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I know its out of season but I am going to buy a new power auger, am finished with hand drilling. I have decided on the eskimo stingray 33cc or the Mako 43cc both in the 8 inch. wanting opinions on these 2. Will the smaller one be enough power for utah lakes? I am walking everywhere{ no snow machine or 4wheeler } there is only a 5 lb difference in them. Found a good deal on them with only about $30 difference between them. So what do you guys think? any opinions are appreciated.
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A mechanic that I have known for over 20 years and whom I respect once told me " When it comes to power, there is no replacement for cubic inches" . I would assume that this also applies to cubic centimeters.
A 25% jump in piston displacement has to count for something.
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Last winter i bought the power drill adapter bit for my auger. I got 20-28 holes through 26" ice at UL last year per battery with a 20v. DeWalt.
Food for thought for you.
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well thats was my plan this year but all i got is a ryobi drill and i dont think thats gonna cut it. and i reall dont want to by an expensive drill and then take the chance of burning it up. I have researched the crap out of that and just cant convince myself to go that route. Now maybe that $500 ION one but thats to much money for me
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+1 to the adapter. They are great, I use a Dewalt 20v as well. Great invention! At the gorge I got 10 holes per battery with an 8" eskimo.
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[font "Times New Roman"]Nils Hand auger. No need for gas as it’s almost as fast as a gas auger and you won’t even strain yourself drilling holes (effortless drilling). I was going to go the gas powered route but ended up with a Nils. I walk everywhere I go no snow machine or wheeler. You will hate the extra weight of a gas auger if you are walking. No need to mix gas or pray it will start etc.. Not trying to preach to you I went through the same thing you are going through now and I am more then happy with my decision. You should youtube some Nils videos. That is what was a deal breaker. Good luck with your decision on what ever you decide on.[/font]
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Ok. Started looking at them. Many models to choose from,which do you suggest? I was a bit skeptical about lugging more weight. This may be the answer I appreciate this input. Are the Nils really that great? I hate 2 stokes so bad that I even got rid of my weed eater and went to a battery operated one.
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[font "Times New Roman"]I have had the drill adapter one (orange) and now have the 8inch hand one (blue). My first one (orange) had a default with it so I took it back to Cabela’s, traded it for the blue one and couldn’t be happier. I now see Cabela’s has the blue one with accessories. It comes with the drill adapter and other stuff with it, I would buy that kit. I went 8inches just incase I hook into something big. And I wanted that extra comfort of knowing I can bring anything through the hole. If I was to do it again I would go 8 inch again. It did not affect cutting through the ice. People who have the 6 inch say you can cut through the ice faster. But I can still cut through 13 inches of ice and about 14 seconds. So its fast enough for me.[/font]
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[font "Times New Roman"]Link for the Nils: [url "http://www.cabelas.com/product/Fishing/Ice-Fishing/Ice-Augers%7C/pc/104793480/c/104735880/sc/104395680/Nils-USA-Arctic-Trekker-Ice-Auger/1866439.uts?destination=%2Fcatalog%2Fbrowse%2Fice-augers%2F_%2FN-1100504%2FNs-CATEGORY_SEQ_104395680%3FWTz_l%3DSBC%253BMMcat104793480%253Bcat104735880&WTz_l=SBC%3BMMcat104793480%3Bcat104735880%3Bcat104395680"]http://www.cabelas.com/product/Fishing/Ice-Fishing/Ice-Augers%7C/pc/104793480/c/104735880/sc/104395680/Nils-USA-Arctic-Trekker-Ice-Auger/1866439.uts?destination=%2Fcatalog%2Fbrowse%2Fice-augers%2F_%2FN-1100504%2FNs-CATEGORY_SEQ_104395680%3FWTz_l%3DSBC%253BMMcat104793480%253Bcat104735880&WTz_l=SBC%3BMMcat104793480%3Bcat104735880%3Bcat104395680[/url][/font]
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Wow!! $230 hope it's Tha great
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[font "Times New Roman"]Also I love my Nils I am not trying to talk them up by any means. I do allot of research before I buy something and especially for a big price tag and for something I will only use 3 to 4 months out of the year, I half to say It has been my best purchase I have ever made for ice fishing. My buddy last year took out his gas auger once thinking I was crazy for buying another hand auger. Now he will not even bring it any more. We use the Nils. I have used it every weekend from December to the end of February cutting lots of holes ranging from 4 to 18 inches of ice and it still performed like I just pulled it out if the box. I think the blades are rated at like 10 thousand holes or more before they start getting dull. One thing that is very very important is to not bang the blades on anything. They are very fragile. I always put the blade cover back on as soon as I'm done to prevent risk to damage of the blades. Also the blades are extremely sharp. I cut one of my coats by accident with them, so be careful using it. Good luck and if you need anything answered about the Nils I am more then happy to help. Also look up the reviews I dont think I ever found a bad review.[/font]
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[font "Times New Roman"]Yeah it’s a little pricey. But it will be the last auger you will ever buy, it is well built and worth every dollar. That is just my opinion anyways.[/font]
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This one has no accessories this is the one I have. Cheaper with no attachments, you dont really need them unless you want to try it with the drill adapter.
[url "http://www.cabelas.com/product/Fishing/Ice-Fishing/Ice-Augers%7C/pc/104793480/c/104735880/sc/104395680/Nils-USA-High-Velocity-Hand-Auger/1089564.uts?destination=%2Fcatalog%2Fbrowse%2Fice-augers%2F_%2FN-1100504%2FNs-CATEGORY_SEQ_104395680%3FWTz_l%3DSBC%253BMMcat104793480%253Bcat104735880&WTz_l=SBC%3BMMcat104793480%3Bcat104735880%3Bcat104395680"]http://www.cabelas.com/...35880%3Bcat104395680[/url]
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[font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000]Cabela's now has all three sizes in stock, online. In January, 2014 when I bought mine, they were sold out and I got it from another source. Here's the Cabela's[/#800000][/font] [url "http://www.cabelas.com/product/Fishing/Ice-Fishing/Ice-Augers%7C/pc/104793480/c/104735880/sc/104395680/Nils-USA-Convertible-Hand-Auger/1369400.uts?destination=%2Fcatalog%2Fbrowse%2Fice-augers%2Fnils-usa%2F_%2FN-1100504%2B4294737809%2FNe-4294737809%3FWTz_l%3DSBC%253BMMcat104793480%253Bcat104735880%26WTz_st%3DGuidedNav%26WTz_stype%3DGNU&WTz_l=SBC%3BMMcat104793480%3Bcat104735880%3Bcat104395680"]link[/url].
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Bob Hicks, from Utah
I'm 83 years young and going as hard as I can for as long as I can.
"Free men do not ask permission to bear arms."
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As Dubob said order it soon. I got mine around thanksgiving last year and a couple days later they sold out.
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I have a Nils 6inch and love it wish i would have bought the 8 inch at times but didn't. I have raced guys with power augers and beaten them it is fast and effortless. no need to worry about weight, gas, carb and will it start blah blah blah. Best auger ever.
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Get the bigger auger. I agree that some hand augers are faster because of the low gearing in the gas auger. That is fine fir a few holes. If you will be moving and drilling a lot of holes, go with the gas auger.
With a gas auger, always run it dry in the off season.
Keep it as warm as you can while driving.
Use sea foam and stabil in every tank
Cary an extra spark plug.
Just in case, have a back up hand auger.
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Go with a gas auger and get a 10" one to boot.. I dont know why I took so long to go bigger.. Bigger is better
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I was also considering a gas auger 2 years ago when I learned about the Nils. Decided to go with the Nils and am very happy with my decision because of all reasons stated above. However, it is not quite 'effortless' as some occasionally say it is. It is easier by far than any other hand auger I have ever tried but after a few holes of 18" ice or so I do need a short rest before cutting anymore. That is with the 8" Nils. The 6" is even easier, but I prefer the slightly larger hole. And I will re-emphasize what was said above about the blades needing to be protected from any bumps or cutting in ice with any debris in it.
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I think I am sold on this one,I have the 18v ryobi plus the ryobi impact driver.Seems this may work but i would like to get a better drill but really cant afford a $200 one. there are a couple at home depot, one is a dewalt 20v for $129, says its a compact drill, do you think this would be an upgrade to my ryobi or a waste of money?. I am using the wifes overtime funds and got to keep it on the cheaper but acceptable side.
oh and Lowes has more options for around $130 all 1/2 chucks and 18v -20v. just dont want to burn up my only cordless drill.
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Oh man, all this talk of ice fishing has me weak in the knees and giddy inside. Never been more excited for an ice season than this one. Praying for cold weather!
That being said. The best choices are on the opposite sides of the equation: 10 inch behemoth power augur, or the 8 inch nils. I love 10 inches when fishing, love the hand augurs for portability and ease of use. During the burbot classic my buddies Eskimo mako lost its pull start mechanism. When it worked, i loved it, but glad i had my strike aster hand augur to bail us out the second night b
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