01-14-2013, 09:10 PM
Don't count out electric power either. This year I got a new Li-Ion Dewalt cordless drill ($250 DCD985L2[url "http://www.dewalt.com/tools/cordless-drills-hammerdrills-dcd985l2.aspx"][/url]) and paired it up with a $80 6" Strikemaster Lazer and a $25 adapter off eBay. With the 3Ah batteries I can cut a hole through 12inches of ice in about 2 seconds. The cold doesn't seam to affect the Li-Ion batteries like the way it killed the old NiCads. I always bring a spare battery, but I haven't needed it yet in 4 trips. I move around a lot and drill a lot of holes, probably 25 or more per trip.
This system is much lighter than gas to haul out onto the ice. It also doesn't leak, drills faster, and always starts. I especially like the ability to reverse the auger after I break through and push all the slush back under the ice.
If I had it to do over again, I probably would have got a 7 or 8-inch auger, as I like the larger hole size, but was concerned about the torque ability of the drill. This hasn't been a problem at all.
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This system is much lighter than gas to haul out onto the ice. It also doesn't leak, drills faster, and always starts. I especially like the ability to reverse the auger after I break through and push all the slush back under the ice.
If I had it to do over again, I probably would have got a 7 or 8-inch auger, as I like the larger hole size, but was concerned about the torque ability of the drill. This hasn't been a problem at all.
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