Strikemaster with Nils Blade!!!!

[Crappyfisherman]

How would a Nils 6'cutting head work on a Strikemaster auger shaft back toa Nils powerhead? You would need an adapter but if the cutting head could be fitted to the auger shaft and the fliting lined up you would have a pretty clean hole.

Just thinking out loud. My Nils cuts great the way it is and I have learned how to get a pretty clean hole but it would be fun to see how it worked.

I got my Cold Snap 8" auger cover today and for you Nils guys it's the best thing going. No problem on or off and it stays in place.

[Surface Tension]

Thanks for the word on cold snap covers.

If you look at my video the Nils is mounted on a Mora.

First cut the mount off the drill. Next you'll need to ream out the inside dia of the Mora drill so the Nils stub fits in. Then line up the Nils head the fighting and cut the fighting off so it slides in to the fin on the Nils head. Last step is drill the hole through the drill for the bolt.

That be the same to mount it to a StrikeMaster drill but not sure if you'll need to ream the drill.

[Steve Foss]

When I ran my Ice Gator (2 seasons before the motor burned out), I ran it with a Nils drill/blade assembly in the non power point version. Stock blades sharpened by Surface Tension.

I'm not big into racing. It really doesn't matter to me whether I get through the ice .000039 seconds faster than the next guy.

But that Nils drill/blade is hands down the best/fastest assembly I've found.

[Crappyfisherman]

Thanks Frank, I have a 6" Strikemaster hand auger I was thinking of doing that with but the Nils works so good the way it is,why fix what ain't broke. I just talked to Cold Snaps and they said they may make a 6" balde guard. I hope they do I'll be the first customer for sure.

[Lawrence Luoma]

To me it's all about the weight when fishing tournaments. When I have my 6" Nils at 18.14lbs compared to the Solo Lazer Pro 6" at 24lbs I had the last three seasons my back is now thanking me.

The Nils is a lot faster but the time clearing out the slush equals out the speed so that is no longer a comparison.

Considering I had the Solo in the Strikemaster's Shop on average 3 times a year for engine problems and not once this year for the Nils, I again will take the Tananka engine over the Solo engine. Also, my tournament partner has had his Nils for five years and has only replaced his pull rope once.

Also, when was running a Solo during tournaments I had would run through 2.5 tanks of gas on tourney day. With the Nils I have yet gone through a half a tank. I no longer have to carry a gas can with.

I know a few guys in the NAFIC have tried the Mora lazer and fin-bore blades on a Tanaka head. It was fast but it did break down because the bite was too aggressive.

So again the three main differences is the weight, amount of gas I would go through and how many times I had to take the Solo to the shop. At the end of the day I really think the winner of the two is the Tanaka engine and not necessarily Nils auger.

Also, for you that doubt the weight of the Nils here is proof.

[Steve Foss]

There's no doubt about the strength, durability and efficiency of Tanaka engines. They are commercial grade. Aside from all the cutting I've done with the Nils augers, my smallest arborist chainsaw is a Tanaka, and it rocks!

Wish they made a kicker motor!

[deadeye]

Steve, I swear I have seen Tanaka kickers before.... I know it was a while ago but I am almost positive they used to sell them through one of the catalogue places turned big box chain stores (the big C or BPS) Maybe not anymore but I think I even saw one this summer in use during one of my wanderings up in the SNF..

Yeah I do think if I were ever in need of a whole new power auger I would probably just get a new Nils just due to the weight. It's tough for me though. I live a mile and a half from D-Rock so anything I need for my SM I just swing over and get it. Guess maybe I am one of the lucky ones with the Solo but I haven't needed a single thing for it other than fuel. I thought the Solo was more of a commercial engine too but maybe I am wrong with that??

Side note, I will be putting the shaver head on my Nils drill and try that out this weekend with the Solo motor. I feel like it will be much faster as it has been sharpened. Might pop the 6" Nils on it and give that a whack too. Should be interesting to see. The little 6in one only gets use for thin ice as a hand auger and its super sharp. Might be interesting.

Maybe if I get bored enough I will start messing with the pitch on one of the extra Nils drills. Always try to improve LOL.

[quickfish6]

There will be some new videos after the weekend cause we have got too much time on our hands.

[WallyGader]

How have you guys been attaching the nils auger to the strikemaster powerhead? any pics?

[quickfish6]

Using the Ice Gator Attachment with modifications. Ill make a video on how it all goes together and how it works what you have to do to modify it for it to work this weekend. Very nice CNC piece.

[bee]

Tanaka power head with the Strikmaster Mora auger is a killer set up.

[magicstix]

Deadeye, you are correct, tanaka did make a air cooled outboard, I think it was called the Gamefisher and sold by Sears.

Lawarence I don't doubt your weight a bit. I gotta agree with you on the Tanaka motor is the best part, I've been saying this for years.

My 262 w/ Lazer 6" is 19lbs but I also am using a heavy steel adapter. I'm sure I could lose 2 lbs by retooling the adapter. i also have a 210 w/ 6"lazer, if I recall right it was 16lbs on the bathroom scale.

I've been toying with trying something different here. Thought never occured to me to put the nils head on a Mora shaft or likewise. I went a different route and had my cutting head trimmed down to 7" to get around the slush left in the hole. Much happier now.

[Crappyfisherman]

How did you trim down the cutting head? I would love to do that to my

8',a 7" would be perfect.

[magicstix]

I took it to the machine shop and they cut it with I believe he called it a plasma cutter. They use it for cutting large painted panels and it only burns back less than 1/16" of paint.

[quickfish6]

Newest video. You can see the speed that the Solo engine has. Will put it up to the Nils anyday. Anyone in the metro have a nils so we can line them up?

[lnelson]

Is there an ice auger out there that a woman can use? I love ice fishing but have to depend on a man to dig my ice holes for me. The times I've tried to dig a hole the ice augers are too much for me, afraid I will break a wrist or something. They just spin me around. Wish they made something that had very little torque. I am 5'5" and 122 lbs. Love to go ice fishing and would go out even more if I could dig my own holes.

[brian6715]

My wife has used my StrikeMaster. You don't have to push down, and as long as you have a good footing, you should be fine! I used to dig holes as a kid when I weighed about what you do.

[WallyGader]

You could strap a 6" auger on to this bad boy, VERY light, easy to start, and should not have to push down.

http://www.tanakapowerequipment.com/main-navigation/products?d=337&p=920

quckfish, im still waiting for my how to video.

[AlligatorDundee]

I run a StrikeMaster 224 10" bottom with a 3hp solo head.

Here is an old reveiw for this Lazer 224 auger I found on online.

Strike Master shreds the ice in feild trials...

By: TURDLEHEAD

5 stars Written: Jan. 31 '07

Pros: This auger will bore the a$$ out of most western woodland ravenous

beasts with ease...

Cons: Chuck Norris is still a threat, even with this auger.

If you need a hole in the ice like a hole in the head....then use any other auger than the StrikeMaster Lazer 224 ice auger with blades....

This auger works like a rabid banshee with hemmeroids sittin on a belt sander....and thats a good thing...this auger could bore the a$$ out of the most ravenous of beasts....Chuck Norris vs. The StrikeMaster Lazer 224 Ice Auger with blades would probably be a draw...does that put things into perspective....probably not cause you never "F" with Chuck Norris....anyway....if your to lazy to hand crank your holes in the ice....just go to the store and buy your fish there...300 bucks for an auger or 300 bucks in fish?....But if you want to be a bad a$$ then get this auger ASAP...like now.....with ur credit card....

Recomended: Yes

[Mistermojo]

Pretty solid review there!

lnelson - I have one of the newer Strikemaster 8" Lazer augers with the Solo 42cc motor (like the one in the videos.) It's relatively light, cuts mega-fast, and you are basically just keeping it upright while it does all of the work. Compared to older augers I have used, this Strikemaster is 2-3 times faster per hole and you dont have to put any weight into it to get it to cut. My thought is that it isn't trying to cut too much ice at one time, it is running at higher RPM instead, so it shouldn't have that much torque to spin you around. Good luck!

Check out this video of a Stihl gas drill they turned into an auger in Russia -

[JScott]

Regarding Bee's comment from March 8: I did have a Tanaka head with a Mora shaft/cutting head for many years. It was a great set up - super fast cutting, and light weight. I had inherited an old Tanaka head without the shaft my father-in-law got at an auction. A friend of mine then made an adaptor collar so the Mora shaft would fit it. People used to ask me about it all the time out on Sunrise and Duchane's where we fished a lot back in the day. Where can I get one, and what is it? Back then Strike, Jiffy, etc... Where the only game in town for us weekend warriors.

Yes, it was a few inches shorter but it was all I could afford at the time. Even later when I could afford the newer augers I stayed with it because it worked so well. Reminded me of that song "one piece at a time"! The motor mounts finally broke while bouncing around in my trailer on a rough trip to LOW and that was the end of it. Lesson learned on that one.

Shying away initially from the cost of a new Nils I purchased a Strikemaster "laser". Cut well but was a tough starter and plastic pieces like the choke lever kept breaking off. It was an ice auger that ran well in the summer! When the recoil blew up after two seasons I went for the Nils. I am not tough on equipment- that LOW incident was very unusual for me.

I've had the new Nils now for about four seasons and it runs and cuts great and nothing has fallen off of it, but- I still miss that old set up. I know it was at least as fast and definitely lighter. It was just dumb luck that I stumbled upon it, but it was a cutter. If you can weld, I would definitely recommend putting one together. And by the way- the new Nils rides strapped tightly to the racks on the ATV.

[bee]

Regarding Bee's comment from March 8: I did have a Tanaka head with a Mora shaft/cutting head for many years. It was a great set up - super fast cutting, and light weight. I had inherited an old Tanaka head without the shaft my father-in-law got at an auction. A friend of mine then made an adaptor collar so the Mora shaft would fit it. People used to ask me about it all the time out on Sunrise and Duchane's where we fished a lot back in the day. Where can I get one, and what is it? Back then Strike, Jiffy, etc... Where the only game in town for us weekend warriors.

Yes, it was a few inches shorter but it was all I could afford at the time. Even later when I could afford the newer augers I stayed with it because it worked so well. Reminded me of that song "one piece at a time"! The motor mounts finally broke while bouncing around in my trailer on a rough trip to LOW and that was the end of it. Lesson learned on that one.

Shying away initially from the cost of a new Nils I purchased a Strikemaster "laser". Cut well but was a tough starter and plastic pieces like the choke lever kept breaking off. It was an ice auger that ran well in the summer! When the recoil blew up after two seasons I went for the Nils. I am not tough on equipment- that LOW incident was very unusual for me.

I've had the new Nils now for about four seasons and it runs and cuts great and nothing has fallen off of it, but- I still miss that old set up. I know it was at least as fast and definitely lighter. It was just dumb luck that I stumbled upon it, but it was a cutter. If you can weld, I would definitely recommend putting one together. And by the way- the new Nils rides strapped tightly to the racks on the ATV.

JJ Thanks for mention. I'm so pleased that I'm staying with it for the rest of my season. As we get older we get wiser and find ways to make things work for us. One could always get the extensione they make.. If some one produced this setut it would be the cats meowe. For now its the way for me.

[dougger222]

A couple weeks ago my cousin called to see if he could borrow one of my Strikemaster augers. When asked why he said he broke one of the support bars on his 1 month old nils auger. Keep in mind he fishes 6 days a week and drills 75-150 holes each time he goes out. On a side note a friend of mine recenlty purchased a new 3hp solo with 10in Lazer and on his fourth hole on LOW broke one of the blades in half. When asked if the blade said China or Sweden he said it had Sweden stamped on it.

Once he got the bit back from Nils he was not pleased to find they fixed the bit instead of replacing the bit. He's still a happy Nils customer though as he likes the weight and noise of the auger. He rarely cleans holes though as he's always got guys pleading to take them fishing!

[SFC]

Where did he end up sending his nils auger bit? Do you have a address ?

[Surface Tension]

dougger222, I know what blade your talking about. It was the fin on the blade that slips onto the fighting on the auger shaft. There is zero stress on that fin and all it does is feed the ice chips. Without going into details on how in the world this could possibly happen, it definitely isn't something Nils would warranty. I comp the guy on sharpening and sent it back on my own dime.

lnelson, a Nils has the least amount of torque put on the user. Or you could try a Eskimo or StrikeMaster in 6".