hand augers

[Swampfox]

Been looking at hand augers lately and thinking about strikemasters 8" lazer  any one seen them in action or have one ?

[holehopper]

I have a 6 and wouldn't trade it for anything.  I can get through a foot of ice in the time it takes me to start my gas auger.  I would be very hesitant to buy an 8 inch hand auger.  I've read that for every additional inch in diameter, you double the effort required.  I see lots of used 8 inch augers for sale but rarely do you see a 6 inch lazer.  If you really need the 8, I would probably drag out the power auger.  Just my opinion. 

[YO1157]

great auger

[chazmatic]

you get less holes with 8 inch with power drill

[Hardguy]

I have an 8" SM lazer hand auger and it is great. It cuts quick and doesnt beat you up. I use it when the ice is under six inches or so thick. When over I take the gas auger which is also a SM lazer mag express.
I dont think you could cut any quicker or easier.

[MeatHunter737]

own an 8 inch hand powered.... not as bad as people say.... although I'm only 33 yrs old... I could see myself getting a gas powered around age 40-45..... but I will say the blades that came with it are made in China,........ I used them for about 60-80 holes, but needed replacements from Sweeden before my season was up......... the originals were dulled and chipped/ actually left the ice one day to go to Bass Pro and buy my replacements......./ could not drill another hole at that point........well see how these hold up since I only drilled around 2 dozen holes with these replacements.........

[lexman2]

I have one and it works great on 6-8 in. of ice, anything more ues a power auger.

[Tainterslayer]

Wouldn't ever use one if the ice is more than 8 inches deep! Any size with sharp blades works great for about the first 5-10 rotations, then the size REALLY makes a difference!!!!
I can drill 5  six-inch holes through 8 inches of ice (with walking in between) no problem. But give me two feet of ice and wow it gets tiring fast.

You should tell us how you fish. Do you move around a lot to find fish or do you drill 3 holes for the day and that's it?
What species do you fish for? What ice conditions do you have? Do you have any other hand augers?

[Swampfox]

Wouldn't ever use one if the ice is more than 8 inches deep! Any size with sharp blades works great for about the first 5-10 rotations, then the size REALLY makes a difference!!!!
I can drill 5  six-inch holes through 8 inches of ice (with walking in between) no problem. But give me two feet of ice and wow it gets tiring fast.

You should tell us how you fish. Do you move around a lot to find fish or do you drill 3 holes for the day and that's it?
What species do you fish for? What ice conditions do you have? Do you have any other hand augers?

im new at the sport ,was only out a few times, im thinking walleye early in the season and crappie in mid , this would be my first auger , also I should note that im not the most healthiest guy , but im working on it 

[SkeeterJeff]

I strongly suggest not going over a 6" hand auger, especially if you are not in the best health.

BTW, I have a 6" Strikemaster Lazer hand auger and love it.

-Jeff

[BASSandICE65]

My Strike is still going great hand auger just sharpen the blades every year and put some oil on them.

[slipperybob]

I have the 8" lazer and have drilled through 30"+ of ice.  Really tiresome, especially if I've walked a long ways with the sled.  I touch up the blade edge and check the screws to make sure they're tight once a year.

[jpicks]

check out any of the finbore augers if you're looking for a hand setup.

[Lone Fisher]

I have an 8" SM and 6" SM.  I bought replacement blades for the 8" last year and I think the 6" still cuts better.

[Swampfox]

OK you guys gave me alot to think about , and mabe my best idea would be to make a good friend out there on the ice this year that will learn me some more about the great sport of icefishin and save up for a power auger , that i can get for next year.

[smitty0312]

I bought a hand 7" lazer at the beginning of last season as I got back into icefishing, they are great at 8" of ice or less, however, when my 11yr. old son comes along(which is most of the time), I have to drill his holes too, I'm 44yrs. young and that kicked my rearend when the ice got over 6", 1 month later I purchased a power auger, so much easier and allows me to move around alot more without worrying about drilling more holes. I will still use my hand lazer early ice. Smitty

[dkfry]

The Normark Finbore III is a better option over the Strikemaster Lazer. The Finbore comes with offset handles which makes turning the auger easier on the arms. The Finbore uses the same blades the Lazers do so your not going to be giving up blade availability. I have a like new Jiffy 8" hand auger I'm selling because I don't use it. The biggest hole I've drilled the past 3 seasons was 6" with my hand auger and power auger.(Bought a 6" bit for the power auger) I would get a 6" Finbore and drill two holes side by side if needed. I've drilled dozens of holes with mine through 10"-14" of ice in a morning with little effort.

[Doubles Shooter]

There is an offset handle for the Lazer from Strikemaster. Fish USA has them.

[panfishman13]

i prefer an 8" hole because you can get bigger fish up them, but they're more difficult to stick your boot down. i didn't notice any difference in difficulty when i borrowed a friends 6" auger. either way, i'm looking at an 8" strikemaster lazer myself, let me know how it works out.

[dcso3009]

Ive never had a problem getting my Lazer 8" to drill a hole.  Original blades where on it for 8 years.  last season I replaced them, but have yet to use it.  I got a Jiffy power auger at the mid point of the season and now use it.  If I get out on early ice I'll have the Lazer, and no worries.

[michianafisherman]

I used an eight inch mora for years with no problem except I got tired after a few holes. I even bored holes through 30 inches of ice by hand with the stupid thing. There is always better ways but when you want to fish you will make a hole. We would turn the handle with two guys to get through the thick stuff. I now have a gator with a 7 inch lazer. I don't know what top do with all of my extra energy except bore more holes. Carrying it around is allot easier than cutting with the old Mora.
My point is, if you don't have an auger already, an eight inch Mora isn't so bad!

[MoreTroutPls]

My first real auger was an 8" spoon auger.  Now I have four different augers; an 8' spoon, a 6" spoon, an 8" Mora, and a 6" Mora. 

I routinely use the 8" Mora auger and will drill up to 20 holes in a day's fishing.  The most I've drilled through is 18" of ice.  If the ice is that thick, I switch to a 6" Mora. 

My son and I routinely count the number of turns to go through the ice.  The 8" takes about 50% more cranks and more effort than the 6".  A foot of ice typically takes about 30 turns with a 6" while the 8" takes about 45.  Twelve inches of ice is about a 2 minute workout.  Three holes with no rest except to walk to the next spot warms me up on the really cold days.  If I'm drilling many holes searching for fish, I'll use the 6" auger.

A good workout plan at the gym keeps me in shape for the two minutes of cranking effort per hole. 

The real key to hand augers is keeping the blade really sharp.  With sharp blades, my son and I can actually have a hole drilled before a hard-starting power auger is running. 

I'm 61 and happy that I can still drill by hand.   

[holehopper]

Which side of the 45th parallel are you on?  If you are on the north side, you might want to think about a power auger sooner rather than later.

[dkfry]

There is an offset handle for the Lazer from Strikemaster. Fish USA has them.

I have the offset handles on my 5" Lazer and they are too short for me. 5" shorter than the Finbore when fully extended.

[MoreTroutPls]

Which side of the 45th parallel are you on?  If you are on the north side, you might want to think about a power auger sooner rather than later.

I'm near 42°34′ N 71°26′ W, so my hand crank auger is good enough for me.  I seldom see more than 15" of ice locally.  I suspect I'd be happy to have a power auger if I had to drill regularly in 18" or more of ice.  Fortunately, I don't have to drill that much.  I hope that I can handle that much drilling for many more years.  After that, I'll get a power auger or at least have my son drill holes for me.   

My real point is that a very sharp auger makes drilling moderate amounts of ice very practical.  I actually consider ice fishing to be one of my physical activities that keeps me healthy. 

Another point in favor of a hand auger is that some ponds in my area prohibit gasoline engines, so a hand (or electric) auger is mandatory.  Besides the trout and I do not enjoy the sounds or smells of a 2-cycle engine at first light on a quiet winter morning.

[JLH]

I replaced my 6” Strikemaster Mora with an 8” Nils last season and the Nils cuts just about as easily as the Mora did.  I like to jig and bounce around a lot and don’t really want to haul a power auger around.  The 8” Nils was a great choice for me. 

[Doubles Shooter]

I have the offset handles on my 5" Lazer and they are too short for me. 5" shorter than the Finbore when fully extended.

Sometimes it helps to be vertically challenged! I've lost 2" over the years.

[jpicks]

I've gone through up to 4' of ice with the 8" finbore. Granted you don't drill too many holes per day when that's the case, but if you have the will, you definately can.

[holehopper]

With 15" or less of ice each year, you'll be just fine with a hand auger.  Then it is just a matter of preference for the size hole you drill.  Some of that will have to do with what you fish for.  Pike on tip-ups; you may want an 8" hole.  Pan fish; a 6 inch will be more than enough.  Even for most walleye fishing a 6 is just fine.  Sure a power auger is nice sometimes, but if you are walking you have to carry it around and that is arguably almost as hard as drilling a hole by hand.  Probably not worth the trade off in cost. 

[h2.0shaver]

get the drill adapter with a 14-18volt drill(20-30$), Nils or SM Lazer are both great hand auger choices.