Best Auger for cordless drill?

Does it really matter?  I'm considering an 8 inch Pistol Bit for $159.

Let's hear it.

Lite flight 6" at Farm and Fleet for $120.  I think the 8" was $140.  Can't beat that price.

Grab a beer and look up some specs.

https://www.makitatools.com/products/tools/cordless/18v-lxt/drills-and-fastening/hammer-drills-and-driver-drills?filters=889_11001

Volt's have no direct correlation to torque, MKE has multiple different torque rated drills on the M18 platform. Most people that are unhappy with their auger set ups fail to recognize this and buy the "best deal" they can find even within brands.

Don't try an underpowered drill and don't try one that isn't brushless. When it starts to feel warm in your hand the damage is already done. It usually stinks like burning wires by then too.

Gman: That's great, your parents must be proud.

Mendota:  Thanks for the feedback.  Didn't even think of the torque before buying, just looked at the 18 Volt, and found a great deal on one.  Oh well, return it when i pick it up.

That is an underpowered cordless drill for ice augering.  The standard is over 700 in/lb or about 100 in/lb per inch hole diameter.  I have heard of compact (underpowered) drills burning out and one friend had one actually start on fire!  Maybe if you used Clam's Drill Plate Pro with Power Drive as it has a 3.6 - 1 gear ratio but really you should have a full size powerful drill.  I run a DeWalt DCD 995 and 996 on a regular drill plate and usually have a 6" Lazer style flighting with power point, but sometimes use an 8" in the same configuration.

I prefer to ask before I buy, but that's me

99% certain that you will be disappointed running an 8" auger with a low torque drill..

OK, so I ordered a Makita 18V that has 450 in-lbs. of torque.  After reading all the posts I may have bought one on the weak side BUT I also read an article that rated it in the top 3 drills for using as an auger.

I'll be using an 8" Mora auger and primarily tip-up fish so I'd like to hear from anyone who either uses a Makita OR uses a drill with that torque rating.  Worst case I return it without using it and get something else.

I wanted to stay with Makita since my son has all Makita tools so I have all the spare batteries.

Thanks.

Got a Strike master lite Flite this year. Like it so far.

Eskimo Pistol Bit 8"   Super light weight, but durable. Hasn't let me down yet.

Most recommend the hammer drill model because it has heavy duty gears compared to the non hammer version. You do not use the hammer function for drill ice but the heavy gears are a definite plus.

Also, make sure whatever your getting is brushless or you will build heat and burn it out.

750 in-lbs of torque is the bare minimum I have ever heard recommended. I have a m18 that is 750 and it doesn't not like anything bigger than a 5 inch Laser.  Its fine for burning holes early ice but really struggles with thicker ice. 

I used the 2704 M18 with the 6" Lite Flight until I upgraded to the 24 volt Strikemster drill.

I bought the lite flite on recommendations from a friend who has several brands. he also rec'd the Rigid cordless drill based on a lifetime warrantee on everything including the battery.

However,I have several cordless drills including a nearly brand new Dewalt 20v brush;less...but it only had two 2ah batteries....so I went to HD for a 5ah battery. I saw the online price,how much different could it be?

Holy cow! Online,$64 for a single 5ah battery.. In store? $188!

They honored the $64 price.

(edit) My Bauer brand "harbor freight" cordless drill did NOT cut it.

As long as the drill is >750 lbs you should be good to go since that style is not as aggressive. I will throw in (again) that the Clam Plate is really handy. Doubt you'd need the gear reduction, but it'll help a lesser drill. 

Thanks guys, I didn't think I needed it either but reading some articles they said you should.  For now I'm using a Mora auger I've had laying around for a while.  My son has all Makita 18V so that's what I'll get and since he has 4-5 batteries, I don't need them or the charger.

Thanks again.

Don't get the hammer drill unless you think you'll be using the drill for things that require a hammer drill!  You'll save some money that way.  For the DeWalt, I see a lot of people buy the DCD 996, which is the hammer drill and is the most powerful drill.  However when I did my research I found that the DCD 991 is the same drill but without the hammer function, so that's the one I went with and it saved me about 60 bucks.  I already have a plug in hammer drill for those very few times I may ever need to use it, so I was fine with getting a drill without the hammer mode.

No to the NEED for a hammer drill as you don't use that option anyway. As long as the drill has enough torque, you should be fine. Look up the specs of the drill you're considering, and also make note of the type/size of auger you'll be using. You can get by with a lesser drill with a 6" hole, where an 8" is going need a bit more oomph. Also style of blade. Ripper like the K drill? Need a beefy drill. Shaver like a Lazer? Can get away with less. Also, the Clam Plate has a gear reduction available that may help with what you plan to run.