New auger? What should I buy

[deadeye]

True enough lad but all I ever read about is the customer service SM does . It's just dribble to us who don't live around the corner so why do the pro SM lads use it as a selling point ? .Some days I wonder if the Minnesotans think they are the only ones who icefish in the world when the SM push comes on because of " customer service ". Other states icefish too as we do up here in igloo land . LOL

I forgot though Strikemaster is in Minnesota and right around the corner for customer service for icefishermen at large . No offense intended towards the minnesotan ice runners but, come on . Your not the only ones that buy . LOL I guess that's my point too .

TD

Ok, don't take this in a bad way but what do you guys in Canada use? I'm simply curious cause the people and family I got up there are all running strikemaster or jiffy with a couple husqvarnas (we cant easily get huskys here so not many know about them here) mixed in there. Is there other stuff that you see that is popular there, maybe from europe?

[tsande00]

So what would be better for a wheel house? 4 stroke or a electic? I hate when the house is full of smoke. And oil spots on the wall from my jiffy!

Electric would be the best. Look up 'Icegator Auger' online. Pretty sweet augers with absolute rave reviews.

[blackleech]

So I wanted a Lazermag but they only had them in 10" at the local sporting shop. So I bought the Magnum. Are these good units? It has the chipper style blade vs the other type. I could return it and find a Lazor mag or should I keep this one??

Cheers!!

[trapperdirk]

No , the majority of our ice gear is what you lads use too and Jiffy and Eskimos seem to be the most common used auger . Although we can get a husquavarna auger here they are just way,way to pricey . The last time I looked at one it retailed at $895. and once we add our robbery tax the auger would be well over a $1000 . We do see a few Strikemasters also and the very odd Stihl and Nils .

You can also get GL Loomis ice rods here and for some reason apparently you can't in the states .

Before Tecumseh closed their doors Eskimo .Strikemaster and Jiffy used motors made by them and there were plenty of service centres around . But they were also easy to work on even by any backyard small engine mechanic as in the man of the house . LOL You all know who you are because when were not cutting grass were plowing snow .

It's also very easy to find blades here for the Jiffy augers . Even the small mom and pop shops have them .

Like I said we hope never to need customer service for any of our gear because most of the manufacturers are across the border and not around the corner .That is not a direct selling point for us although I have had great service from Marcum and Otter when I needed it .

TD

[jwhjr]

This is only up to 4 pages by now, I expected at least 6 within a few days

[trapperdirk]

This is only up to 4 pages by now, I expected at least 6 within a few days

It's still early and just wait until we get into late November , early December when everyone gets cranky and bored waiting to get on the ice . LMAO .

TD

[DTro]

If I had my choice, I'd go with the Nils-lite 4 stroke propane/lectric gator hybrid with the 9.3333" blade.

It would go good with my Marxilarbird flasher.

[tsande00]

If I had my choice, I'd go with the Nils-lite 4 stroke propane/lectric gator hybrid with the 9.3333" blade.

It would go good with my Marxilarbird flasher.

Problem with that auger is it is worthless when it comes to reopening up those holes in the permy.

You really should look into buying the auger brand that I have.

[blackleech]

I picked up a StrikeMaster Lazormag, seems to be a winner on the board here.

Cheers!!

[bobbymalone]

It would go good with my Marxilarbird flasher.

Marxilarbirds are junk.

If we fished together my Hummarilar FLX-55SE would fill your flasher up with so much interference it would start to smoke. Plus my Hummarilar has 1.21 jigawatts of output (5 micron target separation, HELLO!) and operates at the exact frequency that not only attracts fish but makes them hungry too.

Plus, I have never had a problem pulling 37" walleye out of my 9.0000" hole, never understood why people insist on the 9.3333"

And my dad can soooo beat up your dad and my truck is better than yours too.

[UKCM]

bobby that might be the best post ever!

[deadeye]

Lmao...

When I think I have heard it all. Well I guess we are getting down to the wire for ice up so this is bound to pop up.

Besides when it comes to this thing I thought that the new lazer/gps guided automatic augers will be whats up in 2011. Just pick the spot on your ipad with lake mapping app and let it rip.

[JumpStart73]

nice bobby, nice......i gotta add that i own a 10" SM..(for the people that think they are junk...) well compared to a 8"Jiffy(for the people that think they are junk...)......MY JUNK IS BIGGER THAN YOUR JUNK!

[nate larson]

Doesn't matter what you have as long as you are able to wet a line. I say buy whatever you can find a deal on. I bought an 8 inch SM lazer mag on clearance at the end of the season a few years back and it has run like a champ so far! Or you can always do what I used to do...just sit in your vehicle and wait for someone else to leave and then just use their holes!

[deadeye]

Doesn't matter what you have as long as you are able to wet a line. I say buy whatever you can find a deal on. I bought an 8 inch SM lazer mag on clearance at the end of the season a few years back and it has run like a champ so far! Or you can always do what I used to do...just sit in your vehicle and wait for someone else to leave and then just use their holes!

Amen to that. Honestly they are all pretty good and whichever one you get keep the blade(s) sharp and it beats the he!! out of drilling by hand when the ice is 2 feet thick.

[bobbymalone]

Or you can always do what I used to do...just sit in your vehicle and wait for someone else to leave and then just use their holes!

I have an auger (SM mag 2000 with a chipper - love it BTW, but it's my first love so I don't know the difference) but one day I decided I should save the trouble and fish these holes three guys were fishing after they packed up and drove off. They had about 6 holes in a 15 foot circle.

So I post up, get my lines in the water and start getting my stuff together. The wife is getting her stuff together too, but had some technical difficulties with getting lines in the water. About 15 minutes later the dudes come back, subway sandwiches in hand, and missing one dude. They hop out of the truck, and drop their lines down in the attended holes next to my wife's bucket and seriously ten feet away from where I was sitting.

They told me they drilled them and they were their holes... Why they couldn't have taken the sandwich order and left a dude on the ice is beyond me.

It wasn't worth the effort so I moved and drilled my own.

Just a funny story, carry on.

[JBar]

My jiffy has always done the job that it was intended to do with no let downs. I have seen on a couple others jiffys that freinds have owned where they told me that there auger dosen't run properly on both after I had taken a look found that the idle adjustment was set too lean. mabey a factory setting that was correct in the warmer months but not colder winter temps to get some extra fuel for warm up after a small adjustment purr like they should. I will pick steel over plastic anytime but I also don't treck out with an auger on my back. I also agree that most will buy what is sitting on the shelves at a local sporting goods store. When ice is on impusle buy take's a tendacy.