Nils Auger Questions...

[DirtyDan23]

Looking into upgrading my hand auger after I bent the handle on my lazer.. Would love to support a local company like Nils, but I've heard about issues with the cutting heads and customer service. I was also looking into the fin bore 3, but it has a similar handle to the lazer.

Has anyone had experience with the convertible folding Nils?? There are no reviews anywhere! (Primarily using by hand)

Nils is located nearby and I'm wondering if anyone has dealt with them directly for warranties or blade sharpening

Any advice would be much appreciated. 

[Gunflint]

Nils is awesome. You wont have regrets. That said, I just bought a Nero to to try it out. It was less than 50% of the Nils but I have not had a chance to use it yet.

[bootstrap]

love my fin bore. i am rough on stuff and have never bent a handle. wore the paint off and bent the head on a couple.

[FISHFORPIKE]

I use an 8" Nils (hand drill and battery powered drill.  Also have a 6" Finbore Micro (not available in the US any longer) Both are great augers.  I think the Nils is the best overall auger you can buy.  I also have a 7" Nero on the way, reviews are very promissing.
IMO, any ice drill will not hold up to abuse.  I can't imagine ever bending a handle or flighting on an auger.

[Scooby31]

I have a 8 inch nils I use by hand I love it.  far as sharpening send it to frank at sharp nils it will be good as new.

[DirtyDan23]

Thanks for the replies.

Anyone use the folding/convertible 6"?? Cant find any reviews on it and there is no information on Nils' website.

[shiveringjoe]

Are the flights and blades on your lazer still ok? I have a fixed handle 6” laser collecting dust if you want to trade for your flights. I use my lazer with a drill setup but it’s getting really rusty. I also have a folding finbore 6” with a lazer head that is collecting dust.

[keithm87]

I have a 6 inch convertible. Great auger. Faster than any other auger out there, EXCEPT if you mess it up. They are not forgiving at all, all it takes is not keeping the head centered while drilling (no point to help with that) if it wanders and the head gets even the slightest bit dinged they will no cut at all, and the heads are $70 IF You can find one. I was down 3 weeks last winter when mine went to crap and no one online or in state had a head for it. I just went through a hunt for an 8 inch drill auger and chose to not buy the nils for that reason.

[fishingidjit]

I have a 4.5 Nils convertible,it is 4-5 years old and I have had no issues. Used by hand and with electric drills and gas motors. I have drilled thousands of holes in search of schools of perch.

[FreshwaterPhil]

I have and 8 inch Nils hand auger, as well as the 6 inch Fin bore and had 8 inch Fin bore as well. All were used by hand only. To me, hand drilling is part of the ice fishing experience.

The Nils 8 is by far the superior auger. I cut through 20 inches of solid ice by hand, almost as fast a a gas auger. Takes a lot less effort.

The 6 inch Fin Bore I have is a few years older than the 8 inch. Side by side, you can immediately how the 8 inch was built a lot cheaper. After first few uses with the 8, I bent the handle. The following season, I something got screwed up, maybe one of the spirals. I was cutting crooked, even after I sharpened the blades. Got rid of it.

I still use my 6 inch in Bore from time to time, for the simple reason that the Nils is extremely unforgiving if you hit sand or rock. As soon as that happens, the cutting head becomes totally useless. I did not manage to fix on my own, had to send it to specially sharpening place in Winnipeg (I'm in Canada). The Fin bore blades come off easy, I've sharpen them every season to keep it cutting well.

The safety cover on the Nils i just about useless, very hard to get back on properly.

Lastly, Nils prices keep shooting up, if you were planning to get one, I'd suggest sooner rather than later.

[schmidtxc]

If you're in the market for an auger, I can't recommend the K Drill highly enough. My 8" attached to my 18v Ryobi drill actually weighed less than my 8" hand auger, cuts faster, and obviously requires considerably less effort. If you've got a decent drill already, you're not going to be upset with a K Drill.

[Tom Leitz]

I have a 6 inch convertible. Great auger. Faster than any other auger out there, EXCEPT if you mess it up. They are not forgiving at all, all it takes is not keeping the head centered while drilling (no point to help with that) if it wanders and the head gets even the slightest bit dinged they will no cut at all, and the heads are $70 IF You can find one. I was down 3 weeks last winter when mine went to crap and no one online or in state had a head for it. I just went through a hunt for an 8 inch drill auger and chose to not buy the nils for that reason.

I had the same problem. Fin bore for me all the way.

[lowaccord66]

I've bent the power point on several 8" cutting heads, have dented the blades, drilled sand, mud, a stump and maybe I am just lucky but aside from dull blades or having the cutting head rattle a bit when the bolt loosens but I never really had an issue.  Granted that was with the Tanaka. 

I have a fin bore and also love it.  Kdrill I've used, it works but I personally dislike the flight design.  I wonder if you wouldn't have to clear shavings if they didnt try to be fancy...

[DirtyDan23]

Ended up getting the Nils. Cant wait to get out on the ice to try it out! Thanks for all the input everyone!

[keithm87]

They are a dream when they are working. You will love it, just don’t let any buddies use it, and take good care of it. Don’t let it wander when starting a hole and keep it out of dirty ice.

[FreshwaterPhil]

For this season, I got a spare cutting head for my 8" Nils to avoid potential down time if the other gets damaged and needs sharpening. Best price I found was $129.99 with free shipping from FishUSA.

[Gunflint]

For this season, I got a spare cutting head for my 8" Nils to avoid potential down time if the other gets damaged and needs sharpening. Best price I found was $129.99 with free shipping from FishUSA.

I did the same. I love the Nils and the spare head guarantees uptime.

[lowaccord66]

I'm thinking of doing the new lithium lazer head with my nils 8

[Dickbakers]

They are a dream when they are working. You will love it, just don’t let any buddies use it, and take good care of it. Don’t let it wander when starting a hole and keep it out of dirty ice.

When a Nils starts to wander it probably time to have it sharpened? 
Dick

[ieatanimals128]

Picking this thread up-

I have an 8 inch Nils that I picked up second hand last year, and it hasn't met the hype at all for me. I am wondering if the blade is bent or if it might need to be sharpened. This may be a dumb question, but is there an easy way to tell if the issues I am having are due to blade sharpness or a larger issue (bent blade)? I'd hate the send the blade off to be sharpened if that's not the real problem. Likewise, I'd hate to buy a new cutting head if the blade is just dull.

[Champlain Islander]

The Nils cuts like butter and the way it does it is the head is slightly larger than the bore. No drag as it goes down the hole. The only negative is it leaves more slush in the hole when done cutting. I used one for years powered by a factory Tanaka auger setup. They can be touched up using a hand sharpener used properly if it doesn't get too dull.

[FISHFORPIKE]

Picking this thread up-

I have an 8 inch Nils that I picked up second hand last year, and it hasn't met the hype at all for me. I am wondering if the blade is bent or if it might need to be sharpened. This may be a dumb question, but is there an easy way to tell if the issues I am having are due to blade sharpness or a larger issue (bent blade)? I'd hate the send the blade off to be sharpened if that's not the real problem. Likewise, I'd hate to buy a new cutting head if the blade is just dull.

What is it doing/ not doing for you?  Using the handle or power?  You could send Frank, "Sharp Nils"  (member and supporter on here) a PM and ask his opinion.  He is the best - Nils Authorized - blade sharpening. 

Unless you have a lot of experience sharpening blades, I'd recommend against trying it yourself.

[fishingidjit]

Picking this thread up-

I have an 8 inch Nils that I picked up second hand last year, and it hasn't met the hype at all for me. I am wondering if the blade is bent or if it might need to be sharpened. This may be a dumb question, but is there an easy way to tell if the issues I am having are due to blade sharpness or a larger issue (bent blade)? I'd hate the send the blade off to be sharpened if that's not the real problem. Likewise, I'd hate to buy a new cutting head if the blade is just dull.

Something is not right because that drill flies thru ice effortlessly.

[FISHFORPIKE]

The Nils cuts like butter and the way it does it is the head is slightly larger than the bore. No drag as it goes down the hole. The only negative is it leaves more slush in the hole when done cutting. I used one for years powered by a factory Tanaka auger setup. They can be touched up using a hand sharpener used properly if it doesn't get too dull.

Nearly all augers have the blades set "out", so they cut a slightly larger hole than the flighting.  Nils is a great auger design and they use a cutting head that is "solid" compared to most any other shaver auger.  The actual blade design is what makes them cut so well (when sharpened correctly).  Biggest thing some do that will prevent a good, easy, fast cut is to not use the offset handle correctly, thus they impart a "wobble" to the auger while turning it.

[filetandrelease]

 Agreed Phil , I hand drill with my 8” and it cut great , but like all things I have a spare head if the unthinkable may happen , sometimes it takes a little practice drilling with offset handles , after using a knob style auger ,

[Sharp Nils]

ieatanimals128 sent me a PM and I found this thread.   To bend a blade you'd have to be levering the auger in the hole while drilling, pushing down very hard, or fall out of your truck while going down the highway.
Don't worry about bent blades but try not to beat the auger too much.    When I have your blade here its adjusted after sharpening.
  It's not a big deal.  If a blade is DOA its because it was sharpened wrong or allowed to rust otherwise you are among a group of few.  With any shaver type blade one nick with stop it from cutting. A Nils blade can take a lot more damage and return and be back in service where as if it where any other type blade would be junked , so finicky they are not.

[FreshwaterPhil]

ieatanimals128 sent me a PM and I found this thread.   To bend a blade you'd have to be levering the auger in the hole while drilling, pushing down very hard, or fall out of your truck while going down the highway.
Don't worry about bent blades but try not to beat the auger too much.    When I have your blade here its adjusted after sharpening.
  It's not a big deal.  If a blade is DOA its because it was sharpened wrong or allowed to rust otherwise you are among a group of few.  With any shaver type blade one nick with stop it from cutting. A Nils blade can take a lot more damage and return and be back in service where as if it where any other type blade would be junked , so finicky they are not.

**censored**? Someone been relying on Google translation?

[filetandrelease]

, sharp nils is the for most expert on nils , sorry were not all English grads

[Champlain Islander]

I have a question...are the old original heads better than the new ones that are replacement heads. I have one of the original heads on a really old Tanaka Nils auger. No primer bulb which was an early design but the auger still starts and cuts well. I have periodically touched up the blade with a hand sharpener. The steel seems very hard and seems easier to touch up than the blades on a fin bore which can be rolled easily if you aren't careful. I now use a cordless drill setup and that old gas auger is sitting in the cellar.

[FISHFORPIKE]

**censored**? Someone been relying on Google translation?

You what??? !!!!