Broken Ion auger blades

[northernpikeman]

Has anyone had problems with blades breaking on their ion ice auger?  I've had 2 sets break in the last month.

[ToonFisher]

I've broken three blades in the past three seasons. Every time I was forcing it through dirty ice with big noise and vibration. It works well with one blade left except for noise.

[js6145]

broke one blade second time out a couple weeks ago.  broke right at screw  . sent picture to Ardisum.com and they sent me new blades. They handle ion warranty

[Water Wolf]

Funny you should mention that northernpikeman, I also had both my Ion blades break on me recently.
I am not sure when that happened, went to use it and it was cutting super slow, picked it up and looked at the blades still super sharp, but only half there.
My blades broke right at the outer screw.

I am not sure why they broke as I have not forced the auger or blades at all.

I though I should take them back to where I got them, but this Ardisum.com sounds good too.

WW

[ran7ger]

 ion is owned by eskimo and they've got fantastic service.  way too many broken blades though, i'm guessing they came from china and not sweden or finland.

[Water Wolf]

I see Eskimo has quantum blades, those blades with the serrated edge, used for dirty ice.
If Ion and Eskimo are owned by the same company, could you not add the Eskimo blades to the Ion ice auger?

They look a bit thicker and robust than the Ion blades.

WW

[ToonFisher]

Ion  has a slow rotor which probably needs to pair with a hand auger to cut through ice at that low speed of rotation. Ion's auger bits are exactly Mora-type hand auger except for its "unique" screw positions. I guess a serrated cutter may need a higher speed or more powerful rotor found in gas or propane augers. I always pair Ion with a Swede-bore hand auger for its lighter weight. If a serrated cutter or any other types of auger bits that can be easily sharpened works with the Ion rotor, please let me know and I would love to switch. The Mora-type auger is so difficult to sharpen and so easy to get blunted.

[Baitshop]

ARDISAM is the distributor for Eskimo and Ion, two different manufacturers so blades are not interchangeable.
800-450-3343
www.geteskimo.com

[js6145]

just broke my second blade in a year. Both times in thick ice, wasn't dirty.  My theory is when cleaning hole of snow is when the blade breaks. it protrudes pass the guard, perhaps catching the side of the hole. Also bolt is tapped into blade not drilled thru with a nut. Tapping it could stress it.

[pcdoc]

I redrilled the inside screw hole and can use eskimo or hand auger blades now ,,, ion is ion only they moved the inside screw hole 1/8 of an in.

[ToonFisher]

I redrilled the inside screw hole and can use eskimo or hand auger blades now ,,, ion is ion only they moved the inside screw hole 1/8 of an in.

I noticed that too. Ion uses Mora (Swede-bore) auger bit but with difference only in screw position. I simply pair the drill with my 6" or 8" hand auger.

[Water Wolf]

Hi pcdoc,
How does the Ion cut with the eskimo or hand auger blades now, compared to the original, same, better or a bit slower?
Did you alter the ice auger holes or the holes on the blades? 

WW

[The Beachcomber]

I had one of 8 inch blades break on my Ion last year, sheared right in half.  It must of been some defect in the metal or impurities.  I contacted Ion and they sent me a new pack.  They mentioned that they usually don't do this but for me they did.

[bigk]

By the sounds of it it happens a lot. They should be giving everyone a new set.

[Water Wolf]

Hi all,
When my blades broke I contacted them and told them what happened along with a photo of the broken blades.
They listened to me and asked that I also submit to them the bill of sale, once I did that, they shipped the new replacement blades.

I was very happy with their quick response in both responding to the email and sending the replacement blades.

WW

[pcdoc]

since i redrilled the hole it cuts as well or better

[SK]

Anyone know if they have fixed this problem in the new Ion X? Looking into a new auger but don't want to have to worry about blades breaking.

[fish_hook]

I just broke my ion blade at the outer screw hole.  It's my second time using my auger and has only drilled 20 holes.  I've noticed the extension, blades and auger flighting are made very cheaply.  I hope they give me warranty, if not, then there will be an ion for sale on kijiji.

[js6145]

contact ardisum.com  they should send you new blades.. also go back to where you bought it.. should help you also.

[missoulafish]

using an X this season, drilled many hundreds and hundreds of holes with zero issues so far...

[saskbucks]

using an X this season, drilled many hundreds and hundreds of holes with zero issues so far...

How thick is the ice you are cutting through?

[missoulafish]

anywhere from 2" early season to around 24-28" in a lot of places righ now....

[Finnegan]

Using an Ion X this year as well. No issues at all. Drilling holes in similar ice thicknesses. Very happy with it.

[toxic111]

I'm happy with my X, but the 40" of ice we have here is tough to get through sometimes.... the blades also clog with snow too often.. My buddies Ice Gator also had to work with the deep ice here..

[missoulafish]

clog how?
Ive found if the ice is thick and there is a slush layer the water runs down into the hole and gets the shavings wet and heavier and at that point the X may labor because of the extra water weight in the shavings but ive never had it clog...
At the point it starts to labor i pull it up and out while it is running to get rid of the extra shavings/slush and then put it right back down and keep drilling.

[Water Wolf]

Has anyone tried using a 10" blade on their Ion?

If so was the battery life reduced alot or not too bad.?

Did it cut as well as the 8" blade? 

WW

[toxic111]

clog how?
Ive found if the ice is thick and there is a slush layer the water runs down into the hole and gets the shavings wet and heavier and at that point the X may labor because of the extra water weight in the shavings but ive never had it clog...
At the point it starts to labor i pull it up and out while it is running to get rid of the extra shavings/slush and then put it right back down and keep drilling.

They seem to build up with snow/ice... I have had to chip it out a few times.. just a little PIA.. still love the unit though..

[missoulafish]

So does the black ring have a matte finish or a gloss finish?

[muleear]

I have been watching this post with interest, the broken blade problem is something I have yet to encounter after drilling many holes over a couple of years.I fish with two other guys who have the Ion as well no problem there either.

Are these the original blades on the auger or new ones?One problem I see is after clearing the ice from the hole after drilling down a foot or two be careful when drilling again as the loose snow - ice at the bottom of the hole allows the auger to go through very quickly and slams into the ice at bottom of the hole.If you go slowly this doesn't happen.
Hope this helps.

[fish_hook]

I just got off of the phone with a lady from Ardisam (Ion).  They are sending me new blades under warranty.  She knew exactly what I was talking about when I told her the blade broke at the outer screw. They have run into this problem many times and are looking into it.