# Augers



## TrekJeff (Sep 7, 2007)

bigtooth hunter said:


> I don't get it. for what you pay for a nils hand auger, you can get a power auger. In my mind, why pay to drill by hand when you can power auger. Call me simple but, DA. Lot of talk to make NO SENSE. LOL buy two lazers and two sets of blades. still have money to take the wife out to dinner.


Who has power augers the same price of a Nils????

As far as bending the blades on a Nils, this is more than likely from someone who is accustom to using a lazer/mora etc. Nils uses a two arm twist, not the one arm of a lazer etc...also the force used on these other hand augers is not needed with a nils...Just use both arms to rotate and let the cutting edges do the work, no need for excessive down force. Had my 7" nils out today, cut through 9 inches of ice in 11 seconds with minimal effort.


----------



## salmonslammer (Jan 28, 2001)

I bought a nils 2 years ago and cant keep it sharp... got $700 tied up in it and this year im going back to my old jiffy. May take a bunch of pulling to get it going, but at least it will cut!

Thanks for the heads up on anglers point... I will drop both sets of blades off and see if i can get one that will cut decent.. hate to throw in the towel without trying one more time... Maybe the fifth time is a charm!

Sent from my HTCONE using Ohub Campfire mobile app


----------



## janddp (May 13, 2009)

I have been using my Nils hand auger for 3 years now. Have not had to sharpen it yet. Drilled about a dozen holes yesterday at the day sail which had about 6 inches of ice with out even thinking about it. It still cuts like a hot knife through butter. One of the best fishing investments I have ever made. My old Mora would have killed my shoulder after about 3 holes.

Sent from my SPH-L900 using Ohub Campfire mobile app


----------



## Fishfighter (Dec 20, 2009)

I cut through a foot of ice in the upper peninsula in about 9 second a hole until the 3rd hole when I pulled the auger out of the hole and it froze solid in -3 temps. So I guess cold might not go well with a auger that I cannot just put torque on it until it bites.


----------



## TrekJeff (Sep 7, 2007)

Fishfighter said:


> I cut through a foot of ice in the upper peninsula in about 9 second a hole until the 3rd hole when I pulled the auger out of the hole and it froze solid in -3 temps. So I guess cold might not go well with a auger that I cannot just put torque on it until it bites.



I havn't seen a hand auger that will cut if it gets a glossed layer of ice over it. When this does happen iit is likely the time someone screws thier blades up. Pounding it on the ice to break off the freeze...and then they'll begin thier reputation of a junk cutting auger. 

I havn't used an auger that is right out of the box that doesn't cut well and when taken care of, continues to cut well. Replace the blades when needed, don't cut into submerged logs and dirt, always put the guard back on and NEVER EVER bounce the cutting head on the ice, even if it is lightly to knock off snow, slush etc. Also when traveling, put it someone secure where it doesn't bounce around. So if you take care of your lazer as I mentioned above, it will serve you well, it will never cut as fast as my Nils, but it will cut :lol:


----------



## Ralph Smith (Apr 1, 2003)

salmonslammer said:


> I bought a nils 2 years ago and cant keep it sharp... got $700 tied up in it and this year im going back to my old jiffy. May take a bunch of pulling to get it going, but at least it will cut!
> 
> Thanks for the heads up on anglers point... I will drop both sets of blades off and see if i can get one that will cut decent.. hate to throw in the towel without trying one more time... Maybe the fifth time is a charm!
> 
> Sent from my HTCONE using Ohub Campfire mobile app


Brian, it could be the auger also. I had a 8" lazer that worked awesome for years. Let my bro barrow it, and don't know what happened. I think where the blades attach could have got bent a little. It would want to walk on the ice and not cut. Bought brand new blades twice, and same thing. Something somewhere was off, but wasn't a blade problem. Just a thought.


----------



## Quig7557 (Dec 31, 2008)

If the auger gets bang on the ice it can change the pitch/blade angle and they won't cut very well. My moms husband did that for me with my auger


Posted using Outdoor Hub Campfire


----------



## steve myers (Dec 29, 2000)

TrekJeff said:


> I havn't seen a hand auger that will cut if it gets a glossed layer of ice over it. When this does happen iit is likely the time someone screws thier blades up. Pounding it on the ice to break off the freeze...and then they'll begin thier reputation of a junk cutting auger.
> 
> I havn't used an auger that is right out of the box that doesn't cut well and when taken care of, continues to cut well. Replace the blades when needed, don't cut into submerged logs and dirt, always put the guard back on and NEVER EVER bounce the cutting head on the ice, even if it is lightly to knock off snow, slush etc. Also when traveling, put it someone secure where it doesn't bounce around. So if you take care of your lazer as I mentioned above, it will serve you well, it will never cut as fast as my Nils, but it will cut :lol:


very good post and I have two lazers and they both still cut good with three year old blades.Also I got my Nils for 115.00 your not getting a new power auger for that and they are lots heavier.


----------



## bigtooth hunter (Nov 27, 2013)

bigtooth hunter said:


> I don't get it. for what you pay for a nils hand auger, you can get a power auger. In my mind, why pay to drill by hand when you can power auger. Call me simple but, DA. Lot of talk to make NO SENSE. LOL buy two lazers and two sets of blades. still have money to take the wife out to dinner.


my mistake. don't comment when you had too much to drink. Think I was trying to say. If I had a choice I would go with a power auger instead of shelling out for a nils. Lazer is more cost effective to me. icegator or ION make more sense. please forgive me.


----------



## TrekJeff (Sep 7, 2007)

bigtooth hunter said:


> my mistake. don't comment when you had too much to drink. Think I was trying to say. If I had a choice I would go with a power auger instead of shelling out for a nils. Lazer is more cost effective to me. icegator or ION make more sense. please forgive me.



Damn, I thought you had a buy somewhere that the rest of us didn't know about:lol:


----------



## fishingfred22250 (Feb 21, 2012)

I've used em all. Just got the 8" nills after two years of reading and talking to other owners. They are as good as I expected. Just stand there lookn around and wammo, you've got a hole. No sweating, no heavy breathing. I actually drilled hole with thumb and two fingers on each handle. Same as you would expect, take care of it and be very concious of where the blades are. Wish I would have gotten it years ago. Contemplated getting the 6" because I fish pannys a lot, but wanted to be able to tip up and jig for walleye as well. Very very happy I got the bigger one. No reason to downsize for ease of drilling. Now, if I run to the bays or we get two feet of ice, I'll prolly fire up the jiffy!!! Good luck out there and be safe!!!


----------



## salmonslammer (Jan 28, 2001)

Ralph Smith said:


> Brian, it could be the auger also. I had a 8" lazer that worked awesome for years. Let my bro barrow it, and don't know what happened. I think where the blades attach could have got bent a little. It would want to walk on the ice and not cut. Bought brand new blades twice, and same thing. Something somewhere was off, but wasn't a blade problem. Just a thought.


My ex GF jackknifed the dog sled crossing a crack on simcoe on its maiden trip and its never been the same. I bought a new shaft and it still doesn't cut straight! Drives me nuts! :lol:


----------



## Copper44 (Sep 25, 2004)

Brian clean out your PMs!


Posted using Outdoor Hub Campfire


----------



## Silver Panner (Apr 15, 2009)

Ended up getting the 8" Nils and... This thing is awesome! I'm so use to the old crappy dull POS augers I've used over the years that it actually takes a bit of concentration not to put pressure on it. The fold down handle is super convenient. Once folded, it fits perfectly on the floor of the back seat of the truck. Well worth the couple extra bucks.


----------



## duffy7382 (Dec 11, 2009)

Last season we bent a shaft on one of our augers. Rolled over it with the 4 wheeler in the snow. Couldn't see the bend, but it would not start a hole by hand. Also make sure the bolts that hold the cutting head on the shaft are nice and tight. If you continue to have problems with any Nils Augers, call and talk to them. They will help out!


----------

