Ice Augers - Ratings

[H20fowlr]

I have the old 49cc Magnum III with a new Lazer Drill. The benefits of the "don't build like they used to." combined with newer technology of today. Cuts like a dream, and I know its going to start every time.

Now I have not experienced the Customer Service of any of the others, but the times I have been in Big Lake, the Customer Service has been hands down the best CS I have ever observed. Period! (I used to be a Customer Service Manager for 7 years and I am not easily impressed by most CS experiences.)

I won't buy any other brand strictly because I know what I'm getting along with their product! (I think I can make the lake look like swiss cheese with my Strikemaster and not have an issue with the auger or be tired when I am done!)

Just my opinion.

[snakes]

I like my two horse lazer mag express. try reeds baxter late winter for a deal. Have not tried a nils. Try D Rock in new brighton for deals on used or demo Lazer screws.

[burl]

If you compare the current augers nils definetly has inproved the drill part to current drill geometery.It still has a long way to go compared with the drilling technonolgy available for machining metals.I am currently working on a replacement auger to go onto my laser head.When i get done i will post some picks.Most of the power heads have plenty of power just need to have the right rpms to match the material removal rate.I would think if some body would come up with some that works on differant power heads and is afordable it may be an alternative to replacing the hole unit.Burl.

[Borch]

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Actually CrappieAttitude, you can change the blades on a nills...IF you look on a nills the auger part of them is blue, then the bottom part is red... you have to replace the whole bottom part which is red. The replacement head for the centerpoint cutting head is $79 and the regular cutting head is $69...

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Nils also has a drill head exchange program. For $12 plus shipping you'll get a sharp one in about a week turn around.

[deja vu]

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I have the old 49cc Magnum III with a new Lazer Drill.

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My 1989 49cc Magnum III still has it's original drill. After 18 years of dependable service, I went to D-Rock this year to get a replacement throttle cable ($12.00) and governor spring ($1.15). Also picked up a new blade ($13.95).

The Tecumseh T-300 2hp engine in my unit is still being used by Strikemaster. The new units have an 'improved' carburetor, but D-Rock still carries all the parts for my older discontinued carburetor and my original auger.

My auger rides to my fishing hole location either in my pickup box or on my portable's sled. It starts faster than my Honda 2hp outboard. The weight of the auger itself is sufficient to cut smoothly through our current 12" of ice. I wonder if I'll ever use my extension again...

And when I ask my HONEST auger dealer what benefits I will gain by buying a new auger, I'm told that I can expect my older auger to perform as dependably as the new models, possibly even more so... that my older heavier unit will cut ice without my weight on the handles... So, I put off purchasing a new auger for yet another year, and maybe two or three...

What I'd really like to see is some of Strikemaster's exemplary customer service transferred to Mr. Heater's Buddy heater division...

[wiskodie1]

have had my eye on this auger for a month now, has anyone had a chance to play with it?

StrikeMaster Strike-Lite Auger

Twin Stainless Steel Lazer-Lite Blades

No-Mix Fuel - Unleaded Gas only

Power Point Center Blade

No-smoke 4-Cycle 35cc Robin engine

Lightweight at only 20 lbs.

Additional Info

• Buyer's Guide

Hit the ice this winter with the Strike-Lite. The twin stainless steel Lazer-Lite blades will chew through thick ice with no problems, getting you on the fish. The Power Point Center Blade makes drilling multiple holes a breeze. The Tufflite Dupont Zytel® Handle System reduces weight and hand fatigue. Another great feature is that you don't have to mix the gas anymore. The Strike Lite runs on unleaded only with its 4-Cycle 35cc Robin engine.

Weight: 20 lbs.

Available: 8".

well I got the above auger, and i have to say boy is it nice, zip a hole in no time flat, easy to start, even at -20f, light as can be and of course its quite, only thing i can conpair it to are some old jiffys 10" that my friends own and its faster then theirs, starts easyer. but then again mine is brand new and only cutting 8" which is a lot less ice. but im punching holes up on LOTW, ice was thicker then 20", and its had alot of use from me, family and friends that have been going up there this year. in the end time will tell how well it holds up.

see you soon

[Gadgetman]

I have to agree with everything that Pierbridge said. I have been to Big Lake many times to get friends/relatives strikemasters fixed and they are very nice people and take care of things right away. On the other hand I have never seen my Jiffy repair shop because I HAVENT HAD TOO! My Jiffy is 19 years old and all I have done is replace the blade once or twice. I'm not sure what I would buy if/when my current drill dies. HOpefully I wont have to make that decision for some time. $79 for replacement blades on a NILS, thanks but no thanks. where do you send the old head in for a $12 replacement and how long does that take? Personally I think its nice to be able to sharpen my blades with a file,myself.

[Bob_D]

Who's charging $79 for Nils blades?????? I get mine for $49.

[Gadgetman]

Dietz referred to that price earlier in this thread. I of course dont know as I have a Jiffy

[Deitz Dittrich]

Since that post. the price has gone down... the center point is now running 56.95, and the non-center point is 49.95...

[NCLaker]

Deja Vu or anyone else, do you have a phone number for D-Rock??

thanks.

[hill7410]

Funny thing i saw this weekend, me and a bunch of guys were ice fishing and four guys come driving up at about 5 o'clock in a new truck, they hop out and pull out the new strike lite auger. first hole they drill the person does not pull out to bring some of the slush out. he goes all the way down. it gets stuck, another guy helps and they are both pulling on the auger. finally they get it out and when it came up all the spindles or whatever its called around the shaft were ripped off. Apparently it was the first time they used the auger too. Was pretty funny. my luck that would have been me.

[hanson]

hill7410-

I can relate. It was Auger Stuckfest on Upper Red Lake this weekend as well.

The very first hole my dad augered with his Strikelite, it got stuck as well. Remember, the ice on URL right now is 3 1/2' thick and he had an extension on it and he was right down to the gearbox when it got stuck. How'd it get stuck? That stupid plastic auger "cup" packs with slush and snow so bad it seized up big time when he was getting close to punching through.

Anyway, we wiggled it around and tugged on it and it would not budge. By this time, the hole has filled with water and slush and we were scratching our heads.

I proceeded to auger 3 holes very close to his hole and then I started chipping away with my ice chisel. I'm not sure what we were trying to accomplish but once I chiseled down about 1-1/2', we were able to wiggle the auger sideways enough to free it.

Well... I got a little careless in my chiseling and broke off half the plastic flighting on the auger shaft. Doh!

Moral of the story... We are replacing the plastic shaft with a regular steel Lazer assembly.

Based on my personal experience with his auger, I have a hard time recommending it to anyone. I didn't used to feel this way but it has been a pain in the butt this year. Sorry Strikemaster guys. I run a Lazer Mag Xpress and am tickled to death with that auger but that Strikelite has not met with my approval compared to other Strikemaster products. Feel free to search my posts from last winter and check out my opinion on the Strike-Lite. I was singing a different tune last year.

Problems with his auger:

-We had the crankcase oil leak into the combustion chamber.

-It is a hard starter now and will be seeing the boys at Strikemaster sometime this summer to get fixed.

-That plastic auger "cup" packs and freezes with slush when cutting in 0 degree temps

-Now I broke off half the flighting when the auger got stuck.

Oh well... expensive lesson learned.

[dmengel]

I noticed that the top of the flighting on my Strike-lite is broken too. I thought that I had done it in the back of the truck but now that I have heard your story I relize that I did it tring to pull it back out of the hole after I drilled to deep. I also had a couple of holes that after I pulled back to clean the hole out it would not cut the ice. We ended up taking the chiesel & making the bottom of the hole rough & then it would cut?

[HarryG]

If you are looking for Value, Lazer Mag is the way to go. If you looking for the very best one, I would say Nils. I don't own one but I almost did. I am very impressed. Although the Srikelite is just as good a choice. When you think about it there is no bad auger out there. You need to get one that fits your needs. Although I do know why the Jiffy are so durable. They do weight more, and over a period of years they are carried more. At some point, the fisherman becomes very tired and drills less holes. Thus leading to an in creased life. LOL

[harvey lee]

When one is talking in regards to cutting many holes in a day, I have never seen or used another auger than can drill hole so easy as a Nils. You just hold the handles and let it cut. It also starts very easy and the even nicer part is no extension is needed as the blade is 48 inches long.

I love my NILS.

[Dragonsm]

I guess I would be another two thumbs up for the Strikemaster Lazer 224 auger. I swung down to D-Rock's for the first time to see if he actually lived up to all the hype that I hear. I was impressed from the beginning with D-Rock. Went in looking for a new lazer mag...and ended up "upgrading" the decision to a Lazer 224 for 20 bucks....best 20 bucks I spent all year!

I only got out once to test the auger, however the 4 blade system shot right down through the ice.....a big difference from what I was use to with my old Jiffy Model 30. Besides a lot lighter, the other big difference I noticed was regardless of how I held or carried it...it continued to run....unlike the Model 30 which was particular on how it was carried while it was idling.

The nils augers look nice (and since I have never used one...I have nothing bad to say about them)....but strikemaster is almost in my backyard....and I have been nothing short of impressed with the auger. (and D-Rock also)

[hanson]

D-Rock is a great place!

I had my Lazer Auger in there to get the pitch fixed and it didn't cost me a cent. One side of the auger was a 1/4" out of alignment! Cripes! No wonder it wouldn't cut. They bent it back to proper alignment and I'm good to go now. Guess that happens after 5 years of punching holes.

A Nils is on my radar for next winter, it all is going to depend on funds however. My Lazer Mag Xpress is running good and just got a new set of blades so its going to come down to money next fall.

[Surface Tension]

If you drill down to the ice and don't punch through you'll be stick there as some of you've found out.

A tip if your drilling through thick ice. As soon as you realize that your running out of auger shaft, keep the rotation going and pull the auger up so it cleans out some of the shavings. Then continue to finish your cut, if you don't get through you at least don't have the auger screwed to the ice.

[TimBuck2]

Boy was I glad to read your post Hanson. Now I don't feel like I did something wrong. I was on Mille Lacs for the first time ever this weekend, looking for some jumbo's. I brought my Strike Lite and drilled two holes fine as can be, being careful to clear the chippings out a couple of times before punching through. On the third hole the darn thing popped through and before I knew it it was pulling me down to the ice. If I hadn't pulled out the chippings it would have been worse, but after some cursing and sweating I was able to Grape Ape it back up. In the process I broke the top part of the flight off. I Love the 4 stroke, but that synthetic bit has to go. I am in complete agreeance for all the same reasons Chris stated. As for the hard starting on your dad's check the screws behind the air cleaner. Mine was loose and that cured the hard start. What took me 60 pulls, now only takes 5 at most.

Tim

[D4 Army]

I have the cheapest eskimo they make and it hasn't missed a beat. I have been using strikemaster blades on it instead of eskimo. same size blades. works great. 8" auger.

[ib_jigged]

Anyone else have any comments on Eskimo?

[slotlimit]

I have a Jiffy Stealth with a 9" auger and it is by far the best auger I have ever owned. I also baught a Eskimo Stingray this year to drag around the ice for drilling tons of holes while panfishing. The jiffy gets a little heavy when drilling 50-100 holes a day. I was going to get the 2 horse but I found a deal on the stingray for $170 and couldn't pass it up. It requires no down pressure to drill a hole it's just not has fast as the 2 horse. I hit the primer button a couple of times and it starts on the first pole every time. It was well worth it especially on the body after a day of panfishing. I have never used it to redrill a hole yet but I think I would probably leave that for the jiffy. My brother in law has the strikemaster lazer mag and the other day we started srilling our holes at the same time and he finished 3 seconds ahead of me. So I guess for $150 less compared to his strikemaster new I'll take the Eskimo.

[Bobcat45]

Eskimo Barricuda Not the fastest, not the lightest, not the most expensive. But non the less it is a very well built auger. Suppose to have heavey duty gears so you can put a earth bit on it, so I'm told anyway. Bobcat

[PPieKilla]

I have had a stike lite for 2 years now and have had only one problem,I was using it on the coldest weekend in years and the auger shaft broke in several places.I am sure it was from the extreme cold.Strikemaster replaced it with no problems.Otherwise this is by far the best auger I have owned.I also have a 15 year old 3 horse jiffy,strikemaster mag.both cut good but not as fast and true as the strike lite.If you want an auger you can cut 25 holes in a row and cut all day if needed I would recomend a strike lite, If you cut a few holes here and there and in your permant I would go with a mag or a lazer.I have seen all types of augers get stuck,most of it is operator error.