I got out & tried my new Nils power auger

[walleye44]

I have used other power augers. I have read the reviews, but now I got to try this auger for myself. All I can say is WOW. This auger is super lite & cuts super fast holes. This is the best auger I have ever used. You do not have to put any down pressure on this auger. I could drill holes all day long with this Nils auger. I wish I had this auger years ago!!

[Evobassfish]

Merry Christmas! Enjoy the new toy.

[troutman]

Good to hear.I'm expecting delivery of the same,any day.From your experience and others,I'm expecting good things.I watched the UPS truck come and go down our road this morning.Didn't stop at my house...maybe tomorrow.Good luck and enjoy.

[Sherman]

LOL You're like a kid waiting for Santa to bring his present. I bet you couldn't sleep waiting on the auger.

[trapperdirk]

It actually is an auger that is a treat to use and every time you do use it you will look foward to that with much anticipation .

TD

[ClownColor]

Broke mine in with two tanks amsoil. Ran it on the ice and it bogged down twice on me. Hoping its in the break in period. Had a little 50:1 left from break in. Next tank will be around 80:1. Was super light and drilled like butter. I was Actually testing ice thickness but this auger was cutting too fast. I'd drill 8 inches in a few seconds...typically from my last auger, that would leave me with only 2 inches of ice...its funny cause I could comprehend that and kept measuring ever time I drilled.

[harvey lee]

I use my Solo the majority of the time as it cuts as well as my Nil's I believe.

One cannot go wrong with a Nil's auger. Darn good auger and one of the best on the market today.

[hamms-scooter]

It is a great choice for drilling! Be careful with it and it will treat you right. So effortless. I tried judging thickness while drilling but it is so fast I had to measure.14" was super fast.

[dan z]

Enjoy your new toy. I love my strike light with a 224 bit. I can't wait till my next time on the ice also because it drills so nice.

[troutman]

Finally!After a 4 week wait,today I received my Nils 8" power auger.It looks like a very well built product.The Tanaka started on the 4th pull out of the box.Haven't put it on ice yet...stay tuned.

[fishinnut_3446]

I've had mine about a week now and had it out twice, And it as nice as everyone has talked them up, I am in love.

Got mine from Fish USA, all though they never gave me an option mine came with 48" shaft with the power point, I'm a small guy and would have gone with the 42" and a good year down here we don't get more than 20"-25" of ice.

[Feldy]

Would this auger work for reopening holes? I have a strikemaster lazer that makes it pretty tough on the blades. Does nils have a different design?

[Savage Brewer]

Feldy, I would shy away from reopening old holes with one.

If you need to reopen holes a chipper blade design is the way to go.

Augers like the Lazer and Nils are designed for fast cuts through clean ice.

[walleye44]

Feldy, I would shy away from reopening old holes with one.

If you need to reopen holes a chipper blade design is the way to go.

Augers like the Lazer and Nils are designed for fast cuts through clean ice.

Really, I thought the Nils cut through clean holes & reopening holes the same when I have used mine. It is nice auger!

[Savage Brewer]

I have hit more garbage and put dings in blades reopening holes than just cutting new clean ice.

I guess if you want to play roulette have at it.

I know there are alot of nils lovers on this site, but frankly a chipper blade can usually take more abuse.

Now that being said, a chipper blade will not be able to keep up with a lazer or nils when sharp.

Its like my expensive kitchen knives, mistreated even the slightest and you need to go fix it. While my old chefs knife can be abused a bit and still cut. While it will never cut like one of my $300 japanese blades when sharp, it still has its place.

Maybe thats a bad analogy, but I think it works.

[Surface Tension]

Only reason to open any old hole with any auger is if your fishing out of a perm otherwise drill a new hole. True that you don't know what your going to hit when drilling and old hole. In my perm I'm careful not to let debris get into the hole. In all the years I've been using the Nils to open holes I've never knocked one out of whack.

[troutman]

Finally had the opportunity to put the Nils on ice today and it wouldn't start. Must have pulled on it 20 times...still wouldn't fire.After a brief rest ,I tried again, pulling the recoil several times...still no go.Now,standing there wondering what could be wrong...did I miss something? Yes! I forgot to flip the switch to on! First pull and it's running. Cut's holes like a hot knife through butter. What a sweet machine.

[BartmanMN]

Sounds like me trying to start my boat my first time.

[dfeste]

I also had to learn the hard way that they are really fussy that way LOL.

[PurpleCatMan]

How much do these weigh?

[hamms-scooter]

20 pounds

[hamms-scooter]

Yeah that frustration you felt changed in a hurry followed by a look around to see who was watching

[Savage Brewer]

My old snow blower had a fuel line shut off, and usually about once a season I would be out there yankin that recoil start to only realize that it ain't got no gas in it...

[fishwacker1]

I was always a believer since buying a 6" hand auger what seems like a decade ago. I've had the Tanaka power head and 8" bit now for two full years of ice. Never been really happy with it. I get the death wobble and think that the bit tightened to the collar is not machined right. I've done countless searches and saw comments about adding crush washers, check the bit for warpage, how to tighten the bolt to the flat.. etc. Considering the amount of posts about having to send new blades to Frank for correction after just being bought and my issue leaves me sad for what should be a great product. Frank does do a great job and even better customer service responding to emails.

The wobble affects the cut at the end of a fresh hole and if I ever want to reopen a hole in the perm. It is so bad that I often think that the blade will be damaged permanently. The strike master 224 that I sold to buy this never gave me any problems besides bit ice up from using it so much. Anyone with suggestions or know of a Tanaka or Nils dealer representative that could try my auger and tell me what to do? I have the power point and regular blade for it. I like the power point because with the wobble its easier to guide and start a hole.

[Surface Tension]

fishwacker1, about the wobble at the collar. Tighten the bolt with the allen wrench.

That is what locks the collar to the auger. Next step is to tighten the nut and this

is where guys get the wobble because when tightening the nut they don't back the allen bolt with the wrench. What happens is the bolt backs out when they turn the nut. So use the allen wrench to keep the bolt tight when you tighten the nut. Only reason for the nut is to keep the bolt locked in.

Still this shouldn't effect how the blade cuts. Even the best hand drilling technique has a little wobble and a lot less then a loose collar on from drill to powerhead.

If the blade is bouncing at the bottom of the hole its an issue with the blade.

Sharpening usually takes care of that but sometimes the head will need to be realigned.