Strikemaster Strike-Lite

[hanson]

Howdy folks!

There have been a number of folks on FM here lately wondering about the Strike-Lite auger. I haven't seen any opinions or reviews posted yet at all so I thought I'd give you my 2 cents.

My dad surprised me this weekend by showing me his new Strike-Lite auger. I kind of knew he was buying one so it didn't surprise me too much.

I tried to convince him that if he were to spend $500 on an auger, he might be better off to buy a Nilsmaster. Well, he was more interested in the 4 stroke powerhead and cutting speed wasn't a factor. I also explained to him that the auger was brand new to the market and may experience some problems that arrise as being a brand new product. That didn't seem to bother him at all. He knows that Strikemaster has incredible customer service and I think that comforted him too.

Anyway. Starting the auger is no different than any other auger. There is an On/Off switch, primer bulb, and choke. Flip the switch to "On", slide the leve to "choke", and prime the fuel bulb. A few short pulls later, the motor is running at an incredibly low volume. Its actually the quietest auger I've ever heard at idle.

However, when you apply throttle, the auger roars to life. And when you do apply the throttle, make sure you have a good footing. The auger has incredible torque!

I would say that the Strike-Lite cuts holes just as quickly as a Lazer Express, maybe a little quicker. I guess I'm not sure what I was expecting but I was surprised by how fast it cut.

My overall first impression was the auger started easily, it ran fine when laid down on the ground (Strikemaster recommends which side you lay the auger on. Basically piston up, crankcase down), and it cut like I couldn't believe!

My concern, along with many of you, is how well the composite auger will hold up. The cutting blades are screwed directly to the composite auger head which is attached to a metal shaft. The composite flighting is separate from the auger head and wraps around the steel shaft. My dad isn't very hard on his equipment so I'm sure it will be fine.

My other concern is how the composite auger head holds up when people don't replace their dull blades. Lazer blades have to be replaced quite often. If you find yourself having to apply downward pressure to a Strikemaster with Lazer blades, they are getting dull.

Theres my 2 cents from a weekend of moderate use with the Strike-Lite.

[PierBridge]

Thanks Hanson, I thought the 4-stroke was going to be a good one and cut just fine. No smoke is a big bonus.

Who is the lucky sole that gets Dads Model 30...?

[hanson]

Quote:

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Who is the lucky sole that gets Dads Model 30...?

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My younger brother! Beats the heck out of a hand auger! That Model 30 is about 25 years old. I was thinking we should just put a new Stealth STX auger and blade system on it. The auger runs awesome, its just heavy and with a single chipper blade, a slow cutter as well.