for what its worth - I checked my hand auger blades, and discovered a burr on the inner (toward the center) two inches on both blades. Have a friend who will sharpen auger blades however decided to try and remove the burr myself. Taking a fine file and using very gentle strokes almost flat with the blade, I removed the burrs. Then on the other side of the blade I again took very gentle strokes, with the movement from back to the front edge. Taking my finger and touching the edge of the blade, both absence of burrs and an increased sharpnest was noted. Almost any beauty shop can refer you to a person that should be capable of sharpening your blades. My personal feeling - the burrs cause more problems then dullness. Since I haven't tried my auger since, I can only say it should drill ice better then it had last season.
