Better buy - Augers

[chummin]

Ion Alpha 40v 8" for $380, or Strikemaster 24v 8" for $290. Both brand new and I know the warranty difference. From those that have used one or both, is the extra $90 worth it for the 40v and an extra year of warranty? Assume that I wouldn't need the battery to last multiple outings between charges, I can charge at the end of every day.

[hardwater diehard]

Although I dont have either power head ..I do have an 8" Pistol Bit and a SM 8" Lite Flite.. both bits cut well . I would lean more toward the ION power head..some recent videos from IceShanty members impressed me ... A LOT . I think the SM 24v is a lil underpowered .

[Splattypus]

I have the 24v strikemaster with 8" lite-flite. It's awesome. Cuts easily. Light and small profile, very portable. The single battery just doesn't last terribly long. Last weekend I got like 15 holes through about 18" of ugly multi-layered ice and used 2 of the 3 battery bars. Just shy of 300 inches, I'm not sure how many more holes the last battery bar would have gotten me.

The real question is how thick does your ice get and how many holes do you typically punch? The 24v SM really seems geared towards people fishing 6-15", punching 20 or 30 holes a day. Otherwise you're going to want another battery, at the cost of about $100. So there's your price difference between the two gone.

Don't get me wrong, I love my SM, but it won't be the right auger for all people in all applications

[Buckshots]

I’ve always been a strikemaster guy. Still am, but go with the Ion. The 24v is less than impressive. Really slow. The lite flite bits were made for fast turning drills. IMO they drill like crap on that slow 24v power head. Also, the battery life is horrible. 550” of ice is the top end for one battery on the 8”. That’s is your lucky. For some folks, that is plenty. I hated mine and was happy as heck the day I sold it.

[Splattypus]

The lite-flite bit has great potential. The 24v powerhead definitely doesn't run fast enough to get top performance from it, though. For me it cuts well, just not as fast as it could or should. On a good high-rpm drill I fully believe the thing is a beast. Even on the 24v head, it's better than hand drilling by miles, but falls well short of 40v augers or top drill combos. The good news is I'm halfway to a solid drill combo when I make that jump.

If the price difference is minimal and you can actually get the ion(I couldn't find them in stock anywhere last time they were on sale around me) , that's the best bang for your buck. It's the better auger for sure.

[Brian VT]

I wonder what's the advantage to getting a dedicated powerhead for ice fishing vs a drill that you can use for other things?

[chummin]

I have the 24v strikemaster with 8" lite-flite. It's awesome. Cuts easily. Light and small profile, very portable. The single battery just doesn't last terribly long. Last weekend I got like 15 holes through about 18" of ugly multi-layered ice and used 2 of the 3 battery bars. Just shy of 300 inches, I'm not sure how many more holes the last battery bar would have gotten me.

The real question is how thick does your ice get and how many holes do you typically punch? The 24v SM really seems geared towards people fishing 6-15", punching 20 or 30 holes a day. Otherwise you're going to want another battery, at the cost of about $100. So there's your price difference between the two gone.

Don't get me wrong, I love my SM, but it won't be the right auger for all people in all applications

We’re typically on 16-24 inches of ice, normally with multi layers, some good some not. Get some crusty top from frozen slush as well. Hole numbers vary, sometimes 8-10 sometimes 15-20. Depends on if we’re moving around

[Buckshots]

I wonder what's the advantage to getting a dedicated powerhead for ice fishing vs a drill that you can use for other things?

The Milwaukee drill has a five year warranty too…

[chummin]

I wonder what's the advantage to getting a dedicated powerhead for ice fishing vs a drill that you can use for other things?

Got a drill you’d recommend? Not opposed to going that route depending on price

[Splattypus]

I mean if you're trying to drill 10" holes through 3ft of ice, I'm sure the specific ice auger designed for that task will win every time. Even if the drills could do it and keep up, how many seasons will they do so? How often are you dropping hundreds of dollars to replace a dead drill? I legit don't know, but I'm sure it could get costly if they can't hold up to that ki d of heavy use for long.

Generally speaking, I'm of the opinion that if you've got a specialized task, and there's a specialized tool to do that specialized task, you're best off doing that.

I dont have a lot of experience when it comes to augers or ice though. The drills certainly seem do be doing a good job at handling ice up to 15" or more, and battery technology makes them pack a lot of punch in a small package these days. I'm sure there's lots of folk around here with decades of experience that can make a strong argument for either.

The main thing that I notice is the ergonomics of the task aren't as conducive to the drill without an adapter like a clam plate or a good handle to help you brace against the high-rpm high-torque output. The newest generations of drills have features to counter that, but I've seen plenty of injuries from older drills catching and wrenching someone's wrist or arm badly, on construction sites or on the ice. The thicker the ice, the longer the auger, the worse your body is able to brace against the forces for stable drilling with the cordless drill

[Splattypus]

Got a drill you’d recommend? Not opposed to going that route depending on price

The Milwaukee 2904 hammer drill seems to be the gold standard, or the Dewalt... 997? Can't remember the model. Generally, a hammer drill with 1200in lbs of torque is your desired performance, so even Rigid makes one around those specs at a slightly better price.

Most drill-attach augers will give minimum recommended specs, generally 750in lbs or more and at least like 500rpm. There's people out there making a Ryobi work (probably with a 6" auger). You'll surely want at least 4ah battery, which is pretty common and comes with the package for most drills. 6ah or 8ah obviously offers bigger battery capacity, but those can start to get expensive if you buy them separately.

Keep your eyes on the deals thread, lots of stuff getting posted relevant to this subject. While I was shopping for my auger, drills and augers combined were totalling a fair bit more than the SM was for me at the time, and more than I was wanting to drop right then, but if you have the justification for the year-round utility of the drill, it's probably worth the slightly higher initial expense.

Not to mention there's fun accessories like power adapters for your drill battery to power lights, flasher or camera, or be a charging port. Lots of options

[Uglymug]

If you live near a Menards I've honestly had really good luck with the Masterforce Hammer Drill. Rated for 800 in. lbs of torque. I've got a 4.0 and a 7.5 amp hr battery for it. I run it with an 8" Lite Flite and I rip through it pretty good. Might be tougher with a K Drill or Jiffy Torch since those need more torque.

The Milwaukee or Dewalt are almost certainly better, but it meets my needs and the batteries and base price are cheaper unless you're getting a helluva deal.

[Brian VT]

If you're invested, or investing, in a system of battery-powered tools then it seems to make sense to drive your ice auger with those same batteries (via a 1/2" drill).
If not, buy a dedicated ice auger and the (proprietary) battery/charger that it requires.
The tool battery thing seems to make more sense to me. jmho

[Buckshots]

I mean if you're trying to drill 10" holes through 3ft of ice, I'm sure the specific ice auger designed for that task will win every time. Even if the drills could do it and keep up, how many seasons will they do so? How often are you dropping hundreds of dollars to replace a dead drill? I legit don't know, but I'm sure it could get costly if they can't hold up to that ki d of heavy use for long.

Like I said, 5 year warranty on the Milwaukee drill. Also the cheapest “powerhead” on the market. The 2904 bare tool can be found for $100. Batteries have the best warranty in the ice auger market also.

[calgarygringo]

 I bit the bullet a few months back and did the Milwaukee 2900 with a pistol bit. 1400 lbs of torque on the new series and some kind of new thing that it will stop before ripping your shoulder off for the new model. This thing drills like a hot damn too. 30" of ice right now and the 8 inch just rips through the ice. One of my fishing buddies recently went out and bough the same setup for himself and since I bought my unit none of the 3 of us have even put one of our gassers in the back of our trucks since.
 I have heard 10 inch is a little hard on batteries so maybe think about 8 inch which unless you are pulling 30 lb pike all day or monster lakers is adequate. You can also just drill 2 side by side if you need to. I hear the Strikemaster lite flite drills really well too. I went Pistol bit as the blades are easy to get sharpened and last better on dirty ice better than the curved SM blades and are harder to get sharpened as some places do not know how to do them properly. Buying new blades can get expensive where sharpening them is relatively cheap.

[hardwater diehard]

Got a drill you’d recommend? Not opposed to going that route depending on price

Milwakee 2803/2804 or 2903/2904

Dewalt DCD 991,996,997,998,999

5ah battery or better

Right now Blaons has the best deal on the Milwaukee 2904-22 $100 off if you purchase a Milwaukee accessory..

[hawg]

I REALLY like my Pistol bit and 2804 fuel because it’s portable and light but if I only fished out of a permanent house I would go with the 48 volt. Actually I would go with the big new Ion because they are smoother, more durable, and break thru the ice without jamming. The traditional augers in a house are a little more stable than a drill. It’s whatever you prefer though.

[maximus4444]

I have the 24v Strikemaster.  I agree with the sentiments about the battery.  I also agree with the fact that it's lighter and smaller.  If you keep the battery out of the cold (in a pocket or heated in the shack/shelter, it will last longer.  I asked Strikemaster if they will ever off a larger than 4ah battery.  They said nope. 

I think if I were going to do it over again, I would go down the route of a Milwaukee drill and an 8" lightweight auger. 

[SLAYERFISH]

Everybody that tries my setup says WOW!

2904 M-18, 8AH , 8" lite-flite.  (I also have a 6" lite-flite).

I use my Milwaukee batteries in my marcum lx-5 and Aqua-view camera also.

https://www.iceshanty.com/ice_fishing/index.php?topic=391252.0

[maximus4444]

Everybody that tries my setup says WOW!

2904 M-18, 8AH , 8" lite-flite.  (I also have a 6" lite-flite).

I use my Milwaukee batteries in my marcum lx-5 and Aqua-view camera also.

https://www.iceshanty.com/ice_fishing/index.php?topic=391252.0

This is the way to go.  Utilize a single battery platform to power multiple devices.  That's your best bet, in my opinion. 

[Uglymug]

Everybody that tries my setup says WOW!

2904 M-18, 8AH , 8" lite-flite.  (I also have a 6" lite-flite).

I use my Milwaukee batteries in my marcum lx-5 and Aqua-view camera also.

https://www.iceshanty.com/ice_fishing/index.php?topic=391252.0

How Do you use your drill batteries for your flasher and camera also?

[SLAYERFISH]

How Do you use your drill batteries for your flasher and camera also?

Buy one of these.  Its good to 2 amp output ONLY! . then you need to figure out a power cable.

https://www.milwaukeetool.com/Products/Batteries-and-Chargers/M18-Batteries-and-Chargers/49-24-2371

[chummin]

Everybody that tries my setup says WOW!

2904 M-18, 8AH , 8" lite-flite.  (I also have a 6" lite-flite).

I use my Milwaukee batteries in my marcum lx-5 and Aqua-view camera also.

https://www.iceshanty.com/ice_fishing/index.php?topic=391252.0

I’m gonna shop around and see if I can piece that setup together for around $400. If I can I’m gonna get it, although maybe with the Eskimo pistol bit. But if the numbers don’t come together I’ll probably go with the Ion G3 8”. Hard to pass that up at $380

[hardwater diehard]

PM sent chimin

The knock off nylon augers are good as well ..have Mora style blades which are cheaper to replace

https://www.amazon.com/Nordic-Legend-Drill-Unit-Centering/dp/B082HPPQPS/ref=mp_s_a_1_7_sspa?crid=24G4I6NZ2NXJO&keywords=8+inch+nylon+ice+auger&qid=1677327632&sprefix=8+inch+nylon+ice+auger%2Caps%2C109&sr=8-7-spons&ufe=app_do%3Aamzn1.fos.304cacc1-b508-45fb-a37f-a2c47c48c32f&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEzOEZaRTdVUkFIOExOJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNDA4Nzk2MU5PU1U0T0JSUEpXUyZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwNjA5MTk3QVpRT0M4NzdIREJZJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfcGhvbmVfc2VhcmNoX210ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=

[PikeKing23]

Like I said, 5 year warranty on the Milwaukee drill. Also the cheapest “powerhead” on the market. The 2904 bare tool can be found for $100. Batteries have the best warranty in the ice auger market also.

My Ridgid batteries have a lifetime warranty along with the drill.

[Buckshots]

My Ridgid batteries have a lifetime warranty along with the drill.

Good luck with that lifetime warranty. I haven’t heard good things about it. When your battery craps out they’ll say it lasted the lifespan of what a battery lasts and they won’t replace it. It does not cover normal wear and tear. The Milwaukee warranty will cover normal wear and tear as long as it’s in the timeframe.

[Splattypus]

Rigid is a fair bit cheaper, which is a big selling point to a lot of people. My limited experience with rigid tools says they're very good for the price, but I've never had to test hard performance or longevity with it. I know Milwaukee works hard as hell and can take the use and abuse like a champ.
I have a long, inherited habit of being cheap, but this is one area that I'm going to have to make myself bite the bullet and buy the top of the line when I take the plunge. I'm (eventually) trying to get a kit with drill, driver, circular saw, and maybe reciprocating saw. Unfortunately those kits are not cheap. I never seem the find the bare tools for cheap, much less combos. Not to mention I'm going to need batteries, chargers, blades and bits, etc.

I'm currently renting a small house with a tiny basement and virtually no garage space, but we're hoping to buy a new place in the coming year. After that is when I'm probably going to take the plunge and get set up with some good tools. Gonna need them for home improvement projects and such.

Until then I'll string my 24v SM along and it will serve me well, then all I need is the $30 adapter for my lite-flite and I'll be ready to go.

[badger132]

Good luck with that lifetime warranty. I haven’t heard good things about it. When your battery craps out they’ll say it lasted the lifespan of what a battery lasts and they won’t replace it. It does not cover normal wear and tear. The Milwaukee warranty will cover normal wear and tear as long as it’s in the timeframe.

I have used Ridgid cordless tools since they used Nicad batteries. When those batteries died, after 10+years, Home Depot gave me 2 new Lithium batteries and a new charger. When the trigger switch died, they fixed it, and when the gearbox gave out after almost 20 years, they gave me a new drill kit. For this reason, I bought an 800 in-lb hammer drill 10 years ago, which I still have, and the Octane 1350 drill when I got a deal on it from Direct Tools. The 1350 is dedicated to fishing- my Pistol Bit is hard mounted to the drill, and the chuck stays in the house. I am sure Milwaukee is better somehow, but I have no problems with Ridgid, and if you buy refurb or factory blemished (still covered by warranty) they are a fraction of the price.

If I was in the market now, I would get the Ryobi 18V auger from Direct Tools for $129. It comes with the earth bit, but I am sure you could adapt almost any bit you chose to use. They seem to be pretty standard any more. I would assume it turns slower than a drill, but would have a bigger and heavier gearbox, and 2 handles, while not being too much heavier. You also would not have to worry about the chuck loosening like happens with a drill. They also have the 40V auger with an ice bit for $229 today.

[maximus4444]

I don't want to hijack a thread here... but I've had two batteries replaced by Rigid.  No questions asked.  They have you test it on the phone with them and then they'll send a replacement.  Arriving in less than a week. 

[OldSailor]

I've got a set of Ridgid cordless tools and 2 4 amp batteries. I used to have problems with the chuck on my drill coming loose and dropping the bit. I did some investigating and discovered the proper way to tighten the drill chuck! All you have to do is tighten the chuck as tight as you can by hand and then turn it the opposite way gently until you feel and hear one light click. Make sure you do it gently, if you do it too hard, tighten again and back off one light click!! Works for me!! No more dropped bits or tools!!