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Good points to consider... thanks for the input. Is it easy to find a drill adapter for the fin bore?
I'm thinking about going with the cordless drill auger set up. I think it will work great for my situation. I don't drill a ton of holes and the ice doesn't get crazy thick around here. I will probably go with a 6". In past I have used both a nils and a strikemaster, as hand augers there is really no comparison. The Nils is super fast and effortless while the stikemaster helps you build muscle as well as patience. One of the things that makes the nils work so well is the offset handles, however, if I go with the drill set up, the handles are not really an advantage. The head on the nils is really nice, but it is nice to be able to have cheap, spare blades for the strikemaster. When I start doing the math I could get the strikemaster for about $50 new (or cheaper used) and a drill adapter for $30. so $80 total. The orange Nils is about $160 at cabela's plus maybe about $10 in shipping. So at least twice the price...I guess my question really is: is it worth the extra money for the nils if I'm just going to attach it to a drill? When i watch youtube videos of both the nils guys get through the ice in a matter of seconds, but it only takes the cheap augers a few seconds longer...
The reason to get the nils vs a lazer is the lazer will catch on the break through when cutting a hole. It gets really old after a few holes. By lifting up when breaking through helps, but isn't always easy to do/remember. If you like to get a workout with your wrist get a lazer. The lazer will require a very good high tourque drill to spin it. A 7in lazer turns harder then an 8in nils with the red drill head. Personally, I would definitely go with a nils any day over a lazer due to the lazer catch/jolt when breaking through the hole bottom. If your just making a drill auger setup and want to do it cost effective, just buy any cheap shaver hand auger, and then when the cheap blades go to chit put on a set of mora Sweden blades. I bought the 7in Eskimo shaver since it was cheaper then the strike master lazer & mora......the blade holes line up.......my red Eskimo was converted into a lazer.......Overall, the common shaver blades on an auger work great on a drill setup and are super fast....really no need for a lazer or nils if one doesn't want to spend the money.
Thanks for all the replies! I think I may have talked myself out of the nils. If I was going to be using it solely as a hand auger it would be a toss up between the nils and finbore, but since I'm planning to use a drill I think I'll keep the finbore as my top choice but consider the mora or lazer. I'll have to do some more searching, but it seems pretty hard to find the fin bore. Almost every site I look at says out of stock and the ones that do have it are in Canada and have higher shipping for the US. I could get the lazer or mora locally, on amazon, or even craigslist. I'll probably be glad in the long run if I'm patient and try to find the fin bore.
What drill will you be using? If your drill has the appropriate torque rating to do the job like my millwaukee fuel M18 then i suggest you get the cheapest (mora) auger. I say this because i hate dealing with ice shavings in the hole and the nils in that respect is a pain. I know it only takes a couple seconds to clean out the hole but why deal with it if you dont have to
Not only that, but a set of shaver blades can be picked up for little to nothing. A new Nils blade head for an 8in.....$99 (I bought the whole auger for $89) to sharpen its like $40 with postage.Laser blades are stupidly priced to....$35-$54 seems pretty common.It's stupid that a person can go out and basically buy a new shaver blade hand auger with a fresh set of blades for what a set of laser blades cost, or for what it cost to sharpen a nils head. At least the shaver blades are easy enough to sharpen yourself......not only that but a new set can be bought reasonable.
If the lazer blades fit and work on the finbore.....,isn't it basicly the same has a lazer then? I mean from what I can tell the curved bladed augers from strikemaster, eskimo, frabill, and now basicly a finbore are pretty much the same.........So why do people look to buy the hard to find brands or more expensive auger? I guess maybe for the color?
It is the offset handles that make all the difference! You get to use both arms to cut holes.
I got ya. anyone just try to make an off set handle at home?
have thought about it but have not got around to it...