# Cordless Drill Evaluation-Craftsman



## newaygogeorge (Aug 16, 2006)

I did not want to Hijack the current Cordless Drill thread in order to provide evaluation results this past weekend of my first time using a cordless drill to cut ice holes. 

1. Ice conditions- 4 to 6 inches, 25 degs, small oakland county lake which often is the first to freeze over in the area.

2. Auger- 30yr old 6in Mora with brand new blades

4. Conversion Kit- Ice master 1/2

5. Drill Kit bare bones package without case- Craftsman 1/2in, 19.2v drill driver, 2-speed mod#315.119100. included 2-lithium Batteries.

6. Drill settings- Low speed (per ice master) Torque #21 for heavy drilling

7. Usage- 7:00am till 1:00pm- *one battery 52 holes yes i said 52 holes never used the second battery.*

The auger cut the ice like a hot knife in butter both my son, good friend, and myself were in total awh how well this setup worked. We contributed our fish harvest success due to the fact I was able to cut so many holes without effort allowing me to have made the last move in an area i would not of normally fished. It actually was flat out fun cutting holes and never crossed our minds to settle for a area with little sign on our finders because we were tired of drilling.

Take this evaluation for what ever it is worth to you considering the current ice and weather conditions but i truly hope for those of you considering this system that you find the right drill and experience the fun we had cutting holes and most importantly catching fish with family and friends. Good luck


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## lovetofsh (Jan 24, 2006)

Thank you for the evaluation.... I bet it would work well in my buggy. I am currently using a strike master electric auger and am not all that thrilled in the number of holes it drills on a charge. Guess it might be time to take a trip to sears for a new drill. 

........


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## Capnhook (Feb 14, 2004)

Newago, That's my drill, and I love it. I use a 5" lazer bit and you can drill holes all day with the extra lithium batt. Thanks for the eval. Capnhook


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## river rat78 (Dec 30, 2010)

Ive got a cordless drill set-up and I dont leave home without it. I would have guys give me a funny look like what was I thinking trying to drill a hole with a cordless drill. After you show them how fast you can drill a hole or let them try to drill one their jaw would drop. Ive probably drill about 200+ holes with hardly any problems. I just dont get how guys are burning up their drills.


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## newaygogeorge (Aug 16, 2006)

river rat78 said:


> Ive got a cordless drill set-up and I dont leave home without it. I would have guys give me a funny look like what was I thinking trying to drill a hole with a cordless drill. After you show them how fast you can drill a hole or let them try to drill one their jaw would drop. Ive probably drill about 200+ holes with hardly any problems. I just dont get how guys are burning up their drills.


lovetofsh & caphook you guy's are welcome 

River rat78 exactly why I started the thread
santa bought me the conversion kit 2yrs ago the drill was not the one i had my eye on but it was a gift this past christmas so I gave it a try. I appreciated all the the threads and posts but like river rat said many were not favorable and i was not willing to spend $250.00+ for a 36v 500 or greater torque capacity drill to use only for ice fishing. I can not explain either why many have not experienced greater success but i am here to say some of us are.

when I met the owner of ice master at cabelas 2 yrs ago he said do not push or force the auger to cut. It was a little awkward initially at first I just wanted to push down but once I realized how quickly the blades bit is really was a riot watching this thing drill.


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## William H Bonney (Jan 14, 2003)

Pretty crazy, isn't it NG? :lol:

I had an 18V Ridgid hammer drill, with the adjustable side-handle and a 6" lazer...

Out on LSC, I'd have guys come walking over from hundreds of yards away sayin',,,, " _Are you f'ing kidding me,,,, drill another hole,, lemme see that again"..._ :lol:


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## brdhntr (Oct 1, 2003)

And as far as durability, the Craftsman 19.2 I'm using is close to 10 yrs old and has seen many seasons on the ice. I don't fish as often as many on here, but I've cut ice on Hubbard Lake where the auger of my mora was below the top of the ice when it finally broke through. Whenever I start having a hard time cutting holes, I know it is time to check the blades. I highly suggest not using it to reopen holes, as it tends to be hard on the blades and dulls them really quick when they catch on the sides of the old hole.


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## jigworm (Jan 10, 2003)

Very vice. Thinking about converting my 6" mora as it sounds like a good setup for early ice in SE michigan. Curious as to how the batteries would hold up in real cold weather? It was below 0 last Friday morning and my fish finder battery took a dump. Started working fine after it warmed up.


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## newaygogeorge (Aug 16, 2006)

brdhntr said:


> I highly suggest not using it to reopen holes, as it tends to be hard on the blades and dulls them really quick when they catch on the sides of the old hole.


you are so right brdhntr i tried one time to re-cut into a hole what a mistake i will never do that again, you could feel the auger grinding and chopping through instead of slicing through.

William H Bonney, crazy oh yea big time, i actually thought some MS members would of thought I was BS'ing after reading so many negitive experiences, i am so glad you and the many others are out of the closet now :lol:


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## N M Mechanical (Feb 7, 2008)

I am impressed because today I only drilled two 4 1/4" holes in wood before my 18 volt died and the drill is only 3 months old 
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Justin (Feb 21, 2005)

George, Thanks for posting this. I have the same drill and just might have to try it. Any ideas where I might find a conversion kit? Price?


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## newaygogeorge (Aug 16, 2006)

Hi justin,
Mine was purchased at cabela's for 20.00 2 years ago, attached are links to other places to purchase. I have not seen it at gander, dicks, dunhams etc. Maybe some mom and pop shops will offer it, that would be great i would much rather support our local shops if possible
http://www.google.com/products/cata...m=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=8456705875471287983#

http://www.icemasteradapter.com/


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## Justin (Feb 21, 2005)

Thanks George.


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## Perchlips (Sep 8, 2011)

I may finally have to try mine. I got the adapter last year but never used it after reading about some people burning up their drills. I have a 6 in. lazer and 18 volt dewalt. You guys think this would be a ok set up?


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## double trouble (Nov 20, 2003)

jigworm said:


> Very vice. Thinking about converting my 6" mora as it sounds like a good setup for early ice in SE michigan. Curious as to how the batteries would hold up in real cold weather? It was below 0 last Friday morning and my fish finder battery took a dump. Started working fine after it warmed up.


 Just sure that you have a drill with lithium ion batteries. They like the cold weather . They are barely affected. The ni-mh batteries on most older drills are not so good in cold weather. 
Mora augers work as good as lazer augers because the blade area is so small. They might not drill as fast , but will get the job done as long as they are sharp.


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## P&Y142 (Jan 25, 2008)

I use 7 in. lazer and 18 volt dewalt cuts great. I do try to keep the batterys in the house untill i'm ready to go. Don't put a lot of pressure on it let the blades do the work.


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## William H Bonney (Jan 14, 2003)

I kept extra batteries in my carry-all bag inside the shanty, so I never had a problem with that... As for re-opening holes, it's no problem with a Lazer auger.


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## river rat78 (Dec 30, 2010)

When I dont have my drill in use I like to lock the trigger. Last year I was trying to remove the drill from the auger and accidently pushed the trigger on the drill. The auger spun and the blades hit me right by my knee. I had a cut about 1" long and it was about 1/16" deep. It ruined my day because I just got to a spot drilled some holes and was ready to fish. Instead I had to leave go to the hospital and get it stiched up.


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## river rat78 (Dec 30, 2010)

newaygogeorge said:


> when I met the owner of ice master at cabelas 2 yrs ago he said do not push or force the auger to cut. It was a little awkward initially at first I just wanted to push down but once I realized how quickly the blades bit is really was a riot watching this thing drill.


When I first used my drill with my auger I couldnt believe how easy it was either. It got adicting to the point that I would drill several holes in one area without realizing it. I still bring the handle to the auger with me incase of rain or something where to happen to my drill.


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## lookinfopike (Dec 21, 2005)

William H Bonney said:


> I kept extra batteries in my carry-all bag inside the shanty, so I never had a problem with that... As for re-opening holes, it's no problem with a Lazer auger.


 Extra batteries are great. Also remember Wal Mart has ace bandages on sale for when your drill catches. I think they even come in camo.:lol:

Keep your drills in the tool boxes where they belong. If using power drills for boring holes in the ice was the best set up. I think all your major companies who produce power ice augers would already be there. They are OK toys for the guy who wants to cut a few holes of 4in ice. But for the serious fisherman who does a lot of hard water fishing. You are wasting your time.
Get the right tool for the right job...


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