Thoughts on electric vs gas augers?

[waxworm09]

Im looking at purchasing a new auger soon, and I was considering trying an electric auger. I have never used one before, anyone have any advice on whether I should get another gas auger, or make a switch to electric???

[ClownColor]

I'm on a roll here so lets go...

What do you fish and how do you fish?

you can't and so far nothing beats a good 'ol fasion gas auger. Cheap, easy to maintane, cheap to run, long lasting, and can drill holes till the sun come up. this style of auger has been on top the the food change for years and will do so for seasons to come.

My first auger was a electra lazer and was a poor investment on my part as I wasen't fully educated. An electric auger is ONLY GOOD FOR PERMO'S AND 20 HOLES! People will chime in on the gator/nils but you are limited to a "x" amount of holes. gator/nils drills more then the electra lazer but plan on forking out some dough...way more then gas. Also, electric requires new batteries every other year which will cost around $30-40 pending. It worked great for me when I started as I had a permo or would never ever consider drilling more then 20 holes...but now I do and it's left me stranded. It has extrenal power sources but they are a pain to hook up and run off atv's and trucks. LOVE strikemaster but the BIG VOLT is propbably the BIGGEST waste of money anyone could make...EXTREMELY expensive and VERY limited...so you can punch fumeless holes in the wheel house...good luck punching tip-up holes or gosh forbid you decide to go fishing without a generator (but that's whats it's intended for i guess).

BUT, if you are strickly running in permo's OR would never consider punching more then 20 wholes the electric auger would be a fantastic purchase. Also, if you have back problems or age is something to consider, these electric auger are a plus. Love the push button start (no pulling cords and starts like a dream), no oil mixing and no gas spill on cloths and vehicles, no exhaust fumes, no oil leaks out the muffler...just a great auger but limited to 20 holes (give or take of course).

Propane is the newest out there and is somewhere inbetween but those stupid one pounders are getting EXTREMLY expense to run. just wait till a few years from now. No matter how much gas goes up, It'll always be far cheaper then those one pounders of propane. ONe gallon of gas for $3.50 can last a season for most wknd warriors. ONe auger tank full of gas is equal to one pound of propane....very spendy....but fume free and easy starting for permos.

Gas...just all around the BEST! (any brand will do also, though if from MN, strikemaster is here and good service and great company).

[chad austin]

Well, that pretty much sums it up.

[UKCM]

Clown has lots of good points. An electric will last about 20 holes through late winter ice. You can drill much more now in the early ice.

I bought an electric and love it why?

I own an SUV...no gas smell in the vehicle. I hate the smell of gas when I am driving. I sometimes join a buddy 3 hours a way. I would be car sick smelling gas on a trip that long. Also you can store it upside down and nothing leaks (See Jiffy Propane posts on this)

I am mechanically challenged. Lots of ice fisherman are not. I am an office wuss boy. The fact that it starts when I push the button is huge to me.

Be realistic about the number of holes you drill. Lots of people talk about drilling 100 holes. Only a few really do it. Face it you have to be in shape to do that. Again I am an old out of shape office wuss boy.

By the time the ice is thick enough to limit me to 20 holes, I can easily bring an extra battery in my Explorer. Takes 5-8 minutes to switch batteries. I am not in that much of a rush and I can afford the extra battery. Though I wonder how many who complain about the cost of batteries have bought an FL 20 or 22 or Hummingbird 55 or Marcum 5 or 7. I have an FL 8. I can buy a new battery every year for 10 years and we are at break even if we are talking dollars.

I will never go to a gas auger for the reasons listed below. However I have a good fishing buddy that has a very old Jiffy, I do not even want to know how old it is. Seems to start for him by the second pull everytime. Trust me, any mechanical item I owned, I would have died by now.

Different strokes for different folks. There is no one size fits all.

[hamms-scooter]

If you have the doe and want an electric Like stated above the ice gator would be your best option. As far as batteries and drilling . Just get an extra set. The naifc team Ice trollers used this auger for years. They drilled more holes then anyone out there. And won big money with it. They ran a Nils on there and the high velocity HT hand auger as well which was super fast. My point is you can get many holes out of a charge. Throw any hand auger you own on it and go. If you choose the nils they drill fast but you spend the same time scooping out the hole. Good luck.

[thatoneguy]

If you drill lots and lots and lots and lots of holes, gas might be better. On every other count, I like my Strikemaster electric better than any gas auger I've ever used, hands down.

Oh - and clown's line about needing a new battery every other year for an electric is nonsense. I've used mine a ton in the five years I've had it, and it has the original battery. Just charge it soon after you get home (let it warm up a bit after you bring it inside, first) and you're good to go.

[hamms-scooter]

Thatoneguy, how many holes would you say you get out of a charge with 2ft of ice? You sound very pleased with it.

[ClownColor]

If you drill lots and lots and lots and lots of holes, gas might be better. On every other count, I like my Strikemaster electric better than any gas auger I've ever used, hands down.

Oh - and clown's line about needing a new battery every other year for an electric is nonsense. I've used mine a ton in the five years I've had it, and it has the original battery. Just charge it soon after you get home (let it warm up a bit after you bring it inside, first) and you're good to go.

You very well could be right about the batteries but I own one also and that's what I've found. I could have a charger issue as well but during the second season, my battery was shot (and then again 2 years later). these electric augers work the batteries harder then flashers ever will. I'm going on 6 years with my flasher battery.

Maybe you could tell us what battery you are using and charger if different then the strikemaster one. I'd sure like to find better ones then what I'm using!

[Summett]

I had a brand new SM Electric last year and liked how quite it was and it drilled pretty quick, but only got about 12 holes per charge (avg 20" ice & new battery). If i were to have a perm house, it'd be the only way to go IMO. But, i sold it and went with the SM gas this year.

I think the weather has a BIG influence on the battery strength. I fish with a 4 wheeler and a frabill pullover, so my auger stays out in the cold when fishing. COLD weather plays a part in how much you'll get out of the battery.

I agree with above...it really depends on how many holes you think you'll be drilling in an outing.

[Stick in Mud]

Great points, everybody. I've been disappointed with my electric...it just doesn't cut enough holes. If it's really cold out, or if there's a lot of ice, I get nowhere near 20 holes. Maybe it's time for me to change out the battery, but those things get expensive, and it's a MAJOR hassle to carry a larger spare battery around to use as a backup.

[usmcjsy]

I switched to electric 2 years ago. Still the same battery and I also love it much more than the gas one.

[toomanytoys]

i bought a new SM electric laser this year as i am building a wheel house and was out on the ice yesterday drilled 8 holes to fish out of during the day and when we were getting ready to leave i drilled till it quit in 8+"s of ice and drilled another 31 holes. I was satisfied with that and it wasnt real warm on the lake yesterday

[dustin85]

I have a strikemaster electra. I have drilled 40 holes with it on a single charge. It may or may not drill more than that, I have never checked. I have had it a few years and have not had to replace the battery yet. I have a heated garage and always let it warm up for a few hours before puting the charger on it. I love the fact that it does not stink or leak fluids in the house. For those worried about spending money on an extra battery, consider how much fuel/oil you may be saving vs that spare battery. I love the fact that it is virtually maintenance free since I have a busy schedule and do not want to spend my free time cleaning carbs, etc. When I do get a chance to fish, I enjoy simply pushing the button and drilling holes instead of pulling multiple times to get it started.

[dougger222]

I run both and the electric works great in the wheeled or LOW house but not so good in the portable. I've drilled a few holes with the electric off the wheeler but the length of cord and the cord itself make it cumbersome.

My electric is the older style with no built in battery which I feel is better because it's lighter and there's no battery to replace.

Overall however gas is the way to go.

BTW, my first electric auger was bought at a garage sale for $35 it was an old Strikemaster dual blade non lazer. It was similiar to the blades on the Mora hand auger. It worked well for several seasons in the wheeled house but one day the aluminum teeth broke and the replacement parts are long gone. My buddy runs a machine shop and said the cost to make the part would be more than just buying a new auger!