Jiffy Stealth report

[JimJ]

Took my new Stealth 8" out for a trial run today on WBL (11" where I was drilling). The 2 down facing bits are noticeable, as you feel the difference in speed when they clear the bottom of the ice. The auger doesn't want to twist on you when the chipper clears the ice like my last 3hp model. The engine idles fine between holes carrying by the top of the bit without sputtering. I bought the ice house handle model for a more compact auger mostly, and it works fine for me by grabbing the side of the handle farthest from you while bracing your forearm on the side closest to you. I would have preferred the throttle to be located closer to the corner closest to you instead of in the middle so I could brace against the corner of the handle instead of trying to grip the rubber handle while operating the throttle, but it's not a big deal. Another change from my last auger is the ice house handle doesn't hang out far enough to keep the muffler from sitting on the ground during transportation, but it's close. The chipper bit hangs out a little bit from last one, and sliding down a Otter tube on ATV tends to catch if the chipper doesn't face up when installing it. I will have to get used to starting without a primer to figure out how much choke to apply as the first start has been more pulls than I would want (after that 1 pull every time). The decompression switch is ok, but a firm quick pull without it works good too. The new seal on their gas caps seems to work good. Don't take my comments as dissapointment in the product (pretty sure I was grinning the whole time), they are just my impressions of a different auger than I had been used to, and adjustments that I will make to the differences. Santa delivered big this year (an auger that doesn't leak, more user friendly, faster, a little lighter), hopefully he dropped something down your chimeney too.

P.S. Santa/Thorne Bros. did good this year.