Electric Augers

[Nelli]

I’ve been wanting to go from my standard 8” hand auger to an electric auger.  Couple questions #1 Can I get an adapter for my nils master for a drill and where do I look ? #2 What’s the best rig for 7-8 hole.  Drill , auger , battery brand.    Also fully charged batteries last how long and about how many holes can I get on a battery.  Thanks guys !

[greensider]

Spend the money get an actual auger I know the drill adapters work fine but the balance and design is much better with a real auger I just got the strike master 24 volt 15 pounds I have drilled 50 holes in 14 inches of ice and no slowing it down

[hardwater diehard]

PM sent.. Do a Search  of plethora of information.

[jpr]

Get an 8inch pistol bit with Rigid hammer drill… this setup is super light and drills holes like a dream. I went from gas to Ion to this and it is by far the best setup I have ever used.

[reeleyz]

I have been running a Milwaukee Fuel with a clam plate and 7” laser for 7 seasons. It has ridden hundreds of miles in the bottom of my shanty and lord only knows how many holes it has drilled. It weighs 16.5 lbs with the battery.

[markduffy13]

The best adapter for your hand auger is the Kovac 2 Ice Master, imo.   It’s like $30. 
If you already have a hammer drill, you’re good to go. (Not in hammer mode.  YouTube is your friend). 
If not, get one with high torque rating.  Rigid Octane was good, but the Octane model was discontinued.   Hard to beat Milwaukee Fuel.   1200 max inch/lbs torque and high quality. 

[Nitro_372]

I also have a pistol bit running it with a Milwaukee, no need for a plate I'm my opinion. i have been using this set up since the pistol bit came out with no trouble, super light and compact, plus I have a drill to use the rest of the year!

[bigbuck]

For the last 4 or 5 seasons I have been using a Dewalt DCD996 20volt drill with my 8" Stikemaster hand auger with bit adapter. Works great. Drilled hundreds of holes with it. Yesterday I lost the auger down the hole in 21 fow. Bummer. If you go this way make sure you have a safety disk or plate that is wider than the hole to prevent this from happening. I had cut out the center of a Frisbee and it worked fine but got a crack in it from use and it didn't stop it from going in. Lessen learned.

The pistol bit auger by Eskimo and others come with a fixed safety disk.

[bigbuck]

fyi... The K drill auger has built-in floatation on the shaft to prevent loss in the hole as well.

[Yotecatcher]

The trick with chuckless drills are to tighten them and then back it off and then retighten them.

[stas60]

I have a Dewalt 20v drill with a 5ah battery. I did near 20 holes and still had 1 indicator light on my battery. 8" pistol bit auger. They weigh about 4lbs.

[BeenPerchin315]

I started using a drill adapter a few years back. Dewalt 20v 5ah battery. Dcd996 or 997 can’t remember. I use a ion gen1 full steel 8” bit. Only problem I ever have is the bit weighs so much it has thrown the chuck loose. Now I just check it every hole.

[sbuffaloice]

Been running a Milwaukee Fuel and a 6" Nero the past two seasons. Was initially running it without a Clam Plate...3 sprained wrists later I added the plate and its phenomenal. Can drill over 40 holes ,and i carry a backup battery as well. Drill I use the rest of the year.

[fedrusion]

I got this thing with a 6" eskimo hand auger and run it on a brushed dewalt drill(the one that comes in most combination kits), works great is supper light and breaks down very compact. on a 5ah battery ive never dropped below 2 bars from a full charge.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07NPHP63Q/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1


My dad and brother both have the clam plate, besides being big/bulky I hate the way the thing works.

[bigbuck]

After loosing my auger last weekend due to a failed frisbee for a hole safety disk I went on Amazon and found this which I ordered and it arrived in 2 days. It includes a auger adapter with 1/2 inch auger adapter, a nice 9 inch wide safety disk with a cotter pin to keep it connected to the adapter. Here is a link...
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B082T3YK4D?ref=ppx_pt2_dt_b_prod_image

Can't wait to try it. I also have a new 8" Eskimo manual auger coming which will complete the setup. Decided to go this route which in total is about $100 dollars less than buying the Eskimo "pistol bit". Hoping the ice on Oneida holds and I can get out this week to try it out.

Thanks for tip on tightening, backing off and retightening Yotecatcher!

[Yotecatcher]

Your welcome

[Nysrx]

I use this adapter on my 6 and 8 inch nils. It works great. Very strong and one piece.
I use a heavy duty 20 volt Dewalt that came with a side handle.
https://icemasteradapter.com/

[grubdropper]

Which one do you like best eskamo pistol or strikemaster lite flute?   And why?

[hardwater diehard]

Dewalt DCD991

Dewalt DCD996

Dewalt DCD997

Dewalt DCD998 must use 6ah or better Flexvolt battery to achieve the higher advertised torque

Dewalt DCD999 must use 6ah or better Flexvolt battery to achieve the higher advertised torque
 
Milwaukee 2804-20

Milwaukee 2803-20

Spec for the proper drill

18V or Higher Brushless Drill

5 Amp Hour or Higher Battery

1/2” Chuck Type

Side Stabilizer /  Handle

Minimum Torque Rating of 84 Nm / 750 in. lbs/800 UWO

DRILL SETTING ....DRILL MODE.. Speed Setting 1  NO HAMMEER MODE !!!

Which one do you like best eskamo pistol or strikemaster lite flute?   And why?

They all cut well with the right drill and battery set up ..as I have a 7.5" K-Drill...8"Pistol Bit ..8" SM Lite Flite and a 10" ION Ultra Lite..and had an 8" HT E-Drill..but each has its nuances


All about the blades .1).K-Drill has Chipper style great for dirty ice Slowest and uses more battery ..2)Shaver style blade or Mora type ..Pistol Bit ..HT E-Drill ..Cableas Eze ..pretty fast and can be hand sharpen with some practice ..replacement blades fairly inexpensive . 3) Lazer style blades ..Lite flight .. ..fastest but if used on dirty ice game over ..ie paper weight..replacement blades lil pricey.. I am not familar with the Razr ..but believe they have Lazer style blades .. next is weight ..metal heavier ..composite lighter . Having a center point is a great option ..most hand augers do not ..so skipping on glare ice is quite possible/dangerous . As for the Drill you will be using ..Brushless 725 in/lbs or better with 5ah battery or better..IF YOU GO WITH A UNDER POWERED UNDERTORQUED PICTURE HANGING DRILL SET UP IT WILL BE AN EPIC FAIL EVENTUALLY..Buy the right drill and battery set up .

HT Enterprise E Drill..   Mora/Straight
Eskimo Pistol Bit.......   Mora?Straight
Strikemaster Lite Flite.  Lazer/Curved
K Drill...                      Chipper
Cabelas Eze Drill..........Mora/Straight
Nils.................. ..........$$$
Razr Scout................. .Lazer/Curved

[chasdc1]

I just got a Milwaukee M18 FUEL drill to run my 8"nils. Got a drill package with drill, stabilization handle (which you need otherwise the torque will ruin your wrist and wreck your day), a charger, 2 5ah batteries and a carrying case. Paid $260 for the drill set--buy once/cry once.
Anyway, the machine is a real ice beast and will cut through 12" of ice in 4-5 seconds! Set the drill to run on selection level 1 and get out of the way! The torque is amazing and with only a little initial downforce, the nils takes over and a hole magically appears!
I got the drill the week before last and went fishing with it 4 times last week-- Conesus, Braddocks, Ibay, Braddocks, drilled about 40 holes and the battery sensor still showed 2 bars out of 4-- I brought the battery in the house at night to keep it warm. I can't imagine out drilling the charge on 2 batteries on any given day!
I hooked the nils onto a Kovac II Ice Master and am surely confident that is it secure. I thought about getting a Clam plate but I'm happy for now running the Kovac II Ice Master.
Can't wait for next year!

[Icemaniac]

I converted my 6" nils this season using the Kovac 2 Ice Master along with a The FLEX 24V Brushless 1/2-in. 2-Speed Drill Driver kit from Lowes($179). This drill works awesome and I ended up using the 2.5 ah battery rather then the bigger 5 ah as I could easily drill over 50 holes an outing and still have two bars left on the battery.