K drill vs Clam plate

[isuhunter]

I'm purely a hobbyist who enjoys line wetting (I don't catch many fish lol).  I enjoy fishing a few times a year and hopefully as my 5 year old and 1 year old grow they will enjoy it more.  I'm looking at getting a new auger/changing my setup so I can keep up with my friends or drill and flash.  I already have a Milwaukee brushless drill and hand auger.  Would you guys go with a Clam plate or go with a k drill setup?

Thanks!

[DR.SPECKLER]

Id run what you have now.get a kovac icemaster adapter and run the handle on your drill.thats what i started out with but a crap drill with no handle running a 5” auger.i just bought a ridgid and clam plate this year.only reason i got the plate was I didn’t want to break the handle off the drill running a 8”.this setup was starting to get expensive.no reason to go all in just starting out icefishing.jmo

[efka]

[Figure ate]

K-drills are slow AF compared to literally any other auger. Expensive gimmick IMO. I have a 6" lazer and 7" mora for my clam plate and can drill 2 holes with each in the same time it takes a k-drill to poke 1 hole.

[Northern_MN Outdoorsan]

I run the KDrill set up. I like it because it has a center point so no walking while drilling a hole in any ice condition. Chipper blades last longer than shaver blades and can also reopen old holes better. KDrill also doesn't have the potential wrist injuring binding during breakthrough like the shaver augers seem to. KDrill is slower, but I'm not out there to race. KDrill also does drill fewer holes than the shavers but I've got a 12.0 battery and a 9.0 battery that will drill as many holes I need in a day so I'm not concerned about that at all. Just my experience but everyone has their personal preferences. Good luck with whatever you decide.

[meat sticks]

I've seen the k drill in action on the ice. I was completely unimpressed.  As the gent above mentioned, it was slow AF compared to my clam/shaver auger.  I routinely pick up replacement blades for my auger at the end of the season for $10-12 on clearance.  I have a good supply, so why would I spend a pile of money on a gimmick like a kdrill when I already had an auger and a drill, and all I need was a clam plate.  Their gimmick is free auger sharpening, well it'll cost me almost as much as a set of clearance blades to ship the blades there and back.  I don't find I go through blades very often as it is.  Clam plate and the auger and drill you already have will do a fine job!

[esox_xtm]

I'm into the second season with a K and while it is slower it's not that slow. I do like that it is a more direct drive. One less thing to go wrong, maintain or add weight. I'm driving it with a MKE MM and I think it's a good combo and there are some advantages to that as well unless you're dual purposing your drill/driver off the Clam. For me it's the simplicity, weight and size that would make me do it again.

I agree that there's a marketing hook on the K and it's probably overpriced for what you get. Especially when you can get into a shaver for (usually) less than half. And everyone's probably got one laying around somewhere (guilty x4). That said, the plate thing (in my mind) is still a bit of a "contraption", but that's just me. I also agree the Ks are heavier battery users but most of the time I fish alone, got a 12Ah and 2 5s as backup. Normally I only carry one of the 5Ah. Last weekend I drilled for four guys on 8" or a little better with the 8" K. Lots and lots of holes made each day with out having to swap batteries. That'll be a different story when the ice gets 18"+.

As far as blades, I always carry a spare set in the bag. No tellin' when you might run it into the sand or (worse yet) rocks on new water. Don't care much about the free sharpening either, I do just fine puttin' the edge back on by myself. It's not hard. I've never needed new blades every season if I mind what I'm doing. Learned those lessons decades ago with a Mora. With a little common sense and care I'd usually get 4 - 5 seasons before I needed 'em. But I mostly tippy fish (though that is changing) so while my holes are bigger it was a rare day if I drilled more than 50 holes. It's getting to be more now so we'll see, but if you don't bang your blades or use the auger as a leaning post it's amazing how long they stay sharp.

So if you already have an appropriate drill do you have to buy an auger to go with the plate or do you already have one you've been using? If you have to buy some sort of auger and the plate that'll put you in for about $150 whereas the a 6" K will be closer to $200 unless you find the right sale. I got into my 8" K last year for just under $200 but I shopped pretty hard and was patient. Maybe it just comes down to $$...

[kpd145]

K-drills are slow AF compared to literally any other auger. Expensive gimmick IMO. I have a 6" lazer and 7" mora for my clam plate and can drill 2 holes with each in the same time it takes a k-drill to poke 1 hole.

The Ronco fishing pole was a gimmick, flex sealing a boat is a gimmick.

The kdrill is still relatively new, but it doesn't make it a gimmick. It functions as intended.

The k drill may be a tad bit slower. Like a second or two in 12 inches of ice or more. At that point it can be argued that k drill isn't best tool to use in that much ice, which makes it user error for not buying proper equipment for their fishing conditions

Anything ice under 10 inches, the time difference is negligible.

I've tested it, using a 6inch nils and a kdrill.

Nils cuts a bit faster but it's also smaller in diameter.

To each his own. I just dont agree with it being slow AF.

If you wanna see that, ask my kids to clean their rooms. You will truly see slow AF 

[Banoe]

I use a clam plate it is much easier to hold than a just a drill and handle when drilling a 6" hole.  It also keeps the drill off the ice when you lay it down.  I just got a new clam plate/drill kit the drill has a center point on the drill it should help with the drill walking around when you start drilling with a hand auger drill setup.

[hardwater diehard]

I'm purely a hobbyist who enjoys line wetting (I don't catch many fish lol).  I enjoy fishing a few times a year and hopefully as my 5 year old and 1 year old grow they will enjoy it more.  I'm looking at getting a new auger/changing my setup so I can keep up with my friends or drill and flash.  I already have a Milwaukee brushless drill and hand auger.  Would you guys go with a Clam plate or go with a k drill setup?

Thanks!

Cheapest way to go this season ...if you like the set up and it cuts well could always add a Clam Plate

https://www.farmandfleet.com/products/657283-hi-tech-fishing-12-power-ice-auger-adapter-shaft.html

[hnd]

its like a  second slower a hole compared to our other augers.  its light i can redrill holes, i can double up holes, its pretty versatile.  i own/have owned, lazers, moras, nils (the fastest), and strikemasters.   i'm really happy with the kdrill.  i've not yet ran into a fishing situation where is split second slowness resulted in some sort of catastrophe.

[Cub]

K-drills are slow AF compared to literally any other auger. Expensive gimmick IMO. I have a 6" lazer and 7" mora for my clam plate and can drill 2 holes with each in the same time it takes a k-drill to poke 1 hole.

Pretty bold statement.. The Lazer is faster but not twice as fast.

[luv2fish2]

I to luv my kdrill all the other augers blades are touchy  my k drill beat it up still drills just like new through any kinda ice and of it ever needs I'll send it back for free sharpening  , and i don't see were it's slow I'm not there to win a race

[DTro]

K Drill is NOT a gimmick.  It works and it works well.   Overpriced?  Maybe    Slow? Not really      Fast? Not really    Dependable? Absolutely

People fish differently.  If you fish any river or backwaters or prairie lakes with a lot of blowing debris and sand or if you want to overlap holes for bigger fish or make a spearing hole, trust me, you will appreciate the KDrill. 

Not only that but the thing seems indestructible.  Don't have to worry about man handling it.  Can literally throw it in the sled without worry about breaking anything. 

And at the end of the day it's still about the lightest option out there (8-11lbs with most all drills). 

But....they really need to call it a 7.5"

[52isntbigenough]

The only drawback to the KD imho is that the hole size isn't a true 8", it's more like 7.5". The only draw back to the Clam Plate imho is there is none. If you like a more traditional feel for an auger, don't want to worry about getting a broken wrist by using an oem handle and want to run an extension easier, then run a Clam plate.

I honestly don't see the reason why there's so much hate for the plate, I get it, their original gear box debacle put a sour taste in people's mouths, but its far from a gimmick. Don't like it, don't run it. pretty simple.

[jethro]

K-drills are slow AF compared to literally any other auger. Expensive gimmick IMO. I have a 6" lazer and 7" mora for my clam plate and can drill 2 holes with each in the same time it takes a k-drill to poke 1 hole.

It's not about speed, it's about durability. I despise shaver blade setups so if you want a chipper, you gotta get a K-Drill. Never will I use an inferior, albeit faster, shaver blade setup again.

[jethro]

But....they really need to call it a 7.5"

I prefer the 6" anyway. My 7.5" has stayed home for almost a year. The 6" drills like an animal and the flights are designed correctly unlike the 7.5" model.

[hnd]

unless you have some product that you use that is specifically designed for a true 8" hole i don't get the hubbub about a 7.5" hole. 

another great point by the guys above.  our lakes in the midwest are FILTHY.  full of sand, grit, other debris.  the pistol bit/lazers are faster but require frequent sharpening. 

[52isntbigenough]

unless you have some product that you use that is specifically designed for a true 8" hole i don't get the hubbub about a 7.5" hole. 

another great point by the guys above.  our lakes in the midwest are FILTHY.  full of sand, grit, other debris.  the pistol bit/lazers are faster but require frequent sharpening.

When temps reach below zero, even with an insulated tip up cover, holes start shrinking, by the end of the day, an 8" hole could be closer to 6. I like as big of a hole as possible for eyes at night. If KD could engineer a 9-10", I'd definitely have one.

[pmaloney86]

The only drawback to the KD imho is that the hole size isn't a true 8", it's more like 7.5". The only draw back to the Clam Plate imho is there is none. If you like a more traditional feel for an auger, don't want to worry about getting a broken wrist by using an oem handle and want to run an extension easier, then run a Clam plate.

I honestly don't see the reason why there's so much hate for the plate, I get it, their original gear box debacle put a sour taste in people's mouths, but its far from a gimmick. Don't like it, don't run it. pretty simple.

Clam plate adds some wobble into the setup which makes any bit without a centering point dangerous to use.  I'm using a mora and if I'm on hard black ice without any snow the setup walks across the ice if you don't put some down pressure on the auger to get it started.  I won't let my girlfriend use it until I get a different bit.  The whole reason I got the plate was for safety since I saw some of the injuries people incurred when the auger grabbed upon breakthrough.  I sacrificed one issue for another.

[jethro]

When temps reach below zero, even with an insulated tip up cover, holes start shrinking, by the end of the day, an 8" hole could be closer to 6. I like as big of a hole as possible for eyes at night. If KD could engineer a 9-10", I'd definitely have one.

I drill two 6" holes adjoining each other with my K-Drill. And if it's really cold I will drill a triple and have a bigger than 10" hole. It works awesome.