Best hand ice auger?

[dkfry]

If you start it straight and maintain the line it should be in good shape right? Or, is it more likely to shift due to the off set handle?

You may have a hard time keeping the drill straight because the Moras turn pretty hard. If you have the older 4" or 5" Moras you would probably be OK. The 6" and larger Moras turn pretty hard. You could give the offset handle a shot I just think they are not best suited for the Mora style augers.

[esox_magnum]

Mora makes an auger that cuts easy?      Not sure a power head would help those.

[Gillgrabber]

Get a Nils and you'll never look back (except to see why your buddies with other augers can't keep up with you).

[RussianBear]

if money is not an issue, then get the nils.  a friend of mine has one and its fast.  i personally own a lazer and cant complain.  sure its not AS fast as the nils but its its fast enough and half the price. 

[RangerTim]

So.......... where is the best place to purchuse a Nils.

 

 

[skinnytrucker]

So.......... where is the best place to purchuse a Nils.

 

 

I think they will all be around the same price but I if I were in the market to buy one I would try one of the sponsors of IS first

[jiml]

So.......... where is the best place to purchuse a Nils.

The eight in version runs for about 140 bucks at just about any place that sells em.  I shopped around online for free shipping and found it at cabellas but skinny trucker is right.....check with some of the sponsors and see if they can hook you up with one with free shipping.

 

 

[Edrabax]

Just my two cents...Sorry for bumping...

I've used them all and they've changed quit a bit over the years. My father is still using an Eskimo ice auger like this https://under-the-open-sky.com/best-ice-augers/ from 1980 and this auger is more stoutly built than most. My uncle uses and old Jiffy, probably from the early 80's too. When you look at the augers today, you see much more plastic (cheaper to build and more profit) in the throttle mechanism, engine shroud, some gear case housings, and some of the actual handle frames. Jiffy was using some dogs-breath Tecumseh motors that were breaking down left and right. I went through two Jiffy STX 10" models, both having engine problems. Beware of the Tecumseh powered Jiffys on craigslist; look elsewhere. Tecumseh eventually went out of business (their small engines are trash) and Jiffy went with a new four-stroke motor and dubbed it as "better performance than last years engine". They went with an EZ-connect collar as opposed to an actual bolt which has been problematic.

Eskimo Brand ice augers have so much plastic that it scares me. On a remote ice fishing trip back in 06, our group actually snapped the plastic throttle while cutting holes. The carb actually stuck too. They dubbed the motor as the "z-71". Well gigidy gehawwww nascar WT* kind of idiots are they aiming this ridiculous moniker for a motor towards?? They have this tiny little throttle handle that is just begging to snap on a sub zero day. The throttle has a thin plastic housing that is screwed to the frame with two feeble little screws.......a nightmare waiting to happen.

Strikemaster are undoubtedly the present kings of the auger world. They have nice Swede-engineered cutting blades (amazing geometry). In a recent cutting competition, the strikemaster was the fastest cutting auger. They run Solo German-built small engines. Although their throttle design is mostly plastic, it's in a protected location and the plastic is better designed and more stout than the quirky Eskimo design. They have one four-stroke Robin motor that has had great reviews. If I were to run this motor, i would switch the spark plug to a hotter burning and better starting iridium spark plug equivalent. I would also run a higher octane fuel with some Iso-Heet added to the mix. This combo would allow a quicker warm up and better starting. They are really stuffing four-stroke engines down our throats lately, and we all know they don't start or warm up as easily as a good two-stroke motor.

[DR.SPECKLER]

Just my two cents...Sorry for bumping...

I've used them all and they've changed quit a bit over the years. My father is still using an Eskimo ice auger from 1980 and this auger is more stoutly built than most. My uncle uses and old Jiffy, probably from the early 80's too. When you look at the augers today, you see much more plastic (cheaper to build and more profit) in the throttle mechanism, engine shroud, some gear case housings, and some of the actual handle frames. Jiffy was using some dogs-breath Tecumseh motors that were breaking down left and right. I went through two Jiffy STX 10" models, both having engine problems. Beware of the Tecumseh powered Jiffys on craigslist; look elsewhere. Tecumseh eventually went out of business (their small engines are trash) and Jiffy went with a new four-stroke motor and dubbed it as "better performance than last years engine". They went with an EZ-connect collar as opposed to an actual bolt which has been problematic.

Eskimo Brand ice augers have so much plastic that it scares me. On a remote ice fishing trip back in 06, our group actually snapped the plastic throttle while cutting holes. The carb actually stuck too. They dubbed the motor as the "z-71". Well gigidy gehawwww nascar WT* kind of idiots are they aiming this ridiculous moniker for a motor towards?? They have this tiny little throttle handle that is just begging to snap on a sub zero day. The throttle has a thin plastic housing that is screwed to the frame with two feeble little screws.......a nightmare waiting to happen.

Strikemaster are undoubtedly the present kings of the auger world. They have nice Swede-engineered cutting blades (amazing geometry). In a recent cutting competition, the strikemaster was the fastest cutting auger. They run Solo German-built small engines. Although their throttle design is mostly plastic, it's in a protected location and the plastic is better designed and more stout than the quirky Eskimo design. They have one four-stroke Robin motor that has had great reviews. If I were to run this motor, i would switch the spark plug to a hotter burning and better starting iridium spark plug equivalent. I would also run a higher octane fuel with some Iso-Heet added to the mix. This combo would allow a quicker warm up and better starting. They are really stuffing four-stroke engines down our throats lately, and we all know they don't start or warm up as easily as a good two-stroke motor.

i disagree.any of the old jiffys with the Tecumseh engines are solid machines.tecumseh engines were the best  engines for ice augers back then.run forever with a little tuning.guys look for the tecumseh engine ice augers these days..I still have one from 1970 thats still cutting holes today.

[Kinkyline]

   Model 30's by Jiffy are great outfits if you take care of them.I have one I have ran for 30 years and it still raps up good and starts in the cold.No junk plastic crap to deal with or finicky blades to keep replacing.

[HWeber]

Just my two cents...Sorry for bumping...

I've used them all and they've changed quit a bit over the years. My father is still using an Eskimo ice auger from 1980 and this auger is more stoutly built than most. My uncle uses and old Jiffy, probably from the early 80's too. When you look at the augers today, you see much more plastic (cheaper to build and more profit) in the throttle mechanism, engine shroud, some gear case housings, and some of the actual handle frames. Jiffy was using some dogs-breath Tecumseh motors that were breaking down left and right. I went through two Jiffy STX 10" models, both having engine problems. Beware of the Tecumseh powered Jiffys on craigslist; look elsewhere. Tecumseh eventually went out of business (their small engines are trash) and Jiffy went with a new four-stroke motor and dubbed it as "better performance than last years engine". They went with an EZ-connect collar as opposed to an actual bolt which has been problematic.

Eskimo Brand ice augers have so much plastic that it scares me. On a remote ice fishing trip back in 06, our group actually snapped the plastic throttle while cutting holes. The carb actually stuck too. They dubbed the motor as the "z-71". Well gigidy gehawwww nascar WT* kind of idiots are they aiming this ridiculous moniker for a motor towards?? They have this tiny little throttle handle that is just begging to snap on a sub zero day. The throttle has a thin plastic housing that is screwed to the frame with two feeble little screws.......a nightmare waiting to happen.

Strikemaster are undoubtedly the present kings of the auger world. They have nice Swede-engineered cutting blades (amazing geometry). In a recent cutting competition, the strikemaster was the fastest cutting auger. They run Solo German-built small engines. Although their throttle design is mostly plastic, it's in a protected location and the plastic is better designed and more stout than the quirky Eskimo design. They have one four-stroke Robin motor that has had great reviews. If I were to run this motor, i would switch the spark plug to a hotter burning and better starting iridium spark plug equivalent. I would also run a higher octane fuel with some Iso-Heet added to the mix. This combo would allow a quicker warm up and better starting. They are really stuffing four-stroke engines down our throats lately, and we all know they don't start or warm up as easily as a good two-stroke motor.

How did you make the jump from hand augers to this rant full of bs about gas augers?

[DR.SPECKLER]

Lol.thats what I thought.misleading bs rant..

[Gunflint]

There is more gas around than in his auger.....

[Iceassin]

How did you make the jump from hand augers to this rant full of bs about gas augers?

 

[tbern]

8 year old thread about HAND augers...

[Gunflint]

8 year old thread about HAND augers...

A lot has happened in 8 years. The Mora I had then (which indelibly imprinted how difficult it was to make a hole in thick ice by hand) is history.

My Nils and my Nero are order of magnitudes better.

In addition, I fish for trout in the BWCA in northern Minnesota border (meaning THICK ice), and both Gas and Electric augers are illegal. It is either Hand auger or go home.

[HWeber]

Lol didn't realize it was 8 years old guess there's no reason to worry about derailing the thread

[filetandrelease]

Gunflint don’t forget the old spud 😜

[Gunflint]

Gunflint don’t forget the old spud 😜

I still have it and, if I remember correctly, the old guys could do well with it. I never mastered the art of actually making a fishing hole with one.

[filetandrelease]

Lol I can remember , wish I couldn’t 😃