Issue with Strikemaster 40V

[TheLionsFan]

Hi there,

I posted this in a different thread but thought I’d make a topic on it.

I bought a Strikemaster 40V a couple months ago and I’m loving every bit of it. Except this: EVERY hole I drill, the auger stalls out with an inch or 2 to go.  Stall outs then beeps a couple times.  It feels like I hit a rock.  I have to reverse it and try again, in which most times it stalls again.  Usually have to repeat this process 3 times PER HOLE.  This happened a couple weeks ago, thought it was because I was re-drilling holes, but after last weeks trip and last nights trip, every hole did the same.  This is very irritating and honestly, I did not spend over $500 to have to go up and down in one hole 5 times.  Especially on 5” of ice!  From all the reviews, this thing is supposed to go through the ice like butter.  Not mine.

I contacted Strikemaster and they’re asking me about the blades.  Are they tight?  Are they sharp? Any dings?   Everything checked out fine.  The blades look like abs feel like they’re new out of the box.

Has anyone else had this issue?  I did take a recommendation from someone on here about going slow and letting the weight of the auger do the work, but it still stalled out.

I really hate to spend more money and go for an iON, but man...   such great reviews but I’m only experiencing frustration.

Thanks guys, I appreciate any help u may have.

[Buckshots]

Lazer blades can look fine and still be very sharp even when they aren’t. They have to be perfect to drill correctly. You could of easily damaged them by hitting some dirty ice or even just some sand/dirt that blew across the lake. That last layer of ice to punch through is the hardest and freshest ice there ice. It is hard for the blades to cut through if they aren’t perfect. I would replace the blades. If the problem persist, you will know it wasn’t the blades and have a backup set, which is a good thing to have.

[TheLionsFan]

Lazer blades can look fine and still be very sharp even when they aren’t. They have to be perfect to drill correctly. You could of easily damaged them by hitting some dirty ice or even just some sand/dirt that blew across the lake. That last layer of ice to punch through is the hardest and freshest ice there ice. It is hard for the blades to cut through if they aren’t perfect. I would replace the blades. If the problem persist, you will know it wasn’t the blades and have a backup set, which is a good thing to have.

Although this totally makes sense, the auger blades were never exposed until the first time I drilled a hole. The protector has been on the entire time.  What’s weird is the auger drills through the ice very good, until that last bit.

[esox_xtm]

Are you leaning on your auger? At all? I don't have the 40v SM but run a MKE Mud Mixer and if I add pressure to the auger it will cut out. Stop dead. Plenty of battery, sharp blades, etc., etc., etc.

I wasn't even doing it consciously. it just cut so well it felt like it could handle anything and I was unconsciously forcing. Once I backed off I could cut  tons of holes, in the bitter cold, without stopping, no problem. It really took a concerted effort from me to stop leaning on the drill.

Got nothing to lose on this one. Maybe it's that simple. As an aside, my buddy just got a 40v SM and the two times we were out he drilled all the holes (new toy syndrome) with no issues.

[DR.SPECKLER]

Ive used  the 40v on numerous times  with no issues.cuts smooth and no stopping it.

[TheLionsFan]

Are you leaning on your auger? At all? I don't have the 40v SM but run a MKE Mud Mixer and if I add pressure to the auger it will cut out. Stop dead. Plenty of battery, sharp blades, etc., etc., etc.

I wasn't even doing it consciously. it just cut so well it felt like it could handle anything and I was unconsciously forcing. Once I backed off I could cut  tons of holes, in the bitter cold, without stopping, no problem. It really took a concerted effort from me to stop leaning on the drill.

Got nothing to lose on this one. Maybe it's that simple. As an aside, my buddy just got a 40v SM and the two times we were out he drilled all the holes (new toy syndrome) with no issues.

I’ve tried both ways, no difference.

What gets me is u can go on YouTube and watch numerous “auger wars” between the SM 40V and the Ion, and they race, just pushing through the ice to see how fast they can drill.  Or they try to see how many holes they can drill in a matter of time.  Not a single issue for them.  They constantly say in the reviews that this auger will eat anything u throw at it.  I don’t understand why my brand new auger has to be so absolute perfectly drilled to get a single hole to fish.  Yet these YouTube guys are giving that auger hell and it eats through any ice it’s pushed through.

I by no means am doubting any theories on this, I just have a hard time believing that there isn’t something wrong with it.

I wish I had a ditch or something out back that I could test it with.

[Kevin23]

That almost sounds like a battery/power issue to me. You should call strikemaster customer service, it is probably not anything you are doing wrong.

[TheLionsFan]

That almost sounds like a battery/power issue to me. You should call strikemaster customer service, it is probably not anything you are doing wrong.

That’s kind of what I was thinking as well, because the way it acts is almost like the second it hits any more resistance it just stops, like it can’t handle it.  It never just slows down, it goes from full speed to stop.

[Buckshots]

90 % of 24v/40v auger issues are dull blades. SM will have you send it in on their dime, as soon as you replace the blades and the problem still persist. It is possible to get bad blades out of the box. Slap new blades on it like SM recommended and then they will gladly take care of you.

[TheLionsFan]

90 % of 24v/40v auger issues are dull blades. SM will have you send it in on their dime, as soon as you replace the blades and the problem still persist. It is possible to get bad blades out of the box. Slap new blades on it like SM recommended and then they will gladly take care of you.

If dull blades are really the issue, then there’s a serious issue with them producing an auger that needs brand new blades every time they see light.  These blades I have on now are scary sharp.  At this rate, I might as well change the blades every trip I go.  A brand spanking new auger should go through the ice without hesitation.  Especially for the price tag.  I’ve drilled holes with full blades before and although it took a little more work, it still drilled it.  This auger has razor sharp blades and stalls.

I appreciate all the help guys.  Sorry to vent about this, but I never thought this auger was gonna require so many particular things to be right just to drill a hole.  Especially considering the awesome reviews this thing has.

[Buckshots]

It may not be that the blades are bad, but maybe the pitch is off. I got a new 24v this year and it drilled like crap outta the box. I sent it in and UPS lost it and so they sent me a new one. New one drills much better.

[TheLionsFan]

So Strikemaster was really good with replying quickly and being helpful.  He did mention checking the blades, but after I assured him the blades were good he admitted something clearly isn’t right. 

He said the pitch likely was off (like Buckshots mentioned) and it needs to be right for it to cut properly.  The shipping label is in the mail as we speak to send it in.  I’m impressed by their customer service.  What sucks is I’m out of an auger in the middle of ice season lol.  I really hope this fixes it, because this thing works like a charm until the issue pops up.

I appreciate everybody’s help on this.

[Buckshots]

Yes it does suck having to send it in-in season. Unfortunately all these augers and gear these days are made in China. Customer service is what makes or breaks a company.

[TheLionsFan]

Yes it does suck having to send it in-in season. Unfortunately all these augers and gear these days are made in China. Customer service is what makes or breaks a company.

Agree.  Hopefully I have as much luck as you when you returned yours.

Did yours stall out too?

[Buckshots]

No. But I had to push down on it pretty good to get it to drill. And the battery died quick.

[TheLionsFan]

So I sent my auger in to StrikeMaster, it arrived on Feb 25.  Haven't heard anything from them.  I emailed them basically asking to make sure they received it and if they have any updates.  No reply.  So I sent another email basically saying the same thing.  They reply with "Let us know your question!"      I'm thinking SERIOUSLY??  What kind of response is that?!  I clearly wrote my question/concern in BOTH emails.  So I sent them a THIRD email.  No reply!   Today, the 4th email got sent out.  I can't find a phone number for Strikemaster/Rapala or I would call them.  What's strange is they communicated very well when we were just discussing the issues I was having.  But the second I sent it in, I can't get a hold of them. 

Is it really asking too much to get an update or make sure they even received the auger?  Ice season is pretty much done where I am at, but I would still like to know what is going on with the auger I paid good money for.

Not gonna lie, their customer service is really not impressing me right now.

[hardwater diehard]

Try this

952-933-7060

[TheLionsFan]

Try this

952-933-7060

Thanks!!

[hardwater diehard]

Thanks!!

If your a FaceBook user I have had some good luck with FaceBook messaging ..in contact with various companies .

[TheLionsFan]

If your a FaceBook user I have had some good luck with FaceBook messaging ..in contact with various companies .

They ended up replying.  Apparently it will be shipped back to me on Monday.  I just hope they at least tell me if they found anything.

[TheLionsFan]

So I got my auger back.  The run-on sentence of a description they provided basically said the pitch was off by 1/8" inch caused by bad/dull blades.  Which maybe, but I am having a hard time buying it.  My blades were razor sharp.  So in other words, I better replace the blades after every 3 holes I drill or else theyll become dull and the auger wont work???  That is unacceptable if that's even remotely near the truth.  I've used augers with dull blades before.  It sucks, but it WILL drill.  I'll find out next ice season, but it blows my mind to think these were considered dull.