duh queen wrote:

10 years or more ago, having gotten tired of the Jiffy and Strikemaster blade alignment issues (They’re easily bent out of position and then fail to cut properly), I dug deep into my wallet and bought a 8″ Nils Convertible and haven’t looked back. Using an 18V M18 Fuel Milwaukee drill to power it, it absolutely smokes the two different versions of Ions my buddies own. On average I can cut about 40 8″ holes though 2′ of ice on a single 5AH battery. More it it’s warm out, and less if it’s significant below zero. An additional plus is that it also comes with a handle for manually drilling holes that doesn’t require any tools to assemble(“good bye allen wrenches”). When I bought it, Russ Fransisco from Marine General, asked me why I was even considering powering it with a drill because it cuts sooooo freely. “Too many shoulder surgeries” I replied.
Don’t worry about dropping down the hole. It’s impossible to loose in an 8″ hole if it becomes disconnected from the drill. (on average, I “loose” it about every other time out because I fail to tighten it all the way. But that’s on me, not Nils.)
In drilling, everything is about cutting edge geometery (I should know. I spent 40 years as a toolmaker/master machininst) Nils has hands down, the best cutting head on the market. The down side its the hassle of getting it resharpened. I fish a lot, and in those 10+ years I have yet really needed to have it sharpened(although it’s getting close) and like I said earlier, it still smokes the Ions. Yesterday I was out with them a one of them came over and borrowed it rather than fight with his Ion. The blades (cutting head) are so durable that I’ve dropped it right on the head(several different times) and have never had any damage. Try that with a Jiffy or Strikemaster. K drills cut nicely, but there’s just something not quite right about mixing plastics with the extreme temps we see out on the ice.
Anyway, don’t just take my word for it, borrow a Nils for a tryout before making your final decision. Happy Drilling!

Thanks for posting! I am leaning towards a Nils right now :).

Craig Sery wrote:

Nils is fast and smooth, but leaves a hole full of slush. That’s the reason I went with strikemaster. Nice clean hole so no need to use a skimmer

Strikemaster Lite flite? So the only difference you found was one left slush and the other didn’t? Otherwise preformace was the same?

David Bollig wrote:

Eskimo Pistol Grip is the lightest. Has a blade protection cover that is secure and goes on much easier than Strikemaster or Kdrill. The fall in protection disc is more rigid than the Strikemaster. I have used it this winter and sold my Strikemaster 50 volt, the Milwaukee drill and Pistol Grip were flawless.

I will check it out. Thanks!

blank wrote:

You mentioned Nils; I have a 6″ Nils convertible auger (the orange one) and it’s awesome. It cuts so effortlessly and fast. I’d certainly recommend it. Only downside is blades/sharpening. As far as I know the only person to sharpen the blades is Frank DeLuca in Saginaw, MN.

Thanks for the reply!

tswoboda wrote:

Do you favor smooth cutting or light weight? The Nils cuts smoother while the strikemaster is noticeably lighter. The smooth cutting is probably not as big a factor with 6″ compared to 8″.

SM blades are less than half the cost of a new Nils head. Both can be resharpened but it’s common to just replace the SM blades. The Nils head needs to be shipped out for resharpening and is roughly $40ish to sharpen, shipping included.

I am a smaller female so I prefer both light weight and smooth cutting :). With that said. Smoother cutting prob would be my pick if I had to choose one.

Bearcat89 wrote:

Lite flight. The 8 inch cuts with ease so I sold my 6. But if you only want a 6 then the lite flite 6 is the only thing I’d consider. As for blade replacement I dont understand? I drill more then any one I’ve ever fished around. Early season to late. Dirty river ice to lakes. Still have original blades on mine with no sign of dulling.

I also fish a lot, so I am glad to hear you did not have any blade issues. 95% of the time I fish for perch..5% Pike/Walleye. So I guess this was the reason for going 6″ vs 8″.

fishthumper wrote:

A year or two ago I would say the K-drill hands down. After using the strikemaster lite flight a few times this year I will say that is your best option right now. The only downside I see to the lite flight is that you will need to replace the blades fairly often ( Depending on how much you use it and the ice conditions you use it in ) It looks like they cost around 50.00. I will add that I still like my old K-drill for reopening old holes more than the lite flight.

Thank you! I have tried the K-drill and for some reason did not care for it. I will check out the strikemaster lite!

Gerty wrote:

Can’t beat the Strikemaster lite flite in whatever size you need.

Thanks! I have never tried the Strikemaster lite and wondered how it was. What is the major difference between the lite and the reg auger?