Building a drill auger.

[SLAYERFISH]

I've searched and researched and read everything I could on building one.

After popping 100's of holes chasing perch with Dropshots M18/6" Mora im sold.  Got the clam plate for $50. Already have the Mora 6". 

Now I need the meat of the situation.  The drill.  M18 Fuel with 2- 4 A/h BATTS IS $229. 3YR. WARRANTY ON THE DRILL.

Ridgid is $179, comes with 2- 2.0 A/H batts. LIFETIME warranty on the drill and batts.

These are both the brushless motor hammer drills.

Can get a ridgid  2-pak of 4 A/H batts for $99.
So now im at $279.

So, either 229 for the Fuel or 279 for the ridgid.  What to do?

[Nysportxman]

I looked at those two brands as well.  My older brother has the M18 brushless with 4ah batteries.  It's a great drill, but I ended up getting the Ridgid combo with the hammer drill (not brushless) and impact driver with 2 4ah batteries.  Specs were fairly similar aside from the brushless.  It was 229 at the time.  What sold me was the life time warranty the Ridgid tools and batteries.  Something to consider.

[SLAYERFISH]

Yah LIFETIME on the drill AND batts-

[hardwater diehard]

Go with what you know ...if that M18/6 in Mora sealed the deal for you then why go with anything else ...is that the NEW clam plate you got for 50 bucks ?

[Nysportxman]

There's a good discussion on this in the Ice Auger sub forum.  Both of these brands and are discussed in great detail.  Check it out.

[stripernut]

I went with the Rigid, can't beat the warranty. My buddy has the Rigid, 3rd season with it no problems and thousands of holes. If you plan on cutting bigger than a 6" hole, then you might look at the other drill...

[vttroutman]

Just remember, the lifetime of the drill probably doesn't mean your lifetime. The drill itself most likely has a "lifetime" set by the manufacturer. You may want to check that out ahead of your purchase.

[Rope]

I've been running a M18@ 3yrs. I have it paired with a synthetic 6" lazer bit. This drill came with small amp hr. batteries,and I can drill @ 30 holes in 12" per battery still. Dang sure would be my choice again. Just ordered some 5.0 batteries for it.

[Nysportxman]

I don't think you'll go wrong with either one of those.  They're both great drills.  Find the best deal you can that works for you and pull the trigger.

[SLAYERFISH]

Prolly going with the fuel.  It has 750inch lbs versus 700 for the ridgid.Plus it comes with the 4 ah's and its cheaper.

[IFF]

Hum....now why do I have the Milwaukee M-18 ?, you might want to ask that question of the tool repair tech, an Home Depot  rental and tool department.

[blueroof]

Couple of things.  The Milwaukee m18 fuel second gens have 1200 ft/lb of torque and has a 9/16" threaded chuck spindle.  Also, the Power Source adapter allows you to use the batteries to power 12V electronics like flashers, led lights and such.  I'm not sure if Rigid offers such a contraption?

I have 2 of the first gen fuels, 2 6.3" lazer synthetics and a 4.3" synthetic.  I don't use the drill plate, just the chuck adapters.  These things are the shizzle.

[SLAYERFISH]

Thx, just ordered the Fuel.

[Ice Surveyor]

Which one Slayer?  The older one, 2604, was rated at 750lbs.  The newer one, 2704, is rated at 1200lbs.  The newer one is actually cheaper on amazon.  I just ordered mine, the 2704 for 98 bucks.  I have batteries from other Milwaukee tools already. 

[Nysportxman]

1200in/lbs of torque?  Geez, careful it doesn't rip your arm right off.

[SLAYERFISH]

Got the 750.  Need the batteries also.

[stripernut]

Both will do the job. With the Rigid, if bought through Home Depot, they stand behind it. Here is some info I posted before about my sons experience with a fuel;
My son that works as a electrician got a Milwaukee fuel drill just over a year ago and has started to have troubles with it (mostly the switch). It came with the 5 year warranty, he called and they said no problem and he shipped it to them... He just got a email, saying it is not covered because he had "worn it out", not abused, just worn it out. They want to charge him $120 to fix it and get it back... Has anyone else run into this? Does not seem like much of a warranty for a high end item... I told him, pay the $120, get it back and sell it, he should be able to get back some of his money...
IMHO, having a trigger go in just over a year is the fault of the manufacturers! You should be able to spend a year doing nothing but pulling the trigger on a high end drill, without failure... There are lots of drills out there that are well over 40 years old and the triggers are working just fine and yes they have cords, but a trigger is a trigger... Any service department can just say that it normal wear and tear and we are just out of luck. A service department/company that stands behind a product, that is what I judge them by... I have had the pleasure of working for two companies that stood behind their products; Orvis (one of the best) and ProMariner (battery Chargers), the most remarkable return I ever dealt with was a old pair of Russian Night Vision Binoculars (this was way back when they were like magic) a guy had bought and used a pair for 5 years for duck hunting. They had died and he came in the shop to see if we had any info on how to get them repaired. I called the main office and they said sorry there was nothing they could do to repair them. Then they asked if he had a receipt, no he did not, so they cut him a check for over $500, the last sale price they had for them, on a item he had used for over 5 years and they had not sold in about 4 years... Now that is a great way to get a customer for life... I was the Service Manager for ProMariner and we would pro-rater chargers for a min. of 50% retail, some of them over 20 years old... That is a great way to keep a customer!
We are all running into companies that claim a good a warranty, but in the end if they don't stand behind there products and as long as we keep buying from them, why should they change... And yes their are always people that will game the system, but if you keep having customers buying your product, that is just a sad part of overhead...
And don't get me going on planned obsolescence, that is a subject for another thread!

[Shack man Shoney]

1200in/lbs of torque?  Geez, careful it doesn't rip your arm right off.

Thats what makes the clam plate soooo nice. I have upgraded to the 1200 in/lb model and it makes a pond into swiss cheese. I was really impressed on my trip to South Dakota this year. My 8" Mora throws chips 4-5 feet away from the hole. Very powerful and very very fast. IMO they are an unbeatable way to drill a hole in ice....

[Nysportxman]

Thats what makes the clam plate soooo nice. I have upgraded to the 1200 in/lb model and it makes a pond into swiss cheese. I was really impressed on my trip to South Dakota this year. My 8" Mora throws chips 4-5 feet away from the hole. Very powerful and very very fast. IMO they are an unbeatable way to drill a hole in ice....

I do like the clam plate.  I've just been using the grab bar that comes with the drill.  So far it's working great.  I use it on a lower speed setting.  There were a few occasions that I almost tore my arm off when it binded at the bottom of the hole.  That's only with the 650"#.

[Rags777]

Prolly going with the fuel.  It has 750inch lbs versus 700 for the ridgid.Plus it comes with the 4 ah's and its cheaper.

what's the difference is RPM's, that will make a difference as well.

[Gills-only]

The Milwaukee batteries are far superior to any batteries out there!  You don't have to put them in your purse with a hand warmer!!

[Rags777]

You have a purse?!?!? Lol

[Gills-only]

You have a purse?!?!? Lol

    I said your purse!!  I have the Milwaukee !!

[Rags777]

Either them or dewalt hands down only way to go, just had to give ya a little hell