New Lazer Mag Xpress

[UncleFluffy]

Got my new Lazer Mag Xpress 8" auger from the UPS man yesterday.  Put it all together and prepped it...Started on the 6th pull with an empty tank.  Sounds sweet.   I can't wait for ice, and I'm sure my back will thank me for not having to drill all those holes any more!

[JeBa]

Got my 8" Lazer Mag Express last year. It was great, except that the recoil assembly broke. Of course, it was repaired under warranty. But the mechanic that repaired it gave me a little lesson on starting it:

- flip the switch to "on"
- push in the compression release
- pull the rope out about 6-10" slowly to remove any slack in the recoil assembly & to not pop the compression release
- let the rope pull back in slowly
- depress the throttle very slightly
- give a smooth full pull on the rope & it usually fires right up.

It takes a little practice, but he insisted that removing the slack in the recoil assembly was important.
The replacement recoil assembly also includes a new top half of the motor housing. The new recoil assembly itself seemed alot more rugged.
There was quite a few posts on this subject last year. It happened to all models, whether the auger was a Strikemaster, Jiffy or Eskimo (don't you Nils guys get on your high, expensive horse now).
I'm still sold on the StrikeMaster, just letting you know my story. It ran & cut well before and after the surgery.

Jeff

[UncleFluffy]

That's great advice to know.  I'll have to make that a habit.  I think that if you leave the compression release "out" and then slowly pull the rope, you'll tend to feel that "catch" point much easier.  Find that point, then press in the compression release.  I think you're very right in the slow return after the pull.  I think many of us tend to pull too hard/fast on the starting pull as well.  It's not like starting a 5HP+ lawn mower, so you don't need to pull as hard. 

Another tip from my snowmobile days, pull the starter rope until you reach that "catch" point and leave it there with the compression release closed.  This prevents air from entering the cylinder and causing oxidation (rust) on the cylinder wall and piston.  Thanks again for the tips!

[Mongo]

Picked up a new Lazer Mag Express last year and have nothing but good things to say. What we did to break it in was proped it up so the blade was off the ground, filled up the gas tank with the Opti-2 mix and fired it up and let it run for 1/2 hour. Since then she has been running like there is not tomm. The pull start got stuck on me only once last year and knock on wood no problems since. Very happy this was purchased as the hand auger has since been retired.

[ccb-01]

I just bought a lazermag xpress and do i need to break it in? If so how should i do it?

[UncleFluffy]

I called the guys at Strikemaster, and they recommended running a standard oil at 24:1 for one tank full before switching to a synthetic oil such as Opti-2 or Amsoil.  I've used Opti-2 for years, and it's nice to have one can of 2-cycle gas for all your 2-cycle engines.  100:1 mix for all 2-cycle engines using Opti-2.  Gotta love it!

[ice dawg]

Ditto for Amzoil.