I was only finding 2 1/2 feet of ice this weekend up the ice road. Some lakes are pushing 3 feet to 40 inches. I camp out on a lake with tons of flow through it and there is only 2 feet on there.
Normark 6 inch hand auger for all my holes the last 4 winters. I built a permanent extension out of some old auger parts and 3/4 inch electrical conduit. You guys will be looking for me on that multi-day trip when your auger won't start! Plus, I bet I can give a power auger a run for its money with new blades and about 2 feet of ice. If I have to stop and clear the hole then the power auger would probably beat me.
Less weight, easy to repair, cheap to replace and cheap to operate.