Cracked Auger Blade

[BlindSquirrel]

I have a fairly new Eskimo hand auger; I would say I have drilled less than 50 holes with it since I bought it last year.  Last week I noticed what I thought was a scratch on one of the blades.  Upon closer inspection I noticed that it was cracked.  The crack formed near one of the bolts.  I have not abused this auger in any way.  It has never been dropped, and has never cut anything but clean ice.  The blade has no sign of any other damage other than the crack.

The only thing I can think of is that I was out on some very cold, windy days, this year and that ice formed between the blade and the auger and cracked it due to expansion.  I do shake the auger vigorously after each hole to get the water off and put the guard back on right away, but that’s the only thing I can think of.  Any thoughts?

Now a plug for our sponsor:  I ordered a set of replacement blades online from Fish307.com late Friday evening and received them the following Monday. 

[Swede]

I would tell Eskimo the same thing you wrote here. Might get yourself a free set of blades. Why not? All they can do is say yes or no.

[Lobes]

I would tell Eskimo the same thing you wrote here. Might get yourself a free set of blades. Why not? All they can do is say yes or no.

I agree with Swede. The blades should be made of hardened steel. Cracks usually occur when the steel is tempered. Eskimo is a very reputable company, I doubt they will have a problem replacing the blades. It is rare that this defect ever leaves the factory.

[BlindSquirrel]

I have sent my plight of to the manufacturer; I’ll let you know what they say.

[BobWhite]

I got and Eskimo with bad blades they did not give me new ones. Now I just use lazer blades on it they are much higher quality. Compare the blades you will see.