Fishing

Ok I'm sure there are MANY of opinions as to which power Auger is best. This being BFT I just got to ask.
I am going to buy a 10 inch, but as to what make, taking into account power , weight and dependablity which way should I go..?
I am leaning towards the StrikeMaster Lazer Xpress.
The Battery powered model seems great, I even go to try Tubedudes last winter. (worked great) But I have some concerns about battery life and replacement cost.

If I had the money, I'd go for one of these electric ones, called the Ice gator. They're a little over-priced IMHO, but they look pretty awesome. There are some pretty cool videos of them up on youtube.

"It will be found an unjust and unwise jealousy to deprive a man of his natural liberty upon the supposition he may abuse it." - George Washington

Hey, a 10" auger won't help you catch any bigger perch than those dinks you got last year.

The battery on the electric is just one of the simple 8 amp SLA batteries like most folks use for sonar. And you can pop in a new one in seconds if the first one runs down. Also a cable comes with that you can use to hook up to a snowmobile or wheeler battery.

I never did run low on juice last winter. Punched up to 30 holes in 18" of ice. The main thing is that there is not the power and torque of a 3 HP gas motor. You have to let off a bit as you are cutting through the bottom of the ice or it will bind up on you. Other than that I was (and am) pleased with the electric. No noise, no stink and always starts.

The new Strikemasters have a new kind of motor now that is supposed to be very good. No more Tecumseh. But, with anything new you have to be sure there is a network of dealers and service locations for parts and repair. The Eskimos went through that when they changed motors and nobody could get service within a reasonable distance from Salt Lake.

Nice I luv my power auger your arms and shoulders will thank you.

Jiffy now makes a 4 stroke PROPANE powered auger .. yep propane and propane accessories ...

Not advertising for them but if it in fact it does work well would be nice not to have to deal with a gas engine....

I don't think they make a 2 inch auger do they??
I really enjoyed the electric auger you let me try. Didn't know the battery was just a simple 8 amp. It sure did its share of chewing that day on Pineveiw.
I'm just checking around and doing a bit more talking before I pull the trigger.
To tell the truth I was a bit skeptical it I wanted a 10 inch. Its a bit more weight for me to tug around for little in return.

I used to have an old Jiffy that worked great, it finally died of old age and had to put her down. I now use an Eskimo. I've only used it a couple years but it starts every time and doesn't let me down. Blades stay sharp for longer than I would think, definitely let up just before you break through or they might break your wrist. All in all definitely worth the pack in my opinion, you certainly are more willing to move holes than when you have a hand auger. One other note, don't lean on the exhaust while you are drilling, SweetSarge still claims I owe him a new coat because he did that on my auger (I didn't know you would actually have to tell someone that). Even funnier that another buddy that went with us did the exact same thing not 5 minutes later.

I decided to get an electric this year after the good reports from tube dude. A friend who is a buyer for Sportsman's was kind enough to special order one for me. I have not fired it up yet but I can't wait. I was at a small lake in the mountains above Salina, Ut a week ago Saturday (LOAH's stomping grounds) that was half frozen. I expect to use it soon.

After tube dudes posts last year about his electric auger, I purchased the 6" model and love it so far. We used it up at the gorge for burbots last year and it never let me down. The only complaint I have is trying to get used to the 6" hole, I should have bought the 8" model.

I bought the electric Strikemaster about the same time TubeDude did. I do enjoy 'not' having to worry about fuel mixtures, leaky gas tank, etc. etc.
However.....this year I'll try gas again. The gas auger with a 10" blade can drill 5 or 6 holes in 18" of ice compared to the electric auger drilling only one with only a 6" or 7" blade. One good thing, I guess, is the electric auger doesn't or can't spew water all over the place when you pull it out of the hole, not enough speed.
So....my electric Strikemaster is up for sale. Used to drill no more than a dozen holes last winter. Not for sale at a cheap price but a reasonable price. Let me know if you're interested.

So are you saying your electric auger can only drill one hole in 18 inches of ice, then the battery is dead?? I have heard of up to 20 or more holes with the same auger in (8 inch blade)the same depth of ice. Maybe the battery wasnt fully charged..

No...no...no....I've never run the battery dead. It's just that next to a gas auger the electric auger is not as fast. I can drill 'one' hole while my brother with his gas auger can drill 5 or 6 holes. In fact, he's already fishing while I'm still drilling.
The electric auger works fine for what it is, but it does slow down more than a gas when drilling through 18 to 24" of ice. I'm just say'in.....gas is a lot quicker.

PM sent

Costco has a great price on a 10" gas.
I forgot the manufacturer, but its a big brand name.

I have a 10 inch Strikemaster Magnum with the 2hp Solo motor and it works like a champ. Have buried it to motor breaking through thick ice and its never bogged down. Would recommend it to anyone! Picked it up at Cabelas on their 15% off sale January of last year for 340 out the door. Love it!!!

I've been waiting for a post like this. I've been quite content with a hand auger. I can always use the exercise! But the deep ice at the end of the season, not to mention the Berry, and thoughts of upgrade dance in my head as sugar plums are to children at the advent of Xmas.

I know of those that have used the same gas auger for more than a decade - but many say theirs conks out in a year or two... I dunno what makes the difference. So I appreciate all your suggestions and comments.

As with anything, how long your auger lasts depends on how it is taken care of. When properly maintained they can last a long time. As I stated before I used the same Jiffy for quite a few years, my father-in-law used it for even more years before me, and his friend (original owner) used it for years. My advice is to spend a little more money now and buy quality and you will save money in the long run. The Eskimo I've been using for the last 2 years has been great and no problems, punched many holes with it. Empty the gas tank at the end of the season and put a little Stabil in it for storage and keep the blades sharp, you'll save yourself a lot of headaches.

I do agree with your philosophy - especially that maintenance is so important. And I'd rather buy new so that I can take care of it right from the start.

Though my brother is good about it too, and the rip chord on his Eskimo jammed up after less than a year. He took it in for service and was told it would cost almost as much to fix as buy a new one...

Hearing of that type of experience - and I've heard others - makes me nervous to make the investment...

That, and it's not infrequent that I have my hole drilled before my fishing partner jerks his arm out of the socket trying to get his power auger started.... But those days when I take others out in addition besides myself - OK, power IS preferable when you need to drill many many holes!!

I hope you have an easier time than I did... I had to go through 4 augers to find the one I kept. None of them would start!
Eat it you dirty little fish!

Check out my blog: http://fortherise.com/craig/

Thought I'd post a couple videos of the Ice Gator. Can't say I've ever used one, but from what it looks like, gas augers don't have anything on it when it comes to speed.

This one's probably my favorite: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_3MGSX2tQc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epjUgfnFIIs

http://www.youtube.com/...&feature=related

Company produced video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXwS4_g6uRM

I want one. And they should give me a discount for advertising for them.

"It will be found an unjust and unwise jealousy to deprive a man of his natural liberty upon the supposition he may abuse it." - George Washington

 You dont have the name of the shop that was willing to work on your bros Eskimo's Ice Auger ?

Reason I ask is it would be nice to have a local shop that does repairs on Eskimo's

Eskimo's have a 2 year warranty on them for parts & labor the shop should have been able to contact Arisdam and been reimbursed for the charges.

I think allot of shops dont know that and from my past experiences Arisdam was willing to call the shop and explain they would pay for the parts & repairs.

I had trouble with mine all due to my own fault. In transport It fell and on startup the throttle would engage instantly turning the auger. I contacted Arisdam the gal there did everything she knew to do to get it repaired even shipped me all the parts but she couldn't find me a shop in my area the closest one was in Cedar City but this also was a few years ago.

I've unsuccessfully tried to reach my bro, and will report if I can soon. Hmmm.... it's a concern if they are hard to get serviced. I'm no mechanic, but I would wonder if they aren't just a modified weed whip!

That's good info to know about the warranty. Thanks

I appreciate reading the encouraging experiences, but those of orvis1 is the most common I've run across.

Those gators look purty spiffy, but then - so did those "Showdown" sonars at first! I'll look forward to reading how they perform when one 'o yous guys gets one. I'm a coward when it comes to making this sport any more expensive. "Snakes, very dangerous. You go first Indiana Jones!"

Ya it was tough I ended up doing all the repairs myself tearing down the engine and replacing the clutch. To be honest with ya the only major differences I seen with the Viper Engine then with my old Jiffy that had Tecumseh engine was there was allot more plastic parts. But allot of Ice auger MFG no longer exclusively sell Tecumseh engines anymore. go fig

Lived in Minnesota for 15yrs moved to UT this summer. We messed around with Ice Gators augers and they passed the test. MN guys tend to have a "permanent" shack that doesn't move (and usually has a TV,frig,stove and some sort of lounger) and using a gas auger "indoors" was an issue. Hence the Ice Gator.

I have a Strikemaster Solo 8" and it's great. I gave up using 10" augers years ago. 8s cut faster and I've never had a fish get stuck in the hole yet and the pike in MN get mighty big.

My favorite auger is a Nils - made in Finland and a little hard to track down. It is the best auger I have used hands down and I've used them all at some point. Uses a Tanaka powerhead which can be serviced almost any place that sells power equipment. Not fond of the baby blue auger blade though. Someday I'll chrome the thing.

Well after careful deliberation and research I finally pulled the trigger. Its a delay trigger though.
After trying your (Tubedudes) 8 inch electric StrikeMaster last year then finding how the manufature supports there product with a variety of replacement parts. I order one from Anglers Den. Should get it next Wednesday.
Now if we only had some ICE!
Thanks for your help Pat.