Ion x or Strikemaster lithium lazer

[goldenbobby]

I am planing on getting an electric auger and I was trying to decide between the new ION X or strikemaster lithium lazer.  I know no one has experience with the new Ion but wondering how the older models have been holding up (does the batteries still hold a good charge) and kinda the same think with the strikemaster.  I have seen the electra lazer and not to impressed with it that is why I am wondering if the lithium is any better.  Hope you guys can help 

 

Thanks

Bobby

[forcedtowork]

If you plan on reopening any holes, go with the Ion.  The Lazer blades don't reopen holes

 

[pgunderson7]

I have had the Ion for two season's.  It works as good if not better than any auger I have previously owned.  The battery did not show any signs of degradation in it's second season,  I will soon see what the battery does in season three. 

 

I use it in a 9 hole wheel house, opening 7 of the holes everytime I have gone fishing.  Additionally, I go outside the house and always pop open a half dozen extra holes.  I have never had to worry about the charge when setting up for each trip. The battery (older version) does all of those holes including reversing the auger on each hole to remove as much slush as possible.  It usually runs longer in reverse than it does drilling the hole. 

 

I often intentionally drill old holes when I am outside to see if I can experience any lose in power or battery life and haven't had any complaints yet.

 

20 plus inches of ice hasn't change any of these results.

 

Since the new battery also works in the older version of the auger I was thinking about buying the newer battery but after some thinking about it there isn't any reason to spend the $200 for a backup that I don't currently need (knock on wood).

[Jim Uran]

1 hour ago, forcedtowork said:

If you plan on reopening any holes, go with the Ion.  The Lazer blades don't reopen holes

 

 

If that's a concern, they make a lithium chipper also. 

[Bureaucrat]

I've had the Ion since the first year.  I never had the issues others had with breaking the trigger or battery getting too cold to operate.  Just need to keep your battery in the battery bag when you're not using it.  If you're an aggressive hole hopper, get yourself a 6" auger bit and you'll drill all day without killing a battery.  If you're trying to do that with the 8" in 30" of ice, you'll be at a disadvantage, but that's a small price to pay for all the other benefits.  Just buy an extra battery.

 

I'd recommend the Ion over any other auger any day of the week.  No gas, no green LP cylinders, no fumes, no cold starting problems. 

Edited December 9, 2016 by Bureaucrat

[Hawg]

I'm not sure chipper blades are the way to go on an electric because of the extra torque to turn them. The Ions are foolproof and proven, plus I would think that reverse would make it a no brainer. Does SM have reverse this year?

[goldenbobby]

2 hours ago, Hawg said:

I'm not sure chipper blades are the way to go on an electric because of the extra torque to turn them. The Ions are foolproof and proven, plus I would think that reverse would make it a no brainer. Does SM have reverse this year?

That is a good point to make. I never thought about the extra torque that is needed for the chipper blades witch I think is why the SM Electra has such a short battery life and NOT to get it confused with SM lithium lazer and no the SM doesn't have reverse.  The reverse isn't a huge selling point for me but it is a plus.  The more I read comments about ION I might have to get me one.

[jkrash]

Who Has the best deal for a Ion-X ?

[goldenbobby]

3 hours ago, jkrash said:

Who Has the best deal for a Ion-X ?

I normally go to Reeds Sporting goods in walker.  I like doing business with them and if you talk to the right person you might get a deal and I have always felt that they are honest to me if they say they can't give me one.  I doubt you will find any deals right now for the ION X until after season.

[randerson]

Scheels SM lithiums are reconditioned if it matters

[ZacAttack0201]

I've had the Lithium Lazer for 2 years and think it's great.  It's got plenty of power and seems to be more durable than the ion. I watched my friends ion tip over  and the arm bent 45 degrees.  His unit was only a few weeks old so he was pretty bummed out.  With that said I really like the reverse feature on the ions, something I wish my laser had.  I'm rough on my equipment so if I had to buy another I'd still go StrikeMaster.  Theh replaced their battery charger this year and because I registered the warranty they sent one to me at no cost and without request.  Their customer service has been outstanding.

Edited December 10, 2016 by ZacAttack0201

[Naturboy]

2 hours ago, randerson said:

Scheels SM lithiums are reconditioned if it matters

I'm not sure about SM, but most times when things are sold as reconditioned they have been completely checked over more than something that just comes off the line and their cheaper.

[MN Mike]

Picked up the reconditioned 50v Lithium Laser at Scheels a few weeks ago, all the updates were done, full warranty just the same as new.

 

For $399..... heck ya!!!

 

Mike

Edited December 11, 2016 by MN Mike

[Bass Thumb]

The reconditioned Lithium Lasers at Scheels are brand new augers that had the defective switch replaced by a more powerful ones by Strikemaster. At $399, they're a solid deal. No more worries about them lighting on fire. 

 

However, handle the Laser and Ion X side by side. You'll see the difference in quality. It's obvious. The Laser feels like a $399 electric auger, not a $600 'marked down' to $399. They feel cheap, with flimsy plastic handles that flex when you push on them. Scheels has a charged battery. Ask them for it. Give it a spin. 

 

I went to Scheels to buy one of those Lasers and left with a Ion X.

[eyeguy 54]

my clam plate has reverse...  

[Bass Thumb]

I'd like to share an update on my purchase so that others don't make a similar mistake in choosing the Eskimo Ion X. 

 

I brought my Ion X out today for the first time and had the blades ice up like I've never seen before on an auger.

 

Basically, the little passageway above the blade and within cast iron ring was clogging up with frozen slush and preventing the auger from digging in. I spent more time chipping ice than actually drilling. As you can see in the pics, one of the sides is clogged solid. The blade won't dig like that. Sometimes, both sides were like that. I chipped one side open for the picture. The other side is frozen solid.

 

If you look at the old Ion and the Ion X, the passageway on the Ion X is a bit smaller. I'm returning mine tomorrow and going with the Strikemaster like I should have originally. I don't like that ring around the blades. 

 

I had guys today outdrilling me and my brand-new $630 auger with their hand augers though 5" of ice. I couldn't get more than 3-4 holes before having to chips the icejam away. Maybe a little Pam would have helped, but I feel it's would only be a BandAid to the problem. I always kick the fresh snow away from the blades when laying it down on the ice. That's not when the issue would happen. It would happen when drilling. 

 

I really wanted to like this auger. I was very impressed with it. I don't know what else I could have done to prevent this from happening. Suggestions?

Edited December 14, 2016 by BassThumb.

[kudu63]

BassThumb - did you by any chance call ION and see what they had to say about it ? 

[Hawg]

Why would you ever have that much slush and ice left on the drill when clearing the hole outside or hitting reverse inside should clean it right up? I haven't tried mine yet, anybody else have this happen? I just bought the new bottom so I still have my last years drill, hope this is not common. 

Edited December 14, 2016 by Hawg

[Lip_Ripper Guy]

No need to panic!  Just don't set the blade end of the auger down in the snow in between holes, which I can see you did based on the actual snow on the blades.  Any auger will ice up if you do that.  

 

Edited December 14, 2016 by Lip_Ripper Guy

[Bass Thumb]

2 hours ago, kudu63 said:

BassThumb - did you by any chance call ION and see what they had to say about it ? 

 

I emailed Ardisan, the makers of Ion about it. I expect to hear back today.

1 hour ago, Hawg said:

Why would you ever have that much slush and ice left on the drill when clearing the hole outside or hitting reverse inside should clean it right up? I haven't tried mine yet, anybody else have this happen? I just bought the new bottom so I still have my last years drill, hope this is not common. 

 

I was moving from hole to hole, drilling holes though the snowpack with a wet auger that just came out of another hole. This is what I did with previous augers, with only minimal issues. Only with this one, it gets all iced up around that ring, where it's hard to chip off with a rubber or wooden mallet.

[Hawg]

You can call them too, they are great about taking calls.

[Bass Thumb]

1 hour ago, Lip_Ripper Guy said:

No need to panic!  Just don't set the blade end of the auger down in the snow in between holes, which I can see you did based on the actual snow on the blades.  Any auger will ice up if you do that.  

 

 

The end of the auger was never set in the fresh snow. I know better than to do that. I always cleared out about a 12" square portion to set the end down. You can see some ice on the flights from me setting that part in the snow, but that wasn't preventing me from drilling holes because I couldn't even reach the water with the auger head iced up like that. Keep in mind I was only drilling 5" of ice.

[brian6715]

I never clear the snow before I drill with my Lazer and while it gets build up and gets heavier each hole I drill, it always drills the same as if I just took it out of my garage. Only a few times in bitter cold have I had to knock ice off of the blades out of the thousands of holes I have drilled with two different Lazer bits. If this is the case with all X models this is a huge flaw. 

[BartmanMN]

2 hours ago, BassThumb. said:

 

I emailed Ardisan, the makers of Ion about it. I expect to hear back today.

 

I was moving from hole to hole, drilling holes though the snowpack with a wet auger that just came out of another hole. This is what I did with previous augers, with only minimal issues. Only with this one, it gets all iced up around that ring, where it's hard to chip off with a rubber or wooden mallet.

My original Synthetic auger bit that came with my Srikelite use to do that before I got rid of it.  It would prevent me from drilling, which was a real PAIN.  New Lazer bit does not give me that issue.

[RebelSS]

Guess I've never had that prob, as once it comes out of the hole, I hold it for a few secs and rev it up to WOT. Slings everything off....