Power Auger Options for Wimps?

[DarkAisling]

I've never used a power auger before: electric or gas. I'd like to get one this year, but I'm really at a loss as to what I should be looking at.

I'm not very strong, and I have some concerns about being able to safely manage a power auger.

Any suggestions?

[calgarygringo]

I have a 10 inch Jiffy i have for years and works great especially when I remember to sharpen it up when it gets dull. Yes it torques you pretty well. Check with Will as I think he bought one of the lighter ones last year. Remember as well the bigger the hole the harder for wimps to get through. If you are doing perch and small trout, smaller is fine but if you are going for big gators go for the biggun.

[Kim473]

An 8" is not bad. I'v never tried a 10" tho

[Winch101]

I have a new 4 stk Strikemaster ...just add gas ...nice

weighs 17 lbs. , cuts like adarn , starts easy...I got it cause I have arthritis

my ice days may be numbered will give you a heck of a deal ...

still in box .... Look them up on WSS web site Strikemaster Strikelite

17 lbs , I think my last Jiffy weighed 40 ...so this is like a an appliance.

W101

[perchfinder]

the 8" strikelite is 23 pounds. dont know the price though. the 8" husqvarna is quite pricey, i think $800 + , but its on my shopping list already because it weighs in at 13 pounds! it sounds underpowered from checking out the specs but i seen it perform like no other. wow just think of how many holes you can drill and still have energy to fish! :sHa_shakeshout:

[DarkAisling]

I have a 10 inch Jiffy i have for years and works great especially when I remember to sharpen it up when it gets dull. Yes it torques you pretty well. Check with Will as I think he bought one of the lighter ones last year. Remember as well the bigger the hole the harder for wimps to get through. If you are doing perch and small trout, smaller is fine but if you are going for big gators go for the biggun.

By "Will" do you mean Slingshotz? I thought he purchased an ice gator last year. I seem to remember there being an issue with a crazy amount of torque.

I have a new 4 stk Strikemaster ...just add gas ...nice

weighs 17 lbs. , cuts like adarn , starts easy...I got it cause I have arthritis

my ice days may be numbered will give you a heck of a deal ...

still in box .... Look them up on WSS web site Strikemaster Strikelite

17 lbs , I think my last Jiffy weighed 40 ...so this is like a an appliance.

W101

Well, I hope your ice fishing days aren't possibly numbered because of health reasons :(

The Strikelite 8" is actually the one I keep coming back to when I'm doing my browsing. Sure, the 3hp 10" Jiffys look appealing, but I just don't think they're realistic for me.

That said, if you find your icefishing days really are behind you, send me a PM and we'll work out the details.

[tbone616]

http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRIhqeDIJwrleFpkHJ7pxZoHBc8x0XhM eej3Kmy5Fi1NEFbMUM&t=1&usg=__ugVq0uTuVqVQgaDYXA7FWLML04k=

[calgarygringo]

Yes I am referring to Slingshotz. I didn't get to see it it action so I cannot comment on it but I know it was a toy he was really waiting to buy last year...

[npauls]

My fishing partner has the strikemaster strike lite and I picked up the strikemaster mag 2000 a couple years ago. Both seem pretty decent in weight and both have low torque but cut really nice. He use to have an old eskimo and could barely cut holes by himself. Now with our strikemasters we can just walk around punching holes all day and not worry about it. It will also help to have a good set of cleets on when you drill holes.



Nate

[randster]

I've never used a power auger before: electric or gas. I'd like to get one this year, but I'm really at a loss as to what I should be looking at.

I'm not very strong, and I have some concerns about being able to safely manage a power auger.

Any suggestions?

All factory made augers have a built in centrifical clutch, witch allows the drive shaft to slip if the drill (auger) gets jammed for what ever reason.
As long as you maintain a firm grip on the handles it shouldn't throw you on your butt. I use a Jiffy white lightning, 8" I believe it's only 2.5 hp but it rip's through ice no problem and is fairly light weight. my 2 cents:)

[slingshotz]

Yup I bought the Ice Gator with the 8" Nils blade. It's awesome cause I get it out and press the button and away it goes instantly. No pulling on a cord to start or worrying about gas leaking out, etc.

It cuts crazy fast but there's a ton of torque as it's so efficient. It's feels like putting in a 8" ice screw but you don't have to press down on it at all, you just let the weight of the auger do all the work. You have to hang on with the torque though.

The negatives are that the battery weighs quite a bit but there's supposed to be new Lith-Ion batteries that will cut the weight down by like 1/3. The other issue obviously is the battery life. I think I can get about 15-20 holes in one charge when the ice is about 3 feet thick.

I believe that one or two others here got one last year with a different blade so maybe the other blades don't have as much torque with the powerhead.

Whenever the hard water season starts and we have our usual gathering, anyone is more than welcome to try it out.

[perchfinder]

most augers drill easy with not much effort, its the lugging through 2 1/2 feet of snow carrying the extra weight that makes the difference. no complaints on my 3hp jiffy except that its almost 40 pounds.

[pikester]

Jiffy's are good but if you have concerns about weight or "getting torqued" then stay away. I have a Model 30 10" that I lug around because I'm pretty hard on my stuff so they are pretty indestructable. It's a real struggle for me though on account of a bad back. Also after losing a couple pike of a lifetime in 8" holes I swore I'd never fish in smaller than 10" ever again! Even fishing for perch or walleye with a 10" hole is nicer, more room to fight 'em at the hole & room for your sonar transducer :) If you are ok with an 8" hole then Winch is right on the money, a Strikemaster Strikelite is what you should be looking at. They are about half the weight of a Jiffy & still have plenty of power to dig holes. If the Strikelite came in 10" (maybe they do now) I would be all over it!

[Unregistered user]

How about one of those adaptors for a cordless drill to hook up to your hand auger?

[Kim473]

I got a Eskimo 8" last year and happy with it $299 Costco. I'm only 5' 5" 140 lbs, over 50 years old. Not heavy for me and not too much torque. one pull, set it on the ice and let it drill. Think the problem most people have with there augers is the blades are dull and they push down on them, with sharp blades the auger does all work. You just place it and hold it straight.

[crown royal 17]

Eskimo stingray is the best.I have had Jiffy,Strikemaster and a tanaka they have all gave me problems,but my little stingray is on it,s 6th season I have to sharpen the blades once in a while but thats it.(I take them off put the in a vise and use a hook sharpening stone.)

[camshaft]

another vote for the ice gator...

[EZM]

Using a spud (long handle ice chipper) is very fast and easy for ice up to 18" thick. If sharp and used properly - a hole should be only a few minutes of work. The inuit use this tool quite often. Works for them in very thick ice - no motors, fuel to mess with and no breakdowns.

After 18" a power auger is the best tool IMO.

[Penner]

I have a Husky in a 10”. The transmission is geared to match to the 1.5hp engine and I’ve drilled many holes with a 18” extension to boot and had no problems what so ever. This thing uses so little gas, is way quieter, and weighs 1/4 of what a Jiffy comes in at. Its all about the egnieering and design.

4 years and counting, worth every penny.

[aulrich]

Depending on the size of fish you could just down size the hole. I bought myself a 6" "armstrong" it was way easier than the 8" I still have.

The math is a 6" hole moves about 43% less ice than an 8" hole.