Jiffy or Eskimo

[snubber]

Hey everyone was just wondering what's everyone's take of these augers. I'm can't deside on ether. The new jiffy 4 stroke(not propane) or Eskimo shark z71 or z51.

[stinkynuts]

man 4 stroke would be nice but I picked up a z51 last year and it runs like a top cuts real well too for me it would come down to price as both augers are tryed and tested and should last you a life time

[FishingFrenzy]

Seems like the general consensus on Jiffy is they last forever but are hard to start. I'd go with the eskimo, tried both and find it drills just as fast and starts way easier.

[LonelyAngler]

i agree with fishingfrenzy i just just bought a new jiffy 4stroke , once you get it running it cuts very fast. It is a little moody, but i am finding the more i use it the easier it is getting to start. I heard good things about the eskimo z71. My last auger was a jiffy and it lasted 25 years that was the only reason I bought jiffy again. Only time will tell.

[Bigwhite]

I bought a Eskimo 71 cc 10" auger today, took it out on sylvan to try it. Fired right up, only thing was the bitch was stuck wide open, tried to tear my arm off on the first hole and was lucky to hit the kill switch before it dislocated my arm. if it was an ethiopian who fired this thing up they woulda been in for a ride. Sure cut a 10" hole fast tho!! Scared the **** outta me when the beast was outta controll!!

[780sjc]

You jiffy lovers need to be careful. The faithful bullit proof augers that lasted us all 20+ years don't exist anymore. Tecumseh is no longer around. There is not one thing the same about the new ones as opposed to the old ones except the name. What's left is a plastic gear boxed " jiffy " engine that might last a weekend or might last you 5 years. to much to gamble on in my opinion. Stick with Eskimo. Fast, aggressive, Easy starting and reliable. What more does a guy need.No fiddling with carb adjustments or floats or any of that stuff.

[Grand Slam]

There more plastic on all of the now. Not sure if the gear box is total plastic on the jiffy's or is it just a cover?

[Grand Slam]

Sorry about the spelling! I ment to say that they all have more plastic on them.

[Fil_Can_Yakker]

Go with NILS

[AppleJax]

Originally Posted by snubber

Hey everyone was just wondering what's everyone's take of these augers. I'm can't deside on ether. The new jiffy 4 stroke(not propane) or Eskimo shark z71 or z51.

Ryan, come out fishing with me on Sunday and you can try out my Husqvarna. I know how you like your toys! But if your really set on the models you mentioned, go with the Eskimo. Jiffy motors are now made in China.....(junk)

[Winch101]

SJC is right , I have had 4 or so Jiffys over the last 30 yrs ....My last one

6 yrs ago , nothing but trouble ....bad carb...brutal to start....not happy .

Strikemaster 4 strk now sweet so far ....have to be gentler more plastic

way lighter and cuts better . my .02 cents

[linger]

you can still get parts from the states. for tucumshe that is why im rebuilding my old strikemaster non of this plastic crap for me.lol

[AppleJax]

Originally Posted by linger

you can still get parts from the states. for tucumshe that is why im rebuilding my old strikemaster non of this plastic crap for me.lol

Since when did they start building plastic motors?

[yoteblaster]

I have an Eskimo 10 inch I bought new in 1990. Starts easily and has NEVER let me down. Rides in the back of my truck and starts in -25. I have no experience with other augers, but I would buy another Eskimo just because this one has been good.

[cohod]

Just bought a Z71, only drilled a dozen or so holes with it. So far it’s been great lots of power, it’s my first auger so I can’t say if it’s any better than any other brand.
It took a few pulls to get it started out of the box but since then its starts on first or second pull. -14 is the coldest I’ve had it out in so far and it started on the first pull.

cohod

[GOT1!]

I have never owned a jiffy auger, but have seen a few of my friends bust a sweat first thing in the morning to get their Jiffy to purr. My Eskimo is almost 10 years old, starts on the 3rd pull religously and has been a great machine. I doubt my buddies would give such a great review on their Jiify's.

[HunterDave]

I did a lot of research before buying my gas auger last year and I ended up getting an Eskimo Z51. Some of the reasons have already been mentioned but I seem to recall that how deep a hole that you can drill without an extension was an issue. If I were drilling 10" hole I might have gotten a Z71 but a Z51 is great for the fishing that I do.

[hydrofish01]

I have a 10" jifffy that was not happy with at start. Got the fuel and air tweeked on it and it fixed it right up. Buddy has an eskimo 10" and the plastic throttle housing is very weak, yet the auger cuts great

[BBJTKLE&FISHINGADVENTURES]

I'd go jiffy , strike master , or go electric .

[farmerpk]

It's been mentioned, but Jiffy is using plastic gear boxes now. My dad bought a new one this year, it has stripped itself twice. If you want a jiffy, get an older one and have someone give it a good engine tune up. Otherwise go T something else. The days of Jiffy being the go to name are over. Can't believe they bastardized their brand so thoroughly and so quickly, big mistake.

[davebuck]

I will let you know how my jiffy is when i get it out of the tune up shop today . If it dont work i will be the one kicking it around newel tomorrow . Ha. Ha

[thorne]

Originally Posted by 780sjc

You jiffy lovers need to be careful. The faithful bullit proof augers that lasted us all 20+ years don't exist anymore. Tecumseh is no longer around. There is not one thing the same about the new ones as opposed to the old ones except the name. What's left is a plastic gear boxed " jiffy " engine that might last a weekend or might last you 5 years. to much to gamble on in my opinion. Stick with Eskimo. Fast, aggressive, Easy starting and reliable. What more does a guy need.No fiddling with carb adjustments or floats or any of that stuff.

Have to agree on this one, I had newer jiffy, it killed itself on the 3rd season. I was not going to get another, but found an older 8 year old one for a good price and its runs great, so I figured it will save me $800.00 since I was going to get a Sthil. I personally prefer adjustable carbs myself as it gives me more control. Fixed carbs are great when they are working, but when there is an issue, there is nothing you can do.

[dragon]

In defense to Jiffy... the idea that new stuff is built like crap applies to most things.

The idea that you pay for what you get also applies.


On that note I have a eskimo ice auger and am now on season 3. Burning last years gas still!. I broke the pull handle on it this year but functionally the auger works great. It is time to change the blades though.

The idea of an electric auger is appealing to me as I am not a small motor kinda guy. Don't enjoy tinkering, fixing, or anything of that nature.

They claim 40 holes in 2'0 of ice. If you punch that many holes in one day you need to spend more time fishing then drilling. IMHO

[Mike_W]

I got a jiffy model 31 10 inch and a husqvarna 8 inch the Husq is sweet super light and chews through the ice.
The Jiffy is a nice big job type of auger I will be taking the jiffy out this weekend cause I need the big hole for my lakers

The Jiffy I have still has the Tech engine and the carb was a little bitchy the first few years but after a good clean and adjustment aswell as storing properly over the winter and draining fuel and buring out the carb aswell and using premium gas stabilized she works good now!!

[woolly7]

I have a 12 year old Eskimo Barracuda and it runs great. The only issue is finding blades since it is considered "obsolete" now. I bought a set last season online for $45. It is an 85cc, 3 HP Tecumseh motor.

[bentley]

Originally Posted by Bigwhite

I bought a Eskimo 71 cc 10" auger today, took it out on sylvan to try it. Fired right up, only thing was the bitch was stuck wide open, tried to tear my arm off on the first hole and was lucky to hit the kill switch before it dislocated my arm. if it was an ethiopian who fired this thing up they woulda been in for a ride. Sure cut a 10" hole fast tho!! Scared the **** outta me when the beast was outta controll!!

Sorry to hear that it stuck wide open and glad you didn't get hurt ... but I'm chuckling , happy to see that I'm not the only person who has put on a show with his auger , mine was a old Jiffy 30 and I had a large audience , haha .

[AppleJax]

Originally Posted by Mike_W

I got a jiffy model 31 10 inch and a husqvarna 8 inch the Husq is sweet super light and chews through the ice.
The Jiffy is a nice big job type of auger I will be taking the jiffy out this weekend cause I need the big hole for my lakers

The Jiffy I have still has the Tech engine and the carb was a little bitchy the first few years but after a good clean and adjustment aswell as storing properly over the winter and draining fuel and buring out the carb aswell and using premium gas stabilized she works good now!!

Hey Mike, you can put a 10" auger on your Husqvarna too.

[great white whaler]

Jiffy stealth 3 hp stx ,,great machine .

[super mario]

STRIKE master first today in used i loved with HONDA

[ak-71]

Never owned Jiffy, but didn't like the chatter about plastic thing /quality

Have to praise Strikemaster for an outstanding customer service replacing NFG Chinese blades on my past warranty hand auger with a wrong size blades and fixing it free of charge and me not having to ship wrong blades back (two f-ups, delays, one sweaty, but happy customer) - way above average, if they made z71 I would be glad to buy their product.

Eskimo z71 - great reviews, like it a lot, no problems 2nd season, but it always works for me - so, have no customer service experience, and can't comment on this part