The ION Files (Battery operated Ice Auger)

I have an attachment for my cordless drill so I can attach my 6" Lazer auger to it. I believe the drill is an 18 volt. I get a good number of holes out of it but nothing like the Ion drills. I know that the batteries in the Ions are different in design as they appear to not lose power when cold like my drill batteries do. However, all batteries have a finite life. Is the battery in the Ion drills replaceable as they age and lose charge faster? How much do the batteries cost?

I have used silicone and Dupont Teflon Snow & Ice Repellent and it does help a little but I still have ice buildup on the fins. I guess I'll just use my rubber mallet.

I use North Woods Snow Wax,It does help on the Nils and SM but still ices up at the end of the day.

I have found that a little silicone spray on the auger helps with the slush sticking issue. Mrt.

Yes, it is one the most irritating things in trying to find a school of fish.

Ice build up on any auger stinks. I would be careful on any auger Ion or otherwise hitting the fins even with a rubber mallet. My daughter loves me, after I come home from a day or weekend of fishing, the auger goes into her shower.

I've had my Ion for 3 years and I so far I am satisfied with it except for the ice that forms on the fins. It turns a 22 pound auger into a very heavy one. I've always used a rubber mallet to chip the ice off the fins. With the ion you will be getting out the mallet alot sooner than with a gas powered auger. The reason being is that the RPMs' are lower in the ion which causes Ice to collect on the fins. You probably won't experience this unless you drill many holes as I usually do to locate a school of fish. The pros extremely outweigh the cons so I stick with the Ion. Gforce

Stevekeno, enjoy that Ion, they are great

Finally bought a new Ion from Profishingsupply.com Arrived in 2 days, great service and price. Used it today for the first time, and was very happy, cuts like butter, very fast, lite weight, and quiet!!

Don't know what caused me to click on this thread but I see that I appear to be the original poster. The OP must have deleted his post or got the boot because I didn't originate this one.

Another thing that will even further increase the life of the battery is to not run it dead. It won't harm the battery / auger to do this. However, if you go out and use, say, only 50% of the charge still charge it before the next trip if you have time. I have 2 batteries for my ION and I rotate throughout the day to keep both performing at the highest level, but also to reduce the strain on a single one of the batteries. You'll get WAY more charges out of any Lithium battery that is even 25% charged vs. fully dead when charged. This too can help battery longevity.

As was said below, an additional Ion battery runs $150, I tell guys don't think you need to buy one right away, go out an use the unit first then decide if you think you need an additional battery. The batteries are rated at 850 life cycles, or 850 recharges, That is a lot of recharges, If you are fishing and recharging your battery 100 times in a year, your battery will still last 8 1/2 years.

Also,I did purchase an extra Ion battery. Yes,regular price is $149.95,Cabelas has had sales on them for $119.99,I bought my whole set up at Gander MT. Cabelas was sold out/back ordered of Ion augers. Ion-8-$499.($550.) extra Ion Battery-$75.($149.95) Extra set of 8" blades-$30.($39.95) Ion battery soft case-$10.($24.99)

I bought the Ion auger for my icefishing trip to North Twin(dec26-jan2)and it performed as expected,awesome. A great ice drill for lugging around on early ice(3"-6")which I found on North Twin this week. After that,the ATV/Jiffy/Lowrance combo comes out. (Was happy Phelps got only 1" of snow Tuesday night!)

Battery replacement cost appears to be $149.00 which I believe tends to put the brakes on folks who've had issues in the past with lithium batteries not lasting very long (myself included). Have to admit I've not seen any negative comments thus far from the Ion's.

It's a good idea to remove battery when finished drilling and keep as warm as possible. It will have more power later if you want to drill additional holes. Great unit.