K-Drill

Hey Friends, just sharing my experience. I've been using a Milwaukee and Swede Bore for years now to run and gun but I've always kept my gas auger at my Ice Hut to redrill my holes inside. These week I went and bought an 8.5 K-Drill, made my own extension for it and all I gota say is WOW! Cuts through my old holes like butter. I strongly recommend!!

Nothing like a new sharp auger!

Seems everyones going to the drill setup.
I'm an old dog so i still have my eskimo and a backup
10" Jiffy which i never use has its big and heavy.
I can see why people like the drill ,light and no gas/oil to mess
around with.
Must have taken a real bite on sales of gas augers.

you'd have to think gas auger sales took a hit. I still have my jiffy with a 6" and 8" auger. I still think that gas is a good option if you are up north far enough where you get 3ft of ice, but I like my drill auger as I only use it on 6 to 20" at least to this point.

I have a 73cc Eskimo viper I used for one year and has 6 years of dust on it now. I love my Milwaukee 1250 ft lbs drill with a 9AH battery, clam plate, and pistol grip auger with my home made extensions and if they ever fail....I will replace them with same. I can drill holes all day for three people and have power left over.

Question for all you gasser guys.

Can you use your jiffy for anything during the off season?

I use my Milwaukee as a drill a very powerful drill with impact abilities the whole off season.

Oh and I don't have to carry a gas can in the car and out on the ice either, less than 1/2 the weight of a gasser.

That is why so many are changing.

Arnie

Honestly I’ve been screwing around with a rapala gas auger the last couple of years and I’m pretty much at the point where I’m done with it. First of all it’s the weirdest carb design I’ve ever seen, if you have one you know, smells of gas all the time, and on foot it’s heavy. I went out on Saturday and just brought my manual. I’m gonna look into the drill set up.. Arnie’s right, you can use your drill all year.

Icemanjay I will never go back and guess what....I am a small engine mechanic.

Arnie

I have a 73cc Eskimo viper I used for one year and has 6 years of dust on it now. I love my Milwaukee 1250 ft lbs drill with a 9AH battery, clam plate, and pistol grip auger with my home made extensions and if they ever fail....I will replace them with same. I can drill holes all day for three people and have power left over.

Question for all you gasser guys.

Can you use your jiffy for anything during the off season?

I use my Milwaukee as a drill a very powerful drill with impact abilities the whole off season.

Oh and I don't have to carry a gas can in the car and out on the ice either, less than 1/2 the weight of a gasser.

That is why so many are changing.

Arnie

I am a contractor and do the same. Already had the drill and batteries for work so my only cost was a clam plate adaptor and a $100 auger bit - no brainer. And sabmgb even at 40 inches of ice on Abitibi with a high end drill and 9 AH battery i have on multiple occasions drilled 8 inch holes all weekend (2 days of fishing) for 4 people on one charge - typically this is about 800 inches of ice drilled. No issue whatsoever even with slush layers between ice layers.

The one additional recommendation i will make is get a heavy duty dry bag for the battery(s) and drill. First year using this method i destroyed a drill on a particularly long wet slushy ride out of 20 km. When i got to the truck the drill and batteries were submerged in about 4 or 5 inches of water that had sprayed up under the toboggan cover. Drill recovered to some degree but never worked properly/reliably after that.

if i was starting fresh maybe but i am an old dog and
My eskimo still going 40 years later.Cue a jinx now.
I bring my drill for pilot hole anchors so i guess it would
kill two birds with one stone saving weight and space.

I like my vehicles gas and my auger electric. But if I was to have to chose for long term reliability and confidence I’d likely keep my gas auger at my side.