Augers: Gas or Electric

[brian_edm]

Thinking about upgrading my auger. Not sure weather to buy another gas powered or try an electric. Anyone have an electric one? How do they compare to a gas powered one? One problem I see would be carrying a battery around if you don't drive out on to the ice. Any suggestions would be very appreciated.

[Penner]

Why would anyone buy an electric auger?

[Jiffy10]

I like my gas auger but then again.... I know how to fiddle with it
and like the lottery.... you may or may not win as far as getting one
that runs good all the time.

Electric may be a bit more work to get hooked up and drag a battery
around or line up the front of your truck etc. BUT IT WILL ALWAYS START

I've not heard much about the propane ones that came on the market
a few years ago but it seems it may be the best of both worlds.

either way.... they all beat the hand auger !!



see you on the ice ......

[jeffrey929]

I absolutely love my propane auger!!!

[77mse77]

Picked up the new 4 stroke SM strike lite 2.
Very happy with it. Runs smooth, no mixing fuel and it's pretty quiet.
I personally have no use for an electric model, but that's just my irrelevant opinion.

Cheers,
Mike.

[camshaft]

Why would anyone buy an electric auger?

Because my icegator will have holes drilled before u even get your running :)

In all seriousness, I've been happy with mine other than a switch issue that was replaced. I put in 2 new batteries for this year and it cuts great. There have been mixed reviews though....mostly on the customer service side if you check the forums over at iceshanty.

Cant beat cutting holes in mere seconds and weighs less than a gas auger, no fumes, no warming up, no mixing oil, no adjusting carbs/idle ect.
Ive had both, and am much happier with an icegator. Time will tell on the reliability though compared to a gas. Most gas augers if maintained will last forever.

[demolition101]

My Eskimo that I bought on sale for $300 at Costco 5 years ago still out preforms anything I've seen on the ice. Third pull no matter what temp. GAS GAS GAS!

[npauls]

I haven't had a problem with my strikemaster 2 stroke.

It is nice and light and starts up every time in any temp. It is also alot quieter then my buddies eskimo and my other buddies jiffy.

I have punched thousands of holes with it and mite actually swap out the original blades finally this season.

[Kevin_Thunder]

I've got an icegator myself. By the time a guy with a gas auger gets his auger going (on his third pull), I've already punched a hole for my rod, a hole for my tipup and by the time he's done punching his holes, I'm almost done rigging my tipup. It's quiet, fast, and doesn't smell. I couldn't ask for more. On top of that, if something unforeseeable happens, I can always disconnect the auger from the power head and convert back into a hand auger. I'm not aware of a gas auger that can do that.

I was out fishing all day today, punched about 50 holes in 12-15 inches of ice, the auger was still going strong on my last hole.

[WayneChristie]

I've got an icegator myself. By the time a guy with a gas auger gets his auger going (on his third pull), I've already punched a hole for my rod, a hole for my tipup and by the time he's done punching his holes, I'm almost done rigging my tipup. It's quiet, fast, and doesn't smell. I couldn't ask for more. On top of that, if something unforeseeable happens, I can always disconnect the auger from the power head and convert back into a hand auger. I'm not aware of a gas auger that can do that.

I was out fishing all day today, punched about 50 holes in 12-15 inches of ice, the auger was still going strong on my last hole.

what size holes does your leg drill? just curious. Ive watched an electric and was very impressed, but so far Ive only see smaller sized legs on them

[Kevin_Thunder]

what size holes does your leg drill? just curious. Ive watched an electric and was very impressed, but so far Ive only see smaller sized legs on them

I've got an 8" Fin-Bore III auger on the Icegator powerhead. I believe 8" is the maximum the powerhead is rated for. The nice thing about the powerhead is that you can get adapters for several of the more common hand augers out there. I've always got my handle in my trunk, just in case something odd happens. If you really want to go fancy, use a Nils hand auger on the Icegator and it'll cut through ice like a hot knife through butter.

I have to admit, at first I was skeptical about electric augers. I was in the market for a power auger before this current season started. I knew I didn't want to mix gas, and I hate the smell of gas. I considered springing for a propane auger, but a buddy of mine convinced me to go electric. I've punched nearly 80 holes this season and am convinced this was the right way to go. Did I also mention the Icegator has a reverse gear? Makes clearing the hole of slush a lot easier!

[WayneChristie]

I watched slingshotz drill a couple holes on Gull a couple winters ago, the drill almost dragged him down with it. crazy quick and crazy quiet, it they did a 9 inch or 10 inch Id be in, but 8 just isnt enough for me :bad_boys_20:

[Kevin_Thunder]

I watched slingshotz drill a couple holes on Gull a couple winters ago, the drill almost dragged him down with it. crazy quick and crazy quiet, it they did a 9 inch or 10 inch Id be in, but 8 just isnt enough for me :bad_boys_20:

Icegator makes a model that will accept 10" bits. I bought the one that's only rated up to 8". I believe it costs a fair bit more though. I should also mention that since it's an electric motor, the torque band is more consistent than a gas auger. Consistent torque is really nice for these kinds of applications.

http://www.icegator.com/products.html

[WayneChristie]

electric is much easier on asthma as well, it would be nice to set up the tent THEN drill your holes, instead of trying to line them up seperately

[Kim473]

I like my Eskimo gas. 1 gallon of gas per year and still not use it all. Can go about 4 outings ( 20 holes each time ) before having to refill. 2 pulls max and starts every time. Just wish I had a 10"

[Kim473]

See my thread Costco gas auger.

[Ken07AOVette]

I like electric, built my own

Seen too many gas jobs take forever to start

[Hunter Trav]

The only bad thing about getting an IceGator, is dealing with IceGator themselves. If you were ever on Iceshanty last year there was quite the thread going about them and their customer service, or lack there of. The product kicks ass, the management sucks. I bought the gator, I love my gator, but unless they get their s**t together, you won't see them around for very long. Consider that fair warning for those who are thinking about getting one...

[Hunter Trav]

I watched slingshotz drill a couple holes on Gull a couple winters ago, the drill almost dragged him down with it. crazy quick and crazy quiet, it they did a 9 inch or 10 inch Id be in, but 8 just isnt enough for me :bad_boys_20:

They do have the pack for the 10" this year, wish they would've had it when I bought mine...

[Dark Wing]

Where did you guys buy your Icegator augers from ?

[Kevin_Thunder]

Where did you guys buy your Icegator augers from ?

I bought mine direct, but it looks like that is no longer an option. Looks like there is a Canadian dealer on their site, but they mucked up that dealer's address :sign0161:

[slingshotz]

I got mine from the US as well. I haven't really had to deal with their company yet as my Gator has been running well other than the bad design on the switches. I haven't bothered to get the new style as I fixed up the old ones. Whenever I need a bigger hole than 8" I just drill two side by side.

I absolutely love the gator, I get it out of the truck, stand it up and press go, 5-10 seconds later it's done. I love watching guys pulling on their untuned gas augers over and over while I punch all my holes. I have it paired with a Nils head and it's crazy quick churning through the ice.

The only issue I have is that it can only punch about 20-30 holes (depending on the thickness) before it runs out of juice. For me and most people that's more than enough but if you do a lot of running and gunning over a day it's not the auger for you.

[Hunter Trav]

Really, only 20-30 holes eh? I've done over 50 on mine in a day, and still had plenty of juice left to do more if I wanted too. You might have gotten some bad batteries with yours or something. Nice thing is that they are fairly cheep to replace, only like 20-30 bucks each...

[slingshotz]

Well to be honest, 20-30 is when the ice is 3+ feet thick. I'm sure I could easily punch 50 holes when its only a foot thick. Either way, the only time I've ever experienced the auger running out of power is when I went four days in a row without charging it.

[Hunter Trav]

I was talking about 30-36" ice. That is what actually sold me on the gator, I got together with a guy who had one, and his auger drilled 50+ holes that day through 3+ feet of ice, no problem. Mine will do it, but I do notice it slowing down by the end of the day. I haven't even taken it out this year, so I'm hoping the batteries are still ok, as I wasn't totally up on charging them through the summer...

[TyreeUM]

what's the cost of the 10" ice gator? I am literally weeks from buying a new auger and now I am back to questioning my most recent decision...(which I am sure will change 10 times before I actually buy one)

[Hunter Trav]

Not sure what they're pricing them at, but I'm sure you'd be dropping $500 without question. Then you need the bit to go with it. All they sell you is the power head. You would have to get the canadian distributor info off their webpage, and give them a shout to find out what its going to cost ya. I'm quite sure you could buy a gas auger cheaper, but a gator is sure nice to use...

[Jiffy10]

comming from a Jiffy gas guy ......

I sure like the idea of the electric unit if it works as good as
they say .... and I have no reason to beleive otherwise.

I drill less than 10 holes a day so it sure would be a consideration
for the next purchase.

I kinda like the propane idea also.

I would assume that Jiffy will be making a retro-kit in the near
future for the gas augers.

see you on the ice......

[Dark Wing]

The gator sounds like a great auger but I don't like the idea of ordering from Ontario or the states.

Does any one have any experience with the electric Jiffies or Strike master's ?

[retired2]

Dec 29: 0900hours. I just spoke with the Iceauger dealer in Ontario. He advised there are none in stock either in Canada or USA and he has a waiting list. There will be a two to three week shipping delay. Canadian prices range from $500. to $750.. He suggests considering the Strikemaster....

[Hunter Trav]

Not surprising. The clowns that run Icegator need to man up, and order the parts to build about 5000 of them at one time. That way they could have them ready to go for the season, and no one would be waiting for one. I'm not sure why they haven't done this yet, as this has been their biggest downfall for 3 years now. Personally, I think if they aren't going to man up and do it, they need to pass the product onto someone who will. They have the demand, but its slowly going away because they can't supply the product to the ones who still want it. I've tried telling them this, but they won't listen. Sad really...

[Flieguy]

I have a strikemaster electra laser, and it works great! its quieter, easy to use, you don't need to mess around with gas or oil or temperamental starting, you can use it in your hut/tent without worrying about fumes, and its much cleaner to store. we can get about 15-20 holes depending on the ice thickness, then you can hook it up to your truck battery or whatever. I would definitely get another electric. heard good things about the icegator too...