Should i use my old nills hand auger or go with a new k-drill?

[Moosekill]

Ok I have a brand new milwaukee fuel 18v drill.  I have a 4 or 5 year old Nills 8" hand auger and an ice master adapter I bought years ago but never used.  I started reading about the K drill and was already to buy one, but then I remembered the nills and started wondering if there was much difference between the two set ups.  The money won't kill me, but if the nills set up is as good or better than the K drill why bother.  However, the Nills is not the one made for electric drills but rather the old hand auger type.  Thanks for any help!

[Sharp Nils]

 Watch a few youtube videos.   

Chuck up that Nils and drill.  Then ask yourself how much better could that get.  IMO it can't get any better.

[Northern_MN Outdoorsan]

Get the k drill. You won't regret it.

[lynng]

I just switched to Nils 8 in, Milwaukee Fuel, clam plate.  I can't imagine that a K drill would be better.  I' ve watched some videos and I'm sure the Nils is the right choice for me. I would certainly give it a try before you spend the money on something different.

[iceman10]

Th K-drill is the real deal , you would not regret it . I do understand budgets also ! Lol ! I can tell you I would not trade it for any other drill on the market , no clam plate needed . Blades are $30 & get sharpened for free . The best feature is it weighs 10lb with the drill . Good luck

[dairyman]

If you decide to sell the 8 inch nils hand auger I'd be interested

[Fishmon]

I use my Nils 8" hand auger with an adapter combined with the Milwaukee M-18 Fuel.  It works like a charm and I would go head to head with the K drill any day for speed.  Best thing about the Nils is that it is very smooth with little kickback when it breaks through ice.

[NateD]

Haven't done a real test using the entire battery, but the most holes I have cut so far with my k drill/m18 setup was 27 holes though 6 inches of black ice, and I still had 3/4 battery left.  It is an awesome set up, weighs 9 pounds, and no need for a clam plate if you have the stabilizer bar.

I use my Nils 8" hand auger with an adapter combined with the Milwaukee M-18 Fuel.  It works like a charm and I would go head to head with the K drill any day for speed.  Best thing about the Nils is that it is very smooth with little kickback when it breaks through ice.

Same thing with the k drill, cuts very clean holes, zero kickback.  Where i think the k drill beats Nils is in the blade department, free sharpening for life and a new set is only 30-40 bucks, new Nils head is 100 and idk how much to sharpen, but not free.  Also I can re drill old holes and cut holes right next to each other with the k drill, nils wouldn't like that.

[Caseman2]

What size blade k drill is that with the 3 holes?

[Keng8554]

What size blade k drill is that with the 3 holes?

You can do it with either the 6" or 8" K Drill. It has a center blade, kind of like a spike that anchors the drill.

[Caseman2]

Yep I know that .  I just wanted to know what was pictured.   

[NateD]

It is an 8 inch.

[Northern_MN Outdoorsan]

Haven't done a real test using the entire battery, but the most holes I have cut so far with my k drill/m18 setup was 27 holes though 6 inches of black ice, and I still had 3/4 battery left.  It is an awesome set up, weighs 9 pounds, and no need for a clam plate if you have the stabilizer bar.

Same thing with the k drill, cuts very clean holes, zero kickback.  Where i think the k drill beats Nils is in the blade department, free sharpening for life and a new set is only 30-40 bucks, new Nils head is 100 and idk how much to sharpen, but not free.  Also I can re drill old holes and cut holes right next to each other with the k drill, nils wouldn't like that.

Drilling connecting holes like that with my 8" K Drill is going to be killer for late ice spring perch sight fishing.

[NateD]

I was pretty amazed how well it worked, basically feels like you are just cutting a new hole.

[beeverfishing]

............
.......... Also I can re drill old holes and cut holes right next to each other with the k drill, nils wouldn't like that.

Be sure to check your regulations on hole size.    In Pa it is 10" measured in any direction.  Even a 6" auger would be an illegal sized hole when doing this.  Other States it would be fine.. Just be sure of your regulations.

[Kopower]

I just paired up my 6" Nils with a brushless Rigid drill and it's awesome. Took about 5 seconds to drill through 14 inches of ice. It does leave a fair amount of slush in the hole though. Sounds like if you treat the auger right, you can go years without sharpening the blades.

I do like the fact that the K drill has free sharpening, and it's alright to open old holes with. Don't think you could go wrong with either set up.

[JTrottaNY]

I know it's a different head but I have an 8" nils convertible (black cutting head) with a an old craftsman 19.2 which is about 385 in lbs IIRC.

I can get about 20 +/- holes through 8" of ice on a "high capacity lithium ion battery. Eventually I'll upgrade to a brushless drill but just using what I have it outperformed my expectations.

[NateD]

Be sure to check your regulations on hole size.    In Pa it is 10" measured in any direction.  Even a 6" auger would be an illegal sized hole when doing this.  Other States it would be fine.. Just be sure of your regulations.

I can't find any such regulation for connecticut.  And I didn't even fish this hole, was just testing, used it to give the minnows some new water.

[Hardwater Problem]

I use my old Mora hand auger bit on my drill and clam plate, but from what I have read on here, the nils head is unbeatable.  I don't know what you will need to hook the Nils bit to the Clam plate or directly to your drill, but that is the holy grail of combo's.  I run a brand new Dewalt on a clam plate with an old Mora auger bit and it is a stellar set up.  Don't get the K drill unless you simply want it.  When my mora auger bit finally dies, if it dies, I will be buying a Nils bit.

[Special]

Well I decided after trying the clam plate with a eskimo bit. It worked great but keeped sliding on me. Also when you are almost done with the hole. Last inch. The eskimo would like to get stuck. Well I finally did it. Bought the K-Drill. 8 inch and I understand now. Don't mess around with the clam plate Go with the K-Drill.

[NateD]

Well I decided after trying the clam plate with a eskimo bit. It worked great but keeped sliding on me. Also when you are almost done with the hole. Last inch. The eskimo would like to get stuck. Well I finally did it. Bought the K-Drill. 8 inch and I understand now. Don't mess around with the clam plate Go with the K-Drill.

Yep 

[Northern_MN Outdoorsan]

Well I decided after trying the clam plate with a eskimo bit. It worked great but keeped sliding on me. Also when you are almost done with the hole. Last inch. The eskimo would like to get stuck. Well I finally did it. Bought the K-Drill. 8 inch and I understand now. Don't mess around with the clam plate Go with the K-Drill.

Agreed. Love my 8" K Drill. I can drill holes all day with it now since I bought the Milwaukee 9.0 battery paired with my two 5.0 batteries.

[NateD]

Agreed. Love my 8" K Drill. I can drill holes all day with it now since I bought the Milwaukee 9.0 battery paired with my two 5.0 batteries.

Do you notice a difference in performance with the 9.0 battery?

[Northern_MN Outdoorsan]

Do you notice a difference in performance with the 9.0 battery?

I do. It seems like the drill has more torque and higher RPMs using the 9.0 battery vs the 5.0 batteries. I drilled 30 holes using the 9.0 battery through 23" of ice last weekend and still had 50% charge left on the battery.

[NateD]

I do. It seems like the drill has more torque and higher RPMs using the 9.0 battery vs the 5.0 batteries. I drilled 30 holes using the 9.0 battery through 23" of ice last weekend and still had 50% charge left on the battery.

Wow that is awesome, think I need to break out the wallet again.

[Northern_MN Outdoorsan]

Wow that is awesome, think I need to break out the wallet again.

If your budget can swing it get it. You won't regret it. The 9.0 battery also helps your cordless drill run cooler than the smaller batteries. It may be overkill for ice fishermen that fish in southern or western states that get less ice. But if you live in a region that gets thick ice, if you like to drill a lot of holes per outing, or if you don't want to drag out a bunch of smaller batteries out with you then this battery will work great for you.

[icebucketjohn]

you betcha.

[Dave327]

K-Drill all the way!

[Keng8554]

Home depot gives 3 x 5.0ah batteries with the m18 fuel.  I used it all season and really like it. I have gotten 40+ holes in 2' or more of ice here in SD with draining the 3rd the battery. I am using the 6" K Drill.