Tough choice

[moose66]

Currently going back and forth between the Eskimo Z51 or the Eskimo F1 Rocket. Anyone who has any experience with either of these please help and brother out and let me know whats what. Thanks lads!

[32footsteps]

You can’t go wrong with either one but the F1 is quite a bit lighter. If weight isn’t an issue you might also consider a Mako if you are determined to get an Eskimo. It’s a solid auger and many places have them on sale right now. Some stores have the Mako cheaper than the Stingray which I find a bit odd. I get a bigger, faster, more powerful auger for less money? Okay...done deal.

[Chris338378]

A friend of mine has the Z51 and likes it a lot.  I also agree with 32footsteps, check out the Mako also, there's lots of good deals on them.

[32footsteps]

Another thing to consider about the Mako... it’s a 43cc powerhead. The same powerhead Ardisam puts on its Earthquake ground augers. As far as I can tell based on posted specs it’s the same doggone thing...just a different sticker and the Earthquakes don’t have the mitten grip. Big deal... 

That means that those 43cc powerheads are widely available. I use my 43cc Ardisam (Eskimo branded) powerhead a ton in the summer digging post holes. The tuning might be slightly different but that’s easy to adjust. Trash a recoil on your Eskimo? Just go grab one off the shelf of a store that sells Earthquake parts. Need an auger extension? Grab one from the fencing department. One crazy thing about the extensions...a few years ago I was looking for one in the winter. Stopped at a Farm and Fleet. They had “Eskimo” extensions...but they also had the same size “Earthquake” extensions for $15 less. Same damn extension in the same type of box. The name was different on them. That’s it.

I guess it’s just nice knowing that if something ever happens to my Mako powerhead I can simply go to a place that sells Earthquake earth augers and pick up a powerhead that will perform the same as the Mako will.

[moose66]

Thanks for all the tips guys. I ended up with the Rocket the lighter weight sold me. I'm in southeastern New York so I doubt I'll ever be drilling through 3 feet of ice. I'll be sure to post how I like it when I get it!

[Chris338378]

Glad we could help you out, good luck with your new auger, and looking forward to hearing how you like it and how it works.

[32footsteps]

The next thing you can do is update your avatar...remember...wh en it comes to augers... "If it ain't red, it's dead!"