"IceGator Reviews"

[lookinfopike]

sorry to hear about your health. hope you get better soon.

about making ice holes. my toy drill works perfect for me making 6" holes and all of my friends have them too. if i did NEED a dedicated power head i would buy icegator, but i don't and shouldn't ever. if the price came down to more "affordable" costs, it probably would sell more to those of us who do not NEED a dedicated power head. i'm pretty sure even if it were say 300$ i still wouldn't buy one as i have no need for it unless i needed to drill a bigger hole.
i enjoy having tools that are used all year long tho and feel it makes for a wiser investment.

smeltbuster does go the distance to help his fellow anglers in his area and that was nice of you to pick him. thanks for that. i know he'll test it for sure.

I didnt mean to sound like I was dogging the drill set ups 3300. They are great for the thinner Ice, super light to carry if you want to pack light too. But they are not even in the same class. Most of the time the Icegator was way more machine than I ever needed. But it was always nice to know it was there when needed. And once again, they are expensive compared to most others. But then again its all about the job your doing and whats comfortable for the wallet. I will also admit that it was kind of a "look at my new toy" thing too. Had quite a few contests with it and was never beat by any other auger gas or electric even with the 10" pike auger. I am sure smeltbuster will put her to the test on the Gull Lake smelt grounds too. He did get a chance to use it last year and fell in love with it. He has a bad shoulder and the manual auger was taking its toll on him. So no more cranking the shoulder for him. Once again Mr 3300 you are right. Hard to find anyone who is more than willing to lend a hand on the ice than smeltbuster. He is also my number one test pilot for my smelt flies, and a top shelf sportsman.

[royjulius]

royjulius, go to the Eelpout fest. in Walker ,n, you may think it,s closer to LA-LA or never-never land!!! WOW, GOOD TIMES. WIRE

That sounds fun! I watched those guys on tv boiling fresh pout in 7up and dipping it in butter. Right out of the hole to the fillet board and into the pot. That's fresh fish! 

[Knife2sharp]

That 9.5" blade looks sweet. I see they're offered separately for gas units, but the site doesn't say which ones they are compatible with.

[Fishrmn]

That 9.5" blade looks sweet. I see they're offered separately for gas units, but the site doesn't say which ones they are compatible with.

I don't think they're making them available for gas powered units.  They're making them available for people who've already bought an Icegator in the past, but have had to use a different bit with it.  You'd need to make your own adapter to run it with a gas power head.



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[Phoenix]

Well I just have to throw my two cents in. I bought one of the earlier units and was quite pleased with it at first, although it was a bit on the heavy side. I only cut maybe a couple hundred holes a year, used an 8" Nils auger, and babied it like it was my own first born. Then after about six years one day it wouldn't go at all. I contacted Greg and he told me that the unit wasn't worth repairing!

I have since purchased an Ion and am very pleased with it and am confident in the customer service what with it being backed by more than one man.

[FISHFORPIKE]

Well I just have to throw my two cents in. I bought one of the earlier units and was quite pleased with it at first, although it was a bit on the heavy side. I only cut maybe a couple hundred holes a year, used an 8" Nils auger, and babied it like it was my own first born. Then after about six years one day it wouldn't go at all. I contacted Greg and he told me that the unit wasn't worth repairing!

I have since purchased an Ion and am very pleased with it and am confident in the customer service what with it being backed by more than one man.

Did you take it apart to check things out?  They are very simple and use off-the-shelf electric parts and peices.  Chances are it's just a set of burned contacts.  I dissemble mine every year, lube the chain and clean the contacts.  Those contacts can take a real beating if the unit is switched on and off while under load.
That's what I have found.  Fixed a buddie's that way.

[Knife2sharp]

Fishrmn, from their website under products page for this item it states:
>> Can be attached to your gas auger drive. By doing so will drop the weight for your gas unit 10 lbs. or more. Gives you the ability to just drill straight through deep ice without pulling up to relieve the shaved ice. Also makes for re-drilling old holes supper easy.

[3300]

Well I just have to throw my two cents in. I bought one of the earlier units and was quite pleased with it at first, although it was a bit on the heavy side. I only cut maybe a couple hundred holes a year, used an 8" Nils auger, and babied it like it was my own first born. Then after about six years one day it wouldn't go at all. I contacted Greg and he told me that the unit wasn't worth repairing!

I have since purchased an Ion and am very pleased with it and am confident in the customer service what with it being backed by more than one man.

thinking they cost 600$? and so that would be 100$ per year or 50 cents per hole was your cost and not worth repairing?
wouldn't that be up to you if it was worth it or not? very odd!
after six years, the battery should be shot is all. how much is the battery that fits yours cost? more than a whole new unit? can you use a over the counter battery?

[FISHFORPIKE]

thinking they cost 600$? and so that would be 100$ per year or 50 cents per hole was your cost and not worth repairing?
wouldn't that be up to you if it was worth it or not? very odd!
after six years, the battery should be shot is all. how much is the battery that fits yours cost? more than a whole new unit? can you use a over the counter battery?

Yes, the batteries can be replaced if Lead Acid. Greg sells them on his web site.  OR - The case can be dissembled and batteries ordered/purchased almost anywhere and installed.  The Lithium pack is a little trickier.  I ruined mine last season (I had upgraded from the Lead Acid pack, so still had it) I tore into the battery pack and was able to find some Lithium cells on line and put it back together.  Like I said, someone with a little wrench turning ability can fix these things, easy. 
Is the IG expensive to use? - You bet.  But it cuts ice like no other on the market. 

[Fishrmn]

Knife2sharp,
My bad.  Let us know how it works.



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[Stinkybaits]

After reading all the posts on here. I have to say I hate to see the bickering that a couple people can do which turns  something sincere into a conspiracy.
  Just my own thoughts. I have owned a 12 volt and a 24 volt Icegator. Since I got my first it has been a huge draw. Ive had it on Saginaw bay all the way to Green Bay and down to south of Indy. People love to see it work and try it out on there own. It really is a fine piece of equipment. You really could see the difference it makes in the way people fish. No Gas, No hand cranking. It allow you to drill holes faster than any other auger and put more holes in, especially when your on the search for fish.
 I too have had a couple issues with mine and  with both it was only the charger. After a phone call the 12v charger was quickly replaced. I did have a little issue with getting the 24 volt charger, but things happen. For what it is worth, my overall experience with Gator has been a good one and I`m glad I got with Mark & Greg to have the best Ice auger out. I hope the business gets itself on top of it all and stays there.

Send his free auger to Stinkybaits and I promise not to deface it with Hello Kitty stickers and other evil stickers. 

[EricB86]

Will somebody just buy my stupid Ion so I can pony up the cash to get a Gator already??? Why would they make an auger that you have to keep warm? And why did I buy it? Maybe next year I will give the Ion to my pops! Work some overtime, quit having babies, and buy a real electric auger!

[DBV]

I have even thinking buying a 42v Icegator head to replace my Nils/Tanaka gas auger.  I use the 6 inch Nils and also have a 8 inch. I like the thought of no gas, no fumes and quiet drilling.   Is buying the head overkill for the 6 inch auger?  I think the 42v Icegator head would probably weigh more than the Tanaka power head too.

[EricB86]

I would be careful asking about Gator. There are alot of people that hate them for the older gen augers! But the new 42v is the real deal! I would sell my soul to get one in my sled!

[Icegator]

I have even thinking buying a 42v Icegator head to replace my Nils/Tanaka gas auger.  I use the 6 inch Nils and also have a 8 inch. I like the thought of no gas, no fumes and quiet drilling.   Is buying the head overkill for the 6 inch auger?  I think the 42v Icegator head would probably weigh more than the Tanaka power head too.

For the 6" question, when I design something I've learned to make it overkill Lol! and it all depends on the depth of ice your drilling through, along with the type of fishing your doing.  if your someone who is fishing tournaments and needs to drill say 200 holes pre-fishing then the 42 volt 6" Nils is exactly what your going to want.  you can drill those 200 holes three times faster then any other set up around and not run out of power. you have the ability to get almost 250 holes through 30" of ice per charge with this set up, and never worry about the cold. if your the type that goes out and drill 20 holes and done for the day fishes say five times a year, then its overkill because the battery needs to be run for it to have the longest life cycle of around 5 years. for the Tanaka power head question. It is quite a bit lighter then the 42 volt but a lot slower. again it all depends on how your fishing.

[largemouth]

I was one of those knuckleheads that read the bad reviews and decided to buy an Annihilator anyways. I was even one of those knuckleheads that jumped at the chance to throw cash at Greg last summer when he was taking preorders for the new 9.5" bits. That was a fun wait until after the ice fishing last season to get the bit, and it only took about 20 harassing facebook posts and text messages to finally get it. Great, he has a 3 year warranty on the unit and a 1 year warranty on the battery and auger bit. Unfortunately, it appears that last years 9.5" auger bit debacle has put him right out of business so even if my auger doesn't work, I'm up a creek at this point. The auger is amazing but as stated by hundreds before, the customer service is garbage. Do yourself a favor and read the Facebook visitor posts for Icegator. Stay away!

[lunkerslayer]

Well you are in luck because Icegator is no more, so quit bad mouthing Greg. I was one of the few have been treated with the utmost respect. I wonder how this could be? I will let you take the time to sit,pause and reflect on what it takes to sell a product to a customer who did get his order and still needs to bad mouth a business that is no more.

[largemouth]

Well you are in luck because Icegator is no more, so quit bad mouthing Greg. I was one of the few have been treated with the utmost respect. I wonder how this could be? I will let you take the time to sit,pause and reflect on what it takes to sell a product to a customer who did get his order and still needs to bad mouth a business no more.

Reflection done. The issue here is that he did not treat everyone with the same respect that he treated you with. How many people sent money to him and are still posting on his Facebook page wondering what is going on. Has he put up any notice on his page to let these people know he is out of business? He obviously hasn't contacted them or replied to them to let them know that they will be taken care of. just because I got what I ordered doesn't mean it was handled with good customer service.

[lunkerslayer]

Reflection done. The issue here is that he did not treat everyone with the same respect that he treated you with. How many people sent money to him and are still posting on his Facebook page wondering what is going on. Has he put up any notice on his page to let these people know he is out of business? He obviously hasn't contacted them or replied to them to let them know that they will be taken care of. just because I got what I ordered doesn't mean it was handled with good customer service.

It still doesn't say much about you that has no horse in the race, I do believe your horse has been beaten to death.

[largemouth]

How exactly do I have no horse in the race? I just spent over $700 on an auger that now has no source for replacement parts and no support because of the poor customer service of the company.

[lunkerslayer]

How exactly do I have no horse in the race? I just spent over $700 on an auger that now has no source for replacement parts and no support because of the poor customer service of the company.

Sell it to me I will buy from you. Put it on for sale here on ice shanty I will buy regardless of no customer service. PM me I will give you a generous offer

[largemouth]

I'm on the South Shore of Massachusetts. If you are local, come on over and I'll sell it. There's no way I'm shipping it.

[lunkerslayer]

I'm on the South Shore of Massachusetts. If you are local, come on over and I'll sell it. There's no way I'm shipping it.

Why is that sell it to me through pay pal or epay

[3300]

or wait to ship it after the funds have cleared.

those things are amazing to watch and listen to cutting ice for sure! never heard any thing like it and it throws water way up your legs it has that much speed!
too bad they didn't reorganize the company to take care of business. so maybe the patent is no good and some one else will run with it.

[FISHFORPIKE]

Never know - maybe reorganization is in the works.  Greg had a great product; I think he just could not keep it going financially and support from his parts suppliers was laking, maybe.

All the parts in a gator are are off the shelf - if you have some nowhow most issues can be fixed without Greg.  I still think abuse (unintentional) was/is the biggest problem with any electric powered auger.

[lunkerslayer]

Yes I can fix anything on the drive unit but the flightings are something I can not make.

[stinkyfingers]

This had to be a long time coming. Just couldn't go on that way any longer. Like others, I hope some visionary will step up and buy the patent and the jigs and re-organize under modern business practices. Reminds me a little of the DeLorean story, a product way ahead of it's time and even ahead of it's inventor. I may be putting my Gator on the block, "Little Pokey the Wonder Auger". Still the hottest thing on ice but the owner/operator is nearing the end of his career and it's too much machine.

[Ice Scratcher]

I just starting reading some of the comments on the Facebook page...

Not impressed really...

It really isn't even that fast of an auger IMO...

Watch this comparison he made, really horrible because..

1) He cant run a gas auger properly
2) His gas auger can't run properly
3) The blades gotta be dull as hell
4) I never have to lift my Eskimo to clear chips
5) He lies about there being 36-40 inches there, maybe 24

Don't believe me, watch for yourself..

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=sj4b7NDNwNI

My 25 year old Eskimo, through about the same amount of ice...

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=1MWRyYBSw00

Boy, I'm lucky I didn't lose my bit in the hole when I didn't clear the chips out... Lol

<°)))>{

[lunkerslayer]

You are joking right that's a 9.5 inch bit, count how many second it takes to go down based on the number of flightings. 20 seconds Icegator spins at 375 rpm nothing spins that fast  not even the Eskimo with a 8" bit meh

[stinkyfingers]

I just starting reading some of the comments on the Facebook page...

Not impressed really...

It really isn't even that fast of an auger IMO...

Watch this comparison he made, really horrible because..

1) He cant run a gas auger properly
2) His gas auger can't run properly
3) The blades gotta be dull as hell
4) I never have to lift my Eskimo to clear chips
5) He lies about there being 36-40 inches there, maybe 24

Don't believe me, watch for yourself..

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=sj4b7NDNwNI

My 25 year old Eskimo, through about the same amount of ice...

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=1MWRyYBSw00

Boy, I'm lucky I didn't lose my bit in the hole when I didn't clear the chips out... Lol

<°)))>{

Scratcher--You and I are not likely to cross paths to put it to the test but I'd put Little Pokey up against any 8" gasser in Colorado. Somebody PM me and we'll meet in early February on Elevenmile and burn 10 holes from a cold start for pink slips.
Stinky