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 don't think you can buy a ten inch straight up. What I did was buy the 10 inch drill separately and it's nice how you can go back and forth between an 8 and a 10 depending on how many holes you need to drill and how much weight you want to carry around for the day. I will say this: The Ion is a lot smoother as an 8 inch tool. The 10 inch requires (at least for me) a lot of drilling, then lifting out, drilling, lifting out....it tends to get slow or often jams with just a straight drill through. I did an unintentional field test this morning. With the 10 inch, I drilled 30 holes through 7 inches of ice. Then it was done. Out of 35 times or so using the ION, this was only the second time it pretty much ran out of juice. Why did I drill 30 holes while fishing by myself? Long story, but I was looking for lake features and was um...off on my map. So, anyways, considering my battery is on year 3, and I got 210 inches of ice drilled in weather around 20 degrees...that's pretty good. It would be a lot more with the 8 inch. And the 8 inch is just lighter enough to make it even easier to walk around with.

The Ion has a 40 Volt Lithium Ion Battery. As with any battery, the cold is tough on your battery. I reccomend keeping the battery in your truck, or fish house so it is warm and good to go when needed. I keep my battery in one of those little soft sided cooler lunch boxes. The 8" Ion is rated at about 1000 inches of ice, that is rought 40 holes in 2' of ice. As all of us know, all ice is differnt some is really hard, some is honecombed etc. The 6" Ion can dril about 1500 inches of ice, and the 10" does about 600 inches of ice. They came out with the 10", because many of the guys in wheel houses and what not really wanted the 10" auger bit. You cna purchse a new battery, sugegsted retail is $150, they can be foudn for $125. I love my Ion, like any tool it has its place, when I am not using an Ion, I run an Eskimo Propane. Yes I am on Eskimo/Ion Pro Staff, questions just message me.

I like mine had it 3 seasons. Wish I would have got a 6in auger instead of the 8 . if anyone want a trade I live in Wausau.

Don't forget to charge your battery once over the summer. Just did it tonight. Charged up pretty quick. Wonder what they will come out with this year....Last year was the 10 inch auger, which I loved. I bet a better battery comes out soon. Not that this one isn't good...it's just technology is changing so fast.

I walked out in the blizzard yesterday. The South end of the lake that I fished was drifted in by the time I got there. I was glad not to have the old heavy Jiffy weighing down the sled. So far so good. Mrt.

Used the 10 inch auger for the first time today. Drilled 14 holes, in 15 inches of ice. 17 degrees out. Worked well at the beginning, but by the end, the auger / battery had met it's match. Many of the holes that I drilled the auger turned sharply or stopped and I pulled some slush out or found the groove again and babied it back in a bit to get a good cut going again. Truly had to let the auger do the work, and not me. Had to kind of get a feel. I was happy to have all the 10 inch holes and it got the job done. So, I'm glad to have the 8 and the 10 inch option at this point. But, I'd say the ION battery is perfect for an 8 inch hole right now and for a 10 inch, they may need to up the power of that battery whenever they can produce that technology at a reasonable price. *By the way, slush on the fins wasn't too bad today. A little bit, especially towards the end. The 10 inch is heavier of course than the 8, but still pretty easy to walk around with. It's longer too, so as the ice thickens, it will help and the extension won't likely be needed.

Thought I'd bring this thread back as we have a few ION threads now, but this might be "base thread". I got the 10 inch now, but it's funny, I've used the 8 inch the last two times out. I've had to drill a number of holes and certainly the 8 inch gets more battery life out of it and also it's lighter to carry around. If I'm not at a lake where I suspect huge fish, I think the 8 inch hole is fine. Even with huge fish, an 8 inch works, just a slight risk of losing the fish due to the extra 2 inches of hole. So, as much as it was a pain to have to spend the $$ to buy the 10 inch option, (at least it was Christmas money) I like having this option now instead of having to buy a whole new auger. The 10 inch has it's place. The 8 inch has it's place.

I see they have a 10 inch auger bit you can now buy. It runs around 170 for the part and you would use the same battery and top end of the auger. Might be worth looking into. Anyone have one yet? ION battery still working great this winter for me after storing it over the summer. Did recharge it once around August or Sept. Granted, not a ton of ice as of now, but ION is drilling through multiple holes with ease and, as always, easy to carry around.

You can get replacement or extra batteries at Fleet Farm $150

Had to add the 1 foot extension today. Glad I did as I drilled a bit past where the extension started. The ION feels a bit clumsy now at 1 foot higher. But, it's what I gotta do. I can appreciate the shorter-more compact height now. I did have a bit of trouble today getting holes started. A bit of that "round and round but not going anywhere" motion. And, the ION did stop in holes at times today. So....possibly I chipped a blade. Sure hope not. Or, my blades iced up. I noticed an ice chunk stuck under the blade today on my second hole that I had to chip away at and got mostly off the blade. Maybe that just stuck around a bit as it eventually seemed to work better as the day got going.

Lake Michigan Angler has 1 Ion auger left in stock, in case anyone is looking for one. 224-789-7627

It looks like the month of January was a good test for the Ion and it passed with flying colors. I went out in those frigid temperatures and drilled 20 to 40 holes in 1 to 2 feet of ice and never had a problem with the Ion. I did my homework with this auger and it paid off when it came time to purchase one. The verdict is still out on battery life but we all know that they don't last forever. Sure is nice and light which makes it convenient for drilling alot of holes over a vast area. Gforce

Cut about 25 holes in 18 inches of ice. After my first 17 holes I put it down for a few hours. Then it would cut for a few inches and stop. Start-stop. Start-stop. It got better and after the 4th hole was fine again. Must have gotten cold and needed to warm up. I should have had the battery in my pocket or wrapped up in something. (No vehicle nearby). It still had 2 of the 3 dots when I was done with my trip. There is no way I could have lugged around a heavy auger through all that snow and with the distance I was between holes. The lightness was very nice and gave me more fishing opportunities as I ended up catching my biggest fish out of probably my 20th hole or so I cut that day. Also, dragging it all the way out to my spot was not too bad. Fit well in the sled and the lightness helped. It did get heavy from slush/water freezing up on the spiral shaft of the auger so I'll have to watch that and clean it off when not in use for a while. That made it pretty heavy drilling holes 18-25.

My brother bought this auger , all I can say is wow ! Best design I've seen in a long time . People say it cuts slow but it sure cuts nice and smooth . It won't wear you out like my gas jiffy .

Have you guys seen their product for battery storage? http://www.ioniceaugers.com/foundations/store/shopdetail.asp?params=17760*92**ION_battery_bag I have not tried this auger yet, but I am intrigued. I have their big Z71 gas auger, ten inch, and I love it, but I'll admit the weight keeps me from being as mobile of a fisherman as I could be and I think adding one of these ION's to the fleet could be a good choice. I think for me it will always be a matter of picking the right tool for the job but this auger seems like an excellent option to have from what I have read and seen online in reviews and videos.