Buy Used or New Ice Auger?

[WalleyeCrawl10]

Heys guys,

New to the forum. Finally gonna buy an auger this year. I'm bias towards Jiffy so thats definitely not my problem. lol, However I'm wondering if it's worth buying a used one. Most people sell their's between 150 and 350 defending on how old and the condition. If I can get a brand new for 400, is it more practical to buy a new one? I have noticed a lot of plastic on all new augers these days. Is that really a fuss on durability with augers? People want light augers yet they complain about plastic. Also price is usually a concern. I'm looking at the Jiffy model 30 XT 10 inch. Goes bout 400 or so. Tell me what you guys think.

Thanks

[xjma]

the older tecumseh motors are better.  the new ones work alright, but the carbs aren't as adjustable. 

if you have no clue on how to work on a small motor/adjust the carb get a new one.  If you can work on stuff, buy used.

[SLAYERFISH]

the older tecumseh motors are better.  the new ones work alright, but the carbs aren't as adjustable. 

if you have no clue on how to work on a small motor/adjust the carb get a new one.  If you can work on stuff, buy used.

What he said-  If you can wrench, maybe go used.  I just bought new a Strikemaster 10" magnum, has the new Solo motor, that thing runs better than any Tecumseh ever did-  just sayin-

[WalleyeCrawl10]

I know how to adjust the idle on the older ones where there is 2 adjustments for the carb. Other than that I'm not all that experienced. My dad owns a model 30 with the tecumseh motor and it works really nice. I'm just worried about getting a p.o.s. from some stranger who didn't maintain his auger.

[Hagigun]

In my opinion and based on what I read here I tend to agree with this:

Buy nice equipment, make the investment, take care of it and it will last a long time.

A friend of mine bought a used auger to start last season. It worked OK, got it for $150 on craigslist. Older Jiffy. The throttle busted on it shortly after purchase, it was heavy, had a small gas leak, etc. Just the usual problems old equipment has. So he pulls it out this year and it doesn't start. We are not engine experts, but I'm sure it's nothing major. The bottom line was he looked at what he had invested in shack, poles, lures, sled, clothing, electronics and realized this: If i can't cut a hole with reliability, i can't use the rest of my gear.

An Auger that doesn't start, means no fishing. Needless to say he bought another Auger just recently. It was used, but a far cry from how old and used the previous one is. This "new" one is a nice Jiffy from 3-4 years ago...not 34 years ago. Paid $250 for this one. So in total he has $400 in Augers.

I bought a Jiffy Pro4 Propane and couldn't be happier. A bit heavy, but I know for a fact I will have no issues for the foreseeable future and will always have a hole to fish out of. As long as I take care of it, it should last for quite some time. Each successful season drops the overall cost per season.

Get what you want, make the investment. $400 is a nice price. You won't regret it.

[jchunter]

This fall I came across a older model 30 for a great price. It was in good shape, runs great and I can't wait for ice. I have no problems with buying used to save some money if you buy smart you should have a good auger that lasts a long time.

[tricohatch]

If you are mechanicly inclined buy a good used one. I bought a Strikemaster 8" almost 5 years ago and I have replaced the fuel lines,rubber gasket for the vent on the gas cap,spark plug and put a carb kit in the carburator in that amount of time. I paid $60 for it from a old boy who was giving up the hard water fishing. It has the tecumseh motor and I have another complete motor off of a small rototiller just in case! Stay away from the ethanol gas if you buy a gas powered auger though!

[Junior58]

Got to jump on the good used deals early and be first when they are posted for sale. I purchased a used strikemaster magum and sold it three years later for more than I paid for it.  On the other hand I like having a new auger.  If you can afford a new one, why not buy it? If you're buying one used that is $100 less than new ......just save for the new one before absorbing someone else's problem.

[rangerbill]

I agree on the suggestion to watch Craigslist!  Thats where I found my Strikemaster.  So many people buy this stuff and never even use it.  Mine cam with a case and extra blades brand new for $100 less than I could find the auger alone anywhere.

[bushyjr]

A friend of mine got s good deal on a used one he thought but after only one trip the clutch on jiffy 30 was blown out think guy knew was bad and sold it fast and screwed him with it so I would say go new if can swing the price

[jopes]

I did the new vs used / pros vs cons last year.  For me I spent just shy of $400 for a new one which has a 2 year warranty.  The ice I fish can be hard on blades so replacement cost of blades was a huge factor for me as well.  Eskimo Z71 is what I went with.

[kylerprochaska]

I bought an old one armed bandit that had the carb scrapped and i was able to get it running (the only engine work experience i have is an oil change here or there)  go for the jiffy's with tecumseh engines... just make sure they have modern handles so you don't lose a finger

[addicted to ice fishing]

In my opinion,  if $ is not an issue,  buy new. That way you get the warranty, and you do not have to wonder how it was taken care of. Most times you get what you pay for. I know when I buy something I want it to last.

[Nozzlejocky]

As long as you have the knowledge to assess the quality of a used one, and the price is reasonable, no reason not to buy used.  This time of year, though, used prices will trend higher as opposed to spring or summer pricing.  Nice thing about getting a Jiffy, or Strikemaster, is that parts are readily available.  On the other hand, there is something to be said for that "new auger smell"! 

[jethro]

You can have breakdowns and problems with any auger, new or used. A new one will get you a warranty, for a year probably. After that it's the same as the 20 year old model- it breaks, you fix it. I don't think I'd own any power auger if I didn't have the ability to work on them myself. Also, if you are paying $350 for a used Jiffy, something is wrong. I'd never pay more than $200, $250 for something that was sold new for $400. These aren't gold bracelets, these are machines that depreciate with age and use. Unfortunately, you are looking at a very bad time to buy used. A month ago I was seeing nice used augers for $200 on craigslist every day. Now, people are going to want top dollar.

[Fatfish]

If you can afford a new one, buy it,if you can not, sell some of your wife's jewelry and use that to finance your auger. She will never know. Just don't tell her you seen it here.   Jerry

[Junior58]

If you can afford a new one, buy it,if you can not, sell some of your wife's jewelry and use that to finance your auger. She will never know. Just don't tell her you seen it here.   Jerry

Hell's yea to that idea!

[NoMe]

I'm certain some people have purchased used and been happy but MOST people who buy new are usually happy. If you go the used route make sure you check the blades or try cutting with it... blades on a jiffy will run you another $80. I'm always skeptical of used, if it runs well why are they selling it.

[iluvcrappie]

This can go either way....totally depends on your financial obligations......I would much rather purchase new than used at least then you know what you have.....when buying used anything its usually beat to chit and not taken care of very well at least new is new and your the only person that has had it in their hands......

[vtshantyman]

it depends if you can tinker or if you can get a good enough deal to make it worth your while i bought mine used and yes it was acouple years old but the guy i bought it from only used it acoulpe times so it was just as good as new just like $300 cheaper 

[danerc07]

I bought a brand new strikemaster magnum last year and love it. I had 200$ in gift cards to fleet and got it on sale for not much out of pocket. My buddy bought a Jiffy stealth something or other used a few years ago and he has had zero problems with it. I think you just have to really check it out before you buy it. If it looks like it hasn't been well taken care of it probably hasn't! Make sure you can go and look at the auger and start it (cold) before you make the purchase.

[jacksmelt71]

if you can find a old jiffy thats had little use buy it! picked one up for $50. looked like crap. bit was rusted, weld at top was broke, cowling was dented and rusted. i pulled on the crank and it had good compression. the blade had no nicks and was barely worn. well i got it home. sanded and rewelded the bit . took off the cowling. pounded out the dents. sanded and painted the cowling and bit w/ black rustolem. cleaned the crud off the power head w/ degreaser. cleaned out the gas tank w/ gas . reassembled the whole thing. looks great! i ordered a new carb. kit on ebay ,figuring this thing was all gummed up and would need it. well i mixed some gas and figured id try it out anyway to see how it ran before i messed w/ the carb. the friggin' thing fired up on the second crank and idled perfectly! so i take it down to the pond. i cut 3 holes w/ no bogging whatsoever! this augers over 30 yrs. old with the handle on the cowling and stick on the side. looks like it hadnt run in 20yrs. if you can find one like that used that some retiree has i would pick it up. my ol' man has the same exact auger and his is 35yrs. never put stabil in it or nothing and still starts second crank!

[macker13]

It's like any engine based item you are buying, car, truck, boat, snowmobile, snowblower, etc.  Alot of the value depends on how well the previous owner took care of it.
If you know the guy and he's good about caring for his stuff, then it might be a good deal.  Otherwise, you might be buying someone else's problems.

[william bennett]

well i just picked up a  magnum 3 (osceola equipment) pre stikemaster  for 75 bucks, looks and runs like a top, has new blades on it too.  i think she will  grind ice well.   its got the 33cc motor and a 8 inch bit. but i still cant believe the shape this thing is in and no one jumped on it.  it was postec with a 10 inch bit and it  really had a 8 but what sold me is the 10, but at that price i wont complain. and i have seen  brand new 4 blade 10's on ebay  for 99.00 bucks so i may just get one of those later on. i fish for big fish her in Indiana. the only thing i am not sure of is  i mixed new gas with reg 2 cycle oil for  what it asked for 24:1 but i dont like the smoke and alot of people have told me to go 40:1 or 50:1 in amsoil. i do hate the smoke i get from the 24:1