new strikemaster

[cat-man]

thinkin of getting a new one but cant make a decision over the 2hp magnum or 3hp lazer pro. mainly need it for drilling in the house and reopening hole. the jiffy is pain for reopening, lookin for some opinions.

[Hazzard]

Go lazer for reopening holes. If you are in a hard house I would look at eletric so you don't have to deal with the exhaust.

[McGurk]

I have the chipper blade auger (Mag 2000) and the shaver blade auger (Lazer). Reopening a hole can mean a couple of different things, and will make a difference in which one you would want to use.

For a fresh hole, or a hole that has COMPLETELY frozen across and down to the original ice; I will use my Lazer. It is much faster, easier, and cleaner.

For a hole that has "shrunk" inward and has just a couple of inches of crust that needs reopening, I will use the chipper blade. It will not get hung up on the hole wall, and overall does a better job. I have used a shaver blade in this instance, but it bucked and bound up and felt like I was wrecking the auger.

[walleyewild]

For reopening holes you'll want to use chipper blades, witch would be the magnum. The laser would be great for new holes but when reopening holes if you knock the pitch off on the laser bit you'll be using the spud bar to chisle the holes open.

After you break in the new auger switch it over to AMSOil very little to no smoke so airing out the house doesn't take as long.

WW

[cat-man]

does the 2hp mag have enough power for opening the shrunk holes

[McGurk]

The Mag2000 has enough hp to do anything, it just isn't much fun for drilling dozens and dozens of holes. If the bulk of your auger's use will be for reopening 6 holes in a permanent house on a weekly basis, a Mag2000 is probably the right auger for the job. A Jiffy 2hp will also do a great job, especially the multi-bladed units.

[cat-man]

i'm going 10 inch all the way.

[dairyman]

WHY-----------8" is more than enough-----you can break a leg if you step in an open 10" hole

[SP180]

dont waste your time on a 10". More dangerous, a great magnet for anything you drop (keys, cell, little kids....). Unless you are pulling 40lb lakers out of the hole it is not needed. I have a 9 and think it is too big. My buddy has a 7 and he cuts holes a lot quicker then i do. An 8 is almost perfect in all situations. Second, a chipper is the way to go for reopening holes. A lazer gets hung up on the bottom lip and that can really cause problems.

[Hazzard]

I use the lazer 224 and it is great for reopening holes, I had a standard 8" lazer before the 224 and it worked good for reopening holes as long as the blades were sharp.

[cat-man]

i've always had a 10 inch jiffy cant go backwards now plus i like the bigger hole

[McGurk]

...the jiffy is pain for reopening, lookin for some opinions.

Of the things I've heard people complain about Jiffy's, reopening holes is never one of them. Weight and size, yes, but never that they had issues with re-opening holes. You also may be interested in looking for an angled "ice house" handle for one side your Jiffy. That may make things easier, and be a lot cheaper than a new auger that could very well still be a "pain."

If you are looking for 10" holes, a 3 hp may be the better option, but I have no experience with a SM 3hp (or either of the new Solo powerheads). I've only had 8", and at the moment don't see the need to have anything larger.

[pegleg]

I switched to a 10" Strikemaster a couple of years ago thinking that bigger was better. After almost tearing my ACL by stepping in one of those holes I went back to an 8" Strikemaster a couple of years ago. Will never go above an 8" again.

[Survyr]

I've got buddy with a 10" Jiffy - Old School.

I reopened his holes, both completely frozen and partially closed, last winter with my Mag 2000. He was amazed with how easy it was and how much less of a mess I made. Granted, the auger smoked to beat He11 but it did the job. (I will definately be trying the AMS oil this winter in my redone FH...)

We were just discussing last weekend how wants to upgrade his auger! Also, since small children are in his house, he was all but sold on the smaller holes.

[fisherdog19]

For re-opening holes, the chipper is the way to go. Electric would be best, but if you will us it outside as well, you'll want the gas auger. Another good option is to put the composite flighting that comes with a Strike-lite on the electric power head, it is very good at re-opening holes. Contact Strikemaster, they may have a composite flighting available.