Razr augers

[thomasthepikehunter]

This is a new brand which claims to have made Strikemaster augers in the past. I don't see any reason to doubt that, as all of their designs are Strikemaster designs, including the blades. The issue I'm having is I can't really pin down on when this would be. For a long time Strikemaster was completely in Minnesota. I'm sure they had plenty of things shipped in, especially those Swedish blades, and plenty of Chinese parts. They were always upfront about it though, and you could drive right into Big Lake, MN and get anything you need. That must have closed 10 years ago now when they were sold to Rapala. As far as I know they moved the service center to somewhere in the cities, no idea on the manufacturing plant. I can't find where Strikemaster had any major changes in the last 10 years. It looks like Razr brand augers came out 2019-2020ish. So I can only assume the most reasonable timeframe when they could have been making them for SM would have been 2013-2018. I can't find much about the company. One address is a business office. The other I suppose could be a manufacturing plant, but it looks more like a fulfilment center. Multiple emails to the company have not helped at all.

Does anyone know more about this company? Are they a legitimate manufacturer, or are they just another importer of Chineese junk?

[HWeber]

Pick what color you want your Chinese steel painted and buy an auger

[thomasthepikehunter]

Pick what color you want your Chinese steel painted and buy an auger

With how many non-Chinese augers are out there, I will never willingly do that. I really want to buy the Razr synthetic lite, but not if it's made in china. The Strikemaster lite flite is made in USA of US and global components, says so right on the box. The only reason I want the Razr is they offer an offset style handle I want to try. I've got nothing against the Strikemaster/Rapala finbore III made in Sweden, except they no longer seem to be imported into the USA. Wanted to try the Russian made HT mini Nero, but those are for sure no longer being imported. The way things are looking this year, you can have any flavor auger you want... as long as it's a 40v battery auger.

[hardwater diehard]

https://www.facebook.com/Crappiejunction/videos/301127626083327

[thomasthepikehunter]

https://www.facebook.com/Crappiejunction/videos/301127626083327

Ok, so that makes them sound like they really do have a manufacturing plant somewhere. I didn't watch past 10 minutes, but he is saying they have been building augers for 30+ years? Maybe they are the original Strikemaster plant in Minnesota that built them until 2012?

Anyway, I think I'm going to give the Razr synthetic lite a shot.

[hardwater diehard]

If I recall ..the Razr are pricey ..and I dont recall any deals or steals on them  from past seasons. .if you do find a deal it is usually from a retailer with horrible shipping cost nulling the deal.

Good deals can be had on the nylon/composite augers from various retailers/manufactures but most have Mora/Shaver blades .

https://www.razrpowr.com/product-page/OffsetHandle   sign up and add a discount code thing can drop way down in price



 offset handle

https://www.razrpowr.com/product-page/OffsetHandle

[thomasthepikehunter]

If I recall ..the Razr are pricey ..and I dont recall any deals or steals on them  from past seasons. .if you do find a deal it is usually from a retailer with horrible shipping cost nulling the deal.

Good deals can be had on the nylon/composite augers from various retailers/manufactures but most have Mora/Shaver blades .

https://www.razrpowr.com/product-page/OffsetHandle   sign up and add a discount code thing can drop way down in price



 offset handle

https://www.razrpowr.com/product-page/OffsetHandle

The prices don't look bad to me. I don't see them for sale anywhere, but they are available from the website. The synthetic lite 8" is $170 plus $35 for the offset handles. I'm waiting to see if they do a black friday sale. By comparison the Stirkemaster lite flite, which is not available as a hand auger, but as a drill setup is $200 from Cabelas. The blades on the Razr are Strikemaster lazer blades which you can buy anywhere, and you can sharpen them if you want.

I'm looking to replace my Nils Arctic Trekker 8". It was ballpark $325 last year. The blades randomly dull with no warning, so they basically require a second blade if you want to run a Nils. Those replacement blades are about $150. Sharpening is slow, only a couple guys in the country do it. I just got a quote, and with shipping and everything the cost will be over $55. Now THAT is expensive.

[thomasthepikehunter]

Razr was dodging the question hard. After refusing my first email, replying to me second email with "in our factory" (seriously, that's all they said), and playing dumb on amazon, I finally got an answer from a distributer. Razr augers are straight up imported Chineese augers. Nothing special about them. There's no way Razr owns any factory in China. As far as I'm concerned they are a bunch of liars. They're just a brand that imports augers and pretends they manufacture things, and to claim to have been "manufacturing" for 30+ years. OOF.

Back to the drawing board. Still no Fin Bore augers to be found. I might have to try my hand at fabricating some offset handles for a Strikemaster lite flite auger.

[riverfisherman]

Just about ordered the Finbore III auger also. But was looking at the Razr augers also and one thing I think is a plus with them is the "ice wings" on them that prevents catching at the bottom of the hole or binding when re-drilling out old frozen over holes. It's the same concept that the Eskimo uses on the bottom of there pistol bit augers except they use more of a ring all the way around. It does work because I own a pistol bit now 6" and it is the smoothest cutting auger at break through at bottom of hole and drilling out old holes that I've used. But downfall with the pistol bit is no center point (can wander on you if not really careful) and can't use as hand auger. So considering the Razr for center point, ice wings and being able to convert and use as hand drill. But not much for reviews on them?  If I don't find much positive feedback on the Razr augers maybe go with the Finbore III myself. They are out there
Also may consider the Nils auger. I have used one very smooth and fast but never tried re-drilling old holes with one. As far cost for sharpening the blades not big deal for me. 40.00 or so for 6" sharpen or 35.00+ for a new set of blades for finbore, razr ect. I think in the end you will be splitting hairs on the blades.
.

[FreshwaterPhil]

I'll take Fin Bore 3 over Nils any day. I have a 6 and 8 Finbore, as well as a 8 Nils that I sold, due to blades going bad at the slightest debris in ice, replacement head itself costs as much as a new Fin bore, I I used to send the head away for sharpening, as opposed to doing the Fin bore blades myself when needed.

I am selling my 8" Fin Bore (I have an 8 inch Ion G2), along with replacement blades and drill connector. But I'm in Canada, more specifically Montreal.

[RapShack]

Just about ordered the Finbore III auger also.
.

From where?  I've never seen one from a USA distributor when I looked for one in the past. 

[thomasthepikehunter]

From where?  I've never seen one from a USA distributor when I looked for one in the past.

Unfortunately Rapapa/Strikemaster told me the Fin Bore III has been discontinued. They were last imported into the USA 2-3 years ago.

[thomasthepikehunter]

I'll take Fin Bore 3 over Nils any day. I have a 6 and 8 Finbore, as well as a 8 Nils that I sold, due to blades going bad at the slightest debris in ice, replacement head itself costs as much as a new Fin bore, I I used to send the head away for sharpening, as opposed to doing the Fin bore blades myself when needed.

I am selling my 8" Fin Bore (I have an 8 inch Ion G2), along with replacement blades and drill connector. But I'm in Canada, more specifically Montreal.

I had the same experience. I bought both a 6" and 8" Nils, and neither were impressive. Do they drill smooth? Yes. Are they faster or easier than a Lazer? I would say no, they are close. If anything the Lazer might be faster. The handle design of the Nils is great is all I can say. No other auger randomly goes dull like a nils. My last hole drilled great for about half way and then poof, nothing at all. Not just hard to turn, but from 100 to 0 dead in the water. Would barely scratch ice after that. No other auger does this.

Cost as of last week for blades are $150 for new, and can only be found online. To shapen is $53. Frank charges $36, plus you pay shipping there.

I would not recommend Nils for anything but pristine ice drilling fresh holes. Mine would not double drill holes, drill old holes, or drill at an angle.

Honestly by the time you bought your $300 Nils, and required $150 spare head, you would be stupid not to just buy an electric.

[thomasthepikehunter]

Currently my plan is to buy a Strikemaster lite flite today in sale, then favricate a handle adapter. I found out Nils will sell my a set of handles for $25. I plan to find a tube to adapt to the 7/8" auger, then a smaller pipe as needed for height, with a block on top like Nils.

[thomasthepikehunter]

One option I'm also considering is a regular steel Strikemaster Lazer hand auger, and then buy the Razr offset handles for $35 which *SHOULD* fit right on the Strikemaster.

[hardwater diehard]

One option I'm also considering is a regular steel Strikemaster Lazer hand auger, and then buy the Razr offset handles for $35 which *SHOULD* fit right on the Strikemaster.

No center point on the SM hand augers ...folks have mounted a center point on the Mora augers ...some welding required .

[SLAYERFISH]

One option I'm also considering is a regular steel Strikemaster Lazer hand auger, and then buy the Razr offset handles for $35 which *SHOULD* fit right on the Strikemaster.

Why not use an electric drill?  Seems a lot simpler

[thomasthepikehunter]

Why not use an electric drill?  Seems a lot simpler

It probably is, but since my batteries are now 5+ years old, they don't handle cold at all anymore. I'd need two new batteries minimum, which is not cheap. Id rather just have a hand auger anyway

[RapShack]

One option I'm also considering is a regular steel Strikemaster Lazer hand auger, and then buy the Razr offset handles for $35 which *SHOULD* fit right on the Strikemaster.
[/quote

Right now on Amazon you can get an 8" Thunder Bay auger on sale for $55.  It comes with a folding offset handle and is basically a generic knock off of the Lazer.  According to them it will accept Lazer blades.  I picked one up last season but haven't needed to change the blades out so I can't 100% confirm that part of it.  But It's a Lot cheaper then dropping $100 on a Lazer then buying a handle separate. 

[laketrouthunter94]

To my knowledge, there is no auger entirely "made in the USA" right now, although I believe IONs are assembled in Wisconsin. I don't know much about razr, but they're fairly new to the game.

One thing to consider when looking at blades and their sensitivity to dulling is how they're actually cutting the ice. The lazer/razr/Pistol Bit style blades are shavers, so by shaving through the ice, they'll be quite sensitive to dulling and will decrease in performance quickly when dull. They cut pretty nice, but sensitive when dull.

The new(ish) ION Alphas and Eskimo E40s use turbo blades with multiple cutting edges and aggressive angles that chunk the ice more than they shave it. They still get dull, but they're less sensitive to the performance decrease and cut faster. I ran my 8" Alpha Plus hard last season and it was ripping strong from December-early April. Still don't feel like I have to replace or sharpen anything to start this season. The E40s start around the $450 range with promotions for 2 batteries included at a bunch of places right now.

[Fishtrekker]

Marine general has a smoking deal on the 40v razr's for BF. I have both synthetics in 6 and 8". Bundled at STP ice show last year and they have been great for me on a clam plate and the 6" on my drill. I don't care where they are made as long as they work and service is good if I were to ever need it.

https://www.marinegeneral.com/product/razr-40v-ultra-lithium-synthetic-auger/

[RapShack]

That is a really good price for an electric auger no doubt.  But do those units have battery commonality with any other manufacturers?  If you can't easily find replacements it's not that great of deal.  Right now the Razr site is the only place I see them, they are $230, and they only have 4 in stock. 

[thomasthepikehunter]

To my knowledge, there is no auger entirely "made in the USA" right now, although I believe IONs are assembled in Wisconsin. I don't know much about razr, but they're fairly new to the game.

One thing to consider when looking at blades and their sensitivity to dulling is how they're actually cutting the ice. The lazer/razr/Pistol Bit style blades are shavers, so by shaving through the ice, they'll be quite sensitive to dulling and will decrease in performance quickly when dull. They cut pretty nice, but sensitive when dull.

The new(ish) ION Alphas and Eskimo E40s use turbo blades with multiple cutting edges and aggressive angles that chunk the ice more than they shave it. They still get dull, but they're less sensitive to the performance decrease and cut faster. I ran my 8" Alpha Plus hard last season and it was ripping strong from December-early April. Still don't feel like I have to replace or sharpen anything to start this season. The E40s start around the $450 range with promotions for 2 batteries included at a bunch of places right now.

Most Strikemaster augers are made in USA of US and global components. The electric powerheads I'm sure are China. Most good auger blades are made in Sweden. Nils augers are made in Sweden. Finbore is made in Sweden. I think Mora augers are Swedish too. Mini Nero is Russian. There are lots of Non-Chima options.

So Runnings had a sale on the 24v Lazer lite flite, $360. I couldn't resist, I own one now.

[SLAYERFISH]

Thought you wanted a hand Auger?

[thomasthepikehunter]

Thought you wanted a hand Auger?

I do, and I still have every intention to do so. Looking at the lite flite for $200 vs 24v and lite flite for $360 seemed like a no brainer.

[Splattypus]

Love my 24v. Great value for the money.

[TheCrappieFisherman]

Razrs office and warehouse is right in the Twin Cities.  One of the orginal strikemaster engineers left and formed Razr, probably had to to with the sale to Rapala. 

Great price and customer service. I'd go eskimo or strikemaster if buying an electric auger but for my drill set up Razr fits the bill.
Wonder how the lite flight will cut as a hand auger.

Remember the phone or computer you are typing on was made in China...

[HWeber]

Razrs office and warehouse is right in the Twin Cities.  One of the orginal strikemaster engineers left and formed Razr, probably had to to with the sale to Rapala. 

Great price and customer service. I'd go eskimo or strikemaster if buying an electric auger but for my drill set up Razr fits the bill.
Wonder how the lite flight will cut as a hand auger.

Remember the phone or computer you are typing on was made in China...

I'm sure strikemaster does the bare minimum to make their claim of made in USA with USA and global materials. China auger with an American sticker or something. I get the OP's point to not support China but imo buying strikemaster is just buying Chinese with an American flag sticker.

[TheCrappieFisherman]

Agreed HWeber.

Just to clarify a point incase it was misunderstood... their storage warehouse is here in the Tiwn Cities.  They are manufactured overseas.

[hawg]

“ One thing to consider when looking at blades and their sensitivity to dulling is how they're actually cutting the ice. The lazer/razr/Pistol Bit style blades are shavers, so by shaving through the ice, they'll be quite sensitive to dulling and will decrease in performance quickly when dull. They cut pretty nice, but sensitive when dull."  WRONG.  Lazers are not shavers and go dull easily. Pistol Bits and Ions are shavers and stay sharp much longer, and reopen holes with ease. I’ve had lazers, and got sick of replacing them. Never again.