Height wise it definitely depends on the amount of ice. I didn't have to hunch too low on 12" of ice but we're getting to 16"+ now with snow coverage and I do have to get the drill down there. I had previously purchased a basic extender and Ice Master attachment for my drill/auger combo I had before I upgraded to this one and both of those attach to this auger no problem. I use my Ice Master over the catch plate because it is less bulky and does the same thing. I am actually thinking about putting the extender on this week because I have it, not necessarily because I have to. Not sure about battery life, but I am thinking about 50 holes through 16-18" of ice using my dewalt 20v w/ 5ah battery.
It says a 3rd party from amazon, but it shipped from HTI in WI. It arrived about a week earlier than it said it was going to [Amazon said 2 weeks delivery and it showed up in 6 days].
Only complaint is the rubber strap that holds the cover on falls off everytime you remove the cover. It isn't attached to the cover so it just falls off when you remove it. Not a dealbreaker but kind of annoying. I did notice a small amount of rust on the spike, but the blades don't seem to be having any issues and it still cuts like a knife through butter.
Overall, definitely a good purchase. Cuts fast and I have yet to have it catch on the bottom of a hole after ~100 holes. Plus the fact that it takes standard accessories is nice too, so you could use an extender or hand drill handle or other drill attachment piece.
