Ion Reviews

[lilwalter]

Need a new auger and am considering the ion. For those that had a chance to use em this winter, what did you think?

[fishinfan]

Love it. The only 2 things I wish it had or would change would be:

#1 Add a point to the auger so it starts smoother in the ice and doesn't wobble.

#2 would prefer a longer extension. the auger and extension is about 4" shorter than my strikemaster.

Also, if you fish outside it is not the best.. If the batteries get cold they don't work as good as when they are warm. My opinion. Best use is with a wheel/permanenet house.

[pushbutton]

Agree with fishinfan, and welcome to HSO!

Yeah, for a first run they did a great job and completely spanked a decade worths of Strikemaster's technology in the electric arena. Yep, as mentioned some things to improve upon, have yet to see how durable they will be, but so far so good, and would certainly recommend one....especially if you have a hard house ......and even to the portable crowd. There is a lot of talk about running a gunning, but not many people I know that actually drill more than 30-40 holes in a day. As far as the cold issue, have just got into the habit of removing the battery and keeping it with me when in the porty.

[IamZombie]

Do they have a reverse switch to flush slush from the hole?

[Cliff Wagenbach]

The ION does not have reverse.

Great auger!

Used mine all winter with no problems. Never managed to kill a battery.

As stated earlier, just take the battery out when not in use on the ice and keep it inside. I have a small soft sided lunch bag that I keep my battery in. Just throw a chemical hand warmer in on top and the battery will stay warm all day.

Only one complaint and that is a broken battery strap. I am sure that ION would probably replace that free if I ever get around to contacting them!

Cliff

[Lip_Ripper Guy]

There's a few posts on this site with reviews. To summarize it is a fantastic auger for a wheel house and limited amounts of drilling outside.

1) As mentioned above, the lack of a point causes a bit of wandering when drilling inside. I figured out that if I just turn the auger on for a half second and stop, it digs in and I can drill much more accurately.

2) The safety switch is a little tricky. Fortunately mine sticks, so I don't have to futz with it anymore.

3) Battery life is excellent, and as advertised. The key to the battery is that you have to keep it somewhat warm. No leaving the auger strapped to the front of the 4 wheeler with the battery on it. If it does get cold, reduce the load on the auger while drilling to allow the battery to generate it's own heat.

4) With all the snow and ice this year, another extension may be needed. On an average year, I don't think this would be an issue.

5) The outer loop on my battery strap broke before I got the battery on the first time. Not a problem, but it annoyed me.

My gas auger hasn't been used since I got the ION this year. I probably won't use the gas auger either of the next two weekends, as we'll be walking out, and the lighter weight of the ION will be great.

[lilwalter]

Thank you! Only hesitation is the cold battery issue. How cold is cold? At what temps do you see an issue? It will be strapped to the wheeler, but if its 15-20 degrees or lower I usually have the porty in tow.

[Thunderfoot]

I don't have one but from the people I've talked to they say the battery is small enough that you can just pull it out and put it in your inside coat pocket. Your body heat should be plenty to keep it warm. I've also gathered that as long as the temp is above like 20-25 you would probably be okay leaving it outside, especially if you can leave it in the sun.

[Hawg]

My strap broke too, they mailed a new one to me in 3 days. I think in a permanant house or normal people in a portable thay are better than great but the 40+ hole a day crowd shouldn't buy one. Yes the switch isn't perfect but you get used to it and keeping the battery in the house is painless. My one wish would be for a slightly larger hole, even a large 8 or 8 1/2. I told them I would void my warranty and buy a drill to be a tester for a larger hole. I'm sure they are erroring for dependability this first year but I'm sure they could go larger without problems. It reopened holes also, which was a big question. The lightweight is a total plus.

[JoeMX1825]

I'm waiting to see what the 2nd generation looks like, if it fixes all of these identified issues, i'll be making a future purchase.

[Cliff Wagenbach]

I e-mailed Ion yesterday about my broken battery strap and they e-mailed back today that a new strap is in the mail!

Great service!

Cliff

[Hawg]

Skeeter, if they don't change a thing next year get one anyway. Those are insignificant issues when you have one.

[JoeMX1825]

I'm not a hole hopper and the less weight and not having to carry a gas can will be huge...I never buy 1st gen anything, so hopefully it's an improved product next season..