who uses a Clam plate Pro + power drive, ...worth twice the money for just plate?

Thanks. If you could only buy one, which would you choose between a 6A battery or the Clam plate pro (no drive)?

Yeah I forgot to mention that my Finbore is also 8"

Probably the plate.

I'd say probably a battery, especially if you have a removable handle on your drill. I initially bought a clam plate, but promptly returned it after I( found that the handle does a pretty good job already. The plate is heavy and cumbersome for me, and an extra weight to carry around, but I use a 6" auger, so I am not sure how easy to use the handle with a 8" auger.

If you are a walker most times this makes sense. Most times i ride so weight and space are not a factor.

No experience with clams drive but a gear reduction drive should in theory help. It will reduce the rpms and increase the usable torque. Drillings holes would also in theory be slower. Like the creeper gear at 0.25 mph on my tractor.

A good analogy is a block and pulley arrangement. The more pulleys in your block the less the applied force needs to be. Difference is you just have to pull more line/chain at a lower force vs higher force and short pull.

Very good and easy to understand analogy. That is what I have been reading of any "complaints" about the power drive....drilling is slower. But maybe that is the price I have to pay for not wanting to buy another drill (but the power drive clam plate is much more money too so.....some decisions to make). And yes, I am a walker so weight can matter but my skis have made my flip-over and minimalized gear almost weightless so another 5+ lbs is not going to be too noticeable.
Thanks again for the thoughts.

No experience with clams drive but a gear reduction drive should in theory help. It will reduce the rpms and increase the usable torque. Drillings holes would also in theory be slower. Like the creeper gear at 0.25 mph on my tractor.

A good analogy is a block and pulley arrangement. The more pulleys in your block the less the applied force needs to be. Difference is you just have to pull more line/chain at a lower force vs higher force and short pull.

Very good and easy to understand analogy. That is what I have been reading of any "complaints" about the power drive....drilling is slower. But maybe that is the price I have to pay for not wanting to buy another drill (but the power drive clam plate is much more money too so.....some decisions to make). And yes, I am a walker so weight can matter but my skis have made my flip-over and minimalized gear almost weightless so another 5+ lbs is not going to be too noticeable.
Thanks again for the thoughts.

Guess the people complaining don't understand physics. The only way it can work is to be slower.

You’re already running Ryobi, why ya worried about off-brand now

I have never used a clam plate. I have had a nils convertible 8" auger for about ten years now. I was on the ice and the gas strike master wouldn't start so I had to find some old holes from the previous anglers. It saved the day however I then purchased the nils. I run a high torque model makita with 1090 in lbs and bring 2 batteries. I've never had to use the second. Anyhow if the drill burned out or both batteries died it still has a handle to manually drill. It went 8 years without sharpening until I decided I owed it a sharpening after that long. Sent out the head for sharpening, then decided I wanted to fish that weekend so purchased the ion alpha plus 8 inch. I love both augers. The ion is fast. Short story long... invest in quality equipment and take care of it, and it will treat you well.

750 inch lbs is the minimum for an 8” auger. Also a huge factor is sustained torque not peak torque. I am willing to bet you Ryobi is 750 inch lbs peak torque which is not sustained and under load it will drop drastically. Part of this is the batteries ability to keep up to draw. Yes a higher amp hour battery will give you a bit better draw but it may not solve your issue if the torque is dropping really low.

My suggestion is a better drill. If you spend your money on a good drill and good batteries you will never have any future issues and you won’t be guessing what you should be doing.

You’re already running Ryobi, why ya worried about off-brand now

THAT IS TRUE!! I would not have bought the Ryobi batteries.

Agree with the folks who suggested a better drill....not going to happen though because of costs. Yes, the Clam plate pro + power drive is $220...that would be almost as costly as a better drill and will not happen either (unless there was a big end of season sale). Better auger...lighter, with centre point too....also not cheap so not going to happen as well unless a decent sale as well. So I am hoping for a decent sale on something...but no rush and very glad I got all the great info. from you guys so I am ready when something happens.
On another note. I HAD to go fishing today to test the hammer drill's handle that came with it after Drew's suggestion....worked very well. I was able to use my right hand to control the drill and it was very stable so I will do that instead of spending more money on a Clam plate (with or without power drive, etc.). I looked carefully at my batteries again and they are the HP (high performance ones so getting HP batteries won't help the issue as those are the best batteries they have and I don't think it's worth trying to see if a non-name brand will be better). I punched 6 holes in 12" of ice (about 6" of white stuff) today and only 2 went through without the drill stopping. The other 4 had stalls between 1 and 4 times...easing up on the downward pressure did help a bit but it's always the last inch or so when the ice is likely flexing a bit and catches the blades that causes the stoppage. I think maybe if it was better quality ice at the bottom, there may be less problem? I'm sure one of the newer augers would likely make it easier for my drill as well. But still, it's better than hand augering if I am not interested in the extra exercise...not after today's cardio workout doing high knee lunges through the slush for a few hundred metres.
So for now, at least one thing is solved...the stability of the drill/auger.
I can live with what I have now...it's not that bad but always keeping an eye out on how to make things work better. Thanks again folks!

One suggestion that may help is to pull the auger out and clear all the shavings about 3/4 the way down. This will have less resistance and less strain on the drill. A higher ah battery will help. Try and find a used milwaukee drill in the off season as they are quite common on market place or kijiji. Just check the specs of inch pounds of torque. I believe the model you would want is around 1400 in lbs

Yes, the clearing seems to help (at least doing so takes the strain off the drill constantly cutting ice). Thanks RE: looking for used. There are sales and sometimes some crazy clearances and since I am not in a rush to change things...what I have now is plenty usable and isn't even bothersome to me to be honest....I can wait.

I've been running a m18 clam kdrill 7.5" clam plate combo for the past 7 years so i have allot of experience in this subject. The Milwaukee 9ah batteries will just give you more run time as these use the older 18650 cells you find in the 3 and 5ah batteries, i also have a 6, 8 and two 12ah and these will say "high output" on them, these batteries have the larger 21700 cells and these do give the drill more power, you can check you tube videos where they compare the different cells performance and i have personally tested these for several years and can confirm the 21700 batteries bog down less when hitting the slush, i dont know much about Ryobi drills but i assume both being made by TTI they have both 18650 and 21700 battery options. I added a 2nd combo with power drive a few years ago, spins a bit slower but the lower gear ratio allows the 18650 packs to drill with only the occasional stutter so if you have the older batteries its a nice option but that said my drills are the 1200 inch lbs m18 and i have never run the 750lbs version. I did add an 8" shaver blade combo a few years and i recall it bogged less then a Kdrill without power drive. Incase people don't know the kdrill has chipper blades and needs more powerful drill then shaver blades as it smashes vs shaves the ice. Here is an old photo of them side by side

pic attached

Thanks for more great info. to add to the brain. I won't have the option of going with a higher torque drill (unless I can find a very cheap used one...but then again, it's risky to get a cheap used drill right?) or the kdrill or another decent auger (they are not cheap either). Yes, the Ryobi, Milwaukee and I think Ridgid are all made by TTI (I have had to call them for parts recently and realized that ) (like buying a Toyota or Lexus or Nissan vs.Infiniti, etc., etc.). I will keep the chipper blade augers vs. shavers in mind. Mine being a hand auger (Finbore) is a shaver. Your experience to even your Milwaukee stalling a bit here and there in slush conditions is good to know...I am drilling in ice with alot of slush on top right now. I wonder if/when things tighten up after a good thaw (to take the snow down) and then allowing the ice to harden up without the insulation will "fix" some of my stalling issues. Will see. But as I have said, I can live with my set up no problem and won't spend money on anything too substantial unless there is a good end of season sale/clearance. But with all this info....my eyes are open to what I can do to make things better without spending too much.
Alot more snow on the way....sheesh!

Clam plate is 100% worth it. Even wth the additional handle it is a matter of time until you catch the ice and torque your forearm/wrist. I use the non-geared without issue.

The drill torque is a factor in bogging down (clearing chips helps a lot). But the battery temp, in my experience, is a bigger factor. I run 5ah batteries on a DeWalt 20V Brushless XR drill, it cuts amazing with warm batteries (8" Jiffy poly-bladed chisel head), sometimes struggles with cold batteries. So I keep batteries in a small insulated container and toss a hand warmer inside with them - works like a charm.

There shouldn't be a need to run in hammer model; drill mode, I find, works best. I'm also skeptical if that slight repeated hammering doesn't harm the auger, especially a swede bore where the cut angle is very particular.

I do keep my batteries in the cooler (warmed up from being at home but I don't add a hand warmer - may try that since I have a bunch of them). No hammer mode...ever. I haven't had the torque ripping the drill from my hand on 6 or 7 holes since I put on the stabilizing second handle that came with the drill.