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Popcorn please...
Having owned an Ion i can give a little insight into its capabilities.They advertise you can get 40 holes in 24" of ice with the 8" bit. However I found that not to be the case and would average about 35 holes thru 18" of ice.There is some math we can do to determine the area of ice cleared: pi x r x r =areaSo for a 8" auger: 3.14 x 4 x 4 = 50.14For a 10" auger: 3.14 x 5 x 5 = 78.5This tells us that it will be roughly 55% more "work" to punch a hole using a 10" bit. So you can basically cut the number of holes roughly in half from what I was averaging thru 18"of ice to 17 on a full battery.Obviously thinner or softer ice will yield more holes. So I dont think its to far fetched to expect 15-20 holes per charge with the 10" bit thru 18" of ice.As for it shutting down when cold. Thats only the battery. Keep the battery warm and you will be fine.Nerd mode deactivated.
Don't think I want to deal with bringing some sort of heater just to use the auger, otherwise I probably would have bought one!
Having fished with Will, his Ion and Rigid set ups many times. Keeping the batteries warm is so easy I would not give it another thought... It is so much easier than lugging a heavy, smelly, noisy, temperamental gas or propane auger... At least that is what is my experiences over the years have proven to me.
MillBillyMan, I am happy for you that, you have the propane auger, but any engine (internal combustion) I have ever used was temperamental, sooner or later (for me mostly sooner)... And, yes propane is still noisy compared to a electric auger. And the propane fork trucks that I run (and are temperamental), smell much more than any electric fork truck or auger that I have used... But even if that weren't true, the weight is enough to have me go electric, but then again my style of fishing and your are different (not better or worst), just different... I am all about mobility and even the lightest gas auger I could find, was to heavy to lug around (it was also; smelly, noisy, temperamental) and I was very happy to see it go!
I was definitely impressed with Will's Ion, technology is coming along nice.
Baitbucket 101, room 3, down the hall on the left :-)
I think you'll like the drill setup too Keith, Being so much lighter and just as efficient for less $$ was a no brainier.
I have the 8 inch ion......good for 30-35 holes through 15-20 inches of ice. It's quiet, light and durable......worth every penny. Only issue I've had is the battery life indicator light doesn't seem to be accurate. Maybe that's just a flaw in my particular ion.
Have you experienced the issue with the battery shutting down when its too cold?