# Preferred Auger



## coachmitchell (Nov 19, 2010)

I have gotten tired of hand drilling and am looking to upgrade. It seems like least expensive are the Eskimo augers, but figured I could get some educated opinions here. I want best auger for least money if possible. Any thoughts?


----------



## k2muskie (Oct 6, 2007)

We have a Strikemaster Mag 2000 got it 4 years ago and not a problem at all. First and only gas auger we've purchased. 

I always start if up the night before to be certain and add Sea Foam to the gas...has worked like a champ. It is the only gas auger we've had since we started ice fishing...still has the same plug in it and we do only basic maintenance...clean the filter check the plug and use Sea Foam in the gas. 

Key to any gas powered item is making sure you take care of it and when we store it for the season a little gas and Sea Foam. I'm here to tell ya Sea Foam ROCKS since we found out about it...way better than Stabil. 

Now I hope I haven't jinxed myself and the auger... :| :|


----------



## brookieguy1 (Oct 14, 2008)

If money's no object get a Jiffy propane. That's what I'd have if I had 500 clams to blow. Right now my Eskimo Barricuda will have to suffice.


----------



## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

brookieguy1 said:


> If money's no object get a Jiffy propane. That's what I'd have if I had 500 clams to blow. Right now my Eskimo Barricuda will have to suffice.


I always wondered about the propane powered engines. I mean propane has to evaporate before it enters an aspired engine. Evaporation happens easier at warmer temps. For cars, they put heaters on the tanks when it has to operate in cold conditions... how does an exposed ice auger get around this? I am truly curious how well they work.

As for preferred auger: Hand me the one that runs and I'll be happy.

-DallanC


----------



## SureShot (Oct 2, 2007)

I just faced the same dilemma. After doing my research, I decided on the StrikeMaster Strike-Lite II. It has a 4-cycle engine that doesn't require you to mix gas/oil. It also wins all of the stock speed drilling competitions. It started great out of the box. I'll be using it for real for the first time this weekend.


----------



## timberbuck (May 19, 2010)

strikemaster mag 2000-going on 10 years now, never a problem.


----------



## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

I have an Eskimo, model #00-00-001, I think. It's older than most of the members that belong to this Forum.

It runs as good as it did when I first got took it out of the box....starts on the first 100 pulls, every time.


----------



## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

wyogoob said:


> I have an Eskimo, model #00-00-001, I think. It's older than most of the members that belong to this Forum.
> 
> It runs as good as it did when I first got took it out of the box....starts on the first 100 pulls, every time.


LOL!

I have an older Eskimo Mako, I drain the gas and run it dry every spring with a little fogging oil then store it in a shed. Every fall it lights right back up and works great. A little prevenative maintanence usually goes a long ways with these things.

-DallanC


----------



## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

DallanC said:


> wyogoob said:
> 
> 
> > ...............I drain the gas and run it dry every spring with a little fogging oil then store it in a shed. Every fall it lights right back up and works great. A little prevenative maintanence usually goes a long ways with these things.
> ...


Yer kiddin' me.


----------



## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

I would have to say the Strikemasters are the most popular augers over here. Jiffy would be #2 and they are sold locally.

A friend of mine and I bought a 1976 Jiffy auger together. I think we paid like $160 for it. Half of the cars I bought back then didn't cost that much!


----------



## SureShot (Oct 2, 2007)

I got to try my new StrikeMaster yesterday and today at Strawberry. It worked great. (The key will be how it does next year and the year after.)

The fishing was pretty good, too.


----------



## dubob (Sep 8, 2007)

I started with an Eskimo and had it for two seasons. When it did run, it worked very well. But I couldn't always count on it running. I had to order replacement parts 3 times in two years. So at the end of the second season, I bought a Strikemaster Lazer. That was 3 years ago. I have yet to need replacement parts and it still cuts as good as day one with the original blades. It will not be the cheapest auger you can buy, but it will be a very good buy. As with most things in life, you will get what you pay for.


----------



## Bhilly81 (Oct 18, 2009)

i have an eskimo and i purchased it 3 years ago and have never had a problem with it each spring i drain the fuel and run it dry and it works great every time going to try it out tomorow for the first time this year although i already know it starts cause i always try it out before i really need it


----------



## cfarnwide (Sep 10, 2007)

I purchased an Eskimo Barricuda a few seasons ago. No complaints or problems at all.


----------



## gnfishn (Sep 25, 2007)

K2, what is the difference between stabil and sea foam that you have noticed?


----------



## longdraw (Aug 4, 2008)

I had a eskimo barracuda for about 7 years never had one problem, replaced it this year with an eskimo shark z71- its a beast.. my buddy has a lazermag strike master, it has also been a great auger- less horsepower but less weight too


----------



## americanforkdude (Sep 13, 2007)

I have a Eskimo StingRay. I have had it for 6 years now, it's never left me stranded. Drain the gas every spring and replace the spark plug every couple years and it will fire up the first couple pulls everytime. The only downside to most eskimos are all the plastic parts, i don't know how many carb covers or other plastic parts I've replaced. No matter how careful you are w/ them the cold weather makes them even more brittle.


----------



## Grandpa D (Sep 7, 2007)

Stabil is a fuel stabilizer, Sea Foam is a carb cleaner.
I also use both and swear by both in my boat motor and auger motor.


----------



## gnfishn (Sep 25, 2007)

Thanks Grandpa D. Years ago I wondered why every spring I would have to take my lawnmower and line trimmer to get the carb re-built. Then someone educated me about the gas turning to varnish as it sits in the carb. Ever since I have been using Stabil and have been very greatful for the person who taught me about it. So is Sea Foam also a product you simply add to the fuel? And is it overkill to use both products? I personally would rather err on the side of overkill to avoid hasstles but curious to know why you would "need" to use both.
Thanks


----------



## Grandpa D (Sep 7, 2007)

I use both, year round. They serve 2 different purposes, so using both makes sense to me.
My gas trimmer, boat motors, snow blower and auger all start within a few cranks now.


----------



## k2muskie (Oct 6, 2007)

gnfishn said:


> K2, what is the difference between stabil and sea foam that you have noticed?


Not to distract from the OP on the 'Preferred Auger' but we used to use Stabil for everything. Well the boat kicker motor several years ago wouldn't stay running in idle and once it died was a PITA to get started but eventually would start.

Now we take our boat to Lees Marine in Hyrum for all maintenance...so we gave him a call. Lee stated for us to use Sea Foam as Stabil like Grandpa D stated is more of a fuel stablizer.

So taking Lees advice we purchased a can of Sea Foam and dumped it in the the 40 gallon tank...took the boat out ran it for a bit then placed the kicker in idle and ran her up as Lee instructed us to do...you should've see the black gunk come out of the kickers exhaust...a gunky black slick on the water...we were sold since then and properly disposed of all the Stabil we had...ever since we've used Sea Foam in everything...mower, edger, snowmobile, boat, auger, 2 generators, even in our vehicles...never had a problem with the kicker motor (or anything else) again or anything else and after running the kicker we always run it up...and haven't seen anywhere close to the gunk slick we had several years ago.

In case you haven't searched Al Gore's internet...here's a link to Sea Foam...been around for a long time.

http://www.seafoamsales.com/

So what auger have you decided on coachmitchell??...that's if you made the purchase...


----------



## gnfishn (Sep 25, 2007)

Excellent information....thank you for sharing! Sorry for the slight "hijack" of the thread. So to get back on topic I'll make add my input on favorite auger. I've been using the non-motorized version of the strikemaster Lazer for the past 10 years or so, it has never let me down.....left me very tired, but never let me down. Might be getting time to upgrade to one with a motor, so this is a beneficial thread for me in that aspect as well.


----------

