IceShanty.com's Ice Fishing Community
Ice Fishing Tips -Check your local regulations! => Equipment => Ice Augers => Topic started by: Van Noord on Jan 01, 2021, 01:21 AM
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These just arrived here in Canada and I've been looking for a lighter option to my bigger, main auger so I took a short drive to a local store that had them in stock and bought one along with an extra battery.
Used it just yesterday and boy is this thing light and fast! It's got to be the perfect sized power auger. Not too big... not too small, total Goldilocks.
I drilled 15 holes through 11" of ice and used 1 of the 3 battery bars on the indicator. It was approximately -10C and I was keeping the battery in the inside pocket my FXR jacket.
I'm going to keep using that same battery this week and see how many more holes I can get with it at the ice thickness.
This auger will be excellent for when pulling a sled of gear and running and gunning. Or for venturing away from base camp to pop random holes. Lovin' this thing...
Cats for scale (obviously)
(https://i.ibb.co/Kmc7kGp/IMG-20210101-022316-01.jpg)
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I just picked up the 40v version, best auger I’ve ever used hands down. Wish I would switched to electric years ago.
I’ve been thinking about getting the 24v for doing exactly what you said, it would be perfect for runnin and gunnin.
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I’ve used the 40v Lithium for a couple years now. Best investment in my in fishing arsenal.
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I drilled 15 holes through 11" of ice and used 1 of the 3 battery bars on the indicator. It was approximately -10C and I was keeping the battery in the inside pocket my FXR jacket.
I was checking one out a few weeks ago. They are very light and feel quality in the hands. But man, those numbers seem low to me unless you never fish any ice thicker than a foot. 20” of ice would cut the number of holes in half to ~7 and that’s on 1/4 of the battery. I understand you have an Ion for heavier work but a 2-dozen hole day doesn’t seem like much “runnin and gunnin” to me. I assumed these 24volts were in direct response to the boom in drill augers the past few years but I don’t see me giving up my drill setup anytime soon for a dedicated electric auger. However, I do see the 24v being a great option for the guys who have short seasons with thin ice that want to punch a bunch of holes quickly. Having said that, if I weren’t already invested in Milwaukee’s lineup, I’d really consider the 24v and an extra battery. It’s hard to beat the year round modularity of a drill setup though.
For what it’s worth, I haven’t fished on ice over 24” in about a decade. It usually maxes out at around ~20” around me. I’m curious to know the total number of holes you get at your current ice thickness! :tipup:
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I just used mine yesterday for the first time. Wind was blowing snow across the lake pretty good. I removed the battery, and went inside my shanty. Came out a few hours later and the snow was on the auger. There are holes in the top where you can see the electric part of it. Will this ruin the auger? My gas auger I could always leave sitting outside.
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I just used mine yesterday for the first time. Wind was blowing snow across the lake pretty good. I removed the battery, and went inside my shanty. Came out a few hours later and the snow was on the auger. There are holes in the top where you can see the electric part of it. Will this ruin the auger? My gas auger I could always leave sitting outside.
i doubt it will wreck it.my drill has holes around it too and ive left it the freezing rain and snow every time i was out.probably made to be out in the elements.
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Very cool. I still just use a hand auger to keep my rig light, but if my shoulders ever get to where I can't (had to back off from an 8" to a 7" Lazer for that reason last year) this seems like a really good option. Lightweight, and plenty of juice for me. I rarely drill over 3 or 4 holes in a day, and our ice rarely gets over 8-10" thick around here. Seems like a slick little light-duty power auger for people who don't want to go with a drill setup, imo.
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Yes we will see! I'm thinking/hoping one of the 3 battery bars will hang there longer than the others. I know my 2nd battery bar on my IonX does that...lasts much longer than the 1st and last bars.
Personally, I have no use for a cordless drill year round. I dont do any home repair or construction. I also don't like the body and arm positioning required to use a drill. I find it uncomfortable and awkwardly fatiguing on the shoulder and neck areas.
I plan on putting the 24v through some real paces this season. I'm even going to see how it does through 3-4ft of ice with an extension. Should be fun and interesting!
I am interested to see just how many holes this auger will do. They claim 50 holes on 16”. That’s 800” of ice. I’m betting it’s more like 600”. Am curious to see your results. I do t have a spare battery yet or I’d find out for myself.
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Does this count include the 15 holes through 11” of ice that you stated in the beginning of this post?
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I must of misread that when you posted it. That’s a fare ways from the expected 800” that SM claims. (50 holes through 16”)
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I’ve heard people talk about those batteries, but haven’t heard of anyone actually trying them. Interested to see how those work out for you. I will say, they look identical and I’m sure they come out of the same factory in China. Green works and Strikemaster both source their batteries through a company called Global Industries.
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I have a Greenworks 2.0ah that I've used for my B&D electric chainsaw. It seems to hold up just as well as the 2.0ah battery that came with it.
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Per James Holst the Greenworks batteries are not compatible with the Strikemaster 24v...
"Just a heads up in an attempt to save somebody some frustration and some money. The green works batteries are not compatible with StrikeMaster augers. They’re molded differently and they’re similar but not the same internally."
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Someone still has to try it and find out though. James is a respectable dude but SM does throw him money.
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Someone still has to try it and find out though. James is a respectable dude but SM does throw him money.
FINALLY someone is going to try it. There may be a plastic tab on the Greenworks battery that needs to be cut out to fit the Strikemaster. Or it may snap right in. Either way, please let us all know!
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Have you got the battery’s yet?!?! Curious to see your review.
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Can't wait to get some time on my 24v
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Have you got the battery’s yet?!?! Curious to see your review.
Saw one on youtube after hearing the battery life is not very good.
They popped 100 holes in 5 or 6 inches of ice. No where near the advertised amount but still very decent for a trip on the ice.
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I just picked up a 24v 6" recently. Tried it for the first time yesterday on 5" of ice. I drilled about 40 holes yesterday and only used up 1 bar on the battery (3 bars) total. I was really impressed. Very easy to use and I like how it's not jerky like a hand drill on the initial drill.
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So I gave mine the test today. I measured 10 inches of ice. Brand new battery, fully charged. Kept inside the house until I left this morning. Then it rode in the cab of the pickup until I hit the ice, then it went in the tub of the shack for about 4 hours. Then it went in my sweater pouch under my bibs for an hour before I started punching holes with it. I took off the battery and put on my new spare battery. I got 54.5 holes through 10 inches of ice, letting it cool down for 5 minutes every 10 holes. So 545”. 54 holes through ten inches of ice is a long ways from what Strikemaster claims. They claim it will do 50 holes through 16” of ice. There’s no way. That’s 800”. Also, it was down to one bar after 20 holes. And I got another 34 holes...
Overall I really like the auger but I don’t see it replacing my gas auger just yet. The ice is only going to get thicker. These batteries should be much cheaper than 100 dollars. And why are they only 4 amp batteries? Why not more? I am going to email Strikemaster about their claim and see what they say.
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I agree this won't replace my gas auger however I live in Eastern MA and we seldom get ice over 14". I can't remember the last time we had ice over that. The 24v is perfect for my needs but if I have to drill through thicker ice it's good to know I can always chuck the Lite Flite bit onto my Solo powerhead for more torque.
I believe the 24v is aimed more for the running and gunning style of fishing.
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Well that’s great if you’re running and gunning on thinner ice. It won’t be worth a darn to run and gun with it here once the ice gets thicker. If you don’t ever get thick ice, it’ll be fine. I have two batteries and I’d feel better with 3.
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I'm thinking of getting the ion x 8 inch it says it can drill threw 1600 inchs of ice?? Im a hole hopper sometimes drilling 50 to 60 holes ? I have a jiffy gas auger now, but its in the shop.
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I am looking into this auger also. I really want 8" hole though and while reading the specs it seems the 24v gets about exactly half the holes as the 40V. But when you add a second battery to the price, its almost the same price as the 40V. I get the weight savings, but it almost seems a wash for 8" unless weight savings is your #1 priority.
Looks like an awesome 6" auger option
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It also comes with a lite flite.
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Overall I really like the auger but I don’t see it replacing my gas auger just yet. The ice is only going to get thicker. These batteries should be much cheaper than 100 dollars. And why are they only 4 amp batteries? Why not more? I am going to email Strikemaster about their claim and see what they say.
Buckshot, just curious did you ever email Strikemaster about their claim of 50 holes on 16" of ice? I read other reviews and other people have said that it fell short of the 50 holes on 16". I'm gonna put mine to test this weekend to see if I can get 100 holes on my 6". Since this auger unit is fairly new this season it would help if everybody can email SM about the claim. Maybe they can find a way to improve down the road.
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I emailed them on Sunday and haven’t heard back yet.
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I heard back. They want it back. Batteries and all. I’ve also noticed I have to push down on it. My friend has a 40v and you don’t need to push at all, it sucks it right down.
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Hopefully I can test mine this week. Are they going to pay the shipping back on it
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Yes. They are sending a label.
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I bought the 24v 8" this year. I have been extremely happy with it. Sure beats lugging my 10" Model 30 around.... Had it out the other day and drilled 67 holes through 10" of ice. Still had a little life in it too, battery was flashing 1 bar. Probably the best outing I've had with it so far. I recently bought a second battery to take along. My plan is to keep my Model 30 for when the ice gets thicker than 12-14". I'd agree that this auger was designed for early ice/running and gunning type fishermen. Probably not a late season workhorse.
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Hopefully they come out with a bigger battery
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Van Noord, without looking back on this thread, I think you got around 640” of ice. Still a ways from the claimed 800”, but my 545” I got is over 30% away from what they told us it was capable of. That’s not acceptable to me, but this could be due to the fact that I have to push down to cut. It should cut a lot easier than that and all that’s going to do is put extra strain on the whole system.
I completely understand them wanting it back. They can’t just send out new parts without getting the old ones back, theres too many unethical people out there these days who would just take advantage of that. Why buy a spare battery if you could just tell them it’s bad and get a free spare?
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Question.
Is the bit head the standard Mora/Lazer setup? If I don't end up liking the drill rig that I'm still waiting on (🙄) I am giving serious consideration to picking up one of these 24v in 6" and just slapping my 7" Lazer bit on it, if it's the same shaft diameter.
From the battery life you guys have described, I could probably run an entire season on a single charge. Ice around here rarely exceeds 8", and I literally can't remember the last time I drilled more than 6 holes in a day. Most days it's 1 or 2.
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Question.
Is the bit head the standard Mora/Lazer setup? If I don't end up liking the drill rig that I'm still waiting on (🙄) I am giving serious consideration to picking up one of these 24v in 6" and just slapping my 7" Lazer bit on it, if it's the same shaft diameter.
From the battery life you guys have described, I could probably run an entire season on a single charge. Ice around here rarely exceeds 8", and I literally can't remember the last time I drilled more than 6 holes in a day. Most days it's 1 or 2.
It comes with the Lite Flite bit in 6" and 8". A lot lighter than the lazer auger bit.
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Strikemaster advises not to run a heavier steel bit in it. 6 or 8” lite flite only or it will void the warranty.
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544” is dead on to what I got. I don’t know if the retailer would exchange it or not. I’ll send it back in hopes of them maybe beefing something up internally. I wonder if there is something they aren’t telling the general public here. There’s no way it’ll do 50 holes through 16” of ice. The prototype may of, but this won’t.
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Strikemaster advises not to run a heavier steel bit in it. 6 or 8” lite flite only or it will void the warranty.
Ah, dang. For me 7" is like the Goldilocks auger size. I've had 6, 7, and 8" and I just prefer the 7" over 6 or 8.
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These guys drilled 100 consecutive holes on 6" of ice with their 8" 24v. About 600" before the battery died. Falling short of the mark that Strikemaster claims. Something tells me that Strikemaster isn't being honest with their field test.
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
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Do these tests where the batteries are drained completely not shorten the battery life? I know I got years more service from my SLAs once I started switching them out before they were drained. Does the lithium tech not respond in the same way?
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I have to wonder if these ratings are like fuel mileage, where they can make the conditions perfect to get the most holes during the test and then say "up to so many inches of ice".
Maybe they tested it on 16" block ice in a warehouse that was 70 degrees, with a battery just off the charger in the office room, all holes started with the bit on the ice so no wasted spinning, and a time break between each hole for the auger motor and battery to settle/cool. Theres something that happened if everyone is getting 70% of the listed performance.
Or maybe they did get that performance with the initial run of test batteries, then they bulk purchased the run and the company making them (presumably in china) cheapened out on something.
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I’ll let ya know when I get it back. I bet it drills better and will get more holes.
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I have to wonder if these ratings are like fuel mileage, where they can make the conditions perfect to get the most holes during the test and then say "up to so many inches of ice".
Maybe they tested it on 16" block ice in a warehouse that was 70 degrees, with a battery just off the charger in the office room, all holes started with the bit on the ice so no wasted spinning, and a time break between each hole for the auger motor and battery to settle/cool. Theres something that happened if everyone is getting 70% of the listed performance.
Or maybe they did get that performance with the initial run of test batteries, then they bulk purchased the run and the company making them (presumably in china) cheapened out on something.
Well I know there's a huge difference in how much gas I use based on air temp and how hard the ice is. Late ice, warm weather I can get a lot more inches of ice per tank of gas than mid winter, cold weather... I'm sure eclectic augers are the same. They would be silly not to do marketing testing during prime conditions, just like your fuel mileage analogy.
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Well I know there's a huge difference in how much gas I use based on air temp and how hard the ice is. Late ice, warm weather I can get a lot more inches of ice per tank of gas than mid winter, cold weather... I'm sure eclectic augers are the same. They would be silly not to do marketing testing during prime conditions, just like your fuel mileage analogy.
Yes but remember the caveat
"YOUR MILAGE MAY VARY"
or this caveat
'your mileage may very"
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I bought the 40 volt this year and so far I love it. Was out all day in 20 degree weather last weekend on 6 inches of ice. Drilled about 50 holes. I purposely left the battery out in the cold all day to see how much the battery would drain. At the end of the day when I pressed the batter power button it still lit up all 4 lights! I've been very impressed with it so far. I can't wait to test it in sub zero weather.
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I bought the 40 volt this year and so far I love it. Was out all day in 20 degree weather last weekend on 6 inches of ice. Drilled about 50 holes. I purposely left the battery out in the cold all day to see how much the battery would drain. At the end of the day when I pressed the batter power button it still lit up all 4 lights! I've been very impressed with it so far. I can't wait to test it in sub zero weather.
Good to hear ..if I or others were in the market for an electric auger non cordless drill option ..I would get one of the Strikemaster options ..
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I’m slightly confused on how many complaints on the 24 volt auger. I got one for Xmas and absolutely love it.
It’s lightweight cuts fast period!! I have gone out three days this week and didn’t have to charge it. After three days only one bar on battery used.
Even if you are a run and gun guy. I can’t see it feasible drilling that many holes. Maybe study your maps better and not be a numbers guy???
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G fish, does yours cut effortlessly, like it drills itself or do you have to push down some to get it to go? As much as you love it, give an honest answer. Is yours an 8 or 6”?
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8” I would say effortlessly is a tough word. I don’t push harder then my old 10” gas strikmaster auger. Or not as hard as my 6” lazer hand auger. If that answers your question??
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No trimming or modification needed?
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I had a honda 4 stroke strikmaster, it did well, quieter then a two stroke, but last 2 years have used 40v strikemaster, its a dream. Way better, I use a 10 inch hole and it cuts through no problems. I leave the battery on out in the cold never had a problem. Keeps the snow out of the terminals. I keep a cover on it on rainy days, not sure you really need to but I have it so why not, and it runs fine with a cover on it...Prices level out after a few years if you have to have it first your going to pay..... :-).
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(https://i.ibb.co/3ch4skc/IMG-20210118-135402-1.jpg)
Nice.
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What did u have to modify
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Pretty cool mod! definitely a lot of cheaper than a SM battery. Is the Greenwork a 4ah or 5ah?
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Pretty cool mod! definitely a lot of cheaper than a SM battery. Is the Greenwork a 4ah or 5ah?
It says 4 amp on the battery
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Well it needs 4 batteries lol. The 54 holes through 10” of ice isn’t very much. I still haven’t received my auger back yet. I sent it in last Monday so it’s been just over a week. I’m hoping it is back by this weekend and I can report back after giving it another go.
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While I didn't count holes last weekend I would guess I got alot more than 540". Needed near zero down pressure. Still not sold on the electric idea but with stimulus money burning a hole in my pocket it was the most reasonable addition to my gear
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While I didn't count holes last weekend I would guess I got alot more than 540". Needed near zero down pressure. Still not sold on the electric idea but with stimulus money burning a hole in my pocket it was the most reasonable addition to my gear
Yep that’s why I got mine too. Stimulus money.
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All my buddies with the electric drill setups are pretty impressed by how light and efficient it drills. Now I just need to add an 8" Lite Flite bit to the arsenal since I have the 6". Will definitely be picking up another spare battery for the late season ice.
Btw, if you are on the fence about getting it, Cabela's online bargain cave has the 8" 24v for $299.99. Add another spare battery for $74.99. That should put you at $374.98 total. Still under the retail. Can't beat that price.
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Aluminum SM Lite Flite extension purchased and installed!
(https://i.ibb.co/j6XHsqq/IMG-20210208-093938-02.jpg)
(https://i.ibb.co/rQx8SS3/IMG-20210208-093851-01.jpg)
I guess I will be the rude one, but can you do anything about those HUGE pictures?
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Normal on my phone
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I use a desk top computer with a large screen (prefer not using the phone for the internet if I can avoid it), that must be the difference. Most everybody else's pictures are normal in size, easy to view, for me, Van Noord's pictures look blown up like they were under a microscope. Anyone else having this problem on their desk top, or is it just me? Sorry to be silly about bringing this up, I assumed it was something the poster was not aware of. When I take a picture with my phone, there is an option to send it large, medium, or small, would something like that make a difference on how it shows up here on a bigger screen?
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The extension looks nice Van Noord! Little update on my 24v that I sent into SM. Ups lost it. So SM sent me a new one. The new one definitely drills better. I still have to use a little force but not bad. It doesn’t drill as nice as the 40v though. Idk if it’s the extra weight those have or what, but those 8” steel bits require absolutely zero pressure to drill. They will start drilling on their own. You simply have to hold it straight. I haven’t done the battery/hole test yet, but I will.
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I use a desk top computer with a large screen (prefer not using the phone for the internet if I can avoid it), that must be the difference. Most everybody else's pictures are normal in size, easy to view, for me, Van Noord's pictures look blown up like they were under a microscope. Anyone else having this problem on their desk top, or is it just me? Sorry to be silly about bringing this up, I assumed it was something the poster was not aware of. When I take a picture with my phone, there is an option to send it large, medium, or small, would something like that make a difference on how it shows up here on a bigger screen?
On my lap top his photos are like billboards ..if anyone can tell me how I can make my photos appear larger in my photo attachments to posts that would be appreciated..mine all seem not large enough to be helpful/descriptive as they tend to be quite small.
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I use a desk top computer with a large screen (prefer not using the phone for the internet if I can avoid it), that must be the difference. Most everybody else's pictures are normal in size, easy to view, for me, Van Noord's pictures look blown up like they were under a microscope. Anyone else having this problem on their desk top, or is it just me? Sorry to be silly about bringing this up, I assumed it was something the poster was not aware of. When I take a picture with my phone, there is an option to send it large, medium, or small, would something like that make a difference on how it shows up here on a bigger screen?
Depends on the size you choose when you upload.
Just right click on the pic and "open in new tab" if on chrome.
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The extension looks nice Van Noord! Little update on my 24v that I sent into SM. Ups lost it. So SM sent me a new one. The new one definitely drills better. I still have to use a little force but not bad. It doesn’t drill as nice as the 40v though. Idk if it’s the extra weight those have or what, but those 8” steel bits require absolutely zero pressure to drill. They will start drilling on their own. You simply have to hold it straight. I haven’t done the battery/hole test yet, but I will.
Just a like how a lighter shotgun will have more recoil, a lighter auger will have more feedback.
Van Noord, where did you find the the Aluminum extension?
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On a desktop or laptop the photos will be blown up due to the high resolution of the photos.
I know on some image hosting sites, you can resize the picture or you can copy the image url in different sizes like large thumbnail, medium thumbnail, and make it desktop friendly.
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Why don’t you guys start a new thread about picture posting instead of ruining this one?? The topic here is the new 24v Strikemaster. Thank you.
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The extension looks nice Van Noord! Little update on my 24v that I sent into SM. Ups lost it. So SM sent me a new one. The new one definitely drills better. I still have to use a little force but not bad. It doesn’t drill as nice as the 40v though. Idk if it’s the extra weight those have or what, but those 8” steel bits require absolutely zero pressure to drill. They will start drilling on their own. You simply have to hold it straight. I haven’t done the battery/hole test yet, but I will.
Well that is good customer service ..good luck
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Just a little review update on my 6" Strikemaster 24v since I purchased it back in the beginning of January. I've made about 15-20 trips already with it mostly run and gun type situation where I would drill 50-75 holes per outing. Now that our ice is thicker around here about 10"-12" in most places I still haven't been undergunned by the battery power. There was one trip where I drilled closed to 75 holes (my buddy was also using it too) and only used up 1 bar. I went out again the very next day on the same charge (forgot to recharge) and drilled 60 more holes. It still had 2 bars left at the end of the day.
So far I'm very impressed. Will be grabbing a SM Lite Flite 8" next year so I can swap the bit for the bigger species.
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Just a little review update on my 6" Strikemaster 24v since I purchased it back in the beginning of January. I've made about 15-20 trips already with it mostly run and gun type situation where I would drill 50-75 holes per outing. Now that our ice is thicker around here about 10"-12" in most places I still haven't been undergunned by the battery power. There was one trip where I drilled closed to 75 holes (my buddy was also using it too) and only used up 1 bar. I went out again the very next day on the same charge (forgot to recharge) and drilled 60 more holes. It still had 2 bars left at the end of the day.
So far I'm very impressed. Will be grabbing a SM Lite Flite 8" next year so I can swap the bit for the bigger species.
I can echo this, been really impressed with the auger, though we are approaching 16" of ice here but it's been so cold, I haven't been drilling as many holes as I was earlier so haven't really tested it in the thicker ice. I bought mine around Black Friday, and have not used my hand auger, or any other auger this season.
Only issue I've had is the cutting head getting iced up to where it wouldn't cut, but that was my fault for putting it down into some slushy snow in below zero temps. Chipped out pretty easily, but is there a better way? Put the cover on right after drilling?
One other thing that impressed me, and I know I should be taking the battery off and putting it in my pocket. Last weekend it was cold, -10F, windy, and we had a good 4-6 of new snow on the ice. I drilled probably 10 holes that day, but on my last move, I forgot to take the battery off, and laid it down in the snow, where it sat for at least 2 hours. Still 3 bars when I got home. I still put it on the charger, and the charge light did flash on the charger, but only for about 10 minutes.
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Would just like to recommend that you guys don't recharge your batteries every trip. Each battery only takes so many charges before it goes bad. They also hold a charge much longer if you continually drain them down to nothing and charge them back up to full. What you are doing is short cycling the battery. This will shorten the lifespan. You also should long term store them at 3/4 to 1/2 charge, not full. Just some tips I've picked up along the way. ;)
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Would just like to recommend that you guys don't recharge your batteries every trip. Each battery only takes so many charges before it goes bad. They also hold a charge much longer if you continually drain them down to nothing and charge them back up to full. What you are doing is short cycling the battery. This will shorten the lifespan. You also should long term store them at 3/4 to 1/2 charge, not full. Just some tips I've picked up along the way. ;)
That's interesting. I always heard with the Lithiums that if you drained it down say 25% and recharged, it would only "count" as .25 of a charge/discharge.
You are saying there is only a set number of recharges the battery gets, and it does not matter if it charges from 5% or 95%, but every time its connected to the charger you are losing a full charge, as far as the lifespan goes?
Tht's good info to have, I must have heard wrong. I did know about the long term storage, storing it down below a full charge, and that you don't want to "top it off" during the off season like a SLA battery either.
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https://www.powerelectronics.com/markets/mobile/article/21859861/proper-care-extends-liion-battery-life
Saves he said she said if u just go to a source......
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If you dont want to read the whole article, this is the important part.
Boosting Battery Life
Usually, a combination of several factors increases or decreased battery life. For increased cycle life
Use partial-discharge cycles
Using only 20% or 30% of the battery capacity before recharging will extend cycle life considerably. As a general rule, 5 to 10 shallow discharge cycles are equal to one full discharge cycle. Although partial-discharge cycles can number in the thousands, keeping the battery in a fully charged state also shortens battery life. Full discharge cycles (down to 2.5 V or 3 V, depending on chemistry) should be avoided if possible.
Avoid very deep discharges (below 2 V or 2.5 V)
Very deep discharges will quickly, permanently damage a Li-ion battery. Internal metal plating can occur causing a short circuit, making the battery unusable and unsafe. Most Li-ion batteries have protection circuitry within their battery packs that open the battery connection if the battery voltage is less than 2.5 V or exceeds 4.3 V, or if the battery current exceeds a predefined threshold level when charging or discharging.
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Would just like to recommend that you guys don't recharge your batteries every trip. Each battery only takes so many charges before it goes bad. They also hold a charge much longer if you continually drain them down to nothing and charge them back up to full. What you are doing is short cycling the battery. This will shorten the lifespan. You also should long term store them at 3/4 to 1/2 charge, not full. Just some tips I've picked up along the way. ;)
You mention "short cycling" this was a term used in acid flooded cell lead batteries.. Lithium technology is much, much, different. LiFePo4 batteries should not ever be completely discharged or there's about a 20% chance an individual cell will not recover. But your auger wont let you completely discharge it beyond the safe zone, it will cut it out at the cutoff voltage which will save the battery. However its still best for them to always hover in the 70-90% range for longest life.. but we are talking 500 cycles here, so if you fish every day for 3 months (90 days) you'll be good for roughly 55 years of use with your auger battery. But I would suggest replacing it after 30-40 years just to be on the safe side.
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Kevin is right. I stand corrected. Apparently I am getting old and confused, or my information was outdated. This is from batteryuniversity.com:
Similar to a mechanical device that wears out faster with heavy use, the depth of discharge (DoD) determines the cycle count of the battery. The smaller the discharge (low DoD), the longer the battery will last. If at all possible, avoid full discharges and charge the battery more often between uses. Partial discharge on Li-ion is fine. There is no memory and the battery does not need periodic full discharge cycles to prolong life. The exception may be a periodic calibration of the fuel gauge on a smart battery or intelligent device.
I am actually glad this came up, as I learned something today that will possibly extend the life of my batteries. Thank you for the correction.
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So I charged up both batteries and hit the ice today. It definitely drills better than the previous one. I don’t have to push down anyway. First area I fished had 15” of ice and I got 31 holes with the first battery before it died. A lousy 465” of ice. I wasn’t too careful in keeping that battery warm either, but I did keep it in my truck so n the dash where the sun was shining. Second battery stayed in my pouch in my hoodie under my bibs and under my coat. This one was much warmer for sure. I switched areas and found 21” of ice. I moved around a bit and was at 230” of ice before I moved to a different lake. I kept it in my pouch on my hoody while I moved around that area too so it definitely stayed warm the whole time. So anyway, new lake had 24” of ice. I got ten holes before it was dead for a total of 470” of ice. 5” difference between the two batteries.
I’ve read from some others that they didn’t get many holes drilled with their first charge and that the second charge was much better. I’m hitting the ice again tomorrow so we will see if there’s any difference.
I don’t think it matters if these batteries are 15° or 70°. I think as long as they aren’t like 5° or colder that the battery temp doesn’t matter. Overall, I’m not too impressed with this auger. The battery life is sad. 50 holes through 16” of ice is the claim and I got 31 through 15”...not impressed. I will see how it does tomorrow with batteries on a second charge. If it’s not better, I’m sending an email.
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Van Noord, what are your overall thoughts so far? How many inches do you get on a battery? Do you see a difference between the two brands of batteries as far as how many inches it’ll drill?
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Didn’t keep track of the first battery today. The second one did 25 22” holes for 550” of ice.
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Here is the response I got from Strikemaster
(https://i.postimg.cc/SjKq69b6/6089-B5-A3-6666-4-C86-A187-87186-CEB2624.png) (https://postimg.cc/SjKq69b6)
So they were able to get 800” of ice but the countless amount of folks I’ve spoken with that have this new auger, not a single one of them has gotten 800”. My first 24v cut like crap and didn’t get crap for holes. This new replacement one cuts better but also doesn’t get crap for holes. Mine doesn’t catch on the bottom like you are describing Van Noord. It’s probably your blades even though they’re new. All this leads me to believe that these Chinese Strike flite bits have no consistency to them. They all cut different. More than likely it is the blades. They all say made in Sweden but there must be zero consistency in these blades anymore. There have been plenty of people with new 24/40v augers that don’t cut right, and blades always seem to have fixed the problem even though they were new and looked fine. The blade quality has been going down hill.
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Well our -40C cold snap finally ended here last week so I've been fishing every day since last Friday with the 24v.
I'm finding the auger definitely bucks more due to its lightweight and the lazer blades can catch at the bottom of the hole once in a while causing a bit of a rough breakthrough.
The Greenworks battery doesn't do as well in cold temperatures as the StrikeMaster battery.
Initially I wasn't counting inches or holes with the Greenworks battery because of the cold.
I drove nearly 2 hours north of here when it was -30C and the battery didn't too well in the cold weather or sitting in an insulated bag in my cold truck after cutting a handful of holes through 31" of ice.
But yesterday I did 21 holes through 26" of ice...so again right around the 545" mark. Not too happy with those numbers but with four batteries on hand and my style of fishing, it shouldn't be a problem.
I know this an old post but I have read the entire thread as I am considering purchasing the Strikemaster Lithium 24v Auger 8".
Very good information across the board. Especially about LIon battery technology.
Regarding your point, "the battery didn't too well in the cold weather or sitting in an insulated bag in my cold truck"/ I am wonder if storing the battery in an insulated bag with chemical hand warmers would be safe and help.
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I know this an old post but I have read the entire thread as I am considering purchasing the Strikemaster Lithium 24v Auger 8".
Very good information across the board. Especially about LIon battery technology.
Regarding your point, "the battery didn't too well in the cold weather or sitting in an insulated bag in my cold truck"/ I am wonder if storing the battery in an insulated bag with chemical hand warmers would be safe and help.
Although I dont have issues with my Milwaukee Lithium battery for my auger set up in my area ..if I were concerned I would use an insulated lunch bag/small collapsible cooler and a rechargeable hand warmer..set on low or medium. I would also not keep the battery in a frigid truck/ATV/outside over night.
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I’ve kept my battery warm and inside my hoodie pocket under my ice suit. Doesn’t matter. Still struggles to get through 500” of ice. They need to make some bigger batteries for it. The 5 amp batteries just isn’t enough.
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Used to keep the Ion battery in an insulated cooler but not anymore. Never had a problem with it getting to cold to function. Has laid on the ice all day in single digits weather and colder.
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I have never had to keep my battery warmed up for my 40V or my Milwaukee drill batteries.
There was 1 time last season with frigid temps that I removed my milwaukee battery and kept it in my pullover, as a precaution.
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Last fall I "lost" a brand new 2ah battery at camp. Came back in spring and it had been sitting out all winter. Never took a charge again. Cold temps definitely affect the lithium batteries imo.
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Last fall I "lost" a brand new 2ah battery at camp. Came back in spring and it had been sitting out all winter. Never took a charge again. Cold temps definitely affect the lithium batteries imo.
Did you try the trick of jumping it with another battery first, leaving them hooked together for a couple of hours, then try charging it? I had luck doing that with drill batteries that would not charge.
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I left this reply on another thread and will also post it here as a comparison to the 24v. I forgot to mention temps were relatively mild, -10c for the ion test and -5c for the pistol bit test. batteries were outside beside the innitial batch of holes, 6 to 8, when they came out of a warm truck. Honestly these numbers seem right inline to what guys with the 24v get.
We recently did some testing with an ion g2 8 inch fight. We got 27 holes in 27 inches of ice with the 4 ah battery(this year they ship with 2 4ah instead of 1 6ah). Ion claimes 1200 inches on a battery for the g2, ive seen youtube tests over and over where all brands exaggarate. We got 730 inches. Granted the deeper the ice the less your inches will be due to carring extra chips up. So we got 182 inches per ah at 40v.
Also did this same test with an 8 inch eskimo pistol bit and a milwaukee fuel gen 3 with a hi output 6ah battery( for a short time they made a different 6ah thats the same size as the very common 5 ah, and is not the hi outout version) There was less ice. We got 24 holes through 24 inches. So 567 inches. plus this battery put in have a dozen ice anchors. So we got 96 inches per ah at 20v. Convert that to 40v to show how it would compare and we get 192 inches per ah. very comparable. if the ice was the same thickness it would probably be identical.
Both batteries were not new and had some charges on them. They started the test full. Holes were not all drilled one after the other. We were fishing so half a dozen at a time.
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Late to the game here on this thread but I purchased an 8" in Jan22 and got barely 300" of ice I turned in my flight batch number and received a new set of blades and they cut no better than the first set. Also every few inches it would stop like being stuck and give out 2 quick beeps like a breaker was triggered. SM had me send the unit back and it was returned in less than a week so props for that but the only thing done was replace the battery which was "suspect". I had tried a friends battery and a greenworks and still had the same issues so I am not expecting any improvement but will be trying it out again this weekend.
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Late to the game here on this thread but I purchased an 8" in Jan22 and got barely 300" of ice I turned in my flight batch number and received a new set of blades and they cut no better than the first set. Also every few inches it would stop like being stuck and give out 2 quick beeps like a breaker was triggered. SM had me send the unit back and it was returned in less than a week so props for that but the only thing done was replace the battery which was "suspect". I had tried a friends battery and a greenworks and still had the same issues so I am not expecting any improvement but will be trying it out again this weekend.
Same exact process and results for me. First time out with the new blades I got about 35 holes in 7" of ice. Next time it was about 13 holes in 12" of ice. Last time maybe 11 holes in 18" of ice. I get the constant cutting out unless I happen to do things just perfectly. It shouldn't be this temperamental. I will be giving them a call.
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Yep same here. Things fine for a few holes but overall this thing sucks. SM says they get 800” of ice whenever they test them out. If you complain about only getting half that they’ll just tell you sounds like the 40v may be for you instead. No, I want the lighter 24v that cuts through 800” of ice as advertised.
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Exactly. And if it is a battery issue, one shouldn't need to carry two extras to have the ability to drill 40 holes. I sorta of miss my propane Jiffy and I didn't think I'd say that >:(
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Did they adjust the number of holes they advertise on a single battery? I have the 6" and I could have sworn when I bought it before last season, they advertised 100 holes through 16" of ice. I see now they claim 65.
I love the auger, never ran out a battery but tried last weekend to run it down some, mostly to see if my blades were getting dull and affecting battery life. I drilled 30 holes and had one bar left on the battery, but we were over 16" of ice in most spots I drilled. So that might be in line with the 65 claim, but nowhere close to the 100 they claimed when I bought it.
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I'd be thrilled if the 8" got even 40 holes in 16" of ice and didn't shut down 3-4 times per hole. I imagine that my blades aren't the sharpest at this point, but jeez it shouldn't be like this.
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Mine has never shutdown mid hole unless battery was dead. Seems they've let a lot of lemons through, glad I got a good one