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3 seasons on my 8 inch K/milwaukee/clam plate (no gear box) combo. Only cut out I've had is a dead battery. Tried Nils, wouldn't cut anymore after half a season. Chipper blades of the K drill have gone 3 seasons without a sharpening. Is nils faster and more efficient? for sure, is it as maintenance free? Not in my opinion. The cut out issues have nothing to do with the auger and everything to do with the drill.
You should see mine. One has a bent powerpoint, dent in the cutting head, the flights have most of the paint knocked off and the shaft is actually a bit bent and still drills. I know people have issues with the nils but I've used my a lot and never had an issue. Did notice when dull...they will eat a fuel battery up fast.
Thanks for doing the vid. Quite the eye opener! That settles it. I guess I'll be buying a Nils next year. It appears to be superior to anything else out there and the issues I've seen with my Ridgid drill this year are very likely related to the extra torque needed for the KDrill. I still need a bigger hole than 8" though so I'll pick up an ice saw to connect holes, but this test made me a believer that I probably need to ditch the KDrill and it's not a drill issue it's an auger issue.