Time to give drills another shot?

[mattthehairy]

About 5 years ago I had an 18V Makita drill and I bought a small adapter to attach it to my hand auger and I was in love. I'd go out around Massachusetts and was boring holes all over the place. Midway through my second season with this setup I noticed some things:

  * My batteries were garbage. I don't know whether it was the cold or what but they stopped holding a charge. There were the large NiMh jam em in batteries, not the new lithium slide on ones. When we were on the ice I'd keep them in a small insulated pocket of my wife's camp chair along with a hand warmer or my inside pocket but still they were crappy and by the end of a cold day didn't want to drill anything. Replacing the batteries wasn't going to be cheap since by then Makita had changed over to a new platform.

  * When I went out of state (usually north) this setup chugged. If there was 24+" of ice the thing was ready to quit after two holes.

  * My drill was done. Probably the clutch had just burnt out. One day we were out on 8 inches and it just died and smelt like burnt electronics.

This whole experience soured me on the drill  setup. In the beginning it was great, but in the end not only did I ruin my drill but when things got bad my buddies well cared for hand auger was able to get through 6-10" faster than I could, which was a joke.

I see more and more folks doing the drill thing now and using rigid, dewalt, royobi, etc. Since that time I've purchased an old farm house and have upgraded my tools significantly to keep up with all the work we're doing to the place. Right now I have a 20V lithium dewalt 1/2" drill and a 20V brushless 1/4" dewalt driver. I depend on these tools almost daily and while I'm curious to see if they'd fair better on the ice than my old Makita  I'm not willing to risk destroying them.

I have a friend's gas auger that's on it's last legs and have been considering picking up a rigid (for the warranty) or saving up for an ION so I can have something dedicated to just ice fishing. Is that dumb? Anyone got some advice here?

[RStock521]

If you're invested in the DeWalt system, I hear the 996 hammer drill is the one you'd want.  Personally, I have the Milwaukee Fuel M18 (2704-22 kit) and this thing amazes me.  I just got this system this year, and it's crazy how well this thing drills ice.  I use an 8" Nils and I drilled about 20 holes in 8-10" of clear hard ice last weekend, and the 5.0ah battery meter didn't even go down a single dot.  Still had 4/4 when I was done for the day.

I'd say you should give it another try.  You'll probably be amazed at the advance in drill power/technology since your NiCad setup.

[3300]

why not use what you have? if it takes a dump then spend on what you thought about spending on such as a new ridgid drill.
just grab the ice master auger to drill adapter and go fishing. i use menards bags (they are thick) as a drill wrapper. one handle goes around the chuck and twist the bag a few times, go over the body and drill handle/battery and come down to the aux handle and twist the bag handle a few times and slip it over the aux. handle. i like using 2 bags. grab the bungee cord from the auger adapet and bring that up and over the motor housing and good to.

batteries always wear out and need to be replaced. that in part is why i went with ridgid in the first place. they are designed to eat your funds by buying batteries. the tools normally out last them.
so then knowing this shop for batteries in what you think you want. when buying ridgid only the kits have lifetime warranty on the batteries. so buy smart. so far they only bundle their 4 amp batteries. those are what will be lifetime warranted (lsa) and of coarse the tools.
best to try to get in on the free tool sales. some return the free tool to get what they keep at a discounted price if price is a big deal.

there are only two options in ridgid for the drills. gen 5 brushed (780"#) sold in their larger kits and gen 5 brushless (700"#). so using an 8" auger is not ideal for those ratings. a 6" is super easy on either one. a 7" might be okay, but have yet to try one.

should you want to cut larger holes, ice kicker 2 is sold on ebay and is a 2:1 chain drive gear reduction auger/drill/handle system for around 75$. you should be able to drill 10" holes with either drill and that system. you could use it now with your dewalt, but every time you charge the battery, it gets that much closer to needing to be replaced because they only get x amount of charges.

[mattthehairy]

If you're invested in the DeWalt system, I hear the 996 hammer drill is the one you'd want.

I only have 886 so I guess using that is out.

why not use what you have? if it takes a dump then spend on what you thought about spending on such as a new ridgid drill.

The only reason is because I've already got dewalt stuff and figure whatever I use is definitely going to crap out eventually and don't want to have to invest in all new home tools I'd rather spend some money on a dedicated ice setup. As you mentioned I think one of the kits would be ideal so I got the warranty on both the tools and battery.

I have both an 8" lazer auger head on my gas setup and 8" mora hand auger so sounds like I'd need something heavy duty or look at buying another auger, which I'd rather not do.

[mattthehairy]

Looks like I'd be getting something like this: $160
https://www.homedepot.com/p/RIDGID-18-Volt-Gen5x-Lithium-Ion-1-2-in-Cordless-Brushless-Compact-Hammer-Drill-Kit-with-2-2-0Ah-Batteries-Charger-and-Bag-R86116K/206596560

and then the plate: $75-$95
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Ice-Kicker-II-New-Model-combo-style-ice-fishing-auger-adapter-/152852569458

and an extra battery: $50
So that's like $275 investment when I'd be looking at maybe $400 for a dedicated lithium setup (ION or Razer I guess). IDK, if I needed to replace any of those items the cost ratio might tip in favor of the purpose built item.

[3300]

the kit with the 2 amp battery is not enough normally, but if your using the ice kicker it may be. you'll want the 4 amp kit tho for using off ice. it comes with two 4 amp batteries in the kit. the kit with those batteries retails for 280$ and then the ice kicker for 75$ and what ever adapter the ice kicker needs. they can tell you that while shopping the ice kicker.
so 350$ gets you into a lifetime drill and impact driver and batteries. the drill will be 700 inch pounds.

for me buying a dedicated tool doesn't work when i can spend around the same money and use the tool(s) for other needs. the ice kicker 2 can be used for drilling dirt also fwiw.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/RIDGID-18-Volt-Gen5X-Lithium-Ion-Cordless-Brushless-Hammer-Drill-and-Impact-Driver-Combo-Kit-with-2-4-0Ah-Batteries-R9205/206127587

[Slayin4life]

I run a RIGID 18V Lithium ION paired with HT Mini-Nero 6". I couldn't be more pleased. 16 inches of ice in about 10 seconds of effortless drilling. I punched about 50 holes with it and only went through half of my batterys charge

[mattthehairy]

The lifetime warranty might just put me over the edge. I hear yah about the investment giving me additional tools but other than using this as a post hole digger (which is fantastic to know) I've got plenty of heavy duty corded tools for doing things like drilling into/breaking up concrete and my dewalt's for everything else. I did see home depot has a buy one get one thing going on with rigid...

[3300]

some return the free tool to get that money of of the total cost of the kit, but i like being all cordless now, even for car work and not relying on electric going to the tool(s). so a few i like the most of the free tools is their circular saw, right angle grinder/cut off, saws all and palm sander. if you plan on returning a tool, you'd want to get the most expensive one.
some people sell the spare tool only to offset the kit cost.

they do have a battery and charger kit that is always sold out. comes with two 4 amp batteries and charger. that's a great way to add more lsa batteries to the mix. i think it's 130$, but the kit is a lsa qualifying kit.

i think the good thing about the ice kicker 2 is being chain drive should mean you can service it. chains do stretch out too, so replacing it before it begins to wear teeth down is recommend. when talking to the owner on the phone he mentioned putting a drop of oil per day it's used in the oil hole is recommended too.

i do use other brand tools because ridgid refuses to make some of them. i hate not having the lsa on those tools tho when you are so used to having it.

[Agronomist_at_IA]

The lifetime warranty might just put me over the edge. I hear yah about the investment giving me additional tools but other than using this as a post hole digger (which is fantastic to know) I've got plenty of heavy duty corded tools for doing things like drilling into/breaking up concrete and my dewalt's for everything else. I did see home depot has a buy one get one thing going on with rigid...

If you want a dedicated Ice auger drill......only one drill will make you happy. Milwaukee 1200in/lb brushless drill. Thing will turn any auger you want. People are evening turning a 10in Nils with it. Batteries are made for the cold. Do yourself a favor and research all the threads on them. To my knowledge only Makita or Milwaukee have brushless drills with over 1000in/lbs of tourque. Personally I wouldn't run anything under 1000 in/lbs on an auger. I also wouldn't run anything but a brushless drill.

[mattthehairy]

Wow, that's a lot of power. Maybe not a crazy idea. Looks like I could get that from Wally world with a big battery for $250 then I wouldn't need the gear box. I'll definitely poke around the forums for other threads about em. Thanks for the tip!

[Agronomist_at_IA]

Wow, that's a lot of power. Maybe not a crazy idea. Looks like I could get that from Wally world with a big battery for $250 then I wouldn't need the gear box. I'll definitely poke around the forums for other threads about em. Thanks for the tip!

One thing I've learned is always buy more power then you'll need........you won't regret it.

[reelrusty]

Hmmm.....So, is it only drills that will work for an auger? Reason I ask is today I thought I'd found the deal of the century (probably did). Our local farm store was having an inventory reduction sale and I saw a red box with a 50% off sign on it and it said Milwaukee Fuel 18 for $164.99. I snagged this quick as there was only one and when I got to the register I was charged $82 and change. When I got home I found I had not bought a drill but an impact wrench (2763-22). Would this wind up tearing up the reduction gears in the drill adapters everybody is talking about? I was hoping to retire my Jiffy 30 and go to a k-drill or something similar.  thanks for you input!

[Agronomist_at_IA]

Hmmm.....So, is it only drills that will work for an auger? Reason I ask is today I thought I'd found the deal of the century (probably did). Our local farm store was having an inventory reduction sale and I saw a red box with a 50% off sign on it and it said Milwaukee Fuel 18 for $164.99. I snagged this quick as there was only one and when I got to the register I was charged $82 and change. When I got home I found I had not bought a drill but an impact wrench (2763-22). Would this wind up tearing up the reduction gears in the drill adapters everybody is talking about? I was hoping to retire my Jiffy 30 and go to a k-drill or something similar.  thanks for you input!

An impact won't work. It will ruin the blades because it will be "impacting" them into the ice when you hit resistance. Not shaving them.

[reelrusty]

  Thanks Agro! I really figured something like this would be the case but, ya know, gotta ask. Still, I got a great impact wrench for a great deal. Just gonna have to lug that 'ol Jiffy around. 

[hardwater diehard]

Hmmm.....So, is it only drills that will work for an auger? Reason I ask is today I thought I'd found the deal of the century (probably did). Our local farm store was having an inventory reduction sale and I saw a red box with a 50% off sign on it and it said Milwaukee Fuel 18 for $164.99. I snagged this quick as there was only one and when I got to the register I was charged $82 and change. When I got home I found I had not bought a drill but an impact wrench (2763-22). Would this wind up tearing up the reduction gears in the drill adapters everybody is talking about? I was hoping to retire my Jiffy 30 and go to a k-drill or something similar.  thanks for you input!

As long as your impact set came with a charger and 4 plus amp hour batteries just purchase a bare tool

https://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200653791_200653791?cm_mmc=Bing-pla&utm_source=Bing_PLA&utm_medium=Power%20Tools%20%3E%20Drills%20%2B%20Accessories&utm_campaign=Milwaukee&utm_content=50866&msclkid=5712a1a5c5151b8aedb0fbfa85ae4f18

[mattthehairy]

Bummer about that deal but getting the bare tool could work.

Gotta say did a little research on here last night and saw several folks who report Milwaukee drills breaking. Maybe the heavy duty torque is a little too much.

I'll read up on some more threads but each time I see a drill breaking it makes me want to go with an ION

[3300]

Wow, that's a lot of power. Maybe not a crazy idea. Looks like I could get that from Wally world with a big battery for $250 then I wouldn't need the gear box. I'll definitely poke around the forums for other threads about em. Thanks for the tip!

Bummer about that deal but getting the bare tool could work.

Gotta say did a little research on here last night and saw several folks who report Milwaukee drills breaking. Maybe the heavy duty torque is a little too much.

I'll read up on some more threads but each time I see a drill breaking it makes me want to go with an ION

this may save you some time scouring the web looking at whats going on with these two brands. there should be plenty of folks saying theirs still work fine and it seems as tho there may have been a casting issue recently that is causing the side handle breaking the transmission housing issue.

this drill is having major issue with the side handle breaking the transmission casting off and the manufacturer will only repair two times and then you out.
a chain is only as strong as it's weakest link.
https://www.iceshanty.com/ice_fishing/index.php?topic=351027.0

so you will still have to buy a plate or take your chances. it won't save you any money at all and will cost you more money to keep it going. not sure how folks use a plate drilling over head holes in wood with a basket saw.
last year a person bought the gear box to go onto the clam plate and the 1200 inch pound drill twisted the input shaft to the gear case.

on the general chat section another milwaukee drill casting broke yesterday on a clam plate behind the chuck. it's not even the 700 inch pound unit and it's fractured big time. the owner did every thing right that he could.
https://www.iceshanty.com/ice_fishing/index.php?topic=354562.0

yet another person bought same drill as the one mentioned in this thread that the manufacture wanted to charge for a worn out switch (one year old) and claimed it was normal for that switch to wear out and refused to honor their own five year warranty. they wanted more than the drill was worth to repair it and ship it. the owner said keep the thing.
if you want to read more about that look up stripernut and ask him about his sons ordeal with milwakukee.

my suggestion no matter what you decide, if you if decide to buy a drill, is buy from homedepot. they stand behind your decision for 90 days and offer a hassle free return policy. brand doesn't matter to their policy.

my experience is just the opposite with ridgid tools. when one thing becomes a problem the independent authorized repair center wants you to bring every thing you own made by ridgid because they want to go thru all of them and update parts known to wear out BEFORE they wear out and upgrade batteries that have been updated since you bought your tool(s) and repair what ever was wrong in the first place no questions asked and they seem eager to want you to be happy with your tools. yes, it take  some time to get all of this done, but it is free and for ever. you'll be assigned a customer pin number. this pin is all you need to show them to get service.

others here that are the owners of their own authorized service center confirms what i said is true. they just want the tools in top shape for you for the rest of your life. it's a great feeling to know ridgid has my back after reading many of these stories of manufacturers letting they name get run down like they are. they should know if they don't take care of the people who made them who they are that it will come back to them.
they are not the strongest in drills or some other tools in power, but they are in warranty and big time.

you can read about folks buying ridgid 700 inch pound drill and having it cut out. what they don't say is the condition of the blades and how they are using the tool such as if the are pushing down on the bit, if they let the flights rub against the ice hole and other factors. ridgid drills work great on 6 inch holes and should work fine on 7 inch. that may depend on how wet the ice may be, but i am not sure. i use a 6 inch and have used my older 24 volt ridgid drill that still works and is only 500 inch pounds for years with no problem other than the cold depleted the batteries because they are old school. they still make the batteries, but not the drill. so if i want a new drill all i have to do is hand it over and they give me a new comparable tool for free and batteries and charger.
it never cut out tho and neither does my brushed 780 inch pound. i did try turning a 8 inch mora with dull blades with the 500 inch pound. it wasn't pretty, but it didn't hurt any thing and that's why i wanted to try it to make sure i can't hurt the drill. if it did get hurt i knew it would be fixed or replaced with no charge to me.
i thought about buying the russian ht mini nero 7 inch because lefty is using his used 700 inch pound drill on one with no issues at all. it cuts a 7 3/8 inch hole. i don't need a bigger hole tho.

as you know you can add a plate with a gear box that will allow large holes with ease of use on the drill.
whats more interesting is the parent company owns both brands. it seems they let the limited warranty tool/battery get in the masses first before they let their lifetime tool hit the masses. for what it's worth they also own ryobi and their 12 volt systems interchange with ridgid.

[reelrusty]

  Many thanks hardwater diehard!  Indeed I got the charger and 2 batteries. Will definitely be picking up  bare tool. That was a great link!

[3300]

here is same tool and same price and same shipping at home depot with 90 day returns.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Milwaukee-M18-FUEL-18-Volt-Cordless-Lithium-Ion-Brushless-1-2-in-Drill-Driver-Tool-Only-2703-20/206320079

the good part is you can bring it back in person if you have any issues with it.

[mattthehairy]

on the general chat section another milwaukee drill casting broke yesterday on a clam plate behind the chuck. it's not even the 700 inch pound unit and it's fractured big time. the owner did every thing right that he could.
https://www.iceshanty.com/ice_fishing/index.php?topic=354562.0

Saw this thread and was  on his behalf. I also saw your thread about the customer service pin and how rigid takes care of the tools. That's really good to know. After what I've read I think the only drill I'd buy if I decided to try drills again is a Rigid.

Honestly though the "weakest part of the chain" thing is the exact thing that's pushing me away from this concept. My first experience started good, ended up after a couple seasons of me feeling like the whole drill thing wasn't quite fully baked yet. Now it's several years later and while it's clear more and more folks are doing this and it works a lot better than it used to; I'm not really looking forward to having "one more thing" to constantly need to fiddle with or worry about. I've got an old house to work on and plenty of other machines I'm working to keep limping along.

I think I'm going to have to decide between the rigid setup I listed out in reply #4 or abandoning the drill thing for good. I'm looking to make a decision at the end of the season so I can maybe snag a deal on a leftover stand alone unit and then compare prices/features with the rigid. In the meantime I'll keep my eye out for more mechanical failures on this board.

Thanks everyone for your help thinking this through

[MT204]

this may save you some time scouring the web looking at whats going on with these two brands. there should be plenty of folks saying theirs still work fine and it seems as tho there may have been a casting issue recently that is causing the side handle breaking the transmission housing issue.

this drill is having major issue with the side handle breaking the transmission casting off and the manufacturer will only repair two times and then you out.

Could you please show me where Milwaukee has said that they will only repair the tool 2 times under warranty?

[Agronomist_at_IA]

Bummer about that deal but getting the bare tool could work.

Gotta say did a little research on here last night and saw several folks who report Milwaukee drills breaking. Maybe the heavy duty torque is a little too much.

I'll read up on some more threads but each time I see a drill breaking it makes me want to go with an ION

Yeah some of the handles have broken off.Hence why a clam plate is nice for any drill. The issue from the post today was the guy bought a 500in/lb drill and tried to drill 8in holes.

I run the clam plate on my 1200in/lb Milwaukee. When I'm using my one many flip over I just use my 725in/lb Milwaukee on a 6in lazer. I don't bother with the t-handle. Haven't had an issue yet. I even ran the 725in/lb on my 8in auger for 2 years before the 1200opin/lb came out.

Has far has ridgid goes......don't plan to run more then a 6in auger on them....just a post the other day on here with a lot of guys having issues with them...stopping and not being able to cut. Great warranty on them, but if they can't do what you want what good is the tool.  Milwaukee is by far and large the better drill over a ridgid.

[mattthehairy]

Has far has ridgid goes......don't plan to run more then a 6in auger on them....just a post the other day on here with a lot of guys having issues with them...stopping and not being able to cut. Great warranty on them, but if they can't do what you want what good is the tool.

Yeah this seems to be the main issue that I can see. While it's true I can usually get away with a 6" hole I've been running 8in so long and don't really want to downsize just because. I think I'm giving up on the drill thing again and just going to keep my eyes peeled for a good deal on an auger at the end of the season.

[Agronomist_at_IA]

Yeah this seems to be the main issue that I can see. While it's true I can usually get away with a 6" hole I've been running 8in so long and don't really want to downsize just because. I think I'm giving up on the drill thing again and just going to keep my eyes peeled for a good deal on an auger at the end of the season.

Yeah I get it you want to be comfortable with it. I actually put my drill setup together and kept my jiffy model 30 for 2-3yrs until i was confident. Just sold it this year.

[kpd145]

I have the ridgid setup with 2ah batts on a 6inch nils.

Works fine. Only issue is I wish it came with the bigger batteries to drill more holes. Torque was never an issue with the nils

This year i am fortunate enough to be running the 8" strikemaster 40v lithium. Its a fantastic auger all the way around.

[RapShack]

I think I'm giving up on the drill thing again and just going to keep my eyes peeled for a good deal on an auger at the end of the season.

Not sure what you're looking to spend, or if they are even still on sale, but about a week ago Glen's had the new Eskimo F1 Rocket 8" on sale for $289.  Not sure how great they cut but the 22lb weight caught my eye. 

[mattthehairy]

Thanks, I'll check it out!

[hnd]

i'm a people watcher especially on the ice and there are a good number of things that i see people do all the time that will take the life out of their drills.   And while when you see people tell people on here and fb to do these things, they go, "i am" but based on what i see out in the field, i doubt it. 

1. keep your blades sharp.  if they aren't sharp your drill is going to work 3 to 4X as hard to cut a hole.  decreasing battery life and putting undue stress on the drill.   i can't tell you how many people i see with hand drills regardless the auger bit putting their weight on the sidebar handle and the drill itself.     

2. turn your power to 1.   This also i see guys out there trying to cut the ice on speed 2.  it looks horrible, it doesn't cut well and when you eventually get through, you are throwing water everywhere.     

3. if you use the sidebar handle, keep it tight.  i twist might tight before every trigger pull.  any play will give it opportunity to strip off.    otherwise use the plate. 

[NateD]

on the general chat section another milwaukee drill casting broke yesterday on a clam plate behind the chuck. it's not even the 700 inch pound unit and it's fractured big time. the owner did every thing right that he could.
https://www.iceshanty.com/ice_fishing/index.php?topic=354562.0

Did you read this whole thread? He was trying to turn an 8 inch mora with a 425 lb/in drill.