Ice Auger Help

[ski]

My jiffy auger model 30 finally gave up .My wife bought it for me 24 years ago for xmas I'm thinking that's a good run Anyway I am going to purchase a new on and would very much like some imput on the types and model that are on the  market

[dkruks]

I have an Eskimo Z51 8", I bought it last year. It always starts easy and cuts very well.

[PhatEyes]

My condolences on your loss, I too have felt the pain of 20 plus years with a good old Jiffy.

I bought in replacement a Strike Master magnum 10 " and love it. I am on my 3rd season with it and it has never failed me or given me
reason not to trust it.

I do find it weird that I only have to turn it on and prime it and pull a couple times  for it to run...LOL no more playing with a set crew or praying to Jiffy gods that it will fire up

It was hard to make the switch from Jiffy as our family had have them around for years but I do like the light weight and reliability of the new Strike Master.
It guzzles gas about the same as the Jiffy though   

[Water Wolf]

Hi ski,
You did have a good run with your old auger.

The newer ice augers come in gas, propane and electric.
The other folks I ice fish with use gas augers, but I use an Ion electric ice auger and could not be happier with it.
My electric ice auger cut just as well as gas in my opinion, they are lighter to carry and there is no mixing or worrying about gas spilling in a vehicle or gas fumes in a permanent or temporary ice hut.
Two other things I would purchase is extra blades, as the blade that is on them is very sharp, but also quite thin and can be chipped easily if sand in the ice or banged on the ice too hard.  I would also purchase a 2nd battery just encase the first one runs out of juice.
Keep both batteries warm and that will extend their cutting time immensely.

I have no experience with a propane ice auger, but have heard that they work just as good as a gas one, and again no gas to mix or spill. 


WW

[BlueDevil]

My jiffy auger model 30 finally gave up .My wife bought it for me 24 years ago for xmas I'm thinking that's a good run Anyway I am going to purchase a new on and would very much like some imput on the types and model that are on the  market

First and foremost what's your budget?

[ran7ger]

and how many holes do you drill in a day?  if under 40 or so holes i'd go with an m18 fuel and a finbore III.  keep the blades sharp and you'll get 15 holes out of a 4ah battery in 3' of ice, my kit came with 3 batteries so that's more than enough holes for my purpose.  hammer drill comes off auger in the spring and gets used in the shop all summer, win win.

[Land Shark]

I left my old jiffy gas for a propane model. No regrets.😊

[hunter651]

I hav a old jiffy as well, just redid the carbs this weekend and new blades last, I think it about time for a new one too, wait till spring and get a electric one, no more gas, no more carbs, no more pulling till ur arm falls off, plug in at the end of the day and she good the next

[ToonFisher]

I can't agree more with Water Wolf on Ion electric auger. Mine would have one blade chipped away 1 in ~100 holes right at the moment to break through the bottom of ice. It kind of gets a bit jammed and stutters. Then you find one blade has lost ~1/3 of the outer section right through the mounting screw. It works just fine as long as the other blade remains intact.That's what I have been sporting for the last two outings.

[Northern Pikeman]

I too have an old jiffy model 30. I've had it for over 25 years and don't know what I would buy if I had to replace it. It has been mr. Dependable for me. Only had to replace the diaphragm in the card a couple of time, clean the tank and change the spark plug in all those years. I drill at least a 500 - 600 holes or more a winter with it.
I fish in more remote areas so gas would be the way to go for me, but if I could fish when I could drive with a vehicle I'd look at the Ion.

[mjs059]

As I die hard jiffy guy I was pleasantly introduced to the Ion auger this winter by the father in law. Lightweight and surprisingly powerful. Only drawback I could see was the lack of a centering point for starting holes. As he fishes from a portable shack on a raised trailer the hole location is critical due to using sleeves to go from the ice to the trailer floor. Auger wants to wander around before biting into the ice sontimes. Not a big problem but a big difference from what I am used to.

[Ry-Guy]

I left my old jiffy gas for a propane model. No regrets.😊

My Jiffy finally passed at 27 years old. After having that many reliable years I stayed with Jiffy. Went propane this time and I also have no regrets. No mixing, priming, choking, spilling gas or stabilizing. Just pull the cord and drill holes.

[ski]

Couple of questions How's the Jiffy propane for starting in cold weather I leave all fishing equipment in truck box over the winter so their will be times where it will be -20 and colder when I need to use auger  Second how is battery life on ion Anyone have to replace battery's ? I checked and they run over $200 to replace

[jhunt8]

I had a jiffy propane the last 2 seasons, I ended up selling it to a friend as I wanted something lighter weight, so I went with the new Ion X. Even with the extension it only weighs 22 lbs. The propane was heavy, but great overall, although you have to make sure you keep the propane in the truck/shack for the duration of the day so it stays warm, the only other issue I had with my propane was that the throttle would get stuck sometimes, which was easily solved with WD specialist silicone lubricant,(side bar, I found this lubricant to be the best as it is rated to -70 degrees). I also ended up buying a sleeve for the propane tank which actually helped a lot. It never ever had a problem starting even in cold weather, 1-2 pulls max. Now, I have only used my new Ion a couple of times this season but last weekend I drilled about 25 holes through 20 inches of ice and didnt lose a bar on the battery. I used my buddies Ion last season and we ripped around 50-60 holes in a day and never ran out of juice, just keep the battery in a bag with a hand warmer and its fine. Really it depends on a few factors....

1. How mobile are you? Do you want something light? every tough guy says weight isnt an issue until you haul a 50 pound auger around all day.
2. How many holes do you drill in a day? Shack? No shack?
3. What size of auger are you looking for? I would only recommend electric in 8"

I'm sure there is a few more things but thats all i can think of right now.

[saskwallydiver]

Couple of questions How's the Jiffy propane for starting in cold weather I leave all fishing equipment in truck box over the winter so their will be times where it will be -20 and colder when I need to use auger  Second how is battery life on ion Anyone have to replace battery's ? I checked and they run over $200 to replace

I am interested in the life expectancy of the batteries as well. Does anyone have a 1st generation Ion here that can comment? I'm thinking $200 might not be any more than what a person might spend on fuel, spark plugs, oil and recoils over 5 years anyway.

[daniels papa]

I have 2 jiffy model 30 1 is around 30 the other 25 never had any problem with them but I seen the ion on sale last year at fishing hole so I bought one .now the jiffys stay in the shed .nice and light and drilled as good as the gas ..

[RD79]

I agree with the majority of this information, guys on here sure seem to want to be of actual help instead of the tantrums of facebook.  I also have an older Jiffy and wouldn't trade its reliability for anything but the weight and fumes are something to be desired.  Couple friends of my dad's now have the Ion and I was pretty skeptical until i actually got to play with them on the ice.  If you take care of the blades as with ANY auger they cut like a dream.  The price tag is still a little bit hefty for me to buy one to replace the Jiffy.  However I have bought a new 6" Eskimo manual auger ($60 on sale) and put the drill conversion from Fish'n Hole plus a plate on top, to stop it from accidental deep sea burial.  This little auger on my Makita 18v Li Ion 5ah drills and drills. It is all i use now in the pop up when i'm chasing perch and walleye.  Its very nice to set up the shack and then drill exactly where you want with no smell.  Also really nice when hole hopping as its incredibly light and fast to drill just hitting the trigger.
If we could get the "K-Drill" in Canada it would be my next purchase as it looks to be slick as hell and reviews seem to be pretty good.
Best of luck with whichever purchase you decide on.

[pkurtz]

I bought one of the green augers from Costco 3 years ago and have not had a complaint. I think its made by Rapala.

[GoneFishinSK]

I am still using my dad's Jiffy Model 30 that I bought for him 26 years ago...the first and only ever gas powered one he ever owned. Now that he's gone I am using it still...sometimes it is harder to start but once it does, purrs like a kitten. It's kind of a memory every time I get out to use it since he's no longer here. Shortly before he passed away, he had the diaphragm changed on the carb and last year I put a new spark plug in it, and had someone put the on/off switch back on...right now, it would be a shame to let it go when it still works...
Good Luck fishing!!

[shootsmcgee]

I bought one of the green augers from Costco 3 years ago and have not had a complaint. I think its made by Rapala.

That "green" auger is a tempest correct? Both the costco tempest and rapalas are made by eskimo. The actual red eskimos seem to be priced higher than the others so i'm wondering if they have a few slightly better parts on them??? Too bad tanaka is no longer making the 270 or 350 power heads. One of those attached to a strike master flighting is the ultimate combo and would probably last another 20 years. I run the z51 8" eskimo and its pretty decent but I doubt it or any of the other new augers (minus tanaka) will last like the old ones.

[bite-me7]

Yeah, I found it kinda funny when I googled Costco ice auger, it said Tempest made by Rapala! I have a Rapala and was understood that it was made by Eskimo/Ardisam/Mako!!!  But anyway, I bought my Rapala from CT about 5 years ago and paid $250!!! This year I seen them on sale for $499!!! What a bargain!

[ski]

Thxs all for your help I was leaning toward the Ion They have them on sale at wholesale sports for 599 but decided to give jiffy one last try Don't know what was wrong but it fired right up have had it out twice in last couple of days with no problem.Go figger

[engineman]

To be completely honest there's nothing on the market now as good as the old jiffy or eskimo auger with the tecumseh engine. I run exclusively eskimo. have had a Z51 for several years now and haven't had a problem with it. It cuts like a demon and always starts, but it's still not like my old eskimo with the tecumseh engine.

[rkive00]

I purchased a Eskimo HC40 propane and absolutely love it, just put tank on and 2 pulls and shes a running great, no mixing of gas and no smell, drilled about 20 holes so far and probably used maybe 1/3 of the propane cylinder 

[Timetofish]

I bought a husqvarna and it's a very good auger. Had a few jiffy augers, 3 hp heavy and couldn't finish a hole without stalling like most of them, 2 hp was better for a jiffy. Always adjusting the carb!  Would consider Ion or something with a honda motor.

[BlueDevil]

Tanaka 350 with a Strikemaster or Nils.

[ran7ger]

i love hondas on anything but an ice auger.  cold blooded hard starter, works great for the month of march though.

[Dashboardlight]

I'm a Jiffy guy myself. A couple of years ago one of our group bought a Rapala from Cabelas at an end of season sale for under $600. It's quite a bit lighter than mine, starts very well and although it has a low torque, drills an easy 10 inch hole.(This coming from a 145 pound guy.) One factor I find is that it's exhaust isn't deflecting and when pointed away from you, you get some fumes. I find when pointed towards you not bad. Especially if you keep the wind at your back. Plus that keeps you warm, if winding up being the one doing all the drilling. I don't know how long those batteries last on the electric but at $200 a pop it's something to consider. FYI fellow fishers- I highly recommend Seaform fuel additive. It has my, about 15 year old, Jiffy running spiffy with the original carb kit and spark plug and a well perforated lake or two! Remember heave ho! (As in, it's already getting to the time of year especially with this warm weather to take care on the ice. Avoid those heaves and slow down!)

[saskbucks]

Saw this yesterday.  Makes me want to save up to get one.

https://youtu.be/XbIXEXsBqTE

[ToonFisher]

That's second edition of Ion with 50% more power in battery and reverse function. My 4-year old Ion drilled 20 some holes last weekend at blackstrap with power left in the battery. I need less than ten holes if I fish one of my favorite spots.