8 inch auger?

[slayer21]

Trying to decide what brand of auger to buy. I keep hearing negatives about strikemaser, jiffy and ect. What does everyone prefer and why or why not the other. a little tight on money but im going to spend it on a good auger that is going to last me.. i take pretty good care of my stuff. and imput would be great

[TeamXtreme]

I have an Eskimo and love it. I drain the gas each year, and that's about all that I do. This year, I pulled it off the shelf in -11 degrees, filled the tank, pumped the primer bulb and it fired up on the 2nd pull. It's 3 years old at this point, not a single complaint.

[bigminnow]

I have a jiffy that is now at least 15 years old and it works like a champ. Like the post above just drain it's gas every year and she starts right up the following year with a fresh gas. Some guys will argue to leave gas in there all year with a preservative (becasue of drying out the gaskets) however after 15 years of draining that has never been a problem.

Just make sure to get an auger with "chipper" blade as these blades are more effective and will still effieicntly cut even when dull.

bigminnow

[mnhunter79]

Same for my strikemaster lazer express thats about 5-6 years old at least.

[FrontenacPike]

I bought a new Strike light last year and absolutely love it.

Why to buy a strike light

Lightest auger on the market 20lbs. (except for nills but big $$$)

Super quiet

By Far the best customer service.

And no mixing gas and oil. Simply fill it at any gas station.

The reason I spent the extra money was because of how light it is. I typically do a lot of walking and anywhere I can cut a few pounds it is worth every penny.

[68Goat]

I like my strike master, only a couple years old but I cut a lot of holes.

[CJH]

Lazer Mag Express. Relatively light, reliable, cuts holes fast.

[UMDSportsman]

I also have an eskimo. Have had it a year or 2. I leave gas in it in the summer and start it every month. I have no problems with it. Pump the primer and it will start within a couple pulls every time. Cheaper, a little bit heavier, but a good auger for the price.

Personally i prefer a cutting blade vs the chipper blade, when you have a sharp blade, it will cut faster than a chipper. i always carry an extra set of blades, so if they get dull i just change them.

my experiences-

Jiffy-old 3hp 10"- heavy, loud, hard to start

new- have not tried them

Strike Master- newer 8", no problems, great cutting, sometimes hard to start (may have been the specific motor and really cold temps)

Eskimo-stated above 2-3 yr old auger 8"

Nills-no experience

[dan z]

I love my SM 224 it fast pretty light 24lbs and very reliable it has a decompression button when ya start it so it pulls very easy when its cold out. drills holes very effectively with the blade system 2-4" and 2-8" fastest drill I have ever used... however thier are not making this auger no more so I would have to say stay with a local company and buy an express (strikemaster)

[The_Duckslayer]

Have never had an issue with the Strikemaster that is in my aresonal. Might not be quite as fast as some of the mega buck ones out there but then a few seconds here and there will not matter at the end of the day to me. They also have GREAT customer service! Take care and N Joy the Hunt././Jimbo

[jigging-matt]

I have my Trust Stikemaster Mag2000. It is about 10 Years old and works great. Have used A friends Jiffy Auger and it works great also. Biggest thing to think about is will you be re-drilling holes (chipper blade) or will you be drilling new holes (multi-blade sysytems). After that settle on a price and go from there. All units seem pretty good. You are getting into the Chevy vs. Ford Debate. I Like Strikemaster, but they are all similar to a point.

[Jim Almquist]

Had a Jiffy for close to 20 years and it ran and worked great. I like the fact that I could sharpen my own blades so I always had a sharp set when out fishing. I now have a Nils and there is NO way I would ever consider going back. Weight and speed make so much difference in a full day of fishing and now with all the snow it will make even a bigger difference. You will not run and gun lugging a 3 HP Jiffy when the snow is 20" deep vs a 22 pound Nils. When you are looking consider how many years you will be using the auger and not just the price up front. Buy it as a investment for better fishing for years to come with little need for any maintenance.

[fivebucks]

I bought my Jiffy 23 years ago and it still runs great with only 1 carb repair. I rarely drain the gas after winter or use stabil but I do use fresh gas to start the winter off. I can use a file to sharpen the chipper and then buy a new one every handful of years.

[EyeGuide]

I'd have to say I use my auger more than the average guy and I estimate I have over 15,000-20,000 holes drilled with it and I haven't so much as changed a spark plug. The thing is absolutely bullet proof. Two pulls and I'm rollin every time. I've talked to a lot of people over the years and I've heard a lot of negatives about Jiffy’s (LOUD!!!! & Heavy) Eskimos, I haven't owned one but have heard the quality is quite inferior to the StrikeMasters. Most people use their augers a few times a year and for them the other brands might be OK? Good luck with your decision, but in my mind there's no decision to make.

[Sandmannd]

I love my strikemaster.