ESKIMO VS JIFFY

[FISH MAX]

I am looking to buy an auger. I am torn between Jiffy and Eskimo. I think I like the Eskimo Z71 10"
or the Jiffy Steath STX 8".  I need some feed back to help me choose.

[wyogator]

I am looking to buy one also.  I have a Mora hand auger, which is a pita when the ice is 27" thick.  I think the big concern is the engine.  They used to run Tecumseh engines.  I think Tecumseh is out of business now, so I don't know what Eskimo and Jiffy are using.  Too bad they don't have Echo engines.  Maybe they do now, I don't know.  Maybe someone on here who has one can tell us what kind of engine they have and how reliable it is.

[FishN4Eyes]

Jifft Stealth STX 3 hp 9" ALL DAY LONG!

[fishforfood72]

anything with 2 blades and you will be pleased i love my Eskimo !

[PerchAssault]

Jiffy makes a good auger...but there is a reason they dont advertise their weight...if you are driving out in your truck, no big deal...putting in a sled and hauling by hand...HEAVY.

You dont see many Eskimos...

StrikeMaster all the way...superior engineering, light weight, 2 year warranty and the best customer service out there.  They have been BIG sponsors of the perch assault tournaments since day one, and if you ever have an issue that you cant seem to get resolved, I will see what I can do to help you get it made right.

[mtjohn]

I have an older Jiffy model 30 that I have had for 19+ years and it has only had one problem that came about last year.  That means that in 18 years all I had to do is put gas in it, and drain the gas in the spring.  I don't know how reliable or heavy the new ones are, but I don't think weight really matters.  I don't think you are going to be carrying it anywhere, most of us have sleds or wheelers to carry them, but having the extra power is nice when the ice is three feet thick.  We haven't had ice like that in quite a while, but even with 12 inches of ice, I can cut a hole about twice as fast as any strikemaster I have ever seen.  Besides that we are probably only talking 10 lbs difference. The Eskimo is a good auger too, but my brother bought one and had it in the shop for warranty work after a couple of outings.  The Eskimo has two blades that dull quickly; whereas the Jiffy has one blade that is serrated and only needs to be sharpened every two years or so.  The Eskimo does cut a little faster as long as the blades are sharp, but the jiffy can cut ten times the holes before it needs sharpening.
MT

[gadgetman]

I have a Eskimo Z71 9 inch with serrated blades. I have used it  for three years and it still cuts very well. What I like about it the best is it's high rpm chainsaw like engine. 8,ooo rpm and it uses 50 to 1 fuel which I always have around for my saws.

[jimmerjammer]

i have an old jiffy model 30 as well, and have been pretty happy with it. You have to remember that a difference in brands really doesn't mean much. Many of the manufactuers today license their products to be made by one huge company in China, then they just put on a different logo and paint them different. Snowblowers are a great exaple of this, as 80% are all manufactured at the same factory using the same parts. You should look at the Horsepower #1, and the auger blade #2, as this is replaceable on any model. I am not a fan of the newer augers, most of their parts are plastic, or have been designed so that they cost less to produce. The only problems is have with my auger are in the linkage from the throttle, and that is because the guy who had it before me decided to do some customization, and it comes apart at least once a year. Augers do some serious work if you think about it, rottaing parts spinning fast, and jumping up and down from the cantact with the ice... anything mechanical (at least in my experience, god i hate motors, lol) will break down eventually. I think i would buy a used one again though, as they are easy enough for me to work on, and they are made of metal and not plastic. If your sport involves -degree temps, i don't think your equipment should be made from something that gets brittle and breaks due to cold, it just doesn't make any sense at all, and i think this is a fundamental design flaw with the new augers. Then again i am not an engineer, but it just doesn't make sense to me.

[RustyWaterDogs]

I have a Jiffy model 31 Legend.  It's a great auger and has drilled many holes with no issues. The thing literally throws ice chunks not powder.  It has not let me down yet.

[PerchAssault]

I will take 23 pounds over 33 or more anyday.  If you are drilling 25-40 holes, that weight matters, especially with a bad back and rotator cuff surgery!  I drill LOTS of holes and often times end up 300 yards from my wheeler or sled 

Jiffy's do last there is nooooo question about that.

When I am pulling my sled thru wet heavy slush, every pound matters to me, and those new Solo engines(German, not Chinese) flat scream, there is no other engine out there like the new StrikeMaster, weather its the 3 horse Lazer Pro, the 2.5 horse Lazer Mag or the 2 horse Magnum. 

[missoulafish]

Get the Eskimo if you want to put 40$ a season into it. Constantly breaking.

[BIG WEST]

hey fish max big west here. i just got the eskimo z71 with the 10 auger. i cant be more pleased with its performance. this thing tears thru the ice effortlessly. also starts up great in the coldest of weather. this auger does have a little weight behind it but doesnt bother me. i also believe the z71 is one of or maybe one of the powerful augers out there. it also has a decompression button and primer bulb for the gas which supports easy starting on those frigid days. im a firm beliver in eskimo and would never go with a different auger. before i purchased the z71 i owned a older eskimo which a ran for 15 years and that auger never let me down. the only reason i went with the new auger was i thought the power upgrade was cool. good luck in your serch for an auger you will have to drop a line and let us know what you purchased and how you like it.

[J_Edwards]

I will take 23 pounds over 33 or more anyday.  If you are drilling 25-40 holes, that weight matters, especially with a bad back and rotator cuff surgery!  I drill LOTS of holes and often times end up 300 yards from my wheeler or sled  

Jiffy's do last there is nooooo question about that.

When I am pulling my sled thru wet heavy slush, every pound matters to me, and those new Solo engines(German, not Chinese) flat scream, there is no other engine out there like the new StrikeMaster, weather its the 3 horse Lazer Pro, the 2.5 horse Lazer Mag or the 2 horse Magnum.  

The entire thing is plastic, of course it is light.  Solo, blah, German, blah, blah. I remember last season wasn't as spectacular as Strikemaster had anticipated with the Solo's and those Robins aren't all they've been hyped up to be either.  Yeah, overall they are an okay auger, about as okay as Jiffy's.  You do have Jiffy's on weight, but I've heard more Solo's going sideways than Jiffy's.  I've broken handles of Strikemasters and destroyed that terrible idea of a composite auger bit too, understood the idea of lightening them up and appreciated it, pretty much blamed those issues on myself, but still, call it what ever you want, it's freaking plastic.  Until now, I've used Strikemasters my entire life, I don't have anything against them but they surely aren't the bee's knee's of the ice auger world.  

Yes, I currently own a Jiffy, the one I currently own is my first and it's a legend lightning.  I own it because it was a steal and I didn't like what I was hearing about the current Strikemaster line up and I find brand loyalty about as annoying as racism.  I admit it hasn't been with out issues. I had a problem with it keeping its prime and leaking fuel.  It was a fuel line, pretty easy to fix, now it runs like a champ. .... .. But that isn't all,  there is a design flaw in my opinion, the so called 'ripper blade' ice up extremely easy and makes drilling a huge pain in the arse for a couple holes, I never had that issue with an Strikemaster power auger.

I drill LOTS too, I am a firm believer in hole hopping and drilling out structure before I even wet a line. I understand we are not all of the same builds and age, but if I am dragging my stuff out to a hole, the ice is either soft or thin and I am taking my hand auger as that makes me the most mobile in that situation and that hand auger is always a Strikemaster.  

And all after all that, I would have to say the Nils Master with the Tanaka head is the lightest, meanest, ice eating machine ever built, but you are going to have to fork over $600 and lose your pro-staff alliance to use it  

[ice dawg]

I will take 23 pounds over 33 or more anyday.  If you are drilling 25-40 holes, that weight matters, especially with a bad back and rotator cuff surgery!  I drill LOTS of holes and often times end up 300 yards from my wheeler or sled 

Jiffy's do last there is nooooo question about that.

When I am pulling my sled thru wet heavy slush, every pound matters to me, and those new Solo engines(German, not Chinese) flat scream, there is no other engine out there like the new StrikeMaster, weather its the 3 horse Lazer Pro, the 2.5 horse Lazer Mag or the 2 horse Magnum. 

I have had two augers in the last 25 years and I'm still using one of them. About 10 years ago I sold my 3hp and bought a 2hp to get a bit lighter. I just love to hear folks tell  me that they aren't any good. I must be doing pretty well  since I'm 67 with a bad back, bad hip, bad knee and possibly a bad attitude. I have had rotator cuff surgery, two heart surgeries, cancer surgery and I'm still using that big bad Jiffy. While I think about it Jiffy engines are USA designed and Solo engines are German designed. Both engines are made in China and at least Jiffy admits it. I think my next one will be an Eskimo if I can outlive this Jiffy. Not a rant, just tired and out of popcorn. 

[jimmerjammer]

While I think about it Jiffy engines are USA designed and Solo engines are German designed. Both engines are made in China and at least Jiffy admits it. I think my next one will be an Eskimo if I can outlive this Jiffy. Not a rant, just tired and out of popcorn. 

Thank You, my point exactly... welcome to globalization and the future, except in 10 years, everything will be designed in China too. I am taking some really interesting business classes at U montana in missoula, and this is the way everything manufactured and designed in this country is going. the only thing american about our american companies, will be american capital, and less than 1% of the U.S. population owns 90% of the wealth in this country. Why would you pay your neighbor joe 20 bucks an hour to manufacture something here, and potentially pollute/damage our ecosytem, when you can pay Chan 20 cents an hour, and there are no enviromental protection laws in China (few if enforced). When it comes down to it, its all about increasing shareholder's interests, and that will be the basis behind every corporation's decisions to offshore what aspects of production, and to where. this is what american universities are teaching american students to do... I am one, at the University of Montana, and this is what they are telling me to do, so i know this is true, and why this is happening.
In another auger article, on the ice fishing montana page, i posted a comment about a ratio i use to make all major purchase decisions. check it out, and have fun!!!

[teamlund]

I was always a jiffy guy until I wanted to upgrade to a 10" 3 hp.....I started looking at the eskimo shark Z71 3.7hp... It is on its 3rd season and this winter I found a small gas leak which will be addressed shortly. Other than that its awesome! It literally flies through the ice. We are jig fisherman, very rarely do we tip up fish. So we drive to our spot drill 2 holes fish for 15 mins if we dont catch anything than drill 2 more holes and move in 15 mins if we dont catch anything. this goes on all day. It doenst take long to get it running goood even when its cold. High rpms, tons of power, and so far no problems. 2 if my friends also bought the same auger last year after using mine. One of them was a strike master guy while the other was a LONG TIME jiffy guy. They are all great machines but personally my eskimo is a SMALL step above the others.

[xcr440]

Get the Eskimo if you want to put 40$ a season into it. Constantly breaking.

WHAT??? I have never put $40 a season in my eskimo. gas/oil thats it. Still usiong original plug. No issues here with eskimos. There are 4 of them in my camp. Great auger.


To the OP.

Eskimo is a great auger. Get one with the quantum serrated blades. They will last many seasons.
Not sold on Jiffy since they went to a global parts supplier. They were a great auger back when the model 30 came out. Not impressed with my talkings with the jiffy rep at a local gander.

[teamlund]

mine is also on its 3rd season with the original blades unsharpeded. Still cuts like butter! Its a beast!

[tipup_time]

i wasnt aware that anyone in their right mind still used them strikemasters or eskimos! JIFFY POWER ALL THE WAY!!!!!!

[wyo700]

my buddy just got a brand new eskimo z51 ten inch.  i have a jiffy stx pro 2 ten inch.  i know that his is not the biggest that eskimo makes but mine whips his.  i can almost get three holes to his one.  but then again i dont think speed is the thing just as long as you can get through the ice and your auger stays reliable.

[surflizard]

i wasnt aware that anyone in their right mind still used them strikemasters or eskimos! JIFFY POWER ALL THE WAY!!!!!!

I'm just curious, tip up time, how long have you been running your Jiffy ?

[tipup_time]

yeah i kind of drank too much coffee there last night and got a little excited about my jiffy! sorry bout that,, i got this one last year.. before that i had an older strikemaster, and it was a piece of junk.. i had a buddy who had a 10 year old jiffy, i used his and it was very nice.. guess i havent tried the high end or newer eskimos.. the one i did try was an older one so, but i can say for sure that i tried the new strikemaster and in my opinion it didnt come close to the new jiffy. (not enough power)  once again.. sorry about the rampage guys

[Fishurman63]

 I have a model 30 3HP Jiffy 10" and I bought it used from an older gentleman 5 years ago and let me say this: it has NEVER let me down....ever.  My bud has a strikemaster which is a bit quieter and lighter but he has had a few problems with it. When he goes out he also carries a hand auger if that says anything. Maybe he just got a bad 1? My brother has a Eskimo and he hasn't had a problem in 6 years with his and he loves it..

[Rebelss]

Appreciate the apology!   When some of us have been running and working on augers longer than you've been alive, it kinda rubs folks the wrong way.....

[ice dawg]

They all do what they are supposed to and a lot of the way they behave depends on how you treat them. I have had Ice King, Eskimo and Jiffy and they have all started well, drilled holes in the ice, and smelled like two stroke exhaust. They were summerized or started once in a while during summer, got a new spark plug once in a while and were treated to fresh stabilized gas. If I ever need another one, I will be taking a good look at the Eskimos.

[backwoodswalker]

I have an older Jiffy model 30 that I have had for 19+ years and it has only had one problem that came about last year.  That means that in 18 years all I had to do is put gas in it, and drain the gas in the spring.  I don't know how reliable or heavy the new ones are, but I don't think weight really matters.  I don't think you are going to be carrying it anywhere, most of us have sleds or wheelers to carry them, but having the extra power is nice when the ice is three feet thick.  We haven't had ice like that in quite a while, but even with 12 inches of ice, I can cut a hole about twice as fast as any strikemaster I have ever seen.  Besides that we are probably only talking 10 lbs difference. The Eskimo is a good auger too, but my brother bought one and had it in the shop for warranty work after a couple of outings.  The Eskimo has two blades that dull quickly; whereas the Jiffy has one blade that is serrated and only needs to be sharpened every two years or so.  The Eskimo does cut a little faster as long as the blades are sharp, but the jiffy can cut ten times the holes before it needs sharpening.
MT

nuff said

[surflizard]

No worries Tip up time, My Favorite Augers are the ones that run when you need them to run ! 

[teamlund]

how can you argue with this?

18" of good black ice in 12 seconds...all day long......I love it!
http://s304.photobucket.com/albums/nn172/teamlund/?action=view&current=augervid001.flv

[Rebelss]

how can you argue with this?

18" of good black ice in 12 seconds...all day long......I love it!
http://s304.photobucket.com/albums/nn172/teamlund/?action=view&current=augervid001.flv

 

[mealworm]

how can you argue with this?

18" of good black ice in 12 seconds...all day long......I love it!
http://s304.photobucket.com/albums/nn172/teamlund/?action=view&current=augervid001.flv

you can't

and i can't wait for mine to to arrive