Why Electric?

[upnortfishing]

I know there is lots of threads discussing which ones are better and other such comparisons but I just want to know why people are switching to electric augers.

So everyone who uses an electric auger such as Ion, Strikemaster, or IceGator or everyone with a cordless drill system why do you prefer electric? The big advantage I can think of is no exhaust fumes inside a shanty, but other than that I can't see the upside.

[FISHFORPIKE]

No gasoline, or other fuel to contaminate your gear or yourself.  That's my number one reason.   

[3300]

only thing to buy dedicated is an auger adapter for 20$
i have augers and i have drills. why not use them.
they are paid for and the drill is used all year. even in winter i can use it for jobs/work/projects.

why would any one buy a dedicated auger?

[Ice Scratcher]

Speed, weight, instantaneous power, no fuel, no mix, quieter, safer (weight), use year-round, no fumes, no gasoline smell on hands....

Although my old gasser is still faster than most anything out there...

<°)))>{

[Ice Scratcher]

only thing to buy dedicated is an auger adapter for 20$
i have augers and i have drills. why not use them.
they are paid for and the drill is used all year. even in winter i can use it for jobs/work/projects.

why would any one buy a dedicated auger?

I agree, would also have a hammer drill either way..

<°)))>{

[rdhammah]

all of the above.

[Ice Scratcher]

why would any one buy a dedicated auger?

Earth auger, and bigger groups on bigger ice (bunch of 8 inch holes in 2ft+ ice)

<°)))>{

[river rat78]

I've actually had my holes drilled before a guy could even get his gas auger started. When it did start it shut back off.

[Elrik]

Instant on and off, no warm up needed. Don't have a pickup so auger is in the vehicle with me, didn't want the fumes or mess of gas and oil. Only maintenance is battery charging. No noise. No fumes. Lighter. Combine these advantages with the fact that i was able to get it for around the same price as a gas auger and there were not any compelling reasons to not go electric.

[prospector]

My Jiffy is a heavy pig. My drill and auger weigh one fourth and cut every bit as well. perfect for hole hopping and early ice.

[Agronomist_at_IA]

It starts and stops on a dime
Doesnt have to run between holes
No fuel spills/fumes
It weighs 10lbs so easy to carry move around
It cuts fast
Can convert to a hand auger in emergency
Easy to change extension/height size for drilling/transportation/storage
Doesn't have exhaust for cutting holes in shacks/shanties

[upnortfishing]

The Ion weighs 26 lbs that is not that much lighter than any modern gasoline unit and heavier than some. I had assumed that they would be under 20 lbs. I think something like the K drill would be pretty useful for the first month or so of the season.

[Agronomist_at_IA]

The Ion weighs 26 lbs that is not that much lighter than any modern gasoline unit and heavier than some. I had assumed that they would be under 20 lbs. I think something like the K drill would be pretty useful for the first month or so of the season.

I use a clam plate it's like 10-15lbs

[upnortfishing]

Clam plates / drill adapters do seem pretty useful and offer all the advantages not just some.

[wiel0059]

ION weighs 22 lbs. Take any gas auger, put gas / oil in it, and hold it next to the ION. It is way lighter...

After using the ION, I'd never go back to gas to be completely honest. The electric is just so convenient that going back to gas would be a complete pain for me personally. I can just throw it in my vehicle, never worry about oil / gas, the battery charges quick overnight, I press a button to drill, and it is absolutely significantly lighter than other augers.

Just my personal opinion / experience. If my ION broke tomorrow (it can't we don't have ice yet  ), I'd buy another right away...

[prospector]

I can write my drill off on my taxes.

[uncleshorty]

Quiet. 

Nothing worse than getting into Mama Nature's zone only to have my solitude shattered by a noisy hole puncher. 

Just as bad, or maybe worse, because headphones are cheap,  folks who have to serenade the lake with their radios or music...

I'm gettin' grumpy in my old age...

[Stinkybaits]

For me it was weight of gas powered auger vs the Milwaukee setup with a synthetic laser auger. In Northern Indiana most of us are pulling sleds. Weight becomes a huge factor.

[brittlab]

Besides all the great reasons listed above, i love it for scouting out a new lake and drilling a ton of holes. Much better on my back using a drill with 4" synthetic auger for dropping camera down.

[Yukoner]

Rarely drill more than a couple of dozen holes in a day, and am wondering how many holes can you drill on one battery charge?

Also, can they be charged while driving in a vehicle?

Thanks,
Ted

[rgfixit]

You can hook up an inverter and charge your batteries from your vehicle or other 12v power source.

Rg

[FISHFORPIKE]

why would any one buy a dedicated auger?

Because they want one? 

[BaitBucket]

Rarely drill more than a couple of dozen holes in a day, and am wondering how many holes can you drill on one battery charge?

Also, can they be charged while driving in a vehicle?

Thanks,
Ted

Using a 6in auger I get about 40 holes per battery thru 18" of ice.

[3300]

Rarely drill more than a couple of dozen holes in a day, and am wondering how many holes can you drill on one battery charge?

Also, can they be charged while driving in a vehicle?

Thanks,
Ted

4amp battery on 6" auger with decent blades on a 600" pound 24volt drill does 50 holes in dry ice that's about 15" plus.
wet ice takes that number down quite a bit.

Because they want one? 

sounds about right to me. or maybe because they don't know drills are what we use now instead of gas. or maybe because they bought the gas auger and need to use it because it costs so much they need to get their dollars worth out of it. or maybe they need to have large holes in ice to be able to fish the lake.

i love it when i hear one (they are all but extinct and to hear one any more is odd, you hope it's some going to cut firewood) and it takes what seems like a half an hour for one hole. makes me want to go cut some holes for them the poor people, all of that money to try to make a hole. to each his own. some even lean hard on them to try to speed it up, but it still takes for ever.
those guys don't hardly ever hole hop, maybe in some one else s holes.

[river rat78]

Why would you want to hole hop with some of those heavy gas augers. I tried using my dads Jiffy once and that thing was a beast to lug around. I'd rather use my 15lb set up instead of something that probably weighs 45lbs.

[Yukoner]

4amp battery on 6" auger with decent blades on a 600" pound 24volt drill does 50 holes in dry ice that's about 15" plus.
wet ice takes that number down quite a bit.

Using a 6in auger I get about 40 holes per battery thru 18" of ice.

So, on three to four feet of ice might drill a dozen or more holes.

Thanks,
Ted

[3300]

sounds about right if it's not wet ice. you would want to lift out the ice if it's wet so it's not putting more load on the auger. so drill and listen for it to start loading up and lift the auger to help clear it. use a lifting movement when drilling and let your ears decide how much to lift while drilling.
i use a 4" lazer for deep ice or deep ice for my area or if i want to drill lots of holes.
if your in 4 feet of ice, you would want to think of the smallest auger you can fish or have two different sizes like i have.
you can have extra batteries too to make even more holes.
the key is using your ears to listen to what the drill is doing.

[BobR549]

I made the switch last year from a Jiffy gas to the Ion, and I could not be happier. No more carb rebuilds, mixing gas, waiting for it to warm up, ect. I also have back issues and the lighter weight is a real plus. Early ice I can use it without the extension and it is more compact and easier to transport/store in the clam tub. I drill 20 - 30 holes a day and never went below 2/3 charge. Experimented on a day in the lower 20's by leaving the battery on the auger outside the shack for 3 hours, with no decline in battery. Drilled 10 more holes with no power loss. On several occasions I watched other dudes with gas augers, waited till they made the first pull, then started drilling. By the time they warmed up and got started I had several holes done. Will never go back.

[matzilla]

I went from a 5' hand mora.....got sick of hand drilling thick ice while hole hoping - bought an adapter and used it with the mora and my every day 20v Li-Ion drill. Switched over to a 5" lazer. I couldn't justify the expense and hassle of a gas auger let alone the maintenance. I have enough stuff to keep running lol

[Shack man Shoney]

For me it's all about versatility. I can drill lots of holes very quickly and throw it in the back of my voyager without worrying about spilled gas/oil or the hot exhaust melting a hole in my tent or sled. No fouled plugs, hard starts, carburetor rebuilds, mixing fuel, gas smell on hands etc... etc... etc... At 13lbs the drill auger is flat out awesome. My question is why wouldn't you???