The best hand auger for the money

[audino22]

Question on what hand auger you think is best for the money?

[RStock521]

You're going to have a lot of responses for Nils and Fin-bore 3.  Offset handles are the key.  That being said, I have an 8" lazer and don't have any issues with it

[Dave R]

Yes, you will get a lot of different answers. Three years ago, I bought a 5" Lazer and really like it. Prior to that, for 15 years, I used an 8" Mora and it about wore me out!

[DBV]

I think my 6 inche Nils with Tanaka powerhead has been a beast.  It has been very reliable too.  Can't imagine anything better and it is also very light.

[DR.SPECKLER]

I'm not fancy with augers like nils and finbore.my 5 and 6 inch lazers get it done.blades available everywhere too.i still use moras also they cut good enough when blades are taken care of and touched up once in awhile.jmo.just make sure blades are Swedish made not crap china blades.

[Idahogator]

I was given an 8" Mora that made me much stronger.

Then I met the 5" Strikemaster Lazer that came with Swedish blades.

Catching only perch and trout, I can't wedge a fish in a 5" hole.     

[lefty2053]

I haven't used it much because I have a Z51 that does everything I want but, I have a 6" Eskimo Silvertip that cuts very good. Used it a few times and can't complain.

[Sharp Nils]

 I could probably find a spoon auger you could have. That's pretty good for the money.
A huge leap would be a mora wiith a good set of blades. You can find those used for $20 but the blades would be questionable.
Next in line are the laser knock offs and then lasers.  Not that leap from spoon to mora but a little better.

 Light Years away with a Quantum Leap. Nils Master.   

[fishshack]

I've tried them all.  I'll never use anything but a Nils

[chilly-willy]

I tried mora ,laser , ht polar fire , nils and currently using a mora boren mora auger from I want to say 70'so 80's  the mora I speak of has a off set handle like a nils auger  versus the mushroom cap handle of the current strike master laser and mora augers..  the off set handle is that much better I convertered mine to use laser blades..  I think the auger is fast cutting as my nils trust me I compared them .. but nils is ahead of its time like said by Frank and others and to some is worth the extra cash for the up keep.. but it's how it goes I think if you get real thick ice over 18 inches I would go for the nils the mora boren mora auger would not work well in ice over 18  inches..  not enough flights to clear the chips from the hole.. like that of the nils..  but the nils augers are touchy hit some sand and you sharpening the head..  that why I got spares at 100 each for the 8 inch their not cheap!..   But we'll worth it.. if its ice season you don't want to be down with our short seasons we have now.. I would also look for a finbore it is a newer version of the mora boren auger I use and can be converted to drill operated if need be same with nils can be convertered.. those three the nils, the finbore and the mora boren are the stanard in industry leading hand augers  if looking for a cheap auger a strike master mora or laser will do.. I prefer 6 inch in laser and 7 inch in mora just a heads up..

[Fishmon]

The Nils is the easiest cutting hand auger out there. Good investment if you are a serious ice fisherman and/or have shoulder issues.  Pair it with a cordless drill and you can be a Swiss cheese master of the ice.  Treat it appropriately and it will last you for your lifetime.  My only gripe is the cheap cover they give you.  Get a cold snap cover which is much easier to put on and take off without cutting yourself.  I always put the cover on after drilling holes. 

[cstolp]

The Nils is the easiest cutting hand auger out there. Good investment if you are a serious ice fisherman and/or have shoulder issues.  Pair it with a cordless drill and you can be a Swiss cheese master of the ice.  Treat it appropriately and it will last you for your lifetime.  My only gripe is the cheap cover they give you.  Get a cold snap cover which is much easier to put on and take off without cutting yourself.  I always put the cover on after drilling holes.

If your cutting head has the powerpoint the cold snap will not work.  FYI

[ship of fools]

Another vote for the Nils. My shoulder is shot after drilling 8" holes through 18" of ice with my Mora 

Great auger but their customer service is awful - i bought the one that can be used with a drill and it stripped after one use. When i called in i was told i did it wrong.....  but they gave no instructions or any documentation or warnings of what to do or not to do.

On top of that the guy that answered was a jerk about it.

[stripernut]

As I have posted before;
I have cut holes using a Nils and a Fin-Bore side by side and the Fin-Bore cuts just as easy/fast, but the Fin-Bore is less expensive to buy, less expensive to maintain and arguably less delicate... It is cheaper to get blades, to sharpen the blades and easy to carry spares. The most important aspect of both the Nils and the Fin-bore is the offset handles, that let you use the strength of both arms and not just one.

[3300]

the only one i bought was the best for my money, that's why i bought it. i then made it even better by adding a drill. i can hand crank it or use the drill.
i bought a 6 inch lazer.

[sunniewally]

if you strip the drill attachment for your nils coverta-auger, cut the peice off and replace it with this.http://www.ebay.com/itm/Nils-Ice-Auger-adapter-to-electric-drill-Ice-fishing-/291853006134?hash=item43f3cb7536:g:g9YAAOSwawpXuxBZ         don't expect any help from nils!

[Hardwater Problem]

When I got started... Money was a huge factor.  I went with the Mora 8" hand auger.  They were abundantly available, cheap,  and I was told they were pretty tough.  They may not be the easiest to operate, but I didn't know any better and used it for years.  The nice thing was that I eventually could afford a gas auger and went through three newer models before going back to an old school Eskimo.  It wasn't until this year that my old Mora auger bit got pulled out of storage, and it went on a new Clam Plate and Dewalt drill.  Im glad I kept that old thing.  They all work, but if money isn't an issue, go NILS!

[RyanW]

I'd say a 7" Strikemaster Lazer.

Add the cost of a replacement head from Nils right off the bat you could get 3 Lazers for the price of a Nils. Not too mention cost of the auger should be considered when you have to mail parts halfway across the country to get sharp blades opposed to going to almost any bait shop and getting new/resharpened blades for a Lazer for a fraction of the cost. 

[rusty go0se]

Yes, you will get a lot of different answers. Three years ago, I bought a 5" Lazer and really like it. Prior to that, for 15 years, I used an 8" Mora and it about wore me out!

5" lazer cuts perfect for me. Like butter

[ship of fools]

if you strip the drill attachment for your nils coverta-auger, cut the peice off and replace it with this.http://www.ebay.com/itm/Nils-Ice-Auger-adapter-to-electric-drill-Ice-fishing-/291853006134?hash=item43f3cb7536:g:g9YAAOSwawpXuxBZ         don't expect any help from nils!

Sweet - thanks!

[bee]

I think my 6 inche Nils with Tanaka powerhead has been a beast.  It has been very reliable too.  Can't imagine anything better and it is also very light.

  I also have the Tanaka but it is parked and the drill is in use.

[Agronomist_at_IA]

Question on what hand auger you think is best for the money?

With the drill setups anymore, I don't think you will see many if anybody hand drilling. The 6in and under augers dont need a drill with all that much torque. The 8in setups need the heavier built brushless high torque drills....

With that being said a flat blade, Curved blade, and nils style augers all work extremely well on the drill setup. Each set up in the hand auger price also gives you a faster cutting auger.

With that being said if your going to actually still auger by hand then get yourself an auger that comes with the offset handle. It adds speed and also makes drilling the hole a lot easier. The  off set handles are pretty much either the Nils or Fin bore 3 (which is a lazer with off set handles)

Overall if a guy just wants a light setup that works well......Get a good drill and by a cheap flat blade hand auger......really no need for a lazer or anything more expensive unless you are one of thos guys that thinks it is a huge deal to cut your ice hole a second or two faster......

Here is a vid of my first drill setup.....milwaukee 2604 brushless fuel drill with 725in/lbs of torque. With an eskimo 7in flat blade I bought new for $35.

Since I like to tinker....I found that the 7in & 8in auger worm is the same. You can take the 7in and put 8in blades on to make it an 8in. I did. It cut well.

Then I found a kit on ebay to turn a 7in flat blade (mora)  into a 7 or 8 in lazer. So I bought the kit and got sweeden lazer blades of ebay cheap and made the flat blade into a lazer.



After that I moved to an 8in nils.

I made a mode for the nils offset handle to fit the eskimo.



Ended up selling the eskimo shaver I made into a lazer to my budy. Since I had the nils. Then later I picked up a 6in lazer off craigs list for $20.

I now find myself using the nils with a powerpoint head to cut my wheel house holes. I use the 6in lazer for my flipover.

All in all you can spend about $300 trying crap like I did or you can get a Flat blade for $35 and be happy.....This chasing a better auger is pretty much a farse....Just put whatever you get on a decent drill & your set. If your determined to cut by hand, then do yourself a facor and get an auger with the offset handles for cutting.

[oldbuck]

I have a 6 inch nils that is 10 years old Never had it sharpened and never had a problem with it. I can drill through 10 inches of hard ice in seconds. I race guys with jiffy gas augers and havent lost yet, and Im 65.

[squ1rr31_]

I understand you're new here, but take the time and do a search for the information you're looking for instead of doing this....

[Sharp Nils]

  I've only seen the Best Auger For The Money Topic once this year.   
Who knows there might be a new contender, nah just Pretendas. OK don't hate me.

 Old Goat, your experience with Nils is more the norm then what the competition tries to scare you to believe. Of coarse you've taken care of your Nils for it to keep its edge that long.  For that I hate you.     Just kidding. 
 

[gunnerdog]

If your cutting head has the powerpoint the cold snap will not work.  FYI

Wanna bet?  The Cold Snap does work with the power point. I have two and they both have Cold Snap covers on them.

[Agronomist_at_IA]

Wanna bet?  The Cold Snap does work with the power point. I have two and they both have Cold Snap covers on them.

Same here works on mine

[cstolp]

Same here works on mine

Well not sure why it wouldn't work for me, but would not go on far enough and stay put.  Maybe I will have to try again.  Just want something simple that I don't have to fuss with.  The factory covers are useless and I am not spending 30-40 for something else that is difficult to use.

[Lobes]

For my money it's Lazer with hand augers. My first auger was a Mora 8". That tried to end my ice fishing career, just too big of a hole with the old fashioned blade configuration/angle. Then I bought a 4" Lazer and the better blade angle made life 100% easier on the ice. Since then I acquired a few more Lazers. Now I have a 4", two 5", a 6", and a 7". Other brands started showing up with similar blade, and handle designs. So there are good choices on quality augers.
You don't necessarily need six augers but after more than 50 years of ice fishing you can accumulate a nice inventory of gear ...

                                                                                   
Lobes