best power auger under $350.

[JMo]

I was in Gander today and the Lazer Mag is at $349. The guy I talked to said it should drop sometime soon, I'm just wondering how long I should hold out for the best deal? I know everyone is starting to put the ice fishing stuff on clearance. What's the lowest you think the Lazer Mag will go for on sale?

[germanshorthairs]

Flowage tamer, it is also comical watching someone try to go through the ice with a lazer mag with bad blades-the best part about a jiffy is atleast you will get through with bad blades and a lazer you won't. Make sure you get something with a chipper blade or keep spares with you.

[JuiceBox]

I think that's the most important point. Sharp blades on a so-so auger will always beat dull blades on the best auger! It's like a good fillet knife.......it's all in the blades!

[Dean Schellinger]

 Originally Posted By: germanshorthairs

Flowage tamer, it is also comical watching someone try to go through the ice with a lazer mag with bad blades-the best part about a jiffy is atleast you will get through with bad blades and a lazer you won't. Make sure you get something with a chipper blade or keep spares with you.

Disgruntled Jiffy owner....anyway I can handle the dulled blades, although our lazer flys through the ice and we have replaced the blades once in 15 years, and that was just because one fell off, rather than have lousy blades out of the box.

[Kyle Sandberg]

Chipper blades don't cut very fast at all. The lazer blades are the way to go.

[gopher_nation]

I was looking around and I saw that Reed's has their STX Jiffy's marked down a bit online. Strikemaster's are good too, I just don't like plastic on my auger.

[slab master]

how about the Eskimo.anybody try one of these I think there pretty reasonably priced.

[talltines]

flowagetamer, jiffy has been making the best power augers for decades. I have no idea what you have been seeing, my model 77 has been bullet proof for 6 yrs. Never have any problems getting through any ice. buddies who have used it say that they would buy the same model. 9" hole and blazes holes just as fast as my buds 7" lazer. So what to you is funny about watching a 9" hole being cut at the same speed as a 7" hole? my jiffy is still starting on first pull 6 yrs. on original blades. 369.99 Reeds. I say spend the extra $20.00 and get a jiffy. No china in this machine.

[joeyquicksand*]

I really like my strikemaster auger. It cost me 320 at wallmart, which from what i hear is about 20 bucks cheaper than most stores.

[UMDSportsman]

 Originally Posted By: slab master

how about the Eskimo.anybody try one of these I think there pretty reasonably priced.

I like my eskimo. i bought it from Loonasea last spring at the gear swap in dulutn. It is a Mako with 8" quantum blades on it. Model M43Q8. I really like it. It is my first power auger. I have used the strikemasters and i also think they are a great auger. The one thing about the Eskimo that bothers me is the cheep plastic throttle handle. One thing about the strikemasters is that the one or two that i have used seem to loose "grip" with the ice when they are cutting sometimes. I don't know what the deal is but when they are cutting i could feel that they would stop cutting and just sit there and spin. All that it took to fix that is to lean the auger a little bit or twist it a little bit and it would bite. Jiffy, the only experience i have with is an old model 30. I never used it, but my ears rang for days from the noise. (ok not quite that long but you get the idea)

[Drail1313]

I read post after post of why and why not. I luv it.

Go with what works for you. Read post for info, but go with gut on what to buy.

I have a 1985 Magnum III 49cc auger with a 8" cut that has not failed me yet. Until last week when the drum gear final went. Cost $15 for part from D-Rock to fix. I got the auger at one of the local Anoka pawn shops for $75. I can't believe the luck.

Look around at local pawn shops you never know what gem you can find.

Fishing Keeps Me A live! Wife Keeps Me Happy!!

[TNFL]

I love my srikemaster lite.

I had terrrible luck with eskimo. I got one and it ran like [PoorWordUsage] and eventually wouldn't start. So, I took it back and cabela's gave me full store credit almost a year later. I got a new 10 in eskimo, brought it home and it wouldn't start at all. So, I brought it back again, and got the SM.........HAPPY

All that said. I got an eskimo because my friends works great, and my neighbors works great. I don't know maybe my pulling rythm was off for the eskimos. Kindof like my buddy could never start my 25 hp Merc, but one pull by me and it was running, and he is stronger than me BTW.

[midwesthunter]

Gander has the Lazer Mag right now for $300. That is a great deal for that auger.

[UMDSportsman]

TNFL-

It could just be a bad batch or something like that. If i had an experience like that i probably would not have an eskimo either. The auger i have was used to drill holes for an ice fishing contest. Northlander was telling me one time how the one i got was from a year when all the augers were working great. but the augers they got the year before were terrible. they were hard to start, and a couple of them they couldn't even get started. both years they were eskimo's. go figure.

[Poutmaster]

Jiffy Legend 30. 18 years old. Starts and runs great. Very reliable and dependable. When it dies, I'll buy another.