Author Topic: Best GAS Auger??? (Read 10630 times)

mikeyc0203 · « **on:** Dec 03, 2006, 11:04 AM »

I am looking to buy a gas auger with my buddy to get ready for the season but i was wondering what everyone thinks is the best auger to get or their intake on their augers?? Also i was wondering what a good auger will cost me too

Home Wood · « **Reply #1 on:** Dec 03, 2006, 01:30 PM »

Did you look under the equipment section? I have a Jiffy, it's like 15 years old and is in great shape. It's a little tempermental at first, but it works well.

lake snake · « **Reply #2 on:** Dec 03, 2006, 04:22 PM »

Nils Master

Mainedog · « **Reply #3 on:** Dec 03, 2006, 04:29 PM »

you will have as many reponses as there are manufacturers of augers (at least)!
I myself own two Jiffys, a 3hp 10" and a 2hp 8".

duck doctor · « **Reply #4 on:** Dec 03, 2006, 05:19 PM »

Jiffy! who else makes a gas auger? LOL!!!!

Blaine · « **Reply #5 on:** Dec 03, 2006, 05:50 PM »

LOL... Ask that again after you see my Nils in action

jhawkes2 · « **Reply #6 on:** Dec 03, 2006, 06:13 PM »

Jiffy...have a 3 hp 9" stealth, awesome! I decided to go with the power auger because it took me 3+ hours, and too much sweat to set up towards the end of the season... not much fun.

J

TGF · « **Reply #7 on:** Dec 03, 2006, 06:22 PM »

I originally owned a Jiffy years back, then got a Lazer Strikemaster and preferred it for weight for packing into areas. HOWEVER you asked what the best was and that would be nils master. I used my buddies and it is on my next wish list. Quiet and if she quits running for some reason or you run out of gas, just pop off the head and it converts to a hand auger quickly. It is pricier though but you did ask what the best was

IMO

big big rdg · « **Reply #8 on:** Dec 03, 2006, 07:50 PM »

Quote from: lake snake on Dec 03, 2006, 04:22 PM

Nils Master

Yup

icejunky · « **Reply #9 on:** Dec 03, 2006, 07:52 PM »

I persoanlly own a Jiffy and love it, works great, but as mentioned above...you said the best, and thats a Nils...you could make a mortgage payment with what you'll spend on one, but they are king

rockysolid · « **Reply #10 on:** Dec 04, 2006, 06:04 AM »

Love my Jiffy. Had a Strikemaster that was one problem after another.

esox slayer · « **Reply #11 on:** Dec 04, 2006, 06:19 AM »

Now I'm going to play devils advocate here for this post. Most everyone is saying the Nils is the best auger and that may be so, but under optimal conditions. Why do I say that? Well, consider your location first and foremost...do you live in an area where sand is blown off shore and mixes in with the ice, if so, then I'd imagine the fine shaving blades on a Nils or a Strikemaster would not be the wisest choice, perhaps a Jiffy with chipper blades would be better. I know my strikemaster blades are very easily damaged by debris in the ice or by banging it into the ice...I'm sure a Nils blades are the same way.

I fish one of the small bays off Lake Ontario up this way, and the ice is always full of debris (cat tails, cattail roots and mud, small branches, etc) and they wreak havoc with my strikemaster blades. Once again, maybe the chipper style blades are the better choice.

Now, from a convenience standpoint, I'm not so sure that either a Nils or a Strikemaster is the best choice. Depends on how close you live to a location that can resharpen those style blades or have access to a big store that has the replacement blades available, there's always UPS and FedEx, but that gets costly and then there's the downtime waiting for replacements to arrive, unless you've already shelled out the bucks to have spares on hand...a set of Jiffy blades are far more durable and can take a lot more abuse than the shaver blades can....

I'm not a Jiffy user, I use a Strikemaster 10 inch lazer mag. It's heavy, a 3 horsepower unit, longer than a Jiffy by about 6 inches, but it'll out cut a Jiffy 2 to one in side by side running, when I decide to change augers I'm going back to Jiffy or another brand with the chipper style blades. Why?? Because of the reasons I listed above and I don't need to drill through 2 feet of ice in 3.5 seconds. Replacement blades are expensive for the Strikemaster and you can sharpen chipper style blades with a file and a vise at home..can't do that with a Nils or a SM.

Granted, the Nils will drill faster, then a strikemaster, then a Jiffy as far as speed is concerned. If this is your only consideration then buy a Nils, however..........Esox

Blaine · « **Reply #12 on:** Dec 04, 2006, 07:24 AM »

You make excellent points. I don't have to contend with too much sand in my area but the weeds haven't affected my bit at all. The Nils is made out of a harder steel than most other blades, I forget the exact type but I'll find out. I learned the hard way years ago when I had a Jiffy to carry extra blades. I let a "friend" borrow the auger to drill his holes and he promptly hit a rock along the shoreline and my drilling for that weekend was over. When I bought the Nils, I also purchased a spare bit that I carry. Granted there aren't many shops around that can sharpen these correctly but all I have to do is ship the bit to Nils in Burlington, VT and they send me another one that day, there is no waiting to have it sharpened.

As long as we're talking pros and cons, here are a couple more factors to consider. Another down side to the Nils is that they do not make a 10" bit but on the positive side, the Nils 4.5, 6 and 8 inch models all convert to a hand auger in seconds for early and late ice or for those bodies of water that don't allow gas motors (we have several here in CT) In fact, when you buy the Nils, you get 2 boxes, 1 is a hand auger, the other is a motor. That motor drops right onto any size bit from Nils. I also like the fact that it's feather light, when i go out with a partner, I drill at least 75 holes before we set up. Do that with 24" of ice and I'm not wroking up a sweat like I used to with my Model 30.

Like you alluded to, they are not for everyone but I wouldn't trade mine for any other auger I've seen yet

Porter · « **Reply #13 on:** Dec 04, 2006, 08:09 AM »

Nils master with the Tenaka engine is BY FAR the best and lightest auger you can buy. I am a 12 yr owner of a Jiffy 30 (which is the old reliable standby, but heavy).
Bought a Nils last year and would NEVER go back!

- Porter

Muskie Matt · « **Reply #14 on:** Dec 04, 2006, 03:01 PM »

I have a 3hp 10" Eskimo......WHAT A BEAR! But it cuts holes quicker than most of the guys I fish next to.

bigbrother · « **Reply #15 on:** Dec 04, 2006, 04:08 PM »

Quote from: Porter on Dec 04, 2006, 08:09 AM

Nils master with the Tenaka engine is BY FAR the best and lightest auger you can buy. I am a 12 yr owner of a Jiffy 30 (which is the old reliable standby, but heavy).
Bought a Nils last year and would NEVER go back!

- Porter

A coupl of my little bros got to test out Porter's Nil's last year, they said it was the lightest fastest thing they've ever seen. It must have still been new, they said you were pretty psyched about it!

How's married life treating you? Munchkins yet?

od21 · « **Reply #16 on:** Dec 04, 2006, 04:54 PM »

Jiffy Model 30 compares to energizer bunny with a beating keeps on ticking

Blaine · « **Reply #17 on:** Dec 04, 2006, 05:50 PM »

I can't argue with that! Time will tell on my Nils though... Don't bet against it

fishinfergy · « **Reply #18 on:** Dec 04, 2006, 06:04 PM »

hoping to get a gas auger soon, keep the info coming.

tilted · « **Reply #19 on:** Dec 04, 2006, 06:47 PM »

I don't know how much the Nils costbut I have a 2 year old Jiffy Legend 3hp 10inch and it runs the balls.I had an older one since the early 80's and the only reason I got a new one is because some ***** stole it out of my truck. I know they're heavy but the reliability is exceptional. I can't comment on other brands because all I've owned are Jiffys but I don't think you could go wrong buying one. I'm not sure about other brands but most Jiffys have Wisc/Robin or Briggs engines so they can be serviced by most lawnmower shops and parts are easy to come by too, Just MHO

Roncarr · « **Reply #20 on:** Dec 04, 2006, 07:45 PM »

strikemaster exspress mag new blades 37 inches of ice 14 seconds=PRICELESS
never even seen a nills but sounds good. the blades on mine are touchy I keep extra ones with me at all times .the strikemasters win the speed contests every year for stock class Ive had mine 7 years changed spark plug once, blades 3 times.

flagfreak · « **Reply #21 on:** Dec 04, 2006, 09:29 PM »

Hello,

The best gas auger is the one I got for free.It is a old Strikemaster and does the job

CMON ICE

Gerry

Smeltecca · « **Reply #22 on:** Dec 05, 2006, 08:00 AM »

I own a 10" Eskimo Shark. It's the original with metal handles And the 11,000 rpm emak engine. They stopped making it a couple of years ago replaced it with a plastic handled model and an 8000 rpm engine. If you can get your hands on the older model (some places have left overs) you'll be very happy. It's light and fast and I've never had a problem.

newbraintree · « **Reply #23 on:** Dec 05, 2006, 08:10 AM »

Husqvarna makes an auger now. only 12lbs and it runs at 11,000 RPMS. Let me see if I can figure out how to post a pic on here

Smeltecca · « **Reply #24 on:** Dec 05, 2006, 08:20 AM »

Quote from: newbraintree on Dec 05, 2006, 08:10 AM

Husqvarna makes an auger now. only 12lbs and it runs at 11,000 RPMS. Let me see if I can figure out how to post a pic on here

I tried to get info on the Husky auger last year. It doesn't comply with U.S. emissions standards so it can't be sold in th U.S. I found a place in Canada that would ship it to me but they wouldn't guarantee that it would get to me and it was around 600 bucks. Are they making one you can get in the U.S. now?

newbraintree · « **Reply #25 on:** Dec 05, 2006, 10:00 AM »

Quote from: Smeltecca on Dec 05, 2006, 08:20 AM

I tried to get info on the Husky auger last year. It doesn't comply with U.S. emissions standards so it can't be sold in th U.S. I found a place in Canada that would ship it to me but they wouldn't guarantee that it would get to me and it was around 600 bucks. Are they making one you can get in the U.S. now?

I am not sure if they are in the US yet.. They are selling them on EBAY for 800. I will check with Klems in Spencer this weekend to see if they can get them or not

Smeltecca · « **Reply #26 on:** Dec 05, 2006, 11:52 AM »

Keep me posted Newbrain I researched them alot last year and was disappointed when I couldn't get one. They make great chainsaws the only bad thing I heard about them was that they were loud.

unoman · « **Reply #27 on:** Dec 15, 2006, 05:29 PM »

strikemaster for me...just blew the dust off of it and it started with one pull...I had a jiffy 3 hp 10"....got a lemon...too heavy for my old arse anyway.....strikemaste r is light and quiet....

RIfish · « **Reply #28 on:** Dec 16, 2006, 07:44 AM »

The Husky's model # is 225AI25 if any one needs it

Smeltecca · « **Reply #29 on:** Dec 16, 2006, 12:03 PM »

Quote from: RIfish on Dec 16, 2006, 07:44 AM

The Husky's model # is 225AI25 if any one needs it

Is that the ten inch model?

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Author Topic: Best GAS Auger??? (Read 10630 times)