Just got my new Nils Auger

[Got_Ice]

And took it out today. Man that thing runs nice. I had a 3hp Jiffy that was new last year and never ran like this thing does right out of the box. It takes about one hole to warm up but then it really does cut ice. I still can't get over the weight either. Just wish I could have gotten one sooner. I hope this doesn't jinx me but it really is a nice augher. Thanks to Rick for answering my questions and getting me the unit for this weekend.

[Northlander]

Got ice it will only get better too. After about 100 holes mine really started to hummm. I also had a 3 horse Jiffy and the Nils is WAY lighter, cuts smoother and starts better. Take care of your blades and they will last a long long time. I would guess I have about 300 or so holes on mine and they are just as sharp now as when I got it. Have fun!

[Bob_D]

Like Northlander said, after 100 holes it will be even better. I've been running Amsoil Saber at 100:1 in mine all season and I can't believe the difference. If you can't find Amsoil Saber, then Opti2 is also a good option. These two oils are made to run at 100:1 in most equipment applications. If you use it in a heavy commercial application (grass trimmer 6-8 hours a day) they recommend 75:1.

As for Nils blades....I got 1000+ holes out of my first blade and it was still cutting pretty well. I keep it for a backup if I'm fishing where there is a lot of debrit in the ice.

Have fun with that bad boy. I know I do with mine. I mounted my 4.5" bit on it last week.....All I can say is YIKES! Look out perch.

[Northlander]

Bob D Im also running Amsoil in mine. I like it a lot. Burns clean and starts well when cold.

[fisherking01]

I got a chance to try Rick's Nils auger yesterday at Cool Cats, I will have an auger like that some day. Can you order a package that includes a 8 and 4.5 inch auger? Can't imagine how fast and smooth the 4.5 would be!

[Bob_D]

Northlander,

Yes, very clean. I can cut holes in shanties and I don't have to worry about the blue smoke. I've never had a problem starting it...even at -20F.

fisherking01,

I don't think there is any package. You would just have to buy a second hand auger. We had 22" of ice and it was cutting it in around 3 seconds. I'll take some video next weekend so I can get a better idea on times.

[mamohr686]

I would follow the manufacturers recomendations with break-in before switching to a synthetic oil.

[muskybuck]

I was wondering, Are the blades similar to the Lazer hand auger blades? More like razor blades.

[Northlander]

Mamo I ran it at 50:1 for the 1st tank full then to the 100:1. Thats what Nils Recomended to me. Working great! Did I say it was light? Man my back feels much better after a day of cutting holes than it did with that Pig of a 3 horse Jiffy I had!

[Bob_D]

Quote:

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I would follow the manufacturers recomendations with break-in before switching to a synthetic oil.

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Ok....Why? I've never had anybody give me a resonable answer with data showing why you need to run inferior oil in a 2 cycle motor. The oil mfg's (even the ones that make both synthetic and non) say it's not nessesary to use something other then synthetic in 2 cycle motors.

What am I missing? Anybody have any data?

[JohnE1966]

I can hardly wait for my old Strikemaster to die, from what I have seen these augers are the cats pajamas.

[Deitz Dittrich]

JohnE-Not sure I would ever try to put pj's on my cat.. but I have a Jiffy now.. runs great.. cuts a hole great... but you would not believe how mad I was this last weekend at the cool cats event when just when Paul W, IceHawk, Dennis S and myself finished drilling about 150 holes rick pulls up with his Nills Master... Honestly he could cut 3 holes to every 1 of mine!!!.. no doubt!

[Borch]

I know what you mean. I just cut one hole with Rick's at cool Cats. In fact maybe I didn'y cut it at all. That auger does all the work. I guess I was just there to supervise the process of cutting the hole.

[burl]

Does anybody know if running racing fuel in a auger has any long term affects on the powerhead.I started running 110

octane and high end oil a year ago and my stikemaster runns and start realy well.Have not had any problems but i always wondered if it was a real good idea.Thanks,Burl.

[Gissert]

The high end oil is a good idea, but 110 octane is a waste of money, IMO.

Octane is the measure of gasoline's resistance to detonation. Higher octane is called for in high compression racing engines where normal gasoline would detonate prematurely due to the higher temps caused by higher compression.

I have seen high octane (100 low lead aviation gas) fuel make normal snomobiles run like dump, due to the fact that the compression on a OEM engine was just not enough to burn the fuel efficiently. This resulted in wet-fouling the spark plugs.

[Bob_D]

I agree with Gissert. I can't find any data on what is the best fuel to run, but based on the compression of these engines I would say 87 octane would be as good as any of the higher octane fuels...maybe better.

Sorry guys...I'm getting off topic.

Love my Nils...You could not take it from me without one heck of a fight.

[picksbigwagon]

I know if I test one of these Nils, I will be buying it, If I can get enough for my old auger, hmmmmmmmmm, never mind, my wife would be seriously upset ( there's a better term I think ) if I brought home a new auger. I'll wait to surprise her with the boat, after that, 495 bones will be a drop in the bucket

[muskybuck]

So, About the blades on the Nilsmaster auger. Are they razor blades!!! Like the Lazor hand auger if you set it down too hard you could damage the blades?????????????

[Northlander]

I dont think they are that touchy. They are 1 solid unit not 2 seperate blades. Like any auger though you should treat the blades nicely. Always cover them up when done cutting they are razor sharp. I opened up my new Carhart Bibs with just a brushing on a blade and cut my thumb pretty good while putting on the cover. I got mine at the begining of the season and its faster now than it ever was.

[Bob_D]

Northlander is correct. The blades are not that touchy. The problem occurs when people who are in the habit of banging thier auger blades against the ice try it on the Nils. That is not a good practice on any auger. There is also no need to clean ice off the Nils Master blades. I've use them for two years and fished in weather down to -30F and have never had a problem with blade icing.

They are a precision piece of equipment, but they are not made of glass.

[muskybuck]

Thanks Guys.

[MetroEye]

Bob D,

I think way back when synthetics first hit the market the thinking was that the rings would not seat properly during break-in. i have been running moly motor oils in my vehicles and in the golf course equipment where I work for close to 20 years. Originally I was told the same thing about running "regular" motor oil for at least 5,000 miles in a new vehicle. The theory was that the moly is so slippery that the rings and cylinder will not mate properly. Supposedly the "regular" oil generates sufficient friction to enable proper seating. That recommendation is no longer given by the manufacturer.

[mamohr686]

I don't know the specifics of the nils break in but my point was to follow the manufacturers instructions. It doesn't matter if you use synthetic or a good 2 cycle, but when it comes down to a warranty issue for a powerhead that will be the first question you are asked....How did you break in the motor and what kind of oil are you using?

[Rick]

I'm searching for the service life on the Nils vs other augers. If I find it I'll post it. I believe it's 600 hrs for the Nils vs 250 hrs for the other augers.

[wolfwood]

those numbers seem about right if you would figure that when u start up your auger let it idle for 1 minute then drill 4 hole at about 30 seconds apeice that would give u about 20000 holes on a normal auger and about 48000 holes on a nils. I dont actually know if thier is and diffrence between the longjevity of and of the augers like anything u could get a great one that last far longer than u might want it to or u could get one that last 1/2 a hole