RIDGID OCTANE 1300 IN/LB HAMMER DRILL. OVERLOAD PROTECTION TEST

[PIKE FISHERMAN]

So if you've never had it cut out, that shows inconsistency as well.  If we ALL have cutout issues, we could assume it's either supposed to happen OR it was something that got overlooked during testing. But your setup seems to be fine....even more confusing.  What kind of temps are you using it in?

I’m well over 200 holes with my Octane/Nils combo. Not one cut out. We’re sitting at 25” of ice currently. I had mine in -10F. Worked flawlessly, with no babying the battery.

[VTMatt]

I’m well over 200 holes with my Octane/Nils combo. Not one cut out. We’re sitting at 25” of ice currently. I had mine in -10F. Worked flawlessly, with no babying the battery.

Looks like I'll be swapping my drill out then.

[John_BZ]

Looks like I'll be swapping my drill out then.

My first octane had issues cutting out on the break through on the bottom of every hole. I swapped it out and now experience intermittent cutout issues before the bit turns like many others. When it does cut it works great. This one does not cut out when the drill punches through. Just the random failures to turn. Release the trigger and wait a couple seconds and it goes.

[John_BZ]

I have the same set up, using 8" mora... I don get intermittent shut off that makes the usage choppy. I have not figured out a pattern yet. Some times I can make a dozen holes with no issue. As long as it works and I have the original handle as a backup and fish are on the ice , I am not going to worry about it. It will be interesting to see what happens when some of us actually use the drill for what it is intended. I have to drill some holes in stone this spring that will be my indicator as to how annoyed I am going to get.
I wonder what all these companies think of us crazy ice fishermen using cordless drills on the ice?
Can you imagine being someone foreign to ice fishing in CS getting this complaint? 

I used mine in January to turn a 3" bulb drill to plant some tulip bulbs in frozen ground that my wife had forgotten about. No issues. Nearly broke a wrist when the bulb drill grabbed a tree root. Drill didn't cut out once for 50 holes in the ground.

[badger132]

I have an old Ridgid 780 in-lb, and have never seen the stall issue when the temp was above -20. I can only imaging the torque you must get with the 1300 in-lb setup. Makes me think that the people with stalls have a bad drill. I would be more worried about a broken wrist with this setup!

 

[PIKE FISHERMAN]

I have an old Ridgid 780 in-lb, and have never seen the stall issue when the temp was above -20. I can only imaging the torque you must get with the 1300 in-lb setup. Makes me think that the people with stalls have a bad drill. I would be more worried about a broken wrist with this setup!

 

Haven’t had one jerk of the wrist with my Octane/Nils. Cuts through like the ice isn’t there

[3300]

Haven’t had one jerk of the wrist with my Octane/Nils. Cuts through like the ice isn’t there

same here. feels like there is too much momentum to have it hang up. cuts super fast and no slow down on the motor ever for me and a new 8 inch lazer. no catching on the bottom of the cut at all and throws water up to the knees.
zero issues with the octane and about 120 holes cut.

[VTMatt]

I have an old Ridgid 780 in-lb, and have never seen the stall issue when the temp was above -20. I can only imaging the torque you must get with the 1300 in-lb setup. Makes me think that the people with stalls have a bad drill. I would be more worried about a broken wrist with this setup!

 

I havent had any jerking issued at all with a 6" K Drill. Only issue is the cutting out. 

[chilly-willy]

It is nor the battery or the drill.. did you guys read your manuals that came with the drill??


Take a gander at this if you have not read your manuals my point proven it's a safty circuit any how there are a few other isues that might need addressing be sides the over load protection issue I had .. thats why I assumed it was the auger bit but now you know..

[NateD]

It is nor the battery or the drill.. did you guys read your manuals that came with the drill??


Take a gander at this if you have not read your manuals my point proven it's a safty circuit any how there are a few other isues that might need addressing be sides the over load protection issue I had .. thats why I assumed it was the auger bit but now you know..

Ya everyone knew that already, way back in the thread, or possibly a different one, its all confusing now.

[DTro]

Something I found interesting in my testing.    With the Ridgid and 8” KDrill I got approx 350” of ice drilled before I started getting any cutoff.  I was just watching back my video and the cutoff happened mid mid hole and without warning.   At that point I struggled with it afterwards and got maybe 2-3 more holes each time I disconnected the battery and let it sit for about 5 min.       The second test I ran, I did approx 600” of ice spread out over 3 days without any cutoffs.     This leads me to believe that it is heat/temp related.     When given time to cool down in-between I got a full 250” more ice with no cutouts. 

[VTMatt]

It is nor the battery or the drill.. did you guys read your manuals that came with the drill??


Take a gander at this if you have not read your manuals my point proven it's a safty circuit any how there are a few other isues that might need addressing be sides the over load protection issue I had .. thats why I assumed it was the auger bit but now you know..

This is a given for any tool....my Ion did the same thing if I got stuck in a hole.  My Ridgid has cut out on me the same way because I had a ton of ice build up on the head and chips in the hole.  People are not concerned with that, we're concerned that when you grab a brand new battery, walk out onto the ice, press the trigger to cut a hole and .......nothing. 

Not from too much heat, not from a half dead battery, not from the auger getting stuck, it's a malfunction with the drill itself.  People can call it what they want, all I see is a defective product. 

[MT204]

I've mentioned this before about overloading cordless tools when using large bits.
I personally haven't used my GAS power auger for a few years and sometimes my memory dims but I seem to recall that if I overloaded it or caught the bit when it went through that it stopped spinning? Clutch or something I think they called it, to protect the operator and engine?
Yes there is some sarcasm here.

[VTMatt]

I've mentioned this before about overloading cordless tools when using large bits.
I personally haven't used my GAS power auger for a few years and sometimes my memory dims but I seem to recall that if I overloaded it or caught the bit when it went through that it stopped spinning? Clutch or something I think they called it, to protect the operator and engine?
Yes there is some sarcasm here.

Why are people bringing up "load" when the main issue is the drill WONT turn on when literally no force is being applied.
..am I in the twilight zone here??

[DR.SPECKLER]

Why are people bringing up "load" when the main issue is the drill WONT turn on when literally no force is being applied.
..am I in the twilight zone here??

lol. Right .mine does it most before it even starts cutting.

[John_BZ]

Why are people bringing up "load" when the main issue is the drill WONT turn on when literally no force is being applied.
..am I in the twilight zone here??

Yes. Trying to fight ignorance with reason is very difficult.

[VTMatt]

Yes. Trying to fight ignorance with reason is very difficult.

[lefty2053]

I have a thought about this. Not sure if anyone has tried it this way or not. Before pulling that trigger make sure the auger isn't just hanging in the air. Make sure there is some pressure so as not to have the weight of the auger pulling away from the drill. Just a thought it might be the weight pulling on the chuck that causes the no go problem sometimes. Interested if it makes a difference.

[FishGut]

Well I had cut out issues today. Didn't even want to make it through the first hole. I believe it's a temperature extreme issue, coupled with the Octane "smart" circuitry. I left my battery and drill overnight in the truck, and it got down to 0*.  When I coupled the app, the battery temperature read 470 degrees?!? While sitting in the cab of the truck, it eventually calibrated to 32*. Even though it was fully charged, I was reading only 80%

I had a hard time drilling five holes. It seemed that if I ran the drill with no load for a few seconds (warming it up a touch?), it would cut through a bit better.

[DR.SPECKLER]

I have a thought about this. Not sure if anyone has tried it this way or not. Before pulling that trigger make sure the auger isn't just hanging in the air. Make sure there is some pressure so as not to have the weight of the auger pulling away from the drill. Just a thought it might be the weight pulling on the chuck that causes the no go problem sometimes. Interested if it makes a difference.

i tried that lefty.thats how mine does it most.drill on ice ready to cut,hit trigger and nothing.mine has never done it running in the air tho.its not temp related for me either.its done it in 5 up to 45 degrees.my issue isnt severe like others and has never cut out cutting the hole.alway at the start before the auger even turns.

[MT204]

Ok,
Only for the no start issue.
Take your drill inside and let it warm up.
Nice warm battery just charged.
All the adjustments where they should be.
NO bit in tool.
Try turning it on and off.
Any problems?
The reason I'm asking is that "maybe" the "load" of the auger at start up is to much, as in the drill thinks it's stuck/overloaded?

[lefty2053]

i tried that lefty.thats how mine does it most.drill on ice ready to cut,hit trigger and nothing.mine has never done it running in the air tho.its not temp related for me either.its done it in 5 up to 45 degrees.my issue isnt severe like others and has never cut out cutting the hole.alway at the start before the auger even turns.

Glad I asked, Just was curious if it made a difference.  Thanks for the quick reply.

[Sandcountrylivin]

So just to add my experience as we try to make sense of everyone’s different results. The first day I used my octane /9amp/Nero I left the drill and battery in the truck overnight around zero temperatures and experienced both bottom of the whole cut outs and before I started first pull of the trigger cutouts. The problem was rectified by holding the auger in the air and engaging the trigger and setting the auger straight down on the ice and it would pull itself through the ice. After many trips out with my combo since and having never left the battery out overnight I have not experienced more that one or two cutouts all season.

[MT204]

Why are people bringing up "load" when the main issue is the drill WONT turn on when literally no force is being applied.
..am I in the twilight zone here??

I asked in another post but no one has answered.
With an auger on the drill there IS a load at start up it's called rotating mass and "can" consume a tremendous amount of energy be it just for a nano second!
Have you tried slowly starting the drill with the auger (warm or cold)?
Have you tried starting the drill with nothing attached (warm or cold)?
Not being a smart ass but by process of elimination trying to help.

[shiveringjoe]

I asked in another post but no one has answered.
With an auger on the drill there IS a load at start up it's called rotating mass and "can" consume a tremendous amount of energy be it just for a nano second!
Have you tried slowly starting the drill with the auger (warm or cold)?
Have you tried starting the drill with nothing attached (warm or cold)?
Not being a smart ass but by process of elimination trying to help.

I was wondering about rotational mass being too much at startup, but when I fishing Sunday I probably had 15 pound of ice on my lazer and still had no issues. I just put my blades on the ice, pull the trigger all the way and hold on!

[pmaloney86]

i tried that lefty.thats how mine does it most.drill on ice ready to cut,hit trigger and nothing.mine has never done it running in the air tho.its not temp related for me either.its done it in 5 up to 45 degrees.my issue isnt severe like others and has never cut out cutting the hole.alway at the start before the auger even turns.

I'm right there with ya.  Luckily I never got rid of my Ion.  My buddy had ten holes cut before I could even gut the dumb drill to engage and then I ran into that for almost ever hole I drilled.  I'm using a clam plate as well.  The Ion is 300% a better product.  I wish I saved my money but its nice being able to lug out two augers that weigh less than a gas auger, especially when you bring out other people that don't have an auger.

[pmaloney86]

My first octane had issues cutting out on the break through on the bottom of every hole. I swapped it out and now experience intermittent cutout issues before the bit turns like many others. When it does cut it works great. This one does not cut out when the drill punches through. Just the random failures to turn. Release the trigger and wait a couple seconds and it goes.

I've got the same issue.  Might be bringing my drill back.

[3300]

because there are so many variables, maybe this might help some.

there is fail to start (fts) and cut out (co) issues for some, but we don't know the percentage or why. some are calling fts a co when it's not a co issue at all.

would be interesting to see (poll) what is being used/done on these conditions such as clam plate or not. type of blades and age. if pushing down at all or lifting at all on start up and cutting or one or the other.
if yours works well and are just trying to help out here your input should be helpful.

i will start by saying i use a brand new kovac icemaster 2 auger to drill adapter that uses a bungee to help lift some of the weight, but not much from the chucks carry load and i use a brand new strikemaster lazer 8 inch and no extension and have zero issues with co or fts.

i leave all of it outside all of the time and exposed to what ever temp it will be used in so it is acclimated to the air temp.
i do let the entire weight rest on the ice before starting the cut. i don't have to baby the cut in any way at any time like slower drills do on breakthrough with lazers augers sometimes will unless lifted to take less ice per revolution.

having been from this brand drill and auger and adapter for years, it is a very nice upgrade and well worth owning for myself and i wish all of you could have the same experience. it is impressive to say the least.

if you want to help
*temp of battery/drill/air when having issues: minus 15 to 40
*surface of lake snow/ice and wet ice or dry: mixed/all conditions
*brand/size/age/type of blades of blades auger: lazer 8" brand new
*plate or no plate: none
*adapter:
*extension brand or none: none
*lift at all or rest entire weight or push down: allow eight to rest entire cut
*acclimated or not, drill and/or battery: both
*cut out at bottom or not or in the middle: no co
*if you have any of these issues, what have you done to try to remedy it. example try another battery or remove it or make sure it's tight, exchanges an idea has been brought up to try w/o auger for those with fts: none needed

i am curious if the plate trigger paddle is messing with the trigger switch for fts issues. nothing stops it from being pushed to hard at all and the angle is wrong on the trigger. tends to touch one point only and for me was on the bottom.
the plate is not built for this drill at all.
if you use a plate and co issues, please try it with out it and test unless your are not good with power tools and feel uncomfortable with out it. if the plate is hurting the switches, then the damage is done and not using the plate will make no difference. i read about other brand triggers getting broken from the plates trigger paddle. they need to make an adjustable stop for it or make a flexible trigger paddle system.

best option is to always exchange a faulty unit. you have 90 days to return or exchange when bought from home depot on anything. all they ask is if anything is wrong with it. i am not sure what happens if you say nothing is wrong with it, but it may go back on the shelf so please let them know what it is doing like stops cutting or wont start cutting. you don't have to be more specific.
someone said they tried another battery and their issue remained. that would tell us that issue is in the drill so only the drill would need exchanging. this is why we should work together to figure this out instead of giving up.
if your past the 90 days, you still have options such as buy another drill knowing it is going back after season and take your faulty unit to a small independent authorized service center and tell them what it's doing. they will have to install a new motor for co from the sounds of it and maybe a trigger switch for fts.

[DR.SPECKLER]

Mine is in the fts group.with or without the clam plate running a 8” mora.

[3300]

did it always have that issue or did it start later on?