"IceGator Reviews"

[FISHFORPIKE]

Let's talk about personal, first hand, not "I heard this from that guy" hearsay stuff; reviews of the IceGator power auger head.  What you use for an auger and what's coming, new, from IceGator.

I've got a five year old unit that I've used the crap out of, with an 8" Nils bit.  Not one issue.  I upgraded to the lithium battery pack two years ago and have been nothing but pleased.  I had the pleasure of meeting Greg and Dee at a local ice fishing show in Syracuse and on occasion spoken to them on the phone and had email exchanges about their product.
To me, it's "THE" top of the line system to drill holes in ice.  Youtube videos are out there to prove it.
Can't wait to make my preproduction purcase of the new 9.5" auger and drive unit they will be offering this season.

[3300]

looking forward to read what goes on with this item.
thanks for starting it.

[Icegator]

Thank you for supporting starting this and your support. It's real nice to here that your Icegator has drilled all those holes for you. It tells me you know how to drill holes through ice. And as you may or may not know, because you are a previous coustomer you will get a good discount on the Annihilator 9.5 auger. This set up is a game changer for electric and the ease that it takes to drill a big hole like this.  It thrills me when I here good comments like yours.

[BaitBucket]

Just do a search on this site for icegator. Its riddled with disgruntled customer posts.  Mostly based on their poor customer  support.

[FISHFORPIKE]

Just do a search on this site for icegator. Its riddled with disgruntled customer posts.  Mostly based on their poor customer  support.

No offense Baitbucket - most of the negative comments are from folks that do not even own a gator.  They are hearsay, ot the same person with repeated complaints.  You know, as well as I do that it is way easier to mistreat an electric auger setup.  Dull blades, being one of them mis-operation of the switch(s) by continual on/off operation.  Everything in an eclectric, battery-powered system needs to be top notch,if it is going to work well.  I personally witnessed a good friend of mine (owner of an IceGator) completely burn up the switch on his unit by an on/off operation while under load (not good)  I convinced him it was his own doing and not a fault of the machine.  He got it fixed, changed his drilling habits and has not had an issue in three years.  He is not on this forum, so you will not hear from him.

I started this thread with the idea that it would contain posts, only from Icegator owners.  I know there are some disgrutled owners out there and do not mind hearing from them; but I will say, and there is no way to verify it, that some percentage of those are misuse and some are faulty equipment.  Hard to determine what's what.  Only a close inspection of the system will tell.  Operator error is a big issue in the world of battery powered drills as well.  Take your setup and put it into 24-30" of ice, even less and lean on it while drilling, get the thing near stalling and then let up on the trigger, then put it back on under load.  Just saying.

[Agronomist_at_IA]

No offense Baitbucket - most of the negative comments are from folks that do not even own a gator.  They are hearsay, ot the same person with repeated complaints.  You know, as well as I do that it is way easier to mistreat an electric auger setup.  Dull blades, being one of them mis-operation of the switch(s) by continual on/off operation.  Everything in an eclectric, battery-powered system needs to be top notch,if it is going to work well.  I personally witnessed a good friend of mine (owner of an IceGator) completely burn up the switch on his unit by an on/off operation while under load (not good)  I convinced him it was his own doing and not a fault of the machine.  He got it fixed, changed his drilling habits and has not had an issue in three years.  He is not on this forum, so you will not hear from him.

I started this thread with the idea that it would contain posts, only from Icegator owners.  I know there are some disgrutled owners out there and do not mind hearing from them; but I will say, and there is no way to verify it, that some percentage of those are misuse and some are faulty equipment.  Hard to determine what's what.  Only a close inspection of the system will tell.  Operator error is a big issue in the world of battery powered drills as well.  Take your setup and put it into 24-30" of ice, even less and lean on it while drilling, get the thing near stalling and then let up on the trigger, then put it back on under load.  Just saying.

It's not a bad product. It's the poor customer service in the past & more then likely present. If customer service was more then ignoring customer problems you wouldn't see the negativity. Take for instance Eskimo, they brought out the ion knowing there would be issues. They actually even made it a separate brand so negative issues would not reflect on Eskimo directly. Look at the reviews and sure enough the ion had issues, yet they stood behind the product with customer support and dealt with the issues and supported the customer. Now even with the previous issues the ion had they worked through them and you don't see very many unhappy ion customers.

Icegator Brand was miss managed by poor customer support, and the masses know it. Now many know beware of icegator. The best thing the owner could do is learn from his mistakes, and change the brand. Take the product that is improved, re brand it with a different name and learn from previous mistakes and have a good customer support service.

Many companies have screw ups and "support" the brand even if it losses money short term knowing if they don't it will kill the brand. Icegator made the wrong choice and made the cardinal sin of not standing behind the product early on. Now people will not trust nor buy the brand because of that. Most brands never rebound once something like that is done. A rebranding of the product with stratageticly placed dealers and service plans go a long way.

The guy talks of not being able to support his product because it would have broke him? I mean really? It appears he knows nothing about business. He simply should have had an insurance policy for every ice gator he sold for a period of one year. The cost should have be added to the product, then if someone had an issue it was covered. (Commonly called a warranty or a 2-yr service plan) Even Walmart sells a 2yr service/warranty program on stuff, which is usually not need because the items usually have a manufacture warrenty. He simply must not have known how to run a business or the practices and things you can do to cover risk on manufacturing and selling products. Now, that isn't uncommon that small business fail due to this all the time.

I honestly looked at buying an icegator last year. I do think they are a great product, however was turned off due to the overwhelming amount of issues and negative reviews people had. So I did my research and went with the Milwaukee/clam plate/7in&8in augers.

Now, if the owner of icegator wants to show his product and customer support is improved and changed for the better. I'm willing to play & compare it to my wilwaukee drill setup.

If the owner wants to take the challenge lets go.

I paid $250 for my Milwaukee drill, charger, & 2-4aml batteries. $45 for clam plate shipped to my house.

If he wants to sell me an ice gator shipped to my house for $295 that will attach to my 7in lazer or 8in nils I'll pay that and post regular reviews and how well it works.Or he can send me a head to test and I'll return at the end of the season.  I'll post tube videos comparing it to my drill setup and to my jiffy model 30 3hp 8in ripper. I'll be fair and post on any issues and customer service handling. Now....will he take the challenge or not? If he wants better reviews then here is the chance at it. If it performs.

[Icegator]

Very well put again fishforpike- I myself would like to here from all these people that say Icegator service is bad. Last year was the first for the 42 volt and I sent out a lot of them. I don't think I had any complaints at this time from any of those customers. Now it could be due to the fact very few failed, or it could be my coustomer service is much better, I don't know of any other company that you can call on a Saturday, Sunday or at 9:00 - 10:00 at night and get help, i took a lot of calls from people that had older 24 volt Attcker Li-ion battery pack problems late at night on weekends. And took care of the issues they had. I've already admitted to bad survice from a couple years ago, but not from these last couple years. I have a lot of people with five year old units that are very happy. So let's here from all that have had a bad experience with us.

[Icegator]

Agronomist_at_IA - you again! I have a feeling that sometime within the next two years, your going to purchase an Icegator and be my best fan Lmao!!!!!

[Tbone9]

Never heard of ice gator until I joined this site. Was dead set against electric until I seen the impressive video. What kind of warranty comes with it?and also can I charge it with an inverter in my truck? I stay out a few days at a time.

[Icegator]

3 year on drive and 1 year on battery. If you had to it could be charged that way.

[Agronomist_at_IA]

Agronomist_at_IA - you again! I have a feeling that sometime within the next two years, your going to purchase an Icegator and be my best fan Lmao!!!!!

I doubt I'll move away from my Milwaukee drill setup. However, if you wanna put the gator to the test it is out there. If it blows away the Milwaukee set up I'll be the first to admit it, but I highly doubt it. Balls in your court, and the sounds of crickets are louder then your supporters right now. Let's drop the talking and do some walking. Or are you to 🐔

[Agronomist_at_IA]

Yopu are ONE of them!  Have you ever owned an IceGator?  = NO - then you have no first hand experience with the tool or the support?  Then you are taking soimeone elses word for it? 

I would love to stand beside you with my gator.  HaHa.  Watch the videos man!  I'll admit there are some impressive cordless drill setups out there, and I'm gonna own one for my 6" Finbore Micro - but it won't replace the Gator.

Doesn't need to replace it when you don't need it.

[Whopper Stopper]

I sense our first cage match of the season




                     WS

[3300]

i know you wanted only poeple who own one to speak up, no one is, except hear say people, but i have seen one in person working and it blows away a drill and auger combo any day! once it gets to the bottom of the ice it pulls water all the way up to your belt line and thats with a 8 inch auger. its no joke. i recommend them because i have seen them working and the 3 year warranty is nice too. i'll never forget the sound it makes cutting.

comparing an 18 volt dc motor to a 42 volt dc motor is odd, other than its job desciption. i know a drill can not out perform an ice gator in speed or drilling deep ice. the battery capacity is also in its own league.
 it would eat my 24 volt ridgid drill for lunch!
 
how many amps is the icegator battery greg?
how many inch pounds is the output to the auger shaft greg?

i know what i'd buy IF i had to have a dedicated power head, but i don't need one. i olny make 6 inch holes and they are plenty big enough and some times i make 4 inch holes. sure the icegator would do it faster by a mile!

because my drill works for me and i use it all year long and its lifetime warranted and the cost factors of owning one or the other other or both, i use my drill i already own. another thought is water proof boots, the way the icegator throws water up so high and comes back down onto your leggs and top of the boots. i'd have to wear my military boots all of the time.

i have been pushing icegator based on what i saw in person that day and asking the owner how well he likes it.
way to go greg!
maybe you should look into adding staff to have better customer service if its a problem.

[ran7ger]

 i was probably one of the first in canada with a gator, bought it about 6-7 years ago.  brand new finbore3 first hole i ever cut the switch stuck and the damn thing nearly tore my wrist off.  so i didn't even get one hole cut before it burned up, didn't get a response from the company until near the end of the season...what else, battery connections got hot burned up the insulation and batteries, switch contacts burned out again, the scooter charger crapped out...i could go on but i already have in previous posts and don't feel like typing.  the worst part is once i got it working well many folks were blown away by the product and i know one guy at least that bought a gator after seeing mine cut.

 now my m18 fuel cuts until the ice is over 3' and then the honda lite takes over.

icegator admits to shoddy service in the past but what good does that do me/us now? 

[FISHFORPIKE]

Doesn't need to replace it when you don't need it.

Ha Ha - NEED - that's a "4-letter-word" in my vocabulary!  Not a thing to do with need.  All about wants!    All about "the best", all about the "fun" and satisfaction of owning the best.  Like 3300 said - you will never forget the sound of an IceGator going through the ice. 

I would not expect anyone to purchase an Ice Gator out of "need". 

[FISHFORPIKE]

so it's ok to be a fanboy and not own one, but not ok to criticize?

 i was probably one of the first in canada with a gator, bought it about 6-7 years ago.  brand new finbore3 first hole i ever cut the switch stuck and the damn thing nearly tore my wrist off.  so i didn't even get one hole cut before it burned up, didn't get a response from the company until near the end of the season...what else, battery connections got hot burned up the insulation and batteries, switch contacts burned out again, the scooter charger crapped out...i could go on but i already have in previous posts and don't feel like typing.  the worst part is once i got it working well many folks were blown away by the product and i know one guy at least that bought a gator after seeing mine cut.

 now my m18 fuel cuts until the ice is over 3' and then the honda lite takes over.

icegator admits to shoddy service in the past but what good does that do me/us now?

ran7ger, thanks for your response, you are one of guys I was looking to hear from.

[ran7ger]

 no problem, and by no means am i trying to start a war with the guys that have had good luck with their units - just providing an actual owners honest feedback.  if you do a search you'll get lots of opinions but alot of the negative ones have been deleted after the threads got out of hand.

  i should also ad that once i finally got a hold of greg he sent out a different style switch, that i never did install as i had it working well by that point.  seemed like a solid guy.

[Shack man Shoney]

I tried to get product information 3 or 4 years ago and got no response from phone calls or email. I decided if I can't get in contact with them for purchase information, then thats probably going to be the same type of service I will be getting for warranty/parts as well. I went with the Clam plate/ Milwaukee fuel 7"-8" mora auger and never looked back, the drill auger is way lighter, cheaper and has done anything i have needed it to do... and I can get good customer service on any of my components. When you choose not to respond to customers/ perspective customers it doesn't show just poor customer service..... It shows YOU DON"T CARE!!! If your considering a purchase do what I did and use the search function.... Its too bad it did look like a great product on you tube.

[stinkyfingers]

I know this topic cold. Bought my Gator four years ago and had the same switch problems. The dang thing beat the snot out of me trying to get it stopped. Slow response from IceGator. I probably wrote 30% of the negative comments in this forum I was that mad. But lo and behold Greg Pepple stepped up and sent me the re-designed switch cassette that prevented knotheads like me from "feathering" the switch which is what fritzed it out. Operator error. Since then it's all roses. Bought the Li-ion 27v battery when it came out and it 's been worth it. I christened my auger "Little Pokey" and she's my pride and joy. Never seen anything that can touch her for speed. A real beast on the ice. I'm well past the bitterness of four years ago. If needed, I'd certainly do business with them again. The little Milwaukee Fuel units are the way to go if you're drilling some 6" holes. Otherwise, it's the Gator and accept nothing less.
Stinky and Pokey

[gofish33]

I am a former owner.  The poor customer service drove me away.  I had problem with switch burning up and lost several weeks of fishing waiting to get it resolved.  I now have a Tanaka powerhead mated to a Fin-Bore auger, couldn't be happier.   I can get it serviced at several shops within 20 miles of my door, though I haven't had a need to get the Tanaka serviced.


gofish33

[gunnerdog]

I LOVE my Gator.  Best power head out there.  I've never had the problem of water everywhere though.  One of the reasons I love the power head.  When I let off the switch it stops immediately.  It doesn't have to wind down like a gas auger does.

[Duke M]

I hesitate to even post but here goes. I was an owner, but technically since throwing the unit in the recycling pile I guess I am no longer. My Ice Gator was an attraction on the ice. Other anglers would approach and ask, "What the heck is that?" as I ripped through the ice. Then my first switch burned out, and I went through quite a delay to get it repaired. I was gently accused of misusing the switch and using too big of a bit, (a 7" Lazer Mag.) I replaced the bit with a 6" Nils. Holy cow, talk about a raped ape! Until the second switch burned out a season later. Sooooo......I try contacting Ice Gator. Unanswered e-mails, I wrote a letter, no response, I called and talked to a nice lady, she promised I would be contacted if not later that day then certainly the next. Never heard a word, nothing. My personal switch burned out. I bought a Tanaka power head and threw the Ice Gator in the neighbor's scrap metal pile.

[3300]

greg,

i've been reading these posts and others about how poor the switch performance is. it sounds like it needs an overhaul. being the switch can't handle that many amps for long, so it needs what any thing else with high amp draw uses, is a relay. the relay can handle high current contacts and is designed to do so. then the amp draw on the switch becomes minimal. it would very easy to add one. automotive uses them for a reason too and on far less current drain connections.
one could use a relay socket and then could replace burnt out relays super easy.
if i had one, thats what i would do after the warranty or if it takes too long to get it back on its feet and eat the warranty.
all you have to do is measure the amount of amps it draws fully loaded or use a relay based on the batteries amp hour rating if nothing else.
a car starter uses a solonoid wich is like a relay, but bigger contacts. it is designed to handle over 200 amps, the ignition switch is not.
so for sure, a redesign is needed to keep the switches from burning out. they probably are not burnt out, they are probably scaled with burnt metal that could be burnished off and reused, but thats not an answer to the problem. redesign is the answer and would be simple and cheap to do.
making different styles of switches won't help either because they will always spark at the contact points even if you use self cleaning/burnishing contacts. they will pit and scale and stop making elsectrical contact sooner or later.
with a relay, i think you cold extend the warranty period as well.

another way to look at this is like points in a lawn mower or older car or boat motor. they use a condensor to help absorb the spark that naturally occurs each and every time the point contact makes a connection. it helps keep the scale of case hardened metal inplace and prolongs the contacts. one could add a condensor to do the same if using only a switch like points are  being the make and break DC electriacl connections, but still have a certain amount of times they can do that before metal transfers from one contact to the other. some would use a points files to remove that build up of metal.
this is whats going on with your direct connect swtch concept.
others report the switch staying closed and buring out the unit because it can not shut off at the switch. in those cases it welded the contacts closed because of too much current at the contacts. again, the relay resolves those issues as well.
a deadman switch added would be a nice safety feature. you could add a momentary switch to one or both handles that have to be held in with the handle before the main switch could activate. they would not have to be high current switches either. i am some what supprised this got past whom ever tests products for safety before releasing to the public.
this would of coarse offset any further switch failures for what ever reason.

[SnoHam13]

greg,

i've been reading these posts and others about how poor the switch performance is. it sounds like it needs an overhaul. being the switch can't handle that many amps for long, so it needs what any thing else with high amp draw uses, is a relay. the relay can handle high current contacts and is designed to do so. then the amp draw on the switch becomes minimal. it would very easy to add one. automotive uses them for a reason too and on far less current drain connections.
one could use a relay socket and then could replace burnt out relays super easy.
if had one, thats what i would do after the warranty or if it takes too long to get it back on its feet and eat the warranty.
all you have to do is measure the amount of amps it draws fully loaded or use a relay based on the batteries amp hour rating if nothing else.
a car starter uses a solonoid wich is like a relay, but bigger contacts. it is designed to handle over 200 amps, the ignition switch is not.
so for sure, a redesign is needed to keep the switches from burning out. they probably are not burnt out, they are probably scaled with burnt metal that could be burnished off and reused, but thats not an answer to the problem. redesign is the answer and would be simple and cheap to do.
making different stles of switches won't help either because they will always spark at the contact points even if you use self cleaning/burnishing contacts. they will pit and scale and stop making elsectrical contact sooner or later.
with a relay, i think you cold extend the warranty period as well.

3300 is spot on

SnoHam13

[stinkyfingers]

No doubt Greg Pepple from IceGator will be along with his comments on the well meaning comments above. In my view, the switch problem was re-designed and fixed several years ago. It was a bad switch design from the start and worse customer service getting the problem addressed. He just has to own that and I believe he has, at least to my satisfaction. It seems that most of the negative reviews stem from issues a couple of years back. I'd like to hear from guys using machines from last year and the year before to see how much service improvement has been made.

[FISHFORPIKE]

I'm still using the original switches in my unit.  I have new ones as a backup.  I dissemble my unit annually, grease the chain with cold weather lube and clean the contacts.  The contacts will take the current; the problem is when someone does the on/off thing while under load.  It's an operator thing, in my mind.  Like any other tool, it requires maintenance and proper operation.  I'm leaning towards ordering one of the new 9 1/2" auger units with the 42v battery pack.  Just looking to stay ahead of the game.    The video on Youtube, of that new unit, is very compelling.

[BaitBucket]

No offense Baitbucket - most of the negative comments are from folks that do not even own a gator.  They are hearsay

Well i hope the multiple replies of issues and poor customer service from Owners helps prove my point.  Personally I have seen and used an IceGator on the ice, and i know of an owner and friend who had nothing but issues and trouble with customer service.

I also reached out to IceGator 3-4 years ago when I was looking to go electric. Several calls/emails, and no returned calls.

[Icegator]

Hello, everyone hope you all had a good weekend; mine was good until Michigan lost Lol! it is nice to see the comments from everyone, thanks for coming forward. To start with, most of the complaints I am hearing are from three to four years ago.  That actually makes e feel good because I have worked very hard sense those days to take care of my customers, and looks like I have done a good job.  The switch issue was solved two years ago.
Now this is a review, so lets review Icegator.
1. First to come out with electric ice auger drive over 12 volts
2. First with fwd/rev  reverse for power cleaning the hole
3. First with an instant break system, so water wouldn't fly up your legs
4. First with Li-Ion battery power to make it lighter for the user
5. First and only one currently to have insulated battery pack, mine can handle the cold!!
6. First to have the ability with electric to drill 80 holes with a 9-1/2" auger bit through 36" of ice on a single charge.
7. Fourth one to sponsor this great site Iceshanty
Number 7 brings me to a point that I want everyone to understand, you see over the last week it is very clear to me that I have very few fans on this site that I have sponsored for many years.  I take 90% of the blame, but this is an example of how a handful of people can have enough influence on this site that everyone is scared to mention Icegator's name.  Thank God! FISHFORPIKE stood up for me and said hold on! I wrote most of those negative comments.  He had every right to be pissed back then, but he is over it.  My sales do not come from this site, and I have know this for a long time.  But this week also has me concerned, you see we have had quite a discussion on ice auger this past week all I here is cordless drill and Clam plate or Ion.  None of these are sponsors of this site.  Jiffy that is a sponsor was brought up in that they were getting ready to sell it so they could go to an Ion.  Now I'm not a gas fan Lol!! However, I am a fan of Jiffy they are the only ones made in America, they were the first to come out with Propane so that people didn't need to be fumed to death. They have brought more joy to ice fishing at making a reliable gas auger than any other company I know. But I don't think they are currently getting many sales from this site either.  Now I can see it changing for me because I look at it as an untouched market soon you are all going to be running Icegators Lol!! I guess I said enough about all that.  So it looks like a lot of people are trying to adapt different types of hand augers.  So if anyone wants to know about these hand auger  Nils , fin bore , Lazer , Lazer synthetic, or K-drill I may be able to help answer your questions I was the first to adapt to these.  My name is Greg and I'm here for the long hall.  Part of customer service.

[jbird68]

I bought and still use one of the original Ice Gators. I got mine when the 8 inch version was available. I use it with a 7 inch HT Arctic Express auger. I have never had any electical problem with mine. It still cuts holes fast. It doesn't have the Li-Ion batteries so it is sorta heavy. But I lug it out on the ice because it cuts holes. The only things I have ever had go wrong was one of the long battery screws backed out from vibration and it got lost and the threads on my hand auger are becoming stripped from retightening to the auger adapter. Ice Gator sent me two new screws but the threads were too short. I just had to take it to work and have them threaded a little longer.  But it works great. I will be taking it out on the ice again this year.  Sometimes customer service was a little slow but I am still happy with what I bought. I never thought I was one to buy the newest things out there but now that I look back I guess I am. I bought the Ice Gator,  VPG from Aqua-Vu (Showdown),  Buzz Stick(Junk), HT LED Puck light(Junk), Yak-Traxx XTR spikes (love them). I'm sure there are more. Some good, some  bad.