Need info on electric auger asap from those who have them

[slabs-ia]

Got a email from someone saying they wont even get 10 holes drilled with a new electric on a full charge , is this normal? im supposed to get my auger tomorrow and could use some more info from guys who have used them ,thanks a bunch

[woodyjdh]

I don't personally own an elect. auger, but a buddy does. We went fishing with him tonight, and I was big time impressed with it! I couldn't believe how fast it cut four holes! Had I brought my "rusty but trusty" Jiffy along, I'd been on my first hole by the time he finished his 4th. His charge indicator showed he was still fully charged. BTW-20"+ of ice to boot!

[Good Time Ranger]

i have the strikemaster dp1200. I have been out 3 times with it with out recharging yet. at least 12 holes were when it was -20+. The other 18-20 holes were when it was at least 0-+10. The ice was at least 18-23 inches. Still am registering a good charge. Going to try it out on friday and see how much more I can drill before re-charging. I will bring a spare battery with me in case. I'm impressed with this auger.

[Lynno62]

Thanks, for the info, How much does it weigh? I am looking for something light weight, i hurt my shoulder and need to watch what i do. Also does this have the battery pack on it? is that replaceable or do you need to carry a car or someother 12v battery with all the time, thinking spring and fall for light weight travel. Thanks again.

[Lynno62]

What kind of elec. auger was he using? Thanks.

[LABS4ME]

My brother bought the new S.M. rechargeable electric auger this year at the ice show. We average about 10-12 holes b-4 needing recharge. +/- 24" of ice. It seems to be a nice unit for the most part.... BUT......

The one big problem we had last weekend was... when driving with the auger in the bed of the truck, the entire battery pack broke off! It was not bouncing around freely but rather tucked in under the shelf he made over the wheel wells, so the most it could bounce was 6". He was going to call S.M. and start to deal with them, hopefully it'll go smooth... I'll post the results after I hear back from him. If this is going to be a common problem, they will have to address it soon! I asked about durability when he purchased it, and they assured him it could handle what ever the gas ones could.

Good Luck!

Ken

[shorefisher]

Have any of you re-opened old holes with them. If they work good for that I may be sold on one myself.

[woodyjdh]

He is using a Strikemaster Elect. 8" auger. He used it to open up holes that had completely froze shut over the past week or so of sub arctic temps (he didn't go out when it was that dern cold). I was under the impression that it would be difficult to reopen a hole, but I was proven wrong. One feature I liked was if he got it stuck in the hole, he could switch the wires around to reverse it! Also just the quietness and the speed of which it cut was a selling point for me- and I am not even looking to buy one----YET

[Ed Carlson]

Good Time Ranger what size auger did you get? Is it a chipper style or a shaver?

Thanks,

[Good Time Ranger]

Sorry it took so long to get back to you (have to do that bad thing called work you know). I have the serrated blades on mine so I believe that would be a chipper blade. Hopefully I am right. It is an 8 inch. Plenty of room in the hole for fish

[Ed Carlson]

I like the system and I just might try one yet.

Thanks for the info guys.

[SCHAAKATTACK]

SLABS-IA, I love my Strikemaster Electric! on a full charge 10 should be no problem. I also have reopened existing holes w/o any trouble. They do weight about the same as a gas unit. They are quiet. I have posted this before and I believe there is a big mis perception on this unit.If I ever were to get to any of the Ice events I would gladly demonstrate it capabilities. The problem is so many people think you need to lug out a big car battery to run this unit. I like to think of it as a big cordless drill. NO gas-no oil-NO MESS/SMELL. It does not matter to me if I cut a hole a little slower. I believe one great advantage(although I can not actually prove this other than my experience)is that because it runs so much quieter that it does not scare the fish away. I have noticed when fishing and someone fires theres up that is nearby, the Aqua Vu suddenly becomes exciting to watch.

[Ed Carlson]

How about charging as you sit out in the field? Will it charge back from an alternator or charge from the main battery in your rig as you sit?

Would an ATV 12 V system be capable of charging this system on the go?

[SCHAAKATTACK]

ED, I wouldn't see why it would not. This unit also comes with a seperate cable that can be attached to the car battery and Auger. I have not used it this way yet.

Something for everyone to keep in mind is that this unit is not going to be the best fit for everyone. If you are the type that is constantly on the move and drilling more holes it may not keep up. I personally do not move much so it fits my needs well. I also believe it would be a good unit for those that have permenant houses out. Nothing worse than walking in to a house and it reeks of exhaust.

I also learned from a seminar a couple of years ago that a commom mistake is the gas/oil or exhaust smells can transfer on to your bait and turn fish away. For me I need all the advantages I can get. I'm also not going to be out everyday or couple of days, or every weekend(even though I would like to!) So fuel would get stale. This is also why I went to a cordless weed trimmer for my yard in the summer.

It is easy to recharge and has a battery gauge similar to a vex unit so you know when it need to charge back up and can be ready again in a few hours.

I have read other posts where people say "my auger runs great. I just start it and let it run to warm up" with an electric like mine I flip the switch and drill. I can be done drilling before you start.

One last thing. The battery is probably a little bit bigger than a vex sized battery, so carrying a fully charged second one could be another option.