Hand vs. Power auger?

[307Outdoorsman]

I've been using a hand auger the past couple years, and is reliable. But I'm debating upgrading to a power auger and am wondering what works best for everyone else's style?
I usually carry propane for a heater and a cordless drill for ice shack stakes, so im open to propane, gas, or running one on a cordless drill.
How much time/money is spent on maintenance?
Portability/transport?
Reliability?

[Mancaveburnett]

Go cordless drill. No maintenance except sharpening the blades as needed. Most guys are switching over to cordless drill set ups. Clam plate, mora auger, clam extension, and a milwaukee drill with a 5amp hour battery or larger.
You wont regret it, i been using mine for going on 4 seasons now.

[307Outdoorsman]

Thanks, i did build an adapter to run my 8" Eskimo hand auger on a drill, but my drill does not have enough torque to spin it. So i need to upgrade my cordless drill to go that route. No issue with using hand auger with no centering point on a drill then?

[appleye]

I switched from gas to drill a couple years ago and I have a difficult time even looking at the gas auger now. Buy lots of batteries and a good auger and you will be set. I went with 6" auger and when looking for bigger fish I overlap holes, works well.

[muskyon46]

First off welcome to the shanty 307outdoorsman. Definitely go the drill route. You'll wonder why you didn't do it sooner. The auger you have should work other than needing a way to keep it from going down the hole if it comes detached, centering points not that big a deal unless your overlapping holes IMO. Get a higher torque drill (1200inlb) with at a minimum 5amphr battery. There's a few options on the drills but I love my Milwaukee

[hardwater diehard]

What drill are you using ...make/model ? Could upgrade to a bare tool ..new or recon . Whats your fishing style/conditions ..running and gun or sit and wait ..whats your average ice thickness? Do you really need an 8 inch hole ? could scale down your auger drill unit if targeting pan fish ..

[307Outdoorsman]

Thanks muskyon46.
Hardwater diehard: im using Milwaukee m18 compact drill (550in/lb ish) with 2 or 3 amp/hr batteries, so would need to upgrade drill and batteries. I live around wheatland fishing mostly in south east wy (#3, johnson, sloans/absarraca, glendo, curt gowdy mostly) ice thickness averages 12". I don't t really need 8" auger, 6 would be fine also. Depends on body of water whether i run and gun (johnson sit and wait, #3 and glendo i keep moving etc.)

[hardwater diehard]

Thanks muskyon46.
Hardwater diehard: im using Milwaukee m18 compact drill (550in/lb ish) with 2 or 3 amp/hr batteries, so would need to upgrade drill and batteries. I live around wheatland fishing mostly in south east wy (#3, johnson, sloans/absarraca, glendo, curt gowdy mostly) ice thickness averages 12". I don't t really need 8" auger, 6 would be fine also. Depends on body of water whether i run and gun (johnson sit and wait, #3 and glendo i keep moving etc.)

Well you are at the cross roads ..upgrade to a reconditioned 2803/2804 with your a 3 ah battery may just be fine ..could add one 5 ah battery later on ..as you already have the charger ..I would suggest signing up to the various tool outlets to get all the promotions/discounts ...on another note scaling down a size or two on your auger drill unit will be a world of difference . How many holes do you drill on average ...and what auger drill unit/blades are you using?

[Dorado]

I purchased a Milwaukee hammer drill with 1100 in/lb of torque and the removable handle to allow for holding the drill and not get too torqued.  It came with a case, charger and 2 5AH batteries for $229.  I went with the Eskimo Pistol bit 8" that weighs less than 4 lbs.   It was on sale at Marine General for $159.  All together the drill and auger don't weigh much more than a traditional hand auger.  I am amazed at how light the setup is and how super fast it drills the ice!  I was at Boysen a few weeks back and drilled over 60 holes in 12" of ice, still had plenty of juice in the second battery.  The reviews of the Pistol bit say to avoid drilling out old holes, but I have had no issues with that at all.  I am very impressed!

[307Outdoorsman]

Dorado: thats impressive! your setup is what im leaning towards
Hardwater diehard: i average drilling 10 holes, but would drill many more if i had a power auger. Its a 8" Eskimo hand auger with standard blades.

[hardwater diehard]

Lots of holes can be drilled with a 8 inch mora style bladed auger like you have paired with a Milwaukee 1200 in/lbs drill and a 5 ah battery. Decisions decisions.Cordless drill set ups are nice and light.

https://www.iceshanty.com/ice_fishing/index.php?topic=372843.0

[Hunt n Fish]

If you’re buying something I’d buy a drill and run your 8” hand auger. Was in your same boat a few years ago. Drilling holes by hand with an 8” Eskimo. Had an old Dewalt drill (NiCad before lithium’s came out) so got an auger adapter to give it a try.  Barely turned my 8”. Bought a 6” Mora and works great at least for thinner ice.  Just bought a lithium adapter and new 5ah batteries for my drill and I get a lot more holes. I do have a 10” gasser I got a deal on and usually bring it out once the ice is over a foot. Its definitely not necessary but I do like fishing a bigger hole. 

If I was starting from scratch I’d go buy a new drill and an 8” hand auger with an adapter.  Put a ring or float on the auger just in case it falls out of the drill.

Also if you don’t have any sonar yet whatever you do don’t buy any.  If you get a power auger and sonar all you’ll want to do is fish. 🙂

[307Outdoorsman]

Thanks for all the responses!
I believe ill upgrade my drill to run my hand auger, then when it wears out upgrade to a Pistol Bit or similar.
Hunt n fish: i don't have sonar......yet.
I already am obsessed with fishing through the ice, i can imagine doing so with sonar and power augers is even better!

[appleye]

You really need to find some sort of electronic. If I had too I would use a hand auger with a graph. That being said I can’t even fathom not having both. Years ago (90s) we used cheap graphs and caught a ton of fish. Today’s stuff even a cheap graph is light years better Than the old graphs we used. Not sure where at in the state, might add that to your profile. I always pack a couple extra graphs should I find someone who doesn’t have one or one gets broken. Good luck!

[bearnoob]

I was considering the same 2 years ago. Had a cold winter with nearly 30" of ice and couldn't drill more than a few holes by hand. I decided against the drill and got an Ion and love it.  Would have gone strikemaster if they weren't sold out near me. Honestly can't remember what turned me off of the drill though.

[waterlike]

I had an Eskimo propane to start3 years ago. It busted cause I'm not good at maintenace. Then I hand augered and it's fine you just can't do as much. And anything over 12" and it gets annoying if you want to drill more than 10 holes. I got a Milwaukee fuel 2703 with two 5 ah batteries for a great deal at rural king. Still there too. I used it today for the first time and I would never go back. No sound. Drills so fast. I drilled 40 holes no issues. Would've only drilled about 10 by hand without dill.

[Unclegillhunter]

Too funny over the years went from hand, to gas, to propane to electric, now back to hand. Lighter than all the rest and  I have seen a foot of ice around here in years! Still have the propane and electric set ups if I travel. Here’s hoping for some fishable ice before next season!
Keep it safe! JDL

[Special]

I've owned all three. Gas, Propane, electric. I love my KDrill (electric). In my opinion worth the money. Just get a brushless drill and you should be good to go. As for the bit. It like Ford, Chevy, Dodge. They all work great just whats your preference. ION, jiffy and Powerdrills are very good as well? I have used both. They work great but charging them can be kinda of a pain. Big batteries. Now I still use my propane FYI. In big groups that you have to drill 10 plus holes every time you set up the propane can be more proficient. Also if you drilling deep ice. 12" plus.  But reading this thread and seeing you don't own a flasher, I would get electronics first. If you don't mind hand drilling a hole, I would buy a flasher first. Its becomes the biggest part of my arsenal. Catch more fish. Or if your old school and set tipups out and play card then you don't need one. But I hole hope/Ice troll to much to sit.

[7lazy77]

You're already packing around a drill, so I would consider getting an electric auger (k-drill/eskimo pistol bit).  I have the k-drill & have been happy since I switched from gas.  As long as your drill supports the following recommendations to use with a k-drill or pistol, then this is the direction I would go.

Side Stabilizer Arm (for a secure two-handed grip)
1/2” Drill Chuck
18 Volt/4 Amp Lithium Ion Battery (or higher)
Brushless Motor Design
500-750 RPM with a minimum of 725 in/lbs or 820 UWO of torque

[Mohawk Garage]

I absolutely love my k-drill, plus the amount of weight you save is great when pulling a sked, I use my Ryobi hammer drill with a 9AH battery and it flat out shreds the ice!!

[akaakira]

After getting sick and tired of mixing gas, spilling fuel or worrying about fuel odor on my hands, I switched to electric. My buddy who's in the oilfield calls it my "Prius"... I tell him it's coal fired . Anyhow, no mess, scent or noise.

[ND_Outdoorsman]

Make sure you get the highest end model with the most torque. If it is not brushless you will burn the drill out so don’t skimp on the drill. The main drills people have been using are the top end dewalts and Milwaukee brushless hammer drills. The k drill bit is the best in dirty ice but is also the most expensive and not as on sale. The hand augers are all you need though for a decent electric ice drill.

[307Outdoorsman]

How well do you guys' drills do in ice 12-24" thick? Speed comparable to propane or gas?

[Dorado]

How well do you guys' drills do in ice 12-24" thick? Speed comparable to propane or gas?

I have only drilled up to 12" ice with the 8" Pistol Bit, but I was able to drill over 60 holes (I got about 35-40 holes before I had to switch batteries).  It is faster than gas, especially considering there is no choking, cold starting, and warm up period.  You will have a half dozen or more holes drilled before the gas/propane auger is even ready to start drilling.  I am sure, there is a point when the ice gets really thick that the gas/propane augers are still the better choice, but the lightness and convenience are really pretty awesome!

[Special]

How well do you guys' drills do in ice 12-24" thick? Speed comparable to propane or gas?

Speed is very close. Can hold neck to neck. With my KDrill I like the teeth on the bit.  But after 12” it really starts eating batteries so I will switch over to propane. And I don’t have to worry about batteries.

[wyoutdoors]

I run an 8" K-Drill off of a Milwaukee M18 Fuel drill and also carry a 12" extension for it as well. Never had an issue with it and have pounded holes all over numerous States and have even taken it into Canada.

With a couple extra batteries, extension cord for hotel rooms, and a Six Pack Battery Charger (All my buddies want to plug into my extension and power strip when we are traveling lol), I also use the Milwaukee batteries to charge my cell phone, power my camera and also have a 5ah battery running my Helix5 on my wheeler. Can't do that with a green propane bottle or extra can of gas for the auger! 

[ND_Outdoorsman]

Speed is very close. Can hold neck to neck. With my KDrill I like the teeth on the bit.  But after 12” it really starts eating batteries so I will switch over to propane. And I don’t have to worry about batteries.

What drill you running?

[jopes]

I use the Milwaukee m18/krdill combo in the 8" flavor.   Couple years ago Milwaukee decided to release a 12ah battery not too long after they released the 9ah.

 The power draw the kdrill puts on the battery I wouldn't run it again with a 5ah. 

I just fished for 4 days on a foot of ice and never charged it.   Still had 3/4 charge. 

[307Outdoorsman]

Thanks for all the responses. I ended up buying the DeWalt DCD996 tool only, as i already had a pair of dewalt 5ah batteries. Excited to see how many holes i can drill on a single charge.
Using my homemade adapter and 8" Eskimo hand auger.

[Lets fish]

Thanks for all the responses. I ended up buying the DeWalt DCD996 tool only, as i already had a pair of dewalt 5ah batteries. Excited to see how many holes i can drill on a single charge.
Using my homemade adapter and 8" Eskimo hand auger.

  nice dont forget a float so it dont go down hole