Nils Master Augers ???

[joshb]

i would put my 3 & 1/2 horse jiffy legend 10" with firepower and d-ice'r armour or my 2 horse strikemaster express 8" up against a nils ANY day.

my buddy has a model 30 jiffy ( the same that raced against the nils), he and i raced. i drilled three complete holes to his one partial hole with my jiffy legend. so basically alls your video clip proves is that model 30's are not very fast. lets see a nils go up against a COMPARABLE auger......?

i'm not trying to say nils are not good but if your gonna rally the troops so-to-speek.............lets see some real proof.

i am also wondering how much torque is transferred to the operator of a nils due to the narrow handle width?

- joshb

[Northlander]

Josh if it makes you feel better I will run my Jiffy 3 horse Legend with De Icer and everything just like you against my brand new Nilsmaster when I get it. I will see and report back. I was like you and thought my Jiffy was the bomb but after seeing lighter augers outcut me I decided to switch. After doing a lot of research I decided on the Nilsmaster. Only downfall I see is I cant get a 9" or 10" cut. I have a feeling that if your legend is faster than the Nilsmaster you doctored it up a bit. Either way I dont care which is faster just so we are all happy with what we got. I do know I would rather carry my Nilsmaster around than my 3 horse 10" Legend.

[Dennis Steele]

Thats what my Jiffy is also.3hp with De-icer armor.

It does cut fast when she is warmed up but it takes a long time to get it warmed up to cut fast.More than 30 seconds for sure. Thanks Bob.

Don't get me wrong, I like my Jiffy, but I am a guy who "trolls" the ice and lugging the Jiffy is just a little more work than I care for.Then I have to wait a while for it to warm up to get a few holes cut.I just need something better. Don't know if the Nils is the answer...yet.

[joshb]

thats funny, i don't think my jiffy is DA BOMB.....it is EXTREMELY FAST........when it is running correctly, and when i feel strong enough to lug it around. oh, and it throws ice and water everywhere. not cool.

that is why i got a express mag. much lighter, reliable, and doesn't throw slush all over me.

my piont is this, there is not that big of a gap in performance industry wide if you compare apples to apples. they ALL make good equipment because if they didn't they wouldn't be around. this is about how frustrated i get when i see video of a top of the line auger and a lesser caliber auger compared to one another, how is it possible for any informed person to base opinion on this?.

no i do not "doctor" my augers.

good luck - joshb

[Northlander]

Like I said Josh Ill run my own test and find out for myself. Im really not too concerned about speed but I am about the weight. Like a lot of you guys I dont care to haul around my current auger any longer. As stated I will be more willing to move around and drill holes with a lighter auger. If it happens to be as quick as I have heard than thats a huge bonus. All thats important is that whatever brand your running works for you and how you intend to use it. I loved my Jiffy I just dont want to have to carry it around anymore. Im now 38 yrs young and have had back surgery so anything to lesson stress on it is welcomed. Man what will I do when Im ST's age?

[Graywolf]

Just a few items of information about the Niles Master and the Eskimo Shark. There are no current places in the Midwest where you can obtain replacement Niles heads except the factory. An exchanged 8" head is $34.95 plus you pay shipping both ways (about $5-$6 each way). If you fish where sand or other debris are a danger, it might get expensive. Last year at the MN ice show I bought an 8" Niles power with the handle for early ice. Mine and ALL the other Niles sold at that show were returned because it would stall out just as you went through the ice. According to the US rep "the heads were a bad batch and no longer a problem".

I have OWNED and used a Strikemaster Lazer, Eskimo Shark, and an older 3hp Jiffy. Currently I use a Tanaka 36cc power head with a Strikemaster Lazer auger (11,000+ rpm). Niles has been making augers a long time and mistakes happen. Hard to swallow at $465. Weather permitting, I will again purchase a Niles Master at the ice show, BUT, it will for sure have a money back guarantee if the same problem exists. VERY well built product. Eskimo Shark was a cutting fool, just didnt like the extra handle. I looked at the new Sharks out at Gander Mt. Didn't see anyplace on the powerhead that said "Made in Italy". Possible that it is built in an Asian country?? Last years Shark wound out to 11,000 RPM, this years is listed at 8,000?? Placement of on-off switch is very flimsy. S000000, which one, well I really liked the Niles and will bite again. But the Tanaka/Strikemaster combo is ready to go just in case. The Eskimo Quantum blades are not hard to touch up with a file, but the Turbo blades are just like the Strikemaster Lazer, (even interchangable) and need to be sent back for exchange when dull. Just one point, Eskimo charges $5 for sharpening (either style) plus shipping. Strikemaster is $22.95 plus shipping. I know because I just exchanged a set about a month ago.

[Northlander]

Thanks Greywolf thats good info to know. I will make sure and discuss these issues with them at the show.

[mamohr686]

I wasn't too happy after I visited Nilsmaster's HSOforum. It really didn't have the information I was looking for, so I emailed the address for more information about the auger. Here is the response I got:

Hi Mark,

thank you for your interest in our products. Available sizes for power and hand augers are 4.5", 6.0" and 8.0". These are all interchangeable with our Tanaka power head. Tanaka 262dh power head is a 25.7cc 11000 rpm engine drill with 20:1 reduction gear. Idling rpm 3000, clutch meet gear rpm 3600. Uses 50:1 oil mix and 89 oct gas. We recommend 92 oct for even better performance. Basket design to protect the power head and minimize damage should it tip over. Service life for the power head is 600 hrs which is three times longer than tecumseh engines. Power auger converts into a hand auger by removing the power adapter from the auger in less than a minute. Power auger is shipped with power head, power adapter, tools and a complete hand auger. Warranty is 2 years on everything but the blade and 5 years on ignition. Service locations in United States can be found at

http://www.tanaka-usa.com/index.php?b=dealer_locator&t=1

The cutting head is a 2 blade single head design and is made of chromium steel. This will allow you to drill hundreds of holes without sharpening the blades in normal conditions. Cutting depth without extensions is 43 inches, available extensions that connect to the bottom of the auger are 14" and 28" segments of the actual auger not just straight pipe. This helps you to drill deeper but also keeps the hole clear of ice instead of packing on top of the auger when using conventional extensions by all other manufacturers. Our NMP800 Power auger cuts through 41 inches of solid ice in aprox. 12 seconds without any down pressure. Down pressure with our hand augers and power augers is not needed nor recommended. Positive control of the power auger is required but the auger will pull through the ice on its own. Total weight for the NMP800 with fuel is 22 lbs. Since the power head is an engine drill you may purchase a drill adapter and used as a wood or masonry drill. I hope this answers your questions. We will be at the St.Paul ice show December 3-5 if you would like to come and take a look at the actual augers.

Sincerely,

JP Raatikainen

Nils Master USA, Inc.* 1150 Airport Dr.* Suite 103 *

So. Burlington, VT 05403 * USA *

Tel: 802-658-1070 * Fax: 802-658-1071

I really like the reliabily of my jiffy model 30 but with the 10" auger it is a beast to carry around. I'm looking for portability and reliabily, and at 22lbs the nilsmaster will be hard to beat. I'm looking forward to the ice show.

[HardH2O]

The Nils info is a little off. The Nils Master Ice Auger (not the drill) is a 31cc engine and it has a 41:1 reduction ratio. If you type in Nils Master Ice Auger for a search, you should find some info on the net.

Eskimo Shark this year is using a Echo engine. Both the larger and smaller engines are Echo. Which by the way are very good, reliable engines. Just look at the pics on the net or check them out at the store. Then go to the Echo home page, same engine!!

Also, the reason for the Shark being 8000 rpm this year is because of the engine change to Echo. Last years Shark was the 11,000 rpm Emak chainsaw engine, another very good engine. Eskimo also added a lighter plastic handle like StrikeMaster this year.

StrikeMasters 2 HP auger (or any new Tecumseh 2 HP) has a newer design engine with compression release. At first I thought this was kinda bogus (gimmick) but..... the newer engine has much more compression than last year. Compression equals more torque (HP) across the entire operating range. Last years model has the head/cylinder jug bolted onto the crankcase. This year, the head/cylinder/top crankcase is bolted to the lower crankcase. Take a look at them, you will see what I am talking about. The crankcase is split parallel to the crank on the new ones. I think this new engine is also lighter.

StrikeMaster also has the 224 blade out this year. Haven't tried that yet, but it looks cool!

David

[Bob_D]

Hard H2O,

Can you send me the link to where you got the Nils info? My Nils uses the 26cc 1.3hp Tanaka 262DH gas powered drill with the 20:1 ratio per the manual I have. At Max Hp (1.3hp @8500 RPM ...motors top rpm is 11,000) it spins the bit at 425 RPM.

If you are getting the info from the Tanaka site, the augers they have listed there are earth augers, not ice augers. Those units have a completly different motor, auger bit, and gear box assembly.

[HardH2O]

Bob,

Here is a few links:

http://www.tanaka-usa.com/pdf/specs/augers/TIA-340.pdf

http://www.advancedmower.com/tanaka_auger.htm

Looks like I was wrong about the Nils Master.

Tanaka has a Auger of their own.

The Nils uses a Tanaka engine (Engine Drill)

David