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Best auger to Buy?

crazyfishnguy

By crazyfishnguy
in Ice Fishing

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Northlander Grand Master

Northlander

Posted
Posted

After testing almost every auger out there and doing my homework I took a risk and purchased a Nils. This was about 5 years ago and Nils was very new on the market so nobody in my area had one to try. I talked to a few guys who ran them and they raved about them so I took the plunge. Man am I glad I did! Its hands down the best auger I have ever used. Light, fast, reliable and long enough I have never needed a extension.

There are many good augers out there these days but my vote is Nils. Like I always say get a extra cutting head/blades no matter what auger you buy. Easy to carry with you and it can save a trip. Oh dont forget the correct tools to change them out. wink

No matter what you purchase good luck and enjoy it.

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Tyler23 Experienced

Tyler23

Posted
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So after reading all of these posts, it seems like the new Strikemasters aren't very good... I thought about purchasing one too.

well every brand is going to have a problem here and there... i just got a lazer mag last month. love it soooo much better than my jiffy. i would highly recommend strikemaster cuts awesome starts right up doesnt need to run for 5 min before you can start drilling, the best thing i ever did was sell my stx stealth jiffy and get a strikemaster!

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gunning Collaborator

gunning

Posted
Posted

I will say the Nils auger has gotten good reviews I was thinking of getting one but there are not too many dealers down where I live, I could have ordered one but I needed one asap when my old one went down. My friend got a Nils last year and I was impressed but he had to take it in to a shop to get it running this year it was something with the gas line. After he got it running he had to send his 8" blade in to get fixed somewhere in New Hampshire.

I went with the SoLo and I was mad when the recoil broke Sunday but I called them on Monday and they had the new recoil to my house on Tue, plus I'm sending the broken one back and they are going to fix or replace it, so I will always have a back-up. I'm pretty happy with that. I just hope I don't have any more problems. The thing does rip through the ice.

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&JAG Rising Star

&JAG

Posted
Posted
So after reading all of these posts, it seems like the new Strikemasters aren't very good... I thought about purchasing one too.
If this recoil thing wasn't an issue I think opinions would be different for most owners. I just got a new Pro Lazer a month ago and have not had any issues personally... My auger before that was a Lazer Mag Express (10 years no issues). The way I see it is who sells the most augers? Strikemaster. How could they do so much business if they had an ok auger? The point is they are very good, rip through ice and are light. IMO Nils is also a great auger but, I wouldn't dig sending my money to Finland. I just take a lot of pride in supporting the folks in Big Lake, MN. These brands...Vexliar, Marcum, Thorne Bros., Otter Outdoors, STRIKEMASTER all a big part of who I am... A MINNESOTAN and proud of it!!
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slurpie Experienced

slurpie

Posted
Posted

I have 2 eskimo 43cc mako one is new one is 5 years old. They are a great auger The gas caps have never leaked from the screw on either of them. They are nice to start because they have a primer 8 pumps and they atart right up. They are a little heavier than a strikemaster. 10 holes into an 100+ hole

day you know the diffrence. They cut smooth and a little slower, would be perfect for inside a fish house (wouldnt throw slush all over), and the quietest 2 stroke motor i have heard.

I have a few buddys that have jiffys ,newer ones and they are heavier than the eskimo. cant say how they cut because the blades were dull on all of them. I would think a person could sharpen the blades yourself beings they are a flat blade.

I have never used a nils would really like to i drill alot of holes in a day out ice fishing faster is better and light is a plus. But There is no dealers around.

My goto auger is a strikemaster i bought new in 2003 as a three bade 9" what a pile (the shaft) blades were never straight was hard to cut holes. Drove to Big lake they gave me a chioce 10" or 8" got a ten. Used that for a couple years worked good. CLutch went out drove there they replaced free of charge. Two weeks later went Back to big lake Gears broke they again replaced for free. Bought an 8" shaft no problems for three years. Yesterday something in the clutch broke darn thing.

In my opinion i would only buy a strikemaster. Yes i have had problems it's mechanical and I accept the fact that mechanical stuff will break or have problems. I also drill alot of holes if we cant get on fish my brother and me will drill till we do. somedays that can be more than a tank of gas. The Eskimo is a good auger and if i only fished in a stationary that would be my auger of choice.

And now all augers run on 80:1 amsoil sabre tat stuff rules. cool

Forgot to mention my handle did break once Brother leaned it on 4 wheeler and tipped over. Dont know what he was thinking. Always lay auger down regardless of brand, leaving in half cut hole standing up bulls the blades.

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crazyfishnguy Apprentice

crazyfishnguy

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I am sure glad I made this post! Its really nice seeing what everyone has to say about augers!!! Thank all of you!! I think and hope people keep writing about what they think!! Good Info from everyone!! I would have to agree with Jag!! Support the local Guys!!!! USA all the way!!!

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riverview Community Regular

riverview

Posted
Posted

Nils, strike master, jiffy, Eskimo, A lot of choices to me the Nils seem like the Cadillac of augers. the eskimo is a nice auger with a great price. With strike master and jiffy having new motors they are a tossup. I think they are all good augers, I really like that they are working on dropping the weight. I have had the same jiffy 31 legend since 95 always ran but a lot of room for improvement. I was going to wait a year to buy a lightweight auger but had problems on New Year’s Eve and wanted to fish so I bought the only auger available which was a 2500 jiffy lightning. Nice and light cuts well. I will give a long term test after a month. If could of bought the auger I wanted it would have been the Nils.

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tsande00 Experienced

tsande00

Posted
Posted

Yes, avoid the new SOLO Strikemaster augers. I also bought one and its been nothing but trouble. First it was the re-coil. It is very hard to start. I have to choke, prime, de-compress and then pump the throttle four times to get it to start. I took it to the local small engine repair shop. It is easy to start if you take out the plug and spray starter fluid in the cylinder. It will not start unless you pump the throttle 4 times and then hold it down as you pull the re-coil. Not an easy thing for one person to do. Other option is pull the plug and spray with starter fluid. I have fresh premium gas and premium oil, 50:1 Strikemaster oil. I had a Strikemaster with the Tecumseh engine and it was a great auger. Stay away from the new SOLO engines.

I can't even believe you are having this much trouble.

I push my primer 4 times, flip the lever to choke, pull once, flip lever to run, pull again and the auger is purring like a kitten ready to rip through the ice like it's butter.

I've never had any problems with the recoil either and I've fished every cold snap we've had so far this year, leaving my auger sit out on the ice between cutting holes or moving the porty around.

I couldn't be happier with my new Solo StrikeMaster!

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svonasek Enthusiast

svonasek

Posted
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I was out on the ice today and got to see someone with a new jiffy stx pro II. I must say I was pretty impressed with it. I've read alot of bad things about the new motors, but this one started on the first pull and ran great. I'm not positive on this, but it also looks like it spins faster then any of the strike masters that I've seen in the past.

Anyone know for sure what the rpm rating is on that one?

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picksbigwagon Grand Master

picksbigwagon

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Posted

I had my new strikemaster solo Lazermag out tonight, drilled about 20 holes and it pulled me down everytime. No leaning on the auger at all. I pulled 2 times with the choke on, 3 pull it was raring to go.....way better and a ton lighter than my old jiffy. I think it is a great auger so far

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MidCoast Proficient

MidCoast

Posted
Posted

I had my new strikemaster solo Lazermag out tonight, drilled about 20 holes and it pulled me down everytime. No leaning on the auger at all. I pulled 2 times with the choke on, 3 pull it was raring to go.....way better and a ton lighter than my old jiffy. I think it is a great auger so far

No problems with the recoil?

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TylerS Mentor

TylerS

Posted
Posted

I, too, had my Lazermag out for the first time this weekend. No problems whatsoever. Worked flawlessly. Punched through over two feet of ice lickity split. Just let the auger do the work, no pushing or grunting. Got an extension already so I'm ready for Lake of the Woods next weekend!

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slurpie Experienced

slurpie

Posted
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My brother is looking for a new auger ,if those of you with new strikemaster are so upset how much? I know it would suck to have a new toy have problems but sounds like an easy fix. I bought a new $50,000 dollar pick-up and took a week to get the part in to fix it. So a day or two and i have a new recoil that fixes the problem sounds good to me. Now if the recoil dont fix it and the problem continues to happen there could be problems.

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strikerlight Newbie

strikerlight

Posted
Posted

Well gotta insert my opinion here. First off, never used a nils so cant say anything bad/good about them. They are not readily available around here. Second: the new jiffys this year simply suck. They said it is jiffy engineered, all they did was simply switch a couple things around like adjust the muffler how it shoots out. They have the motor that eskimo USED to have, they dropped it because it was junk and did not start well in the cold! True fact.

Third: I guess you would call my opinion bias because I am a Strikemaster fan, but hate to point out the obvious. The new solo engines are amazing motors, ask any farmer about solo engines, because solo is big in agricultural stuff too. The MAIN problem for a lot of people with the new solos are YOU HAVE TO READ THE DIRECTIONS!! It is amazing I watched someone try and start a new solo. They pull it like chainsaw with all their might!! They have field tested many solos with different pros/guides that used the auger nearly everyday, with minimal to no recoil problems what so ever. The new solos have amazing torque through the thick ice, the new solos can have a 10inch bit on and spin faster than the old tech motors with no bit on!

Yes the old jiffys spin faster than the strikemasters, but the s.m cut faster.

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jigginjim Mentor

jigginjim

Posted
Posted

Buy a hand auger. 1. No pull cords or recoils to break. 2. Will not smell up your ice shack. 3.Will always work as all as you keep good blades on it like any other auger. 4. lighter then most others. 5. It's Green planet friendly, plus you don't need that gym membership any more, as you will work off those extra calories you have been wanting shed....

PS. see your doctor, if your Ok for Viagra, your good to go.

grincoollaugh

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Supercrew Collaborator

Supercrew

Posted
Posted

See if this one will meet your needs when the ice gets thicker and you and a buddy have some time to punch some holes on your favorite fishin' hole!!

I have an Eskimo that my Dad had 20+ years ago, cast iron 24:1 fuel mix and it kicks butt on the ice, still strong and they don't make them like this anymore..... grin

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cabin Enthusiast

cabin

Posted
Posted

Nils are the best. Old Strikemasters with the Tecumseh engine are tough, reliable , engines. Stay away from SOLO . I got one and it has been a nightmare. Re-coil problem and hard to start. Yes, I read the directions on starting the SOLO. I fixed the re-coil and that is no longer an issue.

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