i bought a 4" nils master hand auger back when i was a sophmore in high school. that was back in jan. of 1998. I have yet to have to do anything to the blade - it has its fair share of dings and scratches, and has been dropped hundreds of times, but it still cuts as good as the first time i used it. I got a 6" nils master back in 2001, and the damn stopped cutting after the first trip. i bought a replacement head, and it cut even better than the 4" until last season, when some idiot dropped it, and bend the blade...bought another replacement head, and it has been cutting like gangbusters ever since. I tried out slipbob's 8" the other day, and that thing even cuts great. I have been waiting for a few weeks for my nils master 8" power auger, and i have been assured it will be in my thursday...i cant wait!!