Cordless Drill Ice Auger...Dewalt versus Ridgid

[Sundancefisher]

Well the test was conducted today.

The Dewalt previously drilled 15 holes at 19 inch ice thickness

The Ridgid today drilled 17 holes at 26 inch ice thickness. I also must say I had used the battery for a few odd jobs around the house also.

Therefore I have to give two thumbs up for the Ridgid.

At $150 (half price) I am a happy purchaser.

Cheers

Sun

[Badback]

Yes the Ridgid cordless drill is a powerful unit...I got my Dewalt when Air Miles had a clearing out sale...I used it all winter and have drill I guess around 200 holes...So the Ridgid at half price for $150.00, you cannot go wrong....

[Sundancefisher]

Yes the Ridgid cordless drill is a powerful unit...I got my Dewalt when Air Miles had a clearing out sale...I used it all winter and have drill I guess around 200 holes...So the Ridgid at half price for $150.00, you cannot go wrong....

Thanks for supplying the auger bud and 6 inch drill Badback!

Cheers

Sun

[BUD]

Can we see some close up pics of the setup , whats the adaptor look like etc.
Where can we buy the adaptor , how much.
If it loosens up will the agur be lost down the hole ?

[Badback]

Can we see some close up pics of the setup , whats the adaptor look like etc.
Where can we buy the adaptor , how much.
If it loosens up will the agur be lost down the hole ?


http://i706.photobucket.com/albums/ww61/Badback60/augerbud2.jpg

To see it in action: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULE4I...layer_embedded

If you check out the tread "Cordless Drill Ice Auger" some of the forum members posted where you can buy it from...I bought mine from eBay...

[hunt_and_fish]

That's great news. I picked a RIGID up about a year back for a smoking deal and so far I've been happy with it. Gonna have to check out ebay for one of those adapters.

[MathewsArcher]

Thanks for the update.

What size holes and was that on a single battery or using both?

The adapter I picked up in High River is quite a bit different but still worked effectively and you can't loose the auger if your chuck comes loose either.

[kostianych]

seems like we have to send a Ridgid a letter about a free advertisement of their product :) after reading all the stuff I finally got one for myself :) and the Auger buddy is on its way :)))))

thank Sundancefisher for the posts :)

[ULTRAlite]

refresh my memory - was that a 6" or 8" auger

[Sundancefisher]

Thanks for the update.

What size holes and was that on a single battery or using both?

The adapter I picked up in High River is quite a bit different but still worked effectively and you can't loose the auger if your chuck comes loose either.


It was using the same 6 inch auger. The 17 holes were drilled on one battery. A battery takes about 1 hour to charge... Maybe a solar cell charger would work should you be out for a long day.

Issues to note are:

Number of holes drilled dependent on blade size

Number of holes dilled dependent on ice thickness

No extension was used on this drill and therefore it was awkward drilling near the ice

Very difficult to control drill with mitts or gloves

The chance of wrist damage due to sudden torque of blade sticking in the ice is high

You can lose the blade depending upon the auger size if you let go of the chuck

I strongly recommend you double check the fit of the auger bud to the auger and drill... as any loose fitting connections could damage the auger, adapter, drill or cause the loss of the auger.

Bracing the drill against a leg or body seems to help prevent the drill from whipping around.

All in all given the cost of under $300 for a drill, auger and auger bud...I would say if you drilled few than 30 holes a day...this is way better than a power auger. No gas or oil needed.

I can not vouch for the quality of the auger bud however

[BUD]

http://i706.photobucket.com/albums/ww61/Badback60/augerbud2.jpg

To see it in action: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULE4I...layer_embedded

If you check out the tread "Cordless Drill Ice Auger" some of the forum members posted where you can buy it from...I bought mine from eBay...


OH YEA , hey that will fit my strikemaster lazer , gonna have to get one.

[MathewsArcher]

http://www.icemasteradapter.com/

This is the one I picked up in high river.
The cord will keep the auger from going down the hole if the chuck comes loose.
I had the handle attachment on the cordless so it didn't kick to bad if you got caught up in the ice.
I used it on a nils hand auger, the auger and shaft are quite long so it was no problem drilling through even thick ice without having to get down to low.

All in all worked well, just need a better drill.

[Sundancefisher]

http://www.icemasteradapter.com/

This is the one I picked up in high river.
The cord will keep the auger from going down the hole if the chuck comes loose.
I had the handle attachment on the cordless so it didn't kick to bad if you got caught up in the ice.
I used it on a nils hand auger, the auger and shaft are quite long so it was no problem drilling through even thick ice without having to get down to low.

All in all worked well, just need a better drill.

How much is it?

[MathewsArcher]

Too much for what you get (39.99) but I bought one anyways:D:D

[Tikka300]

Will this adapter work on the Finnbore III series ice augers?

[oagie]

Too much for what you get (39.99) but I bought one anyways:D:D

Did you get that local or online?

[MathewsArcher]

I picked it up in High Riverat Flys Etc.
I know Bass Pro was stocking them now as well

[oagie]

Cool, thanks.

[DarkAisling]

I think hubby just gave me permission to use his 18V Dewalt cordless to power my 6" FinBore.

Before I do, I need to find out how well your drills have survived being used in this fashion. As this is one of his work tools (he actually mostly uses it for mixing cement), I need to be sure I won't kill it. If I do kill it, I'll need to replace it.

Have any of you tried this setup with an 8" auger?

What I should I look for in the way of an adapter? I'm thinking that the "Ice Master" looks like a good bet, but is there a different one I should consider? My biggest concern is protecting the drill.

I casually mentioned the purchase of a gas auger, and he's pretty concerned that I'd loose an arm using one of those . . . hence the volunteering of his drill . . . as long as I promise not to kill it.

Thanks in advance for any forthcoming advice :) I'm a big dummy when it comes to power tools.

[WayneChristie]

that ice master looks interesting, even buying the drill it still comes out a lot cheaper than a gas auger,

[Ken07AOVette]

I think hubby just gave me permission to use his 18V Dewalt cordless to power my 6" FinBore.

Before I do, I need to find out how well your drills have survived being used in this fashion. As this is one of his work tools (he actually mostly uses it for mixing cement), I need to be sure I won't kill it. If I do kill it, I'll need to replace it.

Have any of you tried this setup with an 8" auger?

What I should I look for in the way of an adapter? I'm thinking that the "Ice Master" looks like a good bet, but is there a different one I should consider? My biggest concern is protecting the drill.

I casually mentioned the purchase of a gas auger, and he's pretty concerned that I'd loose an arm using one of those . . . hence the volunteering of his drill . . . as long as I promise not to kill it.

Thanks in advance for any forthcoming advice :) I'm a big dummy when it comes to power tools.



If you are using that big of a drill, be sure to use the 2nd handle on the other side facing away from the trigger. If you are drilling with one hand and it catches, something is going to break, it likely won't be the drill.

[jacob1202]

i just built an adaptor for mine... if u have a welder its quite easy to do cuz the handle threads out of most augers... just stick an old broken allan key into the threaded hole and weld it up

[droptine]

I as well have the ice master adapter on a 8" auger using a 18v dewalt, works great, I then made an adjustable extension for it to get through the late season ice, this system is great for opening holes bach up inside shacks as you don't get smoked out.

[jpohlic]

Well, I finally did a full day ice fishing with the auger bud and an 18v ridgid lithium ion battery. I believe it's a 3.0 amp hour battery and we managed 18.5 holes. I'm not sure exactly how deep the ice was but it was probably 24" - I almost needed an extension on my 6" auger. This battery was almost brand new, only used for maybe 20 holes in the past few trips.

I think this drill would have enough jam to run an 8" auger. If it managed 10 eight inch holes I'd be happy.

[igor]

I have brand new dewalt 18v XRP drill with side handle plus brand new 8in ice drill( swede-bore). max 8 holes per one battery in 21 in of ice.
I'm very happy with it it works very fast.

[Sundancefisher]

I have brand new dewalt 18v XRP drill with side handle plus brand new 8in ice drill( swede-bore). max 8 holes per one battery in 21 in of ice.
I'm very happy with it it works very fast.

The larger the auger the fewer the holes...

I wonder how well a 24 volt drill would do?