I have a buddy that just tried his 24v for the first time, but its early with only a few inches of ice. He said plenty of power with the 8". In the 8" size, the 24V basically drills half the "inches" of ice compared to the 40V on a single charge, you can buy a spare battery and still be $50 under the price of the 40V with a single battery. I will be starting my 4th season on the Strikemaster 40V and love it. I don't think you can go wrong with either.