ice augers

[lqwakestud22]

Is the NILS cordless ice auger worth the price? I am starting out and wondering if I should get a cheaper hand crank. I am the only one that would be able to do it. My son is 5.
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[albinotrout]

It all depends upon what your want to do with it. I have a strikemaster hand auger and haven't had the need for a power one but then I don't get out ice fishing alot. Also if you plan on drilling alot I mean alot of holes you might want a power auger.
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[fish_or_die]

My dad and I have 6" nils hand augers, we sold power augers to get them and have never regretted it!

Last year my dad built his own adapter for his 18V makita drill and it worked fantastic! If you've already got a drill, it's a neat toy and saves some energy.

If you don't have a drill, don't worry about it. The regular Nils is so easy to use you can drill all the holes you and your son will need without killing yourself.

Don't even consider any of the other hand augers, there's no comparison. Also don't worry about getting an 8" auger unless you're after macs on the gorge, I've yet to catch a fish that won't fit up the 6" hole.
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[RockyRaab]

It's the age-old argument when starting a new sport. Do I buy cheap end in case I don't like the sport? Or do I buy top end in case I do like it and would quickly want to replace the cheap gear?

You'd be able to sell either kind of auger, I think. But you'd be out less with the hand auger because used gear doesn't bring anywhere near full retail. A hand auger loses a grundle less than a power auger.

On that basis, I'd go with a hand auger - especially early in the season when ice is less than a foot thick.
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[Jeremypalms]

I have a nils 6in ice auger and I love it! I did have to get it sharpened this year but it still works great! Niels augers are nice because of the off set handles so it splits the work between both arms which is nice and the blade is solid. I just used a strike master the other day and it required a more work but i was able to drill 3 holes back to back just fine!

I love hand augers because they are lighter then gas and electric augers and I don't have to worry about gas or batteries which just adds on pounds. I remember fishing last year and I was pulling fish out of my hole one right after another until the guy 20 ft away from me spilt his gas on the ice and I didn't see another fish the rest of the day and had to move spots in the morning. I think it was the gas he spilt although I have no proof. Ether way gas is just one more thing I don't want to worry about.
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[a_flyfishin_kid]

I have an old Eskimo ice auger that I got at a yard sale. I'm looking to upgrade to a nils as well because of all the good I've heard about them.
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[Rara]

I used my new 6" Nils auger with my 19V cordless drill this past weekend. It worked great once I got the battery warmed back up. I'll have to remember to keep the battery in the truck next time.
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[rspeters]

I have a 6" Nils hand auger (not the convertible version) and love it. If all you need is a 6", just get the original Nils and don't look back. It will cut through the ice faster than most (if not all) gas augers out there. If I remember right, the Nils augers that have the factory option for using a cordless drill are made at a different angle and therefore aren't as nice to use by hand as the original ones.
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[Flyfishinglover]

Nils auger would be to big for him unless if you the get newest one that can break down to a back pack size auger.

I would buy a nils auger any day. Cuts through ice like it's nothing.
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[S.W.W.L]

Do you have a pic of the adapter?
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[Fish_Utah_Bob]

As a dissenting viewpoint, I would not want a hand auger or a battery auger. I have a 10" inch eskimo 71cc shark. I usually drill several holes in conjunction with my Vexilar F20 before I find the "right" spot. It drills fast and deep. I don't need to keep it warm to work adequately and I don't spill fuel to chase away the fish. I just like fishing from a 10" hole as it seems easier to keep skimmed and open. In my opinion, batteries are too unpredictable and the hand augers are very predictable...I run out of gas using them. I would leave a lot of stuff off my sled before my shark.
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[dubob]

[quote lqwakestud22]Is the NILS cordless ice auger worth the price? I am starting out and wondering if I should get a cheaper hand crank. I am the only one that would be able to do it. My son is 5.[/quote][font "Times New Roman"] [/font]
Any Nis auger is absolutely, 100% worth the price. NOBODY makes a better auger. Period. The convertible model is designed to be used with a 1/2" chuck cordless drill that has at least 700 in/lbs of torque. The convertible Nils has a cutting angle of 12 degrees where the regular Nils has an angle of 15 degrees. They both cut like a hot knife through butter.
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I use a Milwaukee FUEL 18V Li-Ion (Model MILR2604-82 - Factory Reconditioned) with 4aH batteries on mine. I will NEVER own another gas powered auger. If you have a suitable drill, buy the Nils Convertible. If you don't have a suitable drill, order the 2604-82 from CPO Milwaukee for $199 w/ free shipping.
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[Rockchuck]

Just bought the NILS cordless convertible. looking forward to using it on new years. My brother did take it for a test drive the other day at scofield and was singing its praises. Have not upgraded drills yet to the milwaukee fuel, but it in in the works. I am excited to dragg that much less weight since selling my gas auger to switch to the NILS. Time will tell if it was the right decision...
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