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Anybody hear when these will be back in stock anywhere and if there is any changes to the design vs last year? Last year I know they put out the gear box to add to the plate, I am tempted to buy the package with the auger but cant find anyplace that has them. If they change the design and up the price I will probably just get the plain plate for my 6" hand lazer. I am usually finding walkable ice by the time the sports shows start so I prefer to buy now and be ready as soon as the deer is hanging!
I'm just east of the twin cities in Wisconsin. I have the brushed m18 Milwaukee drill so I will stay 6" or get the gearbox. What I'm really the most anxious about is if they raised the price on their gearbox/8" combo, then I will not buy. If the price gets higher I'll carry around the gas auger when walleye and northern fishing and use my 6" with the standard plate ( if they offer it again) for panfishing.
I would buy the Clam Plate for $70 and an 8" Lazer auger can be purchased for around $90. This way if anything does go wrong, you will have the option to drill the old fashioned way- by hand!Clam is basically charging $100 for just the auger,
Personally,A clam plate/mora IMO is about the best setup. Find a used clam plate, and a used mora you got maybe $50 into the thing. This whole speed thing is just stupid. Your talking a difference of seconds punching holes. plus cheap blades and way to sharpen.
That's about it really, totally agree...Make a hole, pretty quick, cheap, efficient.. Stops making holes, sharpen her up at the kitchen table with a beer... Done...Continue, in your spare time read about how somehow, Lazer blades are better, with leftover time read about how nobody has really figured out how to sharpen Lazer blades, and how Nils are so picky to keep in tune also..Next day, go fishing with your cheap ultra sharp mora, and ponder why anyone would choose different..<°)))>{
Well,One reason is the cover for a mora blows, I had the cover come off my mora a couple times and it cut up a creel bag and some other gear. With the other augers a good solid cover can be bought that stays on.Here is the reason behind my buys.8"nilsIt was a really good deal from cabelas. The auger flighting goes up higher on this auger then any other hand auger. It is the heaviest built light hand auger. The extension parts have flighting. The blade head can be adjusted/corrected when sharpening if it gets out of align, where once most hand augers bladed mounts get bent they are junk. It can have a power point head. A good cold snap cover can be put on it to protect the blades. It turns really smooth with a Milwaukee drill. It doesn't bind/catch on the hole bottom like other augers. Over all it's a great auger, especially for a wheel house. With the power point head the guide poinit will start and cut the hole exactly where a guy puts it. No other hand auger has a guide point that I know of. This is especially nice in a wheel house hole when you want it exactly in the middle, I've had it where a wheel house hole was ontop of some pretty uneven messed up ice and the power point helped you drill where you wanted. Due to the length and adding one extension you can drill holes with the wheel house in the up position through pretty thick ice without having to drop the wheel house. The flighting removes all the shavings so you aren't clearing shavings so you get one nice even steady hole drill. This allows a guy to scout fish out of your wheel house before you drop it down and setup.6in lazerNever had a lazer or a 6in. Got it for $20 is Sioux Falls, and it had the good sweeden blades. Works great for fishing in local gravel/barrow pits.8in Thunder Bay blazerWas $59 new, had the cutting head blade mount like the synthetic lazer. Due to it being shorter then my nils I would fit in the back of my voyager sled a whole lot nicer, and supplied the 8in hole my 6in strikemaster couldn't8in Jiffy JetGuy gave it to me. It has a shaver blade that is curved. Can be sharpened on a stone or sand paper really easy. Has a good rubber cover that stays on. Over all nicely built. 8in Jiffy model 30.Was fist power auger I bought, and was before hand augers and electric drill were the thing. Thing is a beast and solid.....,weight sucks balls.
I found a Clam Plate Adapter at Cabelas for $20. I didn't notice until I got home a part was missing. I wondered what my options were with the part gone. I have not toyed with it yet, I just threw it in my sled which is in summer storage buried in a garage. It looked like my orange Nils 6" might slide up in to it, at least from a diameter stand point. If not I will need an adapter. The part missing is the shaft, I circled it in the photo. I have friends who can mill and machine for me if needed, or if there is something I can buy. Just the shaft is missing, the mount and bearing is there.