Strikemaster vs. Jiffy

[Guest]

Jeff.....Yes I did. That's where I saw the augers. Genz and company had the products all set up and were demonstrating there. I'll hold off on the gas cap 'til I see you. I'll call you today. But if you're up at 2:37 AM, maybe I'll wait 'til lunchtime!........T

[Scenic]

Sounds good to me. I will be in the shop all day today.

Jeff

[Guest]

Jeff, I am sorry you got hold of a "lemon" in a Jiffy. Cold bloded is not good... I had an Evenrude like that once (very FUSTRAITING).
I suppose all companies have their quota of rejects and mal-functions.
I have never had or heard of a nother bad starting Jiffy myself. I did have one from another company that would not start... it drove me to a Jiffy!

I have loaned my Jiffys out to several fishing contest over the years, where they drilled holes all morning long for the crouds. I have used Jiffys at get-togethers and events, passing it round to who ever needs to drill.
Mostly where I have seen a problem is people pumping the throttle and dropping the rpms down, which bogs the motor and makes cutting difficult. It is best to keep the rpms up high and let the weight of the auger cut for you. I do not recommend leaning on the drill as it cuts... rather let it cut with its own weight. That way a Jiffy's cut is super fast and very smooth. Cutting that way is much more effortless and you can cut many, many holes without any fatigue.
Catch'n
Dave Hoggard

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Fishermen are catch-n on
Catch'n Tackle
For Bass, Walleye, Pike, Lakers, Trout, Panfish
Used by FishingMN Family

[This message has been edited by Catch'n (edited 09-18-2003).]

[Jim W]

SInce we are comparing etc, I'd be willing to putmy Lazermag 3hp up against any other commercial model out there, for start and for punchin'!!!

On 44 inches of ice last March on LOW I was drilling 3-4 holes per one Jiffy...do the math.

Jim W

[Scenic]

As a guide strictly guiding only in the winter for several years I have had lots of practice drilling holes. Fifty to a hundred holes a day are not uncommon when you have the 15 minute rule on fish. (No fish in 15 minutes = Time to move).

I totally agree with JimW here on this one. The Lazer is faster. Even look at the specs and it will show the 12:1 gear ratio on the Jiffy vs the 25:1 on the Lazer Mags both 2 h.p. And I myself have been up against the Jiffys too and I know which one drills faster and which one is lighter to carry. As I indicated before, my Jiffy drilled great after fighting to keep it running and getting about two or 3 holes drilled with it. That auger just spent more time in different shops trying to fix the problem then I did fishing with it.

This is not a slam to either company but rather personal preferences as was asked in the start of this post. Yes I may have gotten a lemon as they can happen in any company but I do know that I probably spent as much trying to make that one run as I did just buying a new Strikemaster. I also know that after drilling as many holes as I have been known to drill in a day which one can wear me out faster too.

Bring on the ice!!

Jeff
Scenic Tackle

[This message has been edited by Jeff Beckwith (edited 09-18-2003).]

[WallEYES]

On the auger debate...
I have the 2hp strikemaster lazer with a 10 inch auger. Last year in Nestor Falls fishing with T-BONE, Jeff Beckwith, Rick P and other f.m. moderators, my stikemaster burned out...gear box froze up while fishing for lakers and drilling holes in 40+ inches of ice. Well to make a long story short strike master gave me a new power head. I think stike master goes above and beyond the call of duty in dealing and treating there customers, which is another reason to consider when purchasing an auger or anything for that matter.
I have a Jiffy 3hp legend also, this thing seems twice as heavy as the strikemaster and cuts a lot slower in thick ice. One thing when using the Jiffy that I found is the jet or the fuel/air mixture needle moves during heavy vibration and needs to be re-tuned.
I had the fortune to use a brand new Eskimo from the resort owner from Muskie Bay Resort when my strikemaster froze up. This thing will cut good for the first 8 inches and then the blade would bind and get hung up. After using it for 4 days, I thought I was going to need back surgery.
Now if you want to get into a debate about hand augers, a friend of mine from N.York state turned me on to the Nil's Master. No one can even come close to the comparison with this auger to drilling thru the ice.
I agree with T-BONE, that it all boils down to how well you guys and gals treat and care for your equipment.
Stay tuned some of the ice shanty gang is developing a ice auger with a v-8 engine...it takes 2 BIG guys to handle that one.

[Northlander]

Walleyes can you give me all the info you have on that Nils Master hand auger? [email protected] Thanks.

[GAR]

Jeff; I have a Jiffy That must be the mate to yours, it's the cold bloodiest thing. I see guys start there's up, and start to drill right away, and they run fine, mine I will stand there for 2 to 3 min. then start, and it just won't run good till I have 3 to 4 holes drilled then it runs fine, are you saying that there is no fix to this problem, or can I have some one tune it up, I've had it to one place all ready and they said it ran fine!! Well I took it out same thing. Whats the answer, a new strike master. GAR

[Scenic]

Gar,

Drop me an email.

[email protected]

Jeff
Scenic Tackle

[Wobbler]

Last year my gear box shattered on my Strikemaster Lazer Mag 3000 10" at LOW in March. The ice was thick but it should have handled that. Anyways my auger was 2 years old and is babied more so than my friend's augers. My dad took out his 9" 1 month old Strikemaster and we pulled the starter rope and after 2 pulls the recoil broke.

Lucky for me a gentleman with a Jiffy drilled our holes. When I brought in my auger they basically said $150 bucks for a new gear box or $200 for a new one. I took the new one. The store told me that the pewter gearbox is Strikemasters problem. I did call Strikemaster and I felt like they did not care or said well that is not our problem. I would have bought a jiffy this time but I saved $200 bucks trading mine in. The first time I used my new auger the welds broke on the handle and my local hardware store where I bought the auger welded them back. So suffice to say I may have had a lemon the first time but what happened to my dad's and my new one is more than a coincidence so I am not impressed with Strikemaster. I love supporting our state's economy but after all of that I recommend a Jiffy.

[This message has been edited by Wobbler (edited 09-19-2003).]

[IcePro]

2hp Jiffy or Strikemaster they use the same engine.

3hp Jiffy or Strikemaster they use the same engine.

So when comparing augers let compare what does matter. DURABILITY

Stikemaster is lighter but not as durable as a Jiffy.

[IcePro]

Seabass 77

Stikemaster is a Minnasota company. They ONLY assemble the product here in Minnesota. Engines come from tecumch and the drill assembly's from Sweden.

Jiffy is made 100% in the Unites States. They get the engines from the same place as Stikemaster but Jiffy manufactures everything else in Wisconsin.

Stop in at Big Lake and look at Strikemasters facilities. They only package the product.

[Wables]

I have a 2 HP 10" 2 blade Strikemaster. The thing runs like a champ, cuts like butter, and is very light. However, I blew my clutch in early January after less than 100 holes. Although Strikemaster did replace the powerhead free of charge, I was still 15 days in prime time without an auger. As I said, I really like the auger, but if it breaks down again I am going to buy a Jiffy. I wonder if it is the same gearcase/clutch used on the 8" and 10" single blade units? Maybe it wasn't designed for the torque required to get both blades on a 10" through the ice. Maybe I should have bought a 3 hp.

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Wables

[Guest]

Wables, I had a 3hp Jiffy and sold it to get the 2hp. This was after I had used the smaller hp. unit one day. I was impressed with the 2hp and the cutting ease, as well as the weight.
I do not cut 10" holes anymore.
I now use an 8" drill. I backed into a 10" hole a couple of years ago and went down to my knee... enough of that. Darn near broke my knee. I am happy with an 8" now.
Catch'n
Dave Hoggard

------------------
Fishermen are catch-n on
Catch'n Tackle
For Bass, Walleye, Pike, Lakers, Trout, Panfish
Used by FishingMN Family

[Scenic]

Been there. Done that. Man that hurts!!

Jeff
Scenic Tackle

[Guest]

sold my jiffy 3hp 10 auger last season for a strikemaster lazer 2 hp,couldnt be happier
cutslike butter,easy to start,lite weight
all the things i got rid of my jiffy for

[Raven]

I bought a Strikemaster about four years ago. Had nothing but trouble. When I e-mailed the company, they suggested that maybe I was too small to handle the 3HP 10" model (honest). I returned the lemon. Two years ago, after talking to a lot of guys, I bought a Jiffy Legend - 3HP 10" and it works great. I'll sure recommend the Jiffy.

[IcePro]

Jeff...

You stated that by looking at the gear ration 12:1 vs 25:1 you can tell which one will cut faster.

In this case the Jiffy must be faster, 12:1 is a faster gear ration than 25:1.

[can it be luck?]

If I'm not mistaken, 25-1 is faster than 12-1. Similar to fishing reels, 5.2-1 is faster than 4-1 gear ratio. More for less. I owned both. I now have a jiffy and am very happy with its dependability. Starts and runs great. My strikemaster was lighter and cut much faster, but I always had trouble keeping the idle set and my reed valves would always stick open flooding out gas. Took it in for cleaning twice. Always careful to use clean fuel, yet the problem never stopped. One thing for certain...Sure beats an ice chisel! And don't forget to wrap the rope around your wrist, I lost a few in my lifetime!

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http://groups.msn.com/canitbeluck

[IcePro]

Ah, a lesson in engineering. Unlike fishing reels where you start with a large gear, downsizing to smaller gears to make the reel faster; Augers start with a small pinion gear working towards a larger gear, hence gear REDUCTION.

For everytime the pinion gear rotates 12 or 25 times, the drill assemble turns ONCE. The fewer revolutions, the stronger the torque. Speed is useless. Torque and power are needed because this is a POWERTOOL, not a race car.

To those who buy Jiffy, they understand engineering and quality. For those who prefer speed....my Ford has 168,000 miles, while a NASCAR engine runs 200 laps.

[Twitter]

OK....IcePro or anyone else.....why than does my Eskimo Shark with a 2.5hp engine run @ 11500RPM (almost twice as fast as strikemaster or Jiffy models)with a 30:1 gear ratio ? Granted the Shark has a higher revving (sp?) engine, but I've owned strikemasters, used Jiffy's, and after using them all, the best starting, best idling, steadiest/easiest cutting (notice I didn't say fastest....I've never raced it ...it pulls itself through the ice ) is the Eskimo shark.

"The only power auger with a high RPM chainsaw style engine that will scream through the ice.

Features
Rests in all 4 positions
Foam handle grip
11,500 RPM engine
Replaceable centering point
Muffler Cage
Start/stop switch
Thumb safety
Pistol grip throttle
Easy access choke and primer
Transparent gas tank
Specifications:
Engine RPMs: 11,500
Horsepower: 2.5-hp
Finish: “Eskimo® Red" powdercoat
Gear Ratio: 30:1.
Auger Size: 8", 9" and 10"
Auger Length: 42"
Warranty: 2 years

IMHO
Twitter

[This message has been edited by Twitter (edited 09-30-2003).]

[willowcat]

I own bolth of them. I use the lazer for drilling lots of holes for pan fish, and the jiffy for larger holes and deeper ice. I would say the strike master lazer is probably the better auger.

[can it be luck?]

Thanks for "opening" my eyes...I never knew!

[skycarp]

had my barracuda 10 inch for three years and have cut thousands of holes out in dakota always runs great. have dug some farmers a few post holes out on rush lake always carry spare blades since