Hand auger

[TiNK3R]

So... I was at a local store today looking at hand augers. They had as follows...

HT Enterprise brand - Strike-Master Mora - Strike-Master Lazer: the prices went from $29 on the HT to $99 on the lazer.

Does anyone have any experience with these? Is the quality of the strike-master lazer really worth 4 times the price of the HT one? Should I get the "cheap" one or invest in the more expensive one?

I have a nice, new strike-master power auger that I will be using when the ice is 6"+.

Thank you,

Tink

[Redlantern]

I've had the mora, the strikemaster and the Nils hand augers. Mora was cheap but not that great. The strikemaster is great and you can find replacement blades easily. The Nils is fantastic but getting the blades resharpened is a bit of a hassle. I forget who but someone on this site can resharpen them for you.

[jbird68]

Two years ago I bought an HT Arctic Express 7" (AE-7) hand auger. It was alot cheaper than thr Strike Master and it works great. It cuts ice easily. It is similar to the Lazer augers from SM. I even bought a blade guard from Strike Master and it fit perfectly. The one that came with the HT didn't fit very well. One other thing on the HT is that you might want to replace the bolt for adjusting the handle height. It is soft steel or aluminum and will eventually strip the threads. I bought a hardened steel bolt and had a small bar welded on top of the head to make a "T" so you don' tneed a hex wrench to tighten it up. I've had it for 2 years and haven't needed to sharpen or change the blades yet.

The AE-7 is awesome on my IceGator.

[deadeye]

I have a mora and a lazer. The mora sits in the garage and collects dust. The lazer goes fishing with me every time until the power auger comes out.

Not saying that the cheaper ones don't work, but there is extra effort required. IF you get one of the lesser models, go with a smaller hole size, maybe the 6". It will help speed up the process.

[waterbound]

I bought the HT last year for about the same price and I've loved it so far. Never ahd a problem with dull blades but I've never used any of the others to compare how they work.

[Esox_Magnum]

Had a couple Moras over the years thought they were good untill I tried a Lazer, got 1 and used it a few years now own a Nils but havent tried the hand auger attachment yet, maybe Sunday.

[bgreen82]

"I have a mora and a lazer. The mora sits in the garage and collects dust. The lazer goes fishing with me every time until the power auger comes out."

ive had both mora and lazer. spend more to get lazer. as for hand auger, it never hurts to bring it with all year for when power [PoorWordUsage] out or you forget to put full tank in like i have done.

[Wables]

If you can wait until spring, keep an eye on Walmart. I waited them out a few years ago and picked up their last SM Lazer for like $36.

[drakerebel]

walmart still carries fishing gear (sarcasm)??? what a joke, cannot believe how that place has gone downhill in recent years. they seem to have reduced the sporting goods (guns especially) and opted to peddle more nintendo ds's for kids to sit home and play while they eat gummy worms in front of the flatscreen tv.

sorry, pent up frustration of that store.

[bgreen82]

wait, you dont like walmart???

[drakerebel]

yeah, i'll opt for a place that'll actually say "hello" and offer help before i have to ask.

customer service means something in my book...but that's my personal opinion.

we used to have a regular walmart, and since it's gone "super", the sporting goods dept has taken a nosedive to say the least.

[drakerebel]

sorry for taking away from the original intent of the post,

i have a lazer 7" and it works great for early ice, i would spend the extra money.

[Chode2235]

I have the lazer and love it so much more than the old mora I had, but the key is to get a smaller auger regardless of the brand. Cutting 6" by hand is A LOT easier than 8".

[Brad B]

I just picked up a reconditioned 8 inch lazer from a area shop for $50.00 they also had the moras reconditioned for $35.00. reconditioned ones are the ones strike master used as demos at events. they put new blades on them and touch up any paint that may need it. The shop is in maple lake so this gives it away since they are the only shop I know of in maple lake. this shop also sells reconditioned power strikemasters at a greatly reduced cost.

[mrpike1973]

brad b ironically i went to the same place today and got a lazer 6 inch for 50 bucks couldnt be happier i had one and sold it what a dummy i was i think that place is pretty good a little bit of a drive but good i had a mora the lazer is 2 times faster is what strikemaster said

[tunrevir]

I have had the moras and they work fine but I made it a rule to never borrow it out and never use it to reopen an old hole. I bought a 7" lazer last year early ice and I love it. Cuts much better then the old Moras and blows through ice pretty quickly. I haven't tried a Nils.

Tunrevir~