Author Topic: Ice Auger (Read 3482 times)

macesfurs · « **on:** Jan 11, 2015, 08:02 PM »

Me and my two boys would like to go out and do some ice fishing this year as we have done it a few times in the past and had fun. What I would like to do is buy a powered ice Auger but with so many choices on the market, We would like to see what others have to say about what brand etc. we should buy. Thanks John

whoay · « **Reply #1 on:** Jan 11, 2015, 08:06 PM »

I would say either a strikemaster or Eskimo shark series....

NEZ · « **Reply #2 on:** Jan 11, 2015, 08:41 PM »

This can be a difficult question to answer, but depends upon a few items. If you drill a lot of holes, then go propane or gas. I have a StrikeMaster Magnum for the last 3 years and love it. Punches right through the ice with easy with the 8 inch chipper blade. I know people that own and have used some Jiffy Propane G-4 augers and they work well also. A little heavy and if you do a lot of running around, look for one of the lighter augers. If you don't drill a lot of holes, then I would look at an electric auger like the Ion or StrikeMaster's new battery auger. I also use a 6in Mora hand auger but have a drill adaptor (Ice Kicker) on it and use my 18 volt Milwaukee hammer drill and I can get about 18 holes in 12 inches of ice per battery. This is probably the cheapest way to go, but the drills do take a beating if you use them a lot. Trick is to keep the batteries warm and off the ice…cold kills batteries on drills and even the Ion somewhat. Hope this help and I am sure this could start some debates. When you are at the lake, talk to some guys about their augers and I'm sure many would let you try them out to see how they work. Nez

macesfurs · « **Reply #3 on:** Jan 11, 2015, 08:47 PM »

Thank you. Yes my concern is long term storage as we will not be going out daily ice fishing as our time is limited this time of year as we own a trapping supply business. I was really thinking more along the line of propane as then I wont have to worry about stale gas. John

NEZ · « **Reply #4 on:** Jan 11, 2015, 08:48 PM »

I put Star tron in my gas when I mix it and then usually start it up about once a month and don't have any issues with it.

dbkid0486 · « **Reply #5 on:** Jan 11, 2015, 09:36 PM »

I'm someone who has always fished and have decided I want to take a try on the frozen ice instead of wet water. I assume all these suggestions would be fine for me as well? I noticed someone mentioned FL augers in another thread. any info specifically on them?

Snapper · « **Reply #6 on:** Jan 12, 2015, 07:08 AM »

I had an Eskimo for 15 years or better, no issues there. Then I had some issues with carb and could not fix or replace it. I picked up a propane Jiffy. That thing rocks!

fgrii · « **Reply #7 on:** Jan 12, 2015, 10:59 AM »

I just picked up a clam ice auger conversion plate kit and used it this past weekend for the first time. it has a 6in auger with a center spike so you could drill two overlapping holes if you desire a larger hole. I drilled ten holes in 6in ice on a 6degree day and it worked great with lots of charge left. I left the auger w battery attached outside that day so I could test cold weather battery performance. I used a ryobi 18v drill with a 4amphr battery. I had the drill laying around and the kit cost be 129.00. performance will be best when used with 6in auger.

Chris338378 · « **Reply #8 on:** Jan 12, 2015, 11:00 AM »

I have an Eskimo Mako (it runs on gas) eight inch and haven't had any problems with it. These are good augers with decent prices and will last you a long time as long as you take care of them. When I'm mixing the gas I use the Sthil oil because it has stabilizer in it and I also add some Seafoam fuel additive because it keeps the fuel system (the lines and carb) clean. Eskimo came out with a propane auger this year and from all the reviews I've read on it it's a high quality machine. When it comes to what size to get I wouldn't get anything bigger than an eight inch because you have better chances of hitting the Powerball than catching a fish that won't come through an eight inch hole any where in Pennsylvania. Another reason is for safety, a ten inch hole is big and someone could step into it and get hurt or worse yet a little kid could step into it and fall through, not something I'd ever want to live with. I wouldn't get an electric auger because of the higher price, the high price of replacement batteries, having to keep the batteries warm, and where would you take it to get fixed if it broke. With a gas or propane auger there's a lot of options to get it fixed locally.

Creighton · « **Reply #9 on:** Jan 13, 2015, 12:20 PM »

Hey guys I bought a hand drill adapter for my hand auger - worked fantastic

Mike Reilly · « **Reply #10 on:** Jan 13, 2015, 12:29 PM »

ion augers works good no noise very light worth every penny

P-Wo · « **Reply #11 on:** Jan 13, 2015, 07:04 PM »

This is my second year using the Jiffy pro 4 propane auger and I think it is great. Having never used a power auger before I have nothing to compare it to. Hopefully 10 years from now I will have the same thought. Sure does beat the hand auger when there is more than 4" of ice out there.

bgeibel24 · « **Reply #12 on:** Jan 13, 2015, 07:10 PM »

I have a Eskimo mako 10 inch.. it runs like a champ. I went with a bigger hole because when its really cold out and your hole starts to freeze shut it gives you a little more room. I use true fuel in mine it comes already mixed and doesn't have ethanol in it so you don't have to worry about it screwing up your carb.

Portly10 · « **Reply #13 on:** Jan 13, 2015, 08:22 PM »

I have a jiffy 30 8" and an eskimo z51 8" shark and the eskimo is quieter more comfortable and runs smoother and there making them this year in a propane model. As for the fuel I always use stabil in everything bikes boats cars lawn equipment and have never had a problem the fuel will stay good a year if not longer. It's all about preference really go to the store find what you like what fits and then do your shopping around for the best price after the season obviously is your best sales if there's anything left lol

cropburner · « **Reply #14 on:** Jan 13, 2015, 09:15 PM »

I prefer a hand auger, I keep the blades sharp enough to shave with, it's a 6", I only drill a few holes for jigging and the vex.
Had a Jiffy 8" gas auger, that worked nice, ran it on a gas\ oil \ nitromethane mix for years and it held up to the torture very well, had to be carful when it grabbed, it would toss you like a rag doll.
I've found all the powered augers to heavy to carry or drag and I only pop a few holes, don't smell like a gas station and luckily still have all my ribs in the correct position.

Friedline · « **Reply #15 on:** Jan 14, 2015, 08:59 AM »

I use an old 8" mora works really good with new sharp blades i get a season out of them. Do u sharpen your own blades and is there a trick to it?

snydje · « **Reply #16 on:** Jan 14, 2015, 09:37 AM »

I have been using a StrikeMaster 10 inch for a few years with no problems. I would recommend an 8 inch however. I usually go out with 5 or more buddies and end up drilling a bunch of holes. A 10 inch cuts a hole with more than 30% more surface area than an 8 inch hole and it becomes noticeable after a dozen holes.

If you go with a gas auger, use synthetic oil with stabilizers, mix the gas accurately and either use a gas stabilizer or fresh gas every couple of weeks.

The reviews on propane sound promising but I have not seen one in use personally.

cropburner · « **Reply #17 on:** Jan 14, 2015, 10:20 AM »

When sharpening my hand auger blades I'm very carful to keep the factory angle, the bottom one is very important, I use a hard Arkansas stone.

Chris338378 · « **Reply #18 on:** Jan 14, 2015, 07:09 PM »

Glenn's Army Navy has the eight inch Eskimo Mako for $285.99 and the Stingray for $269.99 with free shipping. They're a good auger with a great price and will work and last you a very long time as long as you take care of it. Between these two I'd go with the Mako because it has a bigger engine.

Glenn's page for the Mako

http://www.glensoutdoors.com/fishing/ice-fishing/ice-augers/eskimo-mako-43cc-8in-power-ice-auger.html

Glenn's page for the Stingray

http://www.glensoutdoors.com/fishing/ice-fishing/ice-augers/eskimo-sting-ray-33cc-8in-power-ice-auger.html

iceman2719 · « **Reply #19 on:** Jan 14, 2015, 07:13 PM »

This is my 2nd winter using a strike master mora 7" with a Millwaukee M-18 Fuel cordless drill & adaptor. There's several adapters on the market, that part is all about preference. All I can say is AWESOME!!! Lighter than gas, no mixing, no gas hands. I got around 25 holes per battery last winter in the 12-14" we had last year. The newer larger batteries get a few more. My buddy with a gas auger always uses mine when we fish together.

John2448 · « **Reply #20 on:** Jan 14, 2015, 08:15 PM »

NILS enough said

nightfisher · « **Reply #21 on:** Jan 14, 2015, 08:26 PM »

Quote from: swampdonkey2448 on Jan 14, 2015, 08:15 PM

NILS enough said

X2 !!!!!

buckinnuts · « **Reply #22 on:** Jan 14, 2015, 08:26 PM »

i have the eskimo stingray in 6" and 8"...i really like it no problems been 3 years..i run tru fuel in it...just found a place that sales real gas..so i will buy that soon...my father in law has a jiffy propane..works great as long as the propane stays warm..can be tough to start when it real cold

stcuda42 · « **Reply #23 on:** Jan 14, 2015, 08:41 PM »

My father had an Eskimo for about for about 15-20 years before he had any issues it. It started to get a little harder to start and keep running. I'm sure with a good cleaning the auger still has some years left in it. Instead of worrying about getting cleaned out I purchased a new 8" Eskimo stingray about 3 years ago and it works great. Not to heavy or bulky and plenty of power. Eskimo has always treated my family great and will stick with the Eskimo brand until it proves otherwise.

IrishSlabHunter · « **Reply #24 on:** Jan 15, 2015, 07:28 AM »

My buddy and I each have battery powered augers....one IceGator and one Ion. Both do a great job...no smell, no spilled gas, no engine noise, no starting problems...just push the button. There is nothing better if you move a lot or are on thick ice.

cropburner · « **Reply #25 on:** Jan 15, 2015, 08:26 AM »

Do those battery powered models have a replaceable battery?

tadeusz · « **Reply #26 on:** Jan 15, 2015, 08:48 AM »

Creighton could you explain me what is hand drill adaptor.How is it work?Is it atached to hand auger.Where to buy it? I'm having lately problems drilling holes with my 8 inches lazer strike master auger.I have 2 pairs of blades and none of them wants to do job.The were sharpened by profesionals and not cutting good.Any advice for this i will gladly appreciate.

curtrein · « **Reply #27 on:** Jan 15, 2015, 08:49 AM »

Ion Auger! Love it!

1moslab · « **Reply #28 on:** Jan 15, 2015, 09:14 AM »

here in pa a big thing for me is weight,having to pull by hand.went with a strikemaster 8" lazer almost 15yrs ago I guess.i have caught a few fish that would have not fit through a 6" hole so I use 8".the Eskimo seems to run good but they are almost 10lb more weight and you feel that both pulling and running.i like the drill run options but with 8" hole and number of holes at times the batteries I don't think would cut it.lol so I think you need to have an idea of how many holes your be drilling,and what you will be fishing for.

iceman2719 · « **Reply #29 on:** Jan 15, 2015, 12:55 PM »

Icemaster.com... Or Google : drill ice auger adapters . There's several out there. I thought the ice master was most economical & easiest. As far as blade size, the Millwaukee Fuel series will still turn the 8" mora (I did it for half of last winter) it Does reduce ur holes per battery slightly. Can't stress enough that the drill is the key part of this set up. Like a regular 18 volt Dewalt won't do it. You need @ least 550 foot lbs of torque. The Millwaukee has 650 foot lbs . I love it. & lithium batteries so no worries with cold & drained batteries. Great set up IMO.

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Author Topic: Ice Auger (Read 3482 times)