gas augers

[mr marbles]

which should i go with,mag 2000 or the jiffy 2hp, chipper is better? any views appreciated!

[Guest]

Mr. Marbles,
I have had a jiffy 3 horse with a chipper blade for over 15 years, before that it belonged to my father which was given to him second hand from his father, a little maintenance goes a long way. I think both brands use the same engines. When and if the one I have now goes south, I would most likely go with the Jiffy two horse model with a eight inch or smaller auger and chipper blade. The chipper cuts plenty fast and lasts longer than the lazer blades. I am not out there cutting a ton of holes so i would go with the chipper. The price tags on those replacement blades is something to consider, and they are very difficult to resharpen. I guess it comes down to how many holes do you plan on drilling in a day? are you redrilling refrozen holes in your fish house? What size hole do you need? Are you fishing mainly pike and big lakers or panfish and walleye. Both brands are good machines, some folks are Jiffy fans and others prefer the Strike master.

[Rick]

I've used my 2 hp strikemaster lazer mag extensively for three years and the blades just keep on going.

I also cut through faster than any chipper out there. It's especially nice if your drilling through old holes. Much better than any chipper.

The strikemaster is not the only company that makes lazer style units. Eskimo does and I believe Jiffy is also planning on getting into that market.

Jiffy has been around a long time and they are known for reliability. You can compare the users who have stuck with it to mac users, fiercely loyal, and why not, they are good augers.

[mr marbles]

coldone, I think ill go with the 2hp 8" i want to go lite as possible mainly eyes and perch movin with portables, thanks for the info.I think ill go up to l.o.w (early ice)

[Rick]

Hey, just cause my blades lasted, doesn't mean everyones does.

Tell us your pro's and con's about Strikemaster, Jiffy, and Eskimo augers(others if you know of em). In your opinion, which is best and why.

[Jim W]

I personally have a 3000 Lazer Mag. I wish I had gone with a lighter unit, but the POWER and minimal time drilling holes makes up for it.
THe chippers I have used, both Strikemaster and Jiffy, tend to ice up faster than the toothy cutting blade of the Lazer Mag.

I mentioned this in an earlier post. I left my Lazer Mag behind last year on a trip to Manitoba. An equivalent 3 horse was brought along instead. It was much heavier and took WAY longer to punch through!! Pounding out old holes seemed more tasking as well.

My blades have held up fine after 3 years of hardcore drilling. Yes, a guy could make an auger(and blades) last if it's only used a half dozen times a year. The replacement blades aren't really that expensive, considering the use!!!

If you are still uncertain about which way to go, go out on the ice with some buddies who own power augers and get a feel for them!

I would recommend a 2horse Lazer Mag!!!

You might have seen a TV commercial for the Jiffy, where they make the Lazer Mag look like it skips all over the ice, NOT TRUE!

If you know what your doing, you'll be sitting on your bucket fishing while your buddy(with the Jiffy) is still cleaning out his hole!! ( Again, this is my opinion)

Keep the rods bendin'!!!

Jim W

[Guest]

All,
I have the Jiffy three horse with a 10" chipper blade, the chipper blade is the original one that came with the unit, I know this unit is from the mid 1970's. All that is required to sharpen it is a light touch with a fine file or diamond hone. I keep mine razor sharp, and it doesn't take that long to drill a hole, I never timed it, but it isn't bad, if and when i ever need another unit, i would go with a two horse, 8' chipper blade. And i have seen a lazer mag with dull blades skipping all over the place, almost took the guys foot off. It seems if the edge on those blades get damaged or nicked, they will not bite into the ice, but instead slide over it, now pour on some power and get the rpm's up, now we got fun, I'll stick with my "slow" chipper blade.

[Lip RIPPER!]

As far as the Lazer owner sitting on the bucket while the Jiffy owner is cleaning out his hole, that is a bit extreme. They are not that much faster. I've seen both of them cut faster at one time or another. Cutting straight is what can really save you time especially in thick ice. Keep the blades sharp and the engine tuned and they all work fine.

[Guest]

Lipripper,
You can say that again. I don't think the lazers are that much faster, and the chippers are more reliable. As for opening old holes, I seldom do that, I fish out of a portable and stay mobile. Yeah, permanent shacks will alway's have their place, but in my eyes they are more of a pain than a benefit, Time, $$$, security, towing, blocking it up, trailering and storage. Stay mobile, and you catch more fish more consistantly, you can get away from the noise and the crowds, and cut some holes in some "fresh ice" each time you go.

[Rick]

Besides, what Jim W said is true. I usually am fishing while the Jiffy chipper owner is still skimming his hole (That's only a few seconds for me).

Of course Jiffy has a track record for durability. It just keeps going and going and going.......

We haven't heard from any Eskimo owners. What's the scoop with their line of Ice augers?

[Kingfisher]

Has anyone ever compared a 10" Jiffy Legend with other brand 10" augers with 3' of ice?

[Guest]

I own an eskimo barricuda and it really cuts. my friend has a 3 horse jiffy w/8 inch auger and the eskimo out performs his hands down. Eskimo has the best warranty of the three main augers also. it will cut 24 inches of ice between 9 and 12 seconds, it's fast.

[Guest]

I am not all that happy with the auger that I have.Its an Eskimo piranna 8".It takes a long time to warm up and will not cut until it is.It is a little slow even when its warmed up.It will not reopen holes even though it has a guide for just that purpose(so the salesman told me)

[RogersResort]

Right now my main power auger is a 10 year old Eskimo with a 8 inch bit, it gets used all year round with a post hole bit in the summer. I also have a 20+ year old Ardis Speed cut with the 8-inch chipper style bit. I have not used this unit in several years. Both the units have the three HP Tecumseh power head, with a little adjusting on the high and low speed screws from time to time they can be made to run quite well. Also have an 8-inch Strikemaster electric that I use quite a bit. But my favorite is my old Kluge that I pieced together from a box of parts I found in an old shed. It is an extremely heavy and very loud and when I use it I get quite a bit of attention from the other fishermen in the area. I would use it more often but I do not have an extension for it. ( I love them all)

[Jim W]

No sense in taking me tooo literally guys!
Can't a guy have any fun anymore? Didn't intend on ruffling feathers!!!

Jim W

PS. It's amazing to me how anyone could become so attached to their equipment???

[This message has been edited by Jim W (edited 11-02-2001).]

[Guest]

I have used both Jiffy and the Lazer. I have to say that i have chosen the Jiffy 7 inch Lighting with the D-armor teflon blade. Here's my reason. First i want to be as lightest as possible, I cut 50-75 holes on a guide trip. I need to be light, and after cutting those holes a light auger makes up for it. What happends when you go light? your more likely to move if you have to. What happends to the Lazer after you cut a hole? It sit's and the collected ice freezes to the blades. So then what? You bang on it with a skimmer or wrap it on the ice trying to get the ice off. You then put the smallest nick in the blades which then cause it to skip the next time you try to cut a hole. The next issue is auger bit size. The bigger the auger bit ofcourse means the heavier it will be. AS i said the more weight you carry the less you are likely to move. Next the bigger the auger bit the more skimming and ice extracting you'll need to do. Lazer is a good auger but keep the blades clean after cutting holes, spray the blades with a teflon lubricant(REM-oil) and it will minimize the ice build up. You have to care of your auger: Like Rick said he's cutting holes after three years, he obviously takes good care of the blades. I see alot of guys who lose the blade guard and they toss the auger around like they dont need the guard any more. They think the blades are so sharp they dont need to protect it..

[This message has been edited by D-man (edited 11-03-2001).]

[mr marbles]

That teflon lube sounds like a good idea, Im going to spread the word on that,Im looking forward to the hard water season, i have another question- i have an old clam the kind that you put the poles together and flip the tarp over it, but i lost one of the poles that snaps the roof together down the hole out on winnie and couldnt retrieve. it has a plastic clamp that fits on each end of the pole. any info would be appreciated. thanks to all for the info on the pwr augers its all good information.

[Guest]

.

[This message has been edited by D-man (edited 11-03-2001).]

[Guest]

USL OUTDOORS (763-559-1092) in Fridley Mn makes the Clam and Fish Trap. They carry any spare parts you need.

[mr marbles]

Thanks D-MAN for the number, ill give them a call.

[Guest]

I bought a Barracuda last year and it works great. I bet I have drilled 300+ holes between this year and last and it is fast. I haven't had any experience with other brands but I am perfectly happy with my Eskimo. Good Fishin. Chris cwulf

[Waterbeater]

I just got a 3HP Eskimo a month ago.It's an Earthquake model. It's a little on the heavy side but I thought I could rationalize buying it because it came with an earth auger to dig post holes in the summer. Not sure how the dirt digging will be, but it really cuts the ice. I had to do a little tweaking on the carb mixture screw, but at least it has one, some models don't, and it runs like a charm. Just my thoughts though.

[This message has been edited by Waterbeater (edited 01-14-2002).]

[scraper]

I bought a new Eskimo Shark 10" auger this fall after looking over all makes and models on the market. I am extremely happy with my choice.
The Shark starts with the first pull of the rope after setting the choke and a couple pumps on the primer bulb.The gas cap is self venting, so you don't have to remember to close the air vent or spilling gas all over yourself and your equipment,the pistol grip throttle is very nice feature also and best of all it cuts ice with ease.With proper care it should last for many years.

[bushbunny]

I have owned a Tanaka 8" auger for some 15 years. It has treated me well, in that I have probably put 150 gallons of mix through it, with no downtime. I do change the plug annually and have burned premium gas mixed with Opti II oil at 100:1 as recommended and warranted by Interlube, the manufacturer of Optimol lubricants since day one.(The mix is smokeless.) It has a self venting gas cap, and no primer, just a choke that is situated on the air intake that is easily used, even with heavy outer mitts on. It usually starts on the second pull, even the first start of the fall. I carry it in the uncovered box of my pickup all winter long, where on occasion, it becomes buried in the snow that can accumulate there. Friends with Jiffy & Strikemaster are amazed, as they are usually still starting their units, when I am half finished a hole!

[Guest]

a buddy and i are going halfsies on an auger. he has a portable and just got a permanent this past year. we've always used hand augers, but reopening holes is a problem. i'm not concerned with going light. we were both advised to go with strikemaster over jiffy, mainly for speed reasons. i read through the other posts and i'm intrigued by the eskimo, but the strikemaster seems to be the way to go. any other good recommendations considering our situation? should we just go with a strikemaster?

thanks.

[Try Too Fish]

I agree with scraper. I purchased a eskimo shark this fall(8 inch) and its fantastic.and like scraper's 1 pump and 1 pull its running,even when it was 20 below this past week.i hope its still that good 10 years from now cuz i'll still be using it!!!

------------------
Try Too Fish
Forced Too Work!!