New ice toys? Marcum LX6 & LX9? Strikemaster Honda 4 stroke auger?

[fisherman-andy]

Wow im excited already for winter and summer hasnt even settled in. I held off on an LX7 this past winter. Already own a Solo Lazer Pro.

But the thought of a rumored Marcum LX6, LX7 flashers and a 4 stroke Honda makes me drool with child like delight.

Anyone got any specs or details on these new toys or anything in general for next winter?

[joneshat11]

http://www.amazon.com/StrikeMaster-Honda-Lite-Power-Auger-8-Inch/dp/B0081X14O4

[Lip_Ripper Guy]

Nice find! If it has a Honda engine, you know it'll be a winner.

[CaptainMusky]

Theyre winners with Solos now. I personally dont get the 4 stroke auger thing (which I am assuming it is). For re-drilling a wheelhouse, maybe, but I would much rather have a 2 stroke for everything else.

Unless this is an oil bathed 2 stroke which it doesnt burn oil like a conventional 2 stroke, then it might be kinda sweet. Because you get the power and weight benefits of a 2 stroke but better emissions.

Either way, i wont buy one because my Solo will probably last me another 30 years because that is how old my last strikemaster was before it died.

[fisherman-andy]

But the thought of a rumored Marcum LX6, LX7 flashers and a 4 stroke Honda makes me drool with child like delight.

Corrected myself quote. LX-9. (Likely an LX7 w/video capabilities and more?)

[CaptainMusky]

I think what Marcum has done with the LX7 line is exciting. Granted, I am miffed that model didnt already come with a GPS at the price they go for, BUT, with the unit being SW based versus moving parts you should be able to upgrade it later when/if they add those features.

[joneshat11]

I think what Marcum has done with the LX7 line is exciting. Granted, I am miffed that model didnt already come with a GPS at the price they go for, BUT, with the unit being SW based versus moving parts you should be able to upgrade it later when/if they add those features.

Captin, the LX9 I guess will have the camera and LCD graph built into one. Interesting it will be, but I will still pass on LCD for a flasher.

[Eric_Kruger]

theres ways around the weight.....My solo weighs 18lbs, 2.5 HP head, strikelight synthetic bit.

Im excited to check out the honda powered strike lite....I loved the robin motors but would like to check out the honda. Hopefully they start easier than my old robin powered one did....anything under 20 degrees and it was 25-30 pulls.

I hope thye add an upgrade for gps in the LX7.....it already has an sd card slot in the unit so it should just be a it of programming to get it to display.

[CaptainMusky]

Sorry, no problem with it as again Strikemaster has looked at many times over. It's just when I fish, I drill 150-300 holes a day. When you talking the Nils weighing in at 13lbs, 23lbs four stroke just don't make sense.

Not sure where you get your stats from on weight of Nils, but they are not 13#. They are 22# from every account I have ever seen.

23# for a 4 stroke auger is light. The 2 stroke Solos in the 8 inch version are roughly that same weight.

Regarding gas usage, if that is a 3HP model I can understand consuming so much more gas.

I may not punch the holes you do in any given day, but over a weekend trip to LOW or so I would and I would only use a half tank. Plus I dont have mountains of slush in the hole when I am done drilling (compared to Nils).

The Nils are fantastic augers and the motors are tough as nails though, I will agree there, but the weight numbers you mentioned are off.

[joneshat11]

The below info about Nils is cut and pasted from the marine general HSOforum. Now I haven't put them on a scale but from holding a four stroke w/6in auger in one hand and a Nils w/6in auger in the other the 23lb and 13lb comparison is not far off.

Displacement: 1.65 cubic inches

Max Power: 1.35 HP

Max Torque: 1.0 Ft. lbs.

Fuel Capacity: 22.7 Fl. oz

Gear Case: Locking

Weight: 13.7 lbs.

[fisherman-andy]

The below info about Nils is cut and pasted from the marine general HSOforum. Now I haven't put them on a scale but from holding a four stroke w/6in auger in one hand and a Nils w/6in auger in the other the 23lb and 13lb comparison is not far off.

Displacement: 1.65 cubic inches

Max Power: 1.35 HP

Max Torque: 1.0 Ft. lbs.

Fuel Capacity: 22.7 Fl. oz

Gear Case: Locking

Weight: 13.7 lbs.

Dude your funny. I think you need to research again on specs, weight, model and size. Your not making the right comparisons over your arguement. The strikemaster power augers are generally 8" or larger. Not 6". Of course a 6" auger bit is going to weigh less...

The 8" auger Nils Tanaka powered auger weighs in at estimated 22lbs. Seems your just quoting the weight of the power head which weighs about 14lbs. To give you an idea my Solo Lazer Pro 3hp with 8" auger bit is 26lbs. The 6" nils hand auger bit is estimated to be around 4lbs, 1lb less then the 8" bit. So typically about 20-21lbs for the Nils Tanaka powered head w/6" auger bit if I guessed that right? Less weight is nice but I definitely take more power over weight when drilling through 24"+ thick hard ice.

[CaptainMusky]

Exactly, the specs are powerhead only. And who uses a 6 inch drill? I dont believe I have ever seen one on a power auger in use. Hand drill maybe, but not a power auger.

[joneshat11]

Ok, maybe you guys need to read what I wrote. "a four stroke w/6in auger in one hand and a Nils w/6in auger in the other the 23lb and 13lb comparison is not far off." These were in my hand and even if it was just the power head weight at 13.7 pounds and add the 4 pounds Andy says that equals 17.7 pounds not 20-21 pounds.

Musky, just about everyone that fishes the NAIFC and UPL uses a 6 inch or less.

Now Andy if you think more power will get you through the ice faster check out this video where I was at the UPL to witness this first hand. This is a Lazer Pro (3HP) 8in auger vs. a Nils 6in auger. I have also raced (Jack guy with Nils) with my Lazer Pro (3hp) with a 6in Drill and had the same results. Even to make this even more true I raced a Nils with and 8in drill. The 8in drill still beat the Lazer Pro. with a 6in drill.

[McGurk]

That video shows an 8" Solo and a 6" Nils. Imagine that: the 6" won.

I agree with you, though: HP doesn't make it faster. A sharp blade, correct pitch, and higher RPM does. But honestly, it's not like you are drilling 3 holes to his one, is it? And I think drilling 300 holes would necessitate having to carry a bit of extra mixed gas no matter what the conditions are.

[CaptainMusky]

My 2.5 hp 8" solo drills three holes to my buddy's 1 with his 3hp 10" eskimo. Whats the point?

I could really care less what people of the "namedroptourneyhere" use. I will not EVER use a 6". Pointless for what I fish for. If it works for you, great.

Even the famous "ice trollers" on mille lacs use 8" drills and they drill far more holes in a day than I do, probably close to the 150 or more and yes, most all of them use strikemaster. Not knocking the Nils because they are fantastic augers.

[CJH]

I think what Marcum has done with the LX7 line is exciting. Granted, I am miffed that model didnt already come with a GPS at the price they go for, BUT, with the unit being SW based versus moving parts you should be able to upgrade it later when/if they add those features.

Unless I am misunderstanding, w/out the GPS processor/antenna which I thought were not currently included, not sure just a software update is going to do it.

[fisherman-andy]

Ok, maybe you guys need to read what I wrote. "a four stroke w/6in auger in one hand and a Nils w/6in auger in the other the 23lb and 13lb comparison is not far off." These were in my hand and even if it was just the power head weight at 13.7 pounds and add the 4 pounds Andy says that equals 17.7 pounds not 20-21 pounds.

Musky, just about everyone that fishes the NAIFC and UPL uses a 6 inch or less.

Now Andy if you think more power will get you through the ice faster check out this video where I was at the UPL to witness this first hand. This is a Lazer Pro (3HP) 8in auger vs. a Nils 6in auger. I have also raced (Jack guy with Nils) with my Lazer Pro (3hp) with a 6in Drill and had the same results. Even to make this even more true I raced a Nils with and 8in drill. The 8in drill still beat the Lazer Pro. with a 6in drill.

That video looks sure looks like the guy is using a 4.5" Nils auger bit, if not the 6". Look how quick it was spinning vs the 8" lazer bit. Because of gearing spec and auger size of the Nils, of course its gonna seem faster and cut quicker then the 8" Lazer blades.

Unless someone can slap on a 6" Nils bit on the tanaka power head and physically have it weighed with results on here, imma gonna say it weighs 20-21lbs. Because with the 8" bit Nils Power auger was estimated at 22lbs. Again the 6" auger bit weighs only 1lb less then the 8".

As far as your claims that the Lazer Pro Solo 3HP is slower no matter the size auger bit, I like to see some real comparison test or data results. Even if it was slower it cant be more then split seconds apart. And have tried out Nils power augers before so I have an idea how they perform.

Now I never said more power will get you through the ice faster. I said I rather take power over less weight. Its to my own experience when an underpowered auger even though it rated for high rpms will eventually have trouble churning through thicker ice with less power over and over. Im not saying it will cut slower either. Gearing plays an important role as well as the efficiency of the cutting blades and size of the blades in which here you keep comparing an 6" to an 8". Of course the 6" is gonna cut faster. But start adding some weight and size to that underpowered head and you start seeing difference. Having added HP certainly can help.

From my standpoint the Nils is not a signficantly faster auger, likely underpowered for its time but its design and quality makes up for lack of power & speed. A buddy of mine has his 2hp Magnum Solo adapted onto the 8" nils auger bit and it cuts pretty fast & well too to give you an idea. Iv'e seen Ice Gators on Nils bit and they cut pretty fast too. My buddy will likely pick up a tanaka power head for his 8" Nils bit and at some point this coming winter we'll put it to the test against my Solo Lazer Pro swapping powerheads onto the same bits with an adapter to see which is quicker and more efficient piling through several holes of 24" ice & hopefully thicker ice up to 30" of ice if the winter permits where I think the added HP will shine when given proper testing.

There are a few long time Nils Master owners on here who have made the switch to the Lazer Pro Solos. See if one of them can chime in some input?

[CaptainMusky]

Unless I am misunderstanding, w/out the GPS processor/antenna which I thought were not currently included, not sure just a software update is going to do it.

It was an assumption on my part that the GPS antennae would plug into one of the accessory ports. Possibly a bad assumption on my part, but that is where I was thinking they would go versus an internal one. At least I thought they would offer it as an add on, with future new models with a built in GPS. I could be way off.

[joneshat11]

Again, if you read what I wrote I raced Jack the same guy in the video with a Lazer Pro (3hp) with a 6" auger attached. Jack was able to beat me at about the same speed as the video. Believe what you want be I've done the comparisons with all these augers together at one time. I guess we'll just get it all on video next time to make you all believers.

[fisherman-andy]

Again, if you read what I wrote I raced Jack the same guy in the video with a Lazer Pro (3hp) with a 6" auger attached. Jack was able to beat me at about the same speed as the video. Believe what you want be I've done the comparisons with all these augers together at one time. I guess we'll just get it all on video next time to make you all believers.

It is claimed that possibly a Nils 8" auger(unconfirmed size) can do 41" ice in 12.2 secs (per doc on red rock's site). This makes it at about 3.36" ice per sec.

It is claimed that 2.5hp Solo Lazer mag 8" auger can do 26" ice in 8.5 secs (per doc on Strikemaster's site). This would put it at 3.058" ice per sec. Hmmm if the Lazer Pro is slightly quicker with higher rpms what would the outcome be? Im willing to take an guess it closes that gap.

Those numbers seem pretty close in speed to me in comparison on running an 8" auger bit on both the Nils or Strikemaster. You must be salivating over a whole 0.31 of a sec with the Nils. Not that that is bad.

[CaptainMusky]

Again, if you read what I wrote I raced Jack the same guy in the video with a Lazer Pro (3hp) with a 6" auger attached. Jack was able to beat me at about the same speed as the video. Believe what you want be I've done the comparisons with all these augers together at one time. I guess we'll just get it all on video next time to make you all believers.

I eagerly await these videos just make sure there is a tech review before and after the test to ensure each machine is properly setup and no advantages one sided (IE dull blades, etc).

[McGurk]

Quit dumping on Jones, it is no secret that Nils makes a fast auger, and they have done so for much longer than the Strikelite and the Solo's have been around. He wanted an auger that drills up to 300 6" holes on a tank of gas, and apparently it does that for him. He should be happy with the performance, it is not a cheap auger. He paid for quality and a fast light auger, and no matter what you say about SM he got a fast and light auger.

Sorry to say andy, but those are just internet claims just like the claims that the whole Nils auger and powerhead is less that 14 lbs (incorrect). Honestly, who gives a rat sass how much faster and lighter it is. SM could make a smaller and lighter auger, but they would have to come up with a new auger, flighting, and blade assembly to cut with a new and smaller powerhead, and I see that costing way more than you or I would pay.

As far as the LX& GPS goes, I think they could do a software update, and use an external GPSr antenna that plugs in somehow. Frankly, I think they would be stupid to not offer that as an option. I would also like to see a camera input and recording capability on the SD card, too. I might be tempted to pay good money for an all-in-one unit, but $700 for just the LX7 as a flasher alone doesn't make sense to me.

[fisherman-andy]

Quit dumping on Jones, it is no secret that Nils makes a fast auger, and they have done so for much longer than the Strikelite and the Solo's have been around. He wanted an auger that drills up to 300 6" holes on a tank of gas, and apparently it does that for him. He should be happy with the performance, it is not a cheap auger. He paid for quality and a fast light auger, and no matter what you say about SM he got a fast and light auger.

Sorry to say andy, but those are just internet claims just like the claims that the whole Nils auger and powerhead is less that 14 lbs (incorrect). Honestly, who gives a rat sass how much faster and lighter it is. SM could make a smaller and lighter auger, but they would have to come up with a new auger, flighting, and blade assembly to cut with a new and smaller powerhead, and I see that costing way more than you or I would pay.

No one's trying to dump on Jones, but he just keep making bad comparisons and giving wrong specs. Were just trying help him realize his pros and cons for each auger. We here love the Nils & Strikemaster augers. No hate. FYI Jones owns a Lazer Pro not Nils unless otherwise specified so far on this thread. Plus the Tanaka powerhead does weigh less then 14lbs confirmed specs 12.7lbs (5.7kg) to be exact on Tanaka's own HSOforum. Jones misconfused it as a whole auger unit powerhead & bit is estimated to be 21lbs-22lbs. Those drill claims I gave may be internet claims but im willing to be their probably pretty close. And yes who gives a rat about what is faster or lighter? I couldn't agree more. Is 0.31 of a second is really that much faster? Jones seems to think so otherwise. Nuff said. You buy what works for you! That's the best.

Can we all get back on topic now? Were talking new Marcum Sonars and 4 Stroke Honda power heads. Not Nils and Solos. If you dont like it, dont buy it.

[philly35]

I prefer the solo mag myself. It's all just preference and brand loyalty.

As for the flasher, for 700 dollars it should have a few more features

[CaptainMusky]

I might be tempted to pay good money for an all-in-one unit, but $700 for just the LX7 as a flasher alone doesn't make sense to me.

Agree 100% with this.

On the other side of the coin, I didnt see anyone saying the Nils augers were bad. I think they are amazing augers and if I didnt get a screaming deal on my Lazer Mag and had Nils augers available in my area anywhere I would strongly consider one.