Finally pulled the trigger on new ION X

[HuntnFish603]

So after 30 years of using the old tank '76 Jiffy Model 30, I've caved to new technology. Im old school, dont usually like change, and im not impressed easily by new technology. But....Ive been eyeballing one if the ION's for a couple years now after some other guys like M+M, Salmonemia, BrookieSlayer have raved about them. Even when Roccus let me try his at the IS Gathering, it did put me closer, but i wasnt 100% convinced it was right for me. Especially with a price tag of 6 bills for the new model.
My Jiffy has been like a tank over the years that just keeps wailing and havent had too many issues with it. But last weekend when it was -10, both days she had some trouble. At that point, I thought about all the great things Joe had said about the ION that day, and he's a pretty smart guy, wouldnt steer anybody wrong. I finally gave in and said it was time. Why not, gotta spend my Christmas bonus on something.
New ION X 10" came in last night and tomorrow will be her maiden voyage! The Jiffy will still be in the truck just in case, or when theres 2'+ of ice.
To those that have had these a while, do you still feel the same way about them? To me, I finally said the pros outweighed the cons. I just hope it holds up.
Oh well..Out with the old, IN WITH THE NEW!!!!

Anybody else get any cool new big item toys for the ice this holiday season that theyve been holdin out on till this year?

[meatandmetal]

I did the same thing with my Jiffy brought it along for a few trips now it sits in the garage. I would sell it if the right offer came along. You will love the ION. Just keep the battery charged. Mine goes on the charger as soon as I walk in the house. Only once I had the battery go to the second light and that was after 50 holes on a 20 degree day. Just be careful with it there are some plastic parts on it. When Coldsnap comes out with a 10" cover I would grab one easy on, easy off. Good luck fishing tomorrow going to be brutally cold.

[HuntnFish603]

Thanks Denny. I aways appreciate the input. My Jiffy will probably sit like yours. I dont think anyone wants a 41 year old auger, its kind of nostalgic i guess though, especially when we know how much ice that thing has gone through in our lives and where its been with us.
 I know we've talked about the cold snap cover too, but like you said they dont make a 10" yet..The stock one will do fine for now. And yes the plastic aspect of things make me nervous, especially in the extreme cold when things seem to break easier. Ill just have to be a little more gentle than the Jiffy  .

[fishingidjit]

HnF, Nice toy, I have been eyeballing one but spent my money on hunting toys. I like the idea of more metal and less plastic then the original ION

[Brendog9]

When my electric Strikemaster taps out I'll be upgrading to an ION 100%.

[Roccus]

I've got 2 gas jiffy sugers...and 8 and a 10...2 and 3 hl...Neither has been used v in 2 seasons now....good luck...I'm duress you'll love it...I'm heading out tomorrow. ..not sure where just yet because of the snow m..trucks loaded either everything. ..including snow shoes  and pack basket.

[ScotNH]

Congrats on the new auger. You’re going to love it!

[SALMONEMIA]

Your gonna love it keep us posted on how she does for you.  Curious how that ten inch will do. The led lights are cool especially in low light or night time. I havent used mine yet this season but will be soon. Enjoy your new toy.

[mowbizz]

Nice auger!
I never had a power auger of any kind always chisled through as much as 3 feet in the old days but last season I said enough is enough and bought an Ion...I love it and the ease of use it affords. Holes are done in a jiffy (pun intended) and the battery comes in the shack nice and warm.
This season when I took everything out of storage to charge batteries the Ion battery still showed full power on the battery check leds!
I didn’t get the X model but I think the regular Ion will fill the bill for me for the rest of my days!

[Altonbayicefishingfool]

This will be my 4th season with the ION. I couldn’t be happier with this auger. It has never let me down and still on the original blades that have not been sharpened, still cuts like butter.
I have never been so disappointed and pissed off with my jiffy stealth, what and absolute dog turd from hell. It now doubles as a boat anchor, only thing that POS is good for!

Happy drilling, you won’t be disappointed!

[joedigio]

I have been looking over auger options for the past couple of years. I have had a Jiffy model 30 10" that is old as the hills and that was reliable for many years, but has finally become tired. In my search for a new auger,  I wanted the ION bad but I thought long and hard about it and a few factors steered me away. I have many power tools that I bought over the years but I can no longer use because the batteries are junk and now obsolete. How long will these batteries be available before they switch to a new design? Who knows... Also the replacement batteries are pretty steep in cost! Like $200! Second, a personal fault is that I am pretty bad about managing batteries for my things I already have such as power tools, trolling motor batteries, snowmobile batteries, flasher batteries, etc... Not just end of season, but also when I come off the ice and would need it for the next day.

I settled on the new Eskimo F1 Rocket 10". Got a great deal on it from L&M Fleet Farm. For me selling features were it is actually one pound lighter than the ION 10" at 24 pounds. Fuel mix is 50:1 and can use pre mixed Tru-fuel. Great reviews and a five year warranty. Plus much cheaper than the ION. We'll se how it holds up over time.

[Rainbow1]

Love my ion.  Would never go back to gas.  No mixing, spills, carb adjustments, less weight.  Just turn it on.  They are pricey but if you can wait until later in the season you might find one on clearance.  I ended up spending about $200 at Dick's when I got mine.

[meatandmetal]

That's a steal for $200.

[NH piker]

I bought the ion x and waiting for the 10 inch bit to be delivered Monday.  Please report how the 10 works out.  Some have said it takes a bit to go through but I believe that was with the last model ion

[HuntnFish603]

So I braved the cold on Winni today, was excited to try out the Ion even though it was brutal out there. -25 if you add in the wind  chill factor. I guess it was an extreme test. I'm sad to say that me and the Ion got off on the wrong foot. Things didn't operate as expected.
First hole it was kind of dancing a little bit and seemed to be grabbing the edges. It was nasty chunk ice so maybe not the best for its first day? Cutting rough and By the third hole, ice was froze up under blades and it wouldn't cut. I chipped the ice out thinking it would be ok. The bit just wouldn't cut at all without putting down pressure on it, just wobbled around in the first two inches of ice.
Two issues I see: First is maybe cast bottom and/or blades not aligned right. When I got home I looked at bottom and it almost looked like it wasn't straight with the rest of auger. Also, I guess there's a chance that on the first hole the way it was cutting, maybe bent the cast bottom? This flimsy metal is nothing like the Jiffys.
Second issue I see is maybe a design flaw with the new X model in extreme cold weather, where it freezes under and around blades. I've had it happen on my jiffy but not like this.
I will be making a call to Ion tomorrow to get some insight or answers as to what the heck I do now. It won't cut as is. Maybe auger bit replacement?
Don't get me wrong, the unit itself ran great and the batteries held up awesome in those temps.
But this is not what i expected to get myself into with a big money auger brand new out of box.
Oh yea, and the fish bite was non-existent today. 

[fishingidjit]

HnF, This is not what I want to hear as I just bought an ION X online. I blew propane all over the cellar yesterday while working on my Jiffy pro 4 and pissed off the wife. Probably not as mad as she'll be when the UPS driver shows up with my new auger. Hopefully it cuts better than yours ? 

[mowbizz]

Sorry to hear of your dilemma. I can’t speak to either the X or the 10 inch so I’ll shut my trap and hope for the best for you.
Never a problem with my 8 inch though...good luck with it!

[HuntnFish603]

HnF, This is not what I want to hear as I just bought an ION X online. I blew propane all over the cellar yesterday while working on my Jiffy pro 4 and pissed off the wife. Probably not as mad as she'll be when the UPS driver shows up with my new auger. Hopefully it cuts better than yours ? 

I honestly think it may just be something with this bit, not sure. Yours may have no issue right outta the box. And the freeze up may only occur on days like today where any water or slush freezes in about 5 seconds.

[Roccus]

Sorry hear your troubles. ..I wonder if the 10 is not as well engineered as the 8...I've never had issues like that...the icing was never a huge issue.
.that bites..

[SALMONEMIA]

Sorry that happened -25 is extreme.  Would you typically fish in that weather with a gas auger? Ive had my blades freeze up as u described but never had it not bite. Maybe its the larger surface area of the ten inch? Maybe the blade mechanism is warped? Hopefully you will get it resolved.

[HuntnFish603]

Sorry that happened -25 is extreme.  Would you typically fish in that weather with a gas auger? Ive had my blades freeze up as u described but never had it not bite. Maybe its the larger surface area of the ten inch? Maybe the blade mechanism is warped? Hopefully you will get it resolved.

Yea it's not an everyday occurrence it's that cold. -10 degrees when I hit the ice, with a steady 15-20 mph wind. I have fished in those temps up north with gas auger and I've definitely had issues also. Freeze ups, carb issues, etc. I guess I was hoping I would eliminate all problems regardless of weather with the ion. Too good to be true, Maybe too much to ask?
 
I was very impressed with the battery though. I let it sit in the cold as sort of a test, and after 5 hours it powered the auger no problem.

[JoeGG]

It’s never a good idea to press down on those blades when running it. The blades could now be bent a bit. As far as the ice build up is concerned, it’s kind and of unavoidable in conditions we’ve been having. I always run my auger up and down the hole a few times after it breaks through to clean the hole out of slush and prevent any slush from sticking to the auger or the blade. Keeping it off the snow helps too. Those Ion blades are real delicate. I have one and don’t let anyone use it. I like mine. Cuts like butter with no help from me.

[jibbs]

I’ll go to my grave with my tank ..I’m sure everything will be fine once the weather gets better..good luck

[HuntnFish603]

It’s never a good idea to press down on those blades when running it. The blades could now be bent a bit. As far as the ice build up is concerned, it’s kind and of unavoidable in conditions we’ve been having. I always run my auger up and down the hole a few times after it breaks through to clean the hole out of slush and prevent any slush from sticking to the auger or the blade. Keeping it off the snow helps too. Those Ion blades are real delicate. I have one and don’t let anyone use it. I like mine. Cuts like butter with no help from me.

Thanks for input Joe. I had heard not to really push down or bounce it. The thing is, it was not cutting right to start. Then I just tried a little bit of pressure to see if it made a difference. You could be right but I think something was wrong before I tried that.
I also did try and flush the blade out but I guess maybe today was not the day to learn the tricks of this thing.

[Roccus]

Sounds like you got a bad set of blades..I had a mora hand auger that came with bad blades..they felt sharp but wouldn't cut.
I replaced them and that set  went for years . FWIW...I ran my Ion into the sand/gravel twice last weekend
..it still went through 14" of ice in a minute  or less....even iced up at 13 below

[meatandmetal]

Sorry to hear that. The blades on mine have iced up but never so bad that it wouldn't cut. There must be a defect with one of the blades especially cutting that first hole and having a problem. Let us know what they say when you call tomorrow.

On another note just wondering how the walking was on the ice after these storms?

[Nosaj]

Having issues with my 31XT Legend
Should I stay or should I go now???

[Nosaj]

I just pulled the trigger on a X 10



HuntnFish603 There is a recall on some of the 10" augers.  If the black paint is a matte finish they are replacing them with augers that have a different gloss paint.  If your auger already has a gloss finish then I guess it was the cold.

I would be interested in hearing which paint you have.

[HuntnFish603]

I just pulled the trigger on a X 10



HuntnFish603 There is a recall on some of the 10" augers.  If the black paint is a matte finish they are replacing them with augers that have a different gloss paint.  If your auger already has a gloss finish then I guess it was the cold.

I would be interested in hearing which paint you have.

No, mine is the gloss. That shouldn't be the issue.
And I've had it with Ion customer service!!. Two days straight now of calling the three numbers they have. Line is busy alllllllll the time. Sent emails, also no response. Contacted vendor I bought from, they also said they can't get through. This is so BS!!!
ION is ruining any chance they have at keeping me as a longtime customer.

[Nosaj]

That is unfortunate.  My Jiffy 10" is very sensitive to bending due to the increased lever arm effect that you get from the greater radius.  If my Jiffy is not cutting the first thing I do is put a straight edge on the bottom and see if the blade mounting surface has bent away from the the.  I have had issues with both my Jiffy 8" and my Nils 8" icing up in the extreme low temps, however nothing like your picture.