Why is Nils Augers so great? Love the old style Lazer!

[muc33]

Crappieman, again, you have stated your point that you wouldn't buy one. So leave it at that. Don't knock someone for asking the question. Voice your opinion, and you don't always have to prove your point of view to everyone. State it, leave it and there you have it. Note that very few on here have slammed anything about SM or Jiffy other than pointing out written differences by the manufacturers. I don't own a Nils, I own a SM, 2 to be exact. But I will not argue the fact that they are lighter (except the SL), they do not likely need an extension, the cut like banshee's, and have a motor that is by any small engine mechanics standard higher grade. I accept that, they are facts. And I keep on cutting with my SM augers until I decide I want one, or if I feel I need one. Topic for me.... OVER.

[Ryan84*]

To each man his own. But i agree with dtro 100%, but thats just me. I have onwed both and will be slicing ice with my nils the rest of my life!

[Shack]

OK now, chime in and tell me why they are so wonderful... I don't need a sales pitch since they are a hso sponser, just cold hard facts. I have ran a Lazer Mag for six years now and love it! But DO NOT like the new style. I am thinking of maybe buying a new auger next year (hoping for a redesign to my old favorite). No interest in any other brands so tell me about Nils and please Big Lake, MN redesign the one time master piece that is Lazer Mag!

I am a current SM owner, but come next year I will be a Nil's owner from what I have seen and reviewed.

If you just need an auger, buy a used one (SM/Jiffy) off of the for sale forum here at FM or around town.

If you are looking to purchase a high end auger and will to go the extra mile dollar wise, Nil's is the only option IMO.

Plus they have a cool (Free) offer going for the Nil's right now Here at FM's Outdoor Pro Store!

Click Here To See What OutdoorProStore Is Offering!

[HUMMER 55]

mrgurk,

I have a new eskimo z51 and i hate it. so your thoughts here arent quite the case but..... anyways

[Swill]

Niles are the auger for yuppies. Buy a Nils, then get the latest ice fishing suit...you will be soooooo cool.

Or try wearing some camo, carharts, maybe mix in a little chew or beer stains on your gear, and a little auger exhaust never hurt either. PS you way also want to mix in a little weight lifting you can can handle a real auger...StrikeMaster all the way

PS I wish old strikemaster would stop working, so I would have an reason to buy a new one, but it just keeps going......

[Steve Foss]

If I was buying a new gas auger today I'd buy a Nils. I've cut with Jiffy, Eskimo and Strikemaster as well as Nils, and owned a 3-Hp 10-inch Strikemaster XL-3000 for over 10 years. Reliable as the sunrise, cut faster than any auger I ever cut against, and I got it one year old in perfect shape for only $150.

But I got to the point where I was sick of lugging the heavy thing all over to punch lots of holes, and wanted something lighter (my bodybuilding days, Swill, were many years ago ), so I traded even up for a 2-Hp 8-inch Jiffy in great shape.

All that being said, when it comes to gas augers I'd rather cut with a Nils than anything. If you don't need a 10-inch hole, it's the lightest-weight fast-cutting auger I've ever used.

I hate yuppies.

I was out photographing a pro ice circuit event in December where several teams were field testing a new line of battery operated augers made by Icegator. Looked VERY promising. Quiet, no starting/running issues, no exhaust/pollution, no gas/oil to haul around and spill, and they worked really well. Both 6-inch and 8-inch cuts. Not that heavy, either, and you got over 100 holes in clear hard 1-foot ice on a single charge. That's more holes than most of us cut in a day. As battery technology continues to improve, so will this line of augers. I'd buy one right now if I could afford it. For me, the slight performance decline (holes per charge) is more than outweighed by the other advantages.

Ah, oops, didn't see the other Icegator thread already going strong!

[DTro]

Niles are the auger for yuppies. Buy a Nils, then get the latest ice fishing suit...you will be soooooo cool.

Or try wearing some camo, carharts, maybe mix in a little chew or beer stains on your gear, and a little auger exhaust never hurt either. PS you way also want to mix in a little weight lifting you can can handle a real auger...StrikeMaster all the way

PS I wish old strikemaster would stop working, so I would have an reason to buy a new one, but it just keeps going......

The real difference between an honest recommendation and a naïve comment is that one focuses on the positive and the other dwells on the negative. I guess I fall into that yuppie category, but that’s fine, because instead of having chew stains on my carharts, I have fish slime covering my Arctic Armor.

[trapperdirk]

LOL dtro . Well I'm certainly not a yuppy but a redneck if anything and although I use a Nils (also have a jiffy) and do have Arctic Armour that does lack the chaw stains as mine carries the distinction of also carrying fish slime with a wee tad of blood mixed in from hunting .

Dang yuppies don't hunt or fish because they are too busy hugging trees .

I'm convinced about the Nils everytime I fire it up and you almost hate stopping to fish the holes drilled because it is just way too much fun to keep on drilling and tripping over the tongues of the envious who are leaning on their Jiffys, Strikemasters ,Eskimoes etc .

TD

[McGurk]

Cassmaster, Sorry to hear about your Z51 experience; I though that looked like a decent auger. I haven't used one, though, and it sounds as if you might be stepping up to a Nils yourself!

I have to think the original poster now has plenty of info to glean his buying opinion off of. Enjoy your augers, boys; whatever they may be! Keep 'em running!

[Chris_the_Cow]

To each his own. Each type of auger has there pro's and con's. And as far as one auger being "faster" than another it more has to do with who is using it and how sharp the blades are. Personally I have never seen an auger where you do not have to push down. It doesnt matter who you go with you will be happy.

-Chris

[Shack]

For me, even with my new Lazer auger on my Mag2000 it comes down to drilling "a hole", verses drilling "holes" when talking about the Nil's.

I guess you have to use one or see it in action to know what anyone who owns one "now" is talking about. Point blank. If you have not used one or own one, how can anyone make an opinion on any item.

I would have never gave Nil's a second thought switching from my SM, until I saw it in action on ML last year.

[Steve Foss]

Personally I have never seen an auger where you do not have to push down.

I have cut with four models of power auger (two Strikemaster Lazers, a Nils and an Icegator), that did not require me to push down at all with sharp blades, and occasionally I had to hold them up just a bit to keep the blades from binding.

[harvey lee]

To each his own. Each type of auger has there pro's and con's. And as far as one auger being "faster" than another it more has to do with who is using it and how sharp the blades are. Personally I have never seen an auger where you do not have to push down. It doesnt matter who you go with you will be happy.

-Chris

If you push down on a Nils, you will hurt the blades, this baby cuts by itself. Just hold onto the handles and the auger does the rest.

[McGurk]

I have never had to push down on my SM LazerMag (slightly modded, of course ). As Steve said, the last couple of inches I usually hold her back a bit (lift slightly) so it doesn't pull me down with it!

[Chris_the_Cow]

Thanks guys. My friend has a brand new LazerMag and it doesn't cut unless you push down.

[McGurk]

One problem that has been associated with the SM Lazermags is that they need to pushed to cut. This is not right, it is due to a incorrect blade pitch, and therefore a poor cutting angle. If you are pushing down to get it to cut, this is not how they are supposed to run! Bring that auger up to a SM authorized repair center (H.Q. in Big Lake or DRock in New Brighton come to mind in the metro) and have them re-align the pitch of the blades.

In most cases the blades themselves are OK, but the cutting angle is wrong. This results in the auger just spinning on the ice and having to push down to get it to cut which only making the pitch worse. Another thing to check is the point at the very tip of the auger. Sometimes they have a burr on them that impedes drilling. Take a light hand file to it to take any burr off, but be careful not to ruin the edge ro cut your self.

I haven't heard of anyone having to pay to have the pitch correction done, and it's worth a try. Believe me; you won't miss having to push down on it!

Note from admin, please read forum policy before posting again. Thank you.

[Steve Foss]

What McGurk said on blade pitch! Chris, it's also possible the blades got nicked up badly somehow or other, and those Lazer blades won't cut well at all then. It's most likely blade pitch, though.

[fishnhooks]

McGurk is corect, you should not need to push down on your SM lazer.

"hooks"

[Northlander]

I have owned every auger brand out there thats available in the states. Except huskavarna. None of wich did I have to push down on. If I did I got new blades and then I was ready to rock again. Of course my old trusty 3 hourse 10" Jiffy was so heavy pushing down on it was the last thing I needed to do.

[GONE CATCH'N]

When I purchase equipment, I’m looking for quality, longevity and ease of use. I used a 10" SM and went to a lazer. After those I have to say Nils is built for the hardcore fishing person. Not much to comment on longevity, except Tanaka engines have a long history of making excellent engines.

[rocki]

what type of oil is being used in these nils augers?? what mix ratio? do they smoke like all other 2 strokes??

[Northlander]

Lots of Nils owners are running Amsoil Saber. 1st couple tanks or gallon I recomend at 70 or 75 to 1 and then 100 to 1 after that. The small envelope style packets Amsoil has makes it easy to mix. 1 envelope is enough oil to give ya 100 to 1. Richer use less gas.

Amsoil burns cleaner and with way less smoking. Im at 100 to 1 and I have hardly any smoke.

[Esox_Magnum]

No smoke at all here at 80:1

[rocki]

no smoke, is that while drilling in a permanent shack?????

[Northlander]

I drilled 6 holes in a perm yesterday. Tried to keep the door open but the wind kept closing it on me. I had some but little smoke. Far less than when I used other oils.

The Nils was great for opening holes in the perm. The small handle design really helps in cutting open them corner holes.

Plus your done quicker than with other augers.