ice auger

[gophanator]

hello

i am wondering what is the best and most reliable gas power auger there is? i have 0 experience with them and have never used one or owned one.

[Little Valy]

I've got a Jiffy Legend 10" and never a problem in 4 years that I've had it.Lots(or enough) power

[Bryce]

I like my eskimo. little cheaper and lighter than the jiffy's. Work just as well.

[mayuan]

I guess I will put in my two cents....

StrikeMaster 10" Lazer Mag Power Auger is running a German engine on a Swedish auger blade. When I was looking for an auger this year this is the one I bought. From what I was reading the Jiffy is using a new chinese motor not the old reliable techumsa engine (techumsa went out of buisness). And the other augers just didn't feel right. The only issue I had with the auger before I bought it was the plastic on it. Then I found out what it was, Tufflite Dupont Zytel, the same stuff used on a lot of military equiptment to bring the weight down. And that is a good thing!

As far as using the unit, I have drilled about 100 holes with no issues. The shaft bolt loosens after about 30 holes and needs to be tightened. My auger also starts and runs at -20C better than I do.

Almost forgot, the unit is lighter then most other units.

I hope this helps..... :)

[fishunter77]

I bought an Eskimo from Costco last year. I got the floor model as they were out of one's in the box. Very good entry level gas auger. I got mine for $250.00 and don't regret buying it. It has drilled 300+ holes with no issues.

Again, this is just an entry level gas auger. I know there are better ones on the market, but for the price I am very satisfied.:)

[Lambo]

Last year, I bought an old, old (probabaly over 10 year old) Jiffy 8" for $100. Looks like my buddy's newer Jiffy. I just dusted it off, sharpened the blades, changed the gas and spark plug and she runs and cuts through 3' of ice with no problems. I probably drilled well over 100 holes and it still running strong.

[buckfever]

as everything in the world, it boils down to dodge,chev, ford

[lifesaflyin]

have a look at the ice gator before looking at gas augers

[noslack]

I have the Jiffy STX Pro 10 inch 3 hp, and it's great. I haven't have any issues with it. It bites through the ice like a warm knife through butter.

The new Stealth STX blades are sharp, and with 5 cutting surfaces...You can't go wrong.

good luck with the purchase!

[Mike_W]

Well I bought a Jiffy model 31 legend a few years back and out of the box it ran like crap until recently I had only had the carb tuned but now with some more tinkering I hope I have it running good. It's a heavy auger close to 40 lbs with the 10 inch bit.
Heavy has its pros and cons in one way it takes less effort to drill in another it takes more effort to carry hole to hole.
I would consider a stikemaster myself or pretty much any brand before a new jiffy!

[Caribou]

The Jiffy and Eskimo both have the same motor, so there is no differance there. They just put different gear boxs on which all work very well. What you want to look at is the auger it self and more important the type of cutting blades. Get one that you can replace the blades or take them off to sharpen. I have a 8 inch auger, the bigger fish cant turn in the hole if they get off when your pulling them up the hole. A 10 or 12 auger the fish can always turn. It also take more work to cut a bigger hole. I pulled a 18 lb northern pike out of an 8 in hole. Dont go to a 6 inch as you have troulbe getting the bigger fish out. Have fun ice fishing, I love it, great fun. I fish for Walleye, northern pike, lake trout, and white fish.
Caribou

[medhatken]

Get a manual one, they are inexpensive, lighter to carry, environmentally friendly, you get your exercise, they make you a better judge of hole placement (so you don't have to drill more than you need lol), they are sometimes slow to start but they are gauranteed to work as hard as you let them:evilgrin:

[CeeZee]

well i cant say to go with a manual one, im too lazy to crank that thing around and around through 3 ft of ice, for my two holes, never mind if there are 2 or 3 of you, not to mention getting all sweated up before a long day outdoors, all for a small hole.
It seems like you get what you pay for, so it really leans toward how much you want to spend, or weather you just dont care the price and want something good. I went with an oldie, its an eskimo, its not the fastest turning but cuts damn good and never fails to start no matter the weather, plus i dont have it in any heated garage or anything. As far as diameter, 10 is the biggest you can go, for some reason i always thought it was the law to not have a hole bigger, i guess cuz no kid can fall thru a 10 inch whole unless they wanted to.