I have a fairly new Eskimo hand auger; I would say I have drilled less than 50 holes with it since I bought it last year. Last week I noticed what I thought was a scratch on one of the blades. Upon closer inspection I noticed that it was cracked. The crack formed near one of the bolts. I have not abused this auger in any way. It has never been dropped, and has never cut anything but clean ice. The blade has no sign of any other damage other than the crack.
The only thing I can think of is that I was out on some very cold, windy days, this year and that ice formed between the blade and the auger and cracked it due to expansion. I do shake the auger vigorously after each hole to get the water off and put the guard back on right away, but that’s the only thing I can think of. Any thoughts?
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