Ion Gen 2 10"

[sra61]

I tore up a shoulder and saw the 18 lb. weight on the Ion Gen 2 and decided to go that way. I have been using a Jiffy e6 for the last couple of seasons and bought a spare battery for it right away, but it seems like it has kind of been a waste of money. I have never really needed the spare except for maybe one long day that was really cold. I don't hole hop and can't see myself drilling more than maybe 30 holes a day. What are the opinions about spare batteries for these Gen 2 Ions?

[lostbrit]

I Have the older Ion,I too got the extra battery as I was nervious about running out of juice but that has never happened as of today and I've owned it for 5 years or so.

[sra61]

I Have the older Ion,I too got the extra battery as I was nervious about running out of juice but that has never happened as of today and I've owned it for 5 years or so.

I agree. I asked the Ion guys, and they said the same thing. No spare battery needed. I am going to get one of their little insulated battery bags and keep some of those hot hands warmers in there just in case it gets really cold. I had that kill my Jiffy battery one time.

[mr.clean]

Sra61,save your self some money and get an insulated lunch box/bag to put the spare battery and hand warmers in believe Ion's battery bag sells for twenty dollars. Ion's bag does come with a divider to keep two batteries separate and has net pockets for the hand warmers still you should be able to pick up the lunch box/bag cheaper at a dollar/discount store. I have a Gen 1 ION and I'm pleased with it's performance.
 Steve

[hardwater diehard]

I tore up a shoulder and saw the 18 lb. weight on the Ion Gen 2 and decided to go that way. I have been using a Jiffy e6 for the last couple of seasons and bought a spare battery for it right away, but it seems like it has kind of been a waste of money. I have never really needed the spare except for maybe one long day that was really cold. I don't hole hop and can't see myself drilling more than maybe 30 holes a day. What are the opinions about spare batteries for these Gen 2 Ions?

I believe the G2 has a bigger battery and is faster/improved and with the lighter composite drill unit one battery should do you just fine based on your described fishing style

[carcus1]

I used a 10" g2 the other day, amazing auger, might be selling the tanaka and efco

[Knife2sharp]

Well boys and girls, after coming across this post, you 'forced' me to purchase one .  I had just made the switch to propane five years ago, but now that I have an Ice Castle, I can see the benefit of having an electric auger, primarily for weight and the reverse.  Plus, the green matches my fish house (Arctic Cat green), which also matches my green Keurig coffee maker. 

[Knife2sharp]

Does anyone know the distance from handle to handle, measuring the outside, edge to edge?

Edit:  17" if anyone needs to know.  Also looks like I can bring it in an inch on both sides. 

[sra61]

I finally got to use the Ion G2 10" last weekend. That thing is awesome! It's fast and super light. I drilled as many holes as I will probably ever drill on Saturday looking for fish (maybe 30 in 10" ice), and it was barely down from fully charged! I'm definitely hooked on it! And the nicest thing was that I never used a ice scooper one time! Just hit reverse!

[mr.clean]

Sra61 good to read you got out fishing put the Ion Gen2 through a test and are happy with it's performance. I need to visit Ion's website to see if they have increased the length of the auger. I'm under six feet tall and found in ice of 12 inches or thicker need to bend knees or lean over to complete drilling a hole if I do not use the 12 inch extension that came with my auger. Otherwise very happy with my auger which is a Gen 1 8 inch which came with a 40 volt 3 amp hour battery when they came out with the 5 amp hour battery purchased one to have as a spare. I believe the Gen 2 augers now come with a 40 volt 6 amp hour battery.

Knife2sharp may you find the new auger to your liking once you get to use it on the ice.
 
  Steve

[Knife2sharp]

Yeah, I got to use it last weekend; unfortunately, there was a minor setback. The auger had been a return and the blades were damaged, it would just wobble and hop.  Luckily the bait store nearby carried the blades.  After returning to the lake I called Scheels and they reimbursed me the cost of the blades, without needing a receipt or PoP. 

Regarding auger length, it is 40", and my Eskimo HC40 is 42".  The ION could be short for some, since the handles are closer to the auger.  I like it because it fits in the back seat of my truck and I'm only 5' 8".  My Eskimo with a 12" extension would be close to eye level. 

[mr.clean]

Knife2sharp sorry to read about you getting a returned auger with damaged blades good thing there was a local bait shop nearby that carried blades for the auger. Good to read Scheels reimbursed you for the cost of the new blades without any hassle. I'm 5'9" so have the same experience when I attached the 12" extension to my auger.
 Steve

[jigisup]

I bought a jiffy a couple years ago to replace my 25 year old jiffy. The new one was a piece of crap.
This year I bought the Ion G2 with 10 inch flyte so far it is amazing. Cuts beautifully.
I'm in Manitoba Canada and we can get 40 to 50 inches of ice some years. That has me worried but I'm not one for drilling more than 10 or 15 holes a day and always out with my buddy who bought an electric jiffy with 2 batteries. We should be able to drill plenty of holes.
And Happy New year to al my great American neighbors.