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Author Topic: POWER ICE AURGER?  (Read 10957 times)

Offline sonar man

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POWER ICE AURGER?
« on: Aug 28, 2009, 03:23 PM »
Looking to buy one. I get laid off all ice season getting sick of hand auguring just looking for some good pros and cons of the gas or electric just don't know about electric because I like to drill a lot of holes.

Offline lake snake

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Re: POWER ICE AURGER?
« Reply #1 on: Aug 28, 2009, 04:02 PM »
 Nils Master ;D

Offline skulldugary

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Re: POWER ICE AURGER?
« Reply #2 on: Aug 28, 2009, 04:45 PM »
Ford,Chevy,Dodge....thats what it will amount.Most will go with what they own and like....I have a Strikemaster Lazer Mag.It works for me.....good luck on your choise of a new auger and hope what ever you buy you will like it and it will serve ya well...

Offline holehawg

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Re: POWER ICE AURGER?
« Reply #3 on: Aug 28, 2009, 05:30 PM »
ooooh please...... we all know jiffy stx pro  is the best..... ;) ;D :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: here we gooooooo..... ::)
............

Offline mud_n_fun

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Re: POWER ICE AURGER?
« Reply #4 on: Aug 28, 2009, 05:51 PM »
Ford,Chevy,Dodge....thats what it will amount.Most will go with what they own and like....I have a Strikemaster Lazer Mag.It works for me.....good luck on your choise of a new auger and hope what ever you buy you will like it and it will serve ya well...
So true! Well said.

Offline SkeeterJeff

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Re: POWER ICE AURGER?
« Reply #5 on: Aug 28, 2009, 05:54 PM »
I also have a Strikemaster Lazer Mag, my first power auger.  Very happy with it.  Bought it off of eBay last winter for a song, put a few $$ in it for a gas cap, new blades, and a new plug.  Runs like a top and gets through 24" of ice plenty fast enough for me.  It's an 8" auger and is WAY better than my 6" Lazer hand auger when faced with 2' of ice.

Jeff

Offline skulldugary

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Re: POWER ICE AURGER?
« Reply #6 on: Aug 28, 2009, 06:06 PM »
Yeah Jeff,when you get to be my age 6" of ice is too much with a hand auger....LOL...

Offline walleyes4*u

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Re: POWER ICE AURGER?
« Reply #7 on: Aug 28, 2009, 07:10 PM »
I waiting for my new SOLO to get to my dealer  8) 8) 8) 8)

Offline Madpuppy

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Re: POWER ICE AURGER?
« Reply #8 on: Aug 28, 2009, 08:11 PM »
I've got an 8" Jiffy, I have gone through 38" of ice without makin' her work hard. This will be my 3rd season with this auger, I'm happy so far. Like Skull said, they're are a lot of good augers out there some better than others and some cost a lot more $ than others. I guess I went with the Jiffy after talking to a few guys on here and at the coffee shop where I live. Plus it was what I could afford at the time (who am I kidding, it's what the wife said I could spend at the time) :nono:
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Offline Da_Roc

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Re: POWER ICE AURGER?
« Reply #9 on: Aug 29, 2009, 09:39 AM »
HI Gang!
  If you can get the older jiffy or last years strikemaster in any model with a 2 hp tecmseh you will be doing great.
  Strikemaster switched to a german made engine and the Jiffy switched to some chinese crap engine in the 60si. That Jiffy/chinese engine is  not worth the $$$.    I would say if you could get either brand with a tecumseh you will be way better off.  The strikemaster with the 4 stroke robin engine are really nice but cost a bit more. I like them because they are quieter and extremely light 20 pounds total.   I am a Jiffy fan until they went off shore for there engines.  So the Jiffy made in America only half applies to them.    There is one other option right now for you.  Gator has an all electric auger drive that works just great and you can drill tons of holes with a single charge.  I fish the NAIFC tournament and have seen them all in action and the Gator is the most impressive.  The older jiffys are nice but they are extremely heavy.  The stike master blades dull kinda quick I have to sharpen mine 2 times a season or more.  I am drilling about 300 holes an outting so normally a guy would only drill 30 or so.  I am thinking of going to the gator.  The 24 volt looks like it would be quiet and durable.  I would pair it up with a strikemaster lazer 6" or 8" auger drill.
  Do not by anything from ht, mora, or eskimo they will let you down and all that stuff is just cheap cheap crap made overseas and will not last.  This is just my 2 cents worth.  Lastly the nils auger.  It is nice and cuts just like a strikemaster but it is impossible to get parts for and is not worth the $$ you end up paying for it.  You would be better off just buying a strike master there service department is outstanding and ships stuff fast!  Nils has no service dept and like I said its impossible to get parts for.
   Buy last years model Gander has many deals on them still and aske them because most of them have last years models still.  I bet you could get a deal right now on one.
  Just telling you what you will find out and if I am lying I am dying!
  Da-Roc   

Offline Hard stuff

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Re: POWER ICE AURGER?
« Reply #10 on: Aug 29, 2009, 01:35 PM »
I like strikemaster . The new ones are out and sound like there the cats meow . Thank god the auger bits are being made in Sweden again.

Ive test drove the gator and it cuts real nice ,good for the "Green" minded person too but I dont like the fact that you have to haul it into the house, defrost/warm the batts and wait for it to charge.Fine for the weekend fisherman  ;D Id like to see it cut a hundred holes then sit in the back of my pickup truck for a couple days (in the bitter cold) and then use it to drill another hundred holes . It might be able to do it ? but I wouldnt bet on it.

Gas and go for the win!!!!!!!


Offline lake snake

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Re: POWER ICE AURGER?
« Reply #11 on: Aug 29, 2009, 01:50 PM »
HI Gang!
  If you can get the older jiffy or last years strikemaster in any model with a 2 hp tecmseh you will be doing great.
  Strikemaster switched to a german made engine and the Jiffy switched to some chinese crap engine in the 60si. That Jiffy/chinese engine is  not worth the $$$.    I would say if you could get either brand with a tecumseh you will be way better off.  The strikemaster with the 4 stroke robin engine are really nice but cost a bit more. I like them because they are quieter and extremely light 20 pounds total.   I am a Jiffy fan until they went off shore for there engines.  So the Jiffy made in America only half applies to them.    There is one other option right now for you.  Gator has an all electric auger drive that works just great and you can drill tons of holes with a single charge.  I fish the NAIFC tournament and have seen them all in action and the Gator is the most impressive.  The older jiffys are nice but they are extremely heavy.  The stike master blades dull kinda quick I have to sharpen mine 2 times a season or more.  I am drilling about 300 holes an outting so normally a guy would only drill 30 or so.  I am thinking of going to the gator.  The 24 volt looks like it would be quiet and durable.  I would pair it up with a strikemaster lazer 6" or 8" auger drill.
  Do not by anything from ht, mora, or eskimo they will let you down and all that stuff is just cheap cheap crap made overseas and will not last.  This is just my 2 cents worth.  Lastly the nils auger.  It is nice and cuts just like a strikemaster but it is impossible to get parts for and is not worth the $$ you end up paying for it.  You would be better off just buying a strike master there service department is outstanding and ships stuff fast!  Nils has no service dept and like I said its impossible to get parts for.
   Buy last years model Gander has many deals on them still and aske them because most of them have last years models still.  I bet you could get a deal right now on one.
  Just telling you what you will find out and if I am lying I am dying!
  Da-Roc    


  If you ever have a problem with a Nils,call JP at (802) 899-1209. He will take care of you. I have had mine for 5 years with no problems. They are easily worth the money and i wouldn't hesitate to but another. Saying it is not worth the money is not true.

 

Offline miket.

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Re: POWER ICE AURGER?
« Reply #12 on: Aug 29, 2009, 03:24 PM »
strikemaster- lasermag!
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Offline sonar man

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Re: POWER ICE AURGER?
« Reply #13 on: Aug 29, 2009, 03:43 PM »
I think gas would be best for me thinking of the Strikemaster. how does the 10 in model do or is that to big for alot of holes???

Offline miket.

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Re: POWER ICE AURGER?
« Reply #14 on: Aug 29, 2009, 04:23 PM »
i think the 10 incher is perfect. i use the 8 inch and am gonna move it up a size bigger.the 8 in. is fine except i had a couple times a fish didn:t want to come through the hole.these augers are pretty good, they go right through the ice, start every time,and are pretty quick to.
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Offline sonar man

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Re: POWER ICE AURGER?
« Reply #15 on: Aug 29, 2009, 04:36 PM »
i think the 10 incher is perfect. i use the 8 inch and am gonna move it up a size bigger.the 8 in. is fine except i had a couple times a fish didn:t want to come through the hole.these augers are pretty good, they go right through the ice, start every time,and are pretty quick to.
Its like you go big or go home. right now i use a six inch hand auger and when it gets over 12 to 18in it gets to be a pain to drill allot of holes. I would have perchested one last year but a good one man shanty and vex was good enough for one year.

Offline chazmatic

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Re: POWER ICE AURGER?
« Reply #16 on: Aug 29, 2009, 05:00 PM »
strikemaster mag express 8" love it not sharpened in 5 yrs ,have done nothing to it but put gas in and go ;D ;D ;D ;D ::)

Offline Mainehazmt

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Re: POWER ICE AURGER?
« Reply #17 on: Aug 29, 2009, 06:30 PM »
You guys keep forgetting to get on the fish first   have holes drilled first  get the only american made  electric ICEGATOR!
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Offline fish on ron

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Re: POWER ICE AURGER?
« Reply #18 on: Aug 29, 2009, 07:26 PM »
Recently I sold my snowmobiles and decided to finally get  a powered auger. That is when I found out about the Tecumseh issue.  I decided that  I wanted one with a Tecumseh motor so i started looking for a left over one. I'm from Mass. so I called a few places in Minnesota that  I do business with and was told that when people found out about the new engines, the leftovers were flying off the shelves and there only a couple higher end models left.  No one within 100 miles of my home had any at all. I decided that I would go with the Strikemaster with the solo engine if I had to but my local guy said they were going to be more $$ than before. I was lucky to find a Strikemaster mag 2000 with a 10" auger with very little use for obscenely cheap $$ and now I'm very happy and can't wait for the ice. Our ice equipment does not get the use out here but if you can find one owned by a guy who decided he didn't like ice fishing  ??? it can be a big score.
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Offline Gambler

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Re: POWER ICE AURGER?
« Reply #19 on: Aug 30, 2009, 12:19 AM »
It seems many are afraid to let go of those Tecumseh engines. In years past everyone stated how they loved one brand of auger but hated the next. They all used the same engine!!  I bought an eskimo auger in 2000 that had the emak engine. the engine was made in Italy and I was leery of it because it was not a tecumseh. Well, now I am glad it was not a tecumseh. My auger is fast and starts and runs great and has never had one issue. Now that tecumseh is gone I will bet that one of the companies will actually have a better auger. Whether it will be eskimo with there own engine or strike master with the Solo engine or jiffy with whatever they are using. Time will tell!!!! I personally think the solo engine will be a great one. And Strikemaster will be at the front of the line. I may be wrong. I have been wrong before. Yes you could go electric but unless you are green enough to drive a prius I don't see that happening. They would gain a considerable following if they cost less than a gas auger or weighed less than a gas auger. Until they do that I don't see them gaining much of a foothold on the auger market.
Take Care and God Bless
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Offline Grumpyoldman

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Re: POWER ICE AURGER?
« Reply #20 on: Aug 30, 2009, 05:17 AM »
HI Gang!
  If you can get the older jiffy or last years strikemaster in any model with a 2 hp tecmseh you will be doing great.
  Strikemaster switched to a german made engine and the Jiffy switched to some chinese crap engine in the 60si. That Jiffy/chinese engine is  not worth the $$$.    I would say if you could get either brand with a tecumseh you will be way better off.  The strikemaster with the 4 stroke robin engine are really nice but cost a bit more. I like them because they are quieter and extremely light 20 pounds total.   I am a Jiffy fan until they went off shore for there engines.  So the Jiffy made in America only half applies to them.    There is one other option right now for you.  Gator has an all electric auger drive that works just great and you can drill tons of holes with a single charge.  I fish the NAIFC tournament and have seen them all in action and the Gator is the most impressive.  The older jiffys are nice but they are extremely heavy.  The stike master blades dull kinda quick I have to sharpen mine 2 times a season or more.  I am drilling about 300 holes an outting so normally a guy would only drill 30 or so.  I am thinking of going to the gator.  The 24 volt looks like it would be quiet and durable.  I would pair it up with a strikemaster lazer 6" or 8" auger drill.
  Do not by anything from ht, mora, or eskimo they will let you down and all that stuff is just cheap cheap crap made overseas and will not last.  This is just my 2 cents worth.  Lastly the nils auger.  It is nice and cuts just like a strikemaster but it is impossible to get parts for and is not worth the $$ you end up paying for it.  You would be better off just buying a strike master there service department is outstanding and ships stuff fast!  Nils has no service dept and like I said its impossible to get parts for.
   Buy last years model Gander has many deals on them still and aske them because most of them have last years models still.  I bet you could get a deal right now on one.
  Just telling you what you will find out and if I am lying I am dying!
  Da-Roc   

You drill 300 (approx.) holes an outing!  You have got to be seriously motivated. 

Offline Hard stuff

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Re: POWER ICE AURGER?
« Reply #21 on: Aug 30, 2009, 10:28 AM »
^10000 dollers worth of motivation^

Did you see he fishes the NAIFC ?

Offline sonar man

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Re: POWER ICE AUGER?
« Reply #22 on: Aug 31, 2009, 12:52 PM »
StrikeMaster's New SOLO just took the prize ...... German built engine, easy starts, more speed, burns less fuel ... a great cold starter / see it on their website now. This is the one I would purchase, cost is near the same as their other units ....

whats a good $$ for one of these 8in model

Offline miket.

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Re: POWER ICE AUGER?
« Reply #23 on: Aug 31, 2009, 01:54 PM »
StrikeMaster's New SOLO just took the prize ...... German built engine, easy starts, more speed, burns less fuel ... a great cold starter / see it on their website now. This is the one I would purchase, cost is near the same as their other units ....
strikemaster all the way!!! :thumbsup: :clap:
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Offline miket.

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Re: POWER ICE AUGER?
« Reply #24 on: Aug 31, 2009, 01:55 PM »
whats a good $$ for one of these 8in model
how about a ten".
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Offline TIBS

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Re: POWER ICE AURGER?
« Reply #25 on: Aug 31, 2009, 05:12 PM »
Ahhhh, the annual debate over what's better, jiffy or strikemaster. :laugh:

Everyone has their own brand preferences.  Mine is Jiffy 3hp STX Pro 10".  All Metal, tears a 10" hole pretty quick.  Weighs as much as a tank, but that doesn't bother me.  I personally don't see the appeal of the lightweight augers.  I don't carry one around unless I've got the ATV out.  What turned me off to strikemaster is the extensive use of plastic.  Plastic gets brittle in the cold.  Friend of mine has a Strikemaster, a few years ago he broke one of the handles off while drilling, and also broke the throttle switch.  Immediately thought to myself, "definitely not getting that auger"

I've never seen a Nils Master in action, but I would like to.  They sound like good Reliable machines.  I would hope they don't use as much plastic crap as Strikemaster.

Good to see Eskimo isn't even in the discussion here.

Offline lake snake

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Re: POWER ICE AURGER?
« Reply #26 on: Aug 31, 2009, 05:17 PM »
Ahhhh, the annual debate over what's better, jiffy or strikemaster. :laugh:

Everyone has their own brand preferences.  Mine is Jiffy 3hp STX Pro 10".  All Metal, tears a 10" hole pretty quick.  Weighs as much as a tank, but that doesn't bother me.  I personally don't see the appeal of the lightweight augers.  I don't carry one around unless I've got the ATV out.  What turned me off to strikemaster is the extensive use of plastic.  Plastic gets brittle in the cold.  Friend of mine has a Strikemaster, a few years ago he broke one of the handles off while drilling, and also broke the throttle switch.  Immediately thought to myself, "definitely not getting that auger"

I've never seen a Nils Master in action, but I would like to.  They sound like good Reliable machines.  I would hope they don't use as much plastic crap as Strikemaster.

Good to see Eskimo isn't even in the discussion here.
 

 Once you use a Nils, you'll want to keep it for yourself. They are not plastic junk like Strikemaster.

Offline sonar man

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Re: POWER ICE AURGER?
« Reply #27 on: Aug 31, 2009, 06:19 PM »
how much does the augers cost new ? and do you guys like 10in or 8in augers. ??? ???

Offline miket.

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Re: POWER ICE AURGER?
« Reply #28 on: Sep 01, 2009, 11:54 AM »
i have and love the 8 inch. i have the four inch adaptor for it  which i have never used yet, but would be very interested in the 10 inch adaptor for sure.
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Offline TIBS

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Re: POWER ICE AURGER?
« Reply #29 on: Sep 01, 2009, 06:01 PM »
Bigger is better, unless you're one of those people who thing 10" holes are dangerous and break people's legs when they don't pay attention and step in.  There's some people around here who are that way, "no one should be allowed to use a 10" auger, it hurts people."

I say if you think a 10" hole is dangerous, get off the lake.  There are other things to worry about than 10" holes in the ice.

I'd fish with a 12" auger bit if they made one, (wisconsin max hole size)  I love that big hole, sight fishing is much easier, easier to pull big gators out, there's no downfall to them, unless you're worried about sunlight down the hole.  But if you can affort a 10" auger, you can afford a flip-over shack
to cover it up too.

 



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