra trigger assembly just in case.
I have drilled 30+ holes thru 28″ to 30″ of ice with the 8″ bit and had 50% left on the battery so no issues there in my opinion. If Im going out for perch and thick ice with the run/gun approach, I can use the extension that comes with it and my 6″ Lazer hand auger to get plenty of holes
I’ve seen the KDrill in action and also works great so for me it would be the question, do I have a good enough cordless drill already or would I need a new drill to run the KDrill too?
Well to add fuel to the fire, it looks like Nils is joining the elec game according to an unconfirmed pic i just saw on facebook It is called the Nils trophy strike and is 120v…
Edit: I learnt something.. looks like this has been out for a while, just a new model
I have an Ion.i have never had an issue in 4 years other than replacing blades but I’d have to do that with my jiffy also. I have the one that came out before the bad paint on the bits
Get a 8″ Nils and attach it to the Strike master 40v, Boom! :O
I have the Strikemaster. Although I got it late in the season I have nothing but good things to say about it. I also would wait and see what “specials” the manufactures are offering at the beginning of the season. I got a second battery for free. Made a big difference on my choice. Seems they are pretty similar and all have good/bad reviews so the little things can make a difference.
For the strikemaster 40v, is the auger extension the same as the gas powered strikemasters? or is it a secial one? Im debating over this or the ion but I am leaning toward this one.
For the strikemaster 40v, is the auger extension the same as the gas powered strikemasters?
Yes
thx
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