HT E-Drill First Impressions

[David Chong]

I've had my HT E-Drill setup out on the ice for about 6 trips and am thoroughly impressed, not really sure why anyone would deal with gas augers anymore. I've drilled up to 60 holes on a trip and still had half the charge on my battery. I have it attached to Milwaukee Fuel 18 Hammer Drill on a Clam Auger Plate. You can use it without the auger plate as it does come with a handle as well but I really like the feel and grip that I get with the plate. I have a 9Ah Lithium battery that I use with it and haven't been able to drain it yet. This past Mon. we were drilling through 16-18" with no effort whatsoever. Check out the first on-ice test of it!

 

[canoecarrier]

I have never heard of this, but I'm guessing it's something new you didn't have to pay $500 for. I'd say the main reason would be that my brand new gas auger was $299 3 years ago at sail. Your drill alone likely costs more then that nevermind the expensive "e-drill". So $300 vs $800-$1000 and I can drill more holes. The drill has it's pros for sure, but the price can be huge for saving about 10 lbs of weight. 

[David Chong]

18 minutes ago, canoecarrier said:

I have never heard of this, but I'm guessing it's something new you didn't have to pay $500 for. I'd say the main reason would be that my brand new gas auger was $299 3 years ago at sail. Your drill alone likely costs more then that nevermind the expensive "e-drill". So $300 vs $800-$1000 and I can drill more holes. The drill has it's pros for sure, but the price can be huge for saving about 10 lbs of weight. 

I happen to decide on a Milwaukee which are pricey but you can do the small with a less expensive drill and the E-Drill I do believe should retail up here under $200 CAD. And I don't miss the gas smell either! LOL

Edited February 29, 2020 by David Chong

[misfish]

Who is selling north of the boarder David ?

 

Been doing electric the past 8 years now. No complaints here. Different augers and drills . The clam plate with the wacky drill fuel is kick ass.

Edited February 29, 2020 by misfish

[misfish]

17 hours ago, David Chong said:

And I don't miss the gas smell either! LOL

And the burnt holes on the suit from the muffler . LOL

Edited February 29, 2020 by misfish

[ketchenany]

2 hours ago, misfish said:

And the burnt holes on the suit from the muffler . LOL

Roasting chestnuts are we? 

[misfish]

2 minutes ago, ketchenany said:

Roasting chestnuts are we? 

I am not that tall . LMAO

[DRIFTER_016]

Yeah, those type of augers are pretty much useless by December up here.

Edited February 29, 2020 by DRIFTER_016

[misfish]

If it,s just an extension needed, I can do that too.

[DRIFTER_016]

4 hours ago, misfish said:

If it,s just an extension needed, I can do that too.

How many inches of ice can you drill through per battery?

[David Chong]

On 2/28/2020 at 8:09 PM, misfish said:

Who is selling north of the boarder David ?

 

Been doing electric the past 8 years now. No complaints here. Different augers and drills . The clam plate with the wacky drill fuel is kick ass.

It was new this year, so I'm not sure any retailers got them in but they'll be readily available for next season!

[misfish]

14 hours ago, DRIFTER_016 said:

How many inches of ice can you drill through per battery?

Well , I have done 44 in 10 inches of ice on one battery, so, that means 10 where you are. But I only need one hole to catch fish.  🤣

[DRIFTER_016]

3 minutes ago, misfish said:

Well , I have done 44 in 10 inches of ice on one battery, so, that means 10 where you are. But I only need one hole to catch fish.  🤣

Be more like 7 here. But then you need to account for the much harder ice and the work it takes to constantly clear the flights once you get past the top of them. If you don't say goodbye to your auger as it gets permanently welded into the hole.

I would say you would get 3 at most. 

I wonder how long it would take you to drill through 60" of ice?

With my 3HP 10" it takes 3-5 minutes to drill one hole.

That's the reason I rarely drill more than 6 holes in a day.

The most I have drilled has been 12 through 5 feet of ice.

[Sinker]

20 hours ago, DRIFTER_016 said:

Be more like 7 here. But then you need to account for the much harder ice and the work it takes to constantly clear the flights once you get past the top of them. If you don't say goodbye to your auger as it gets permanently welded into the hole.

I would say you would get 3 at most. 

I wonder how long it would take you to drill through 60" of ice?

With my 3HP 10" it takes 3-5 minutes to drill one hole.

That's the reason I rarely drill more than 6 holes in a day.

The most I have drilled has been 12 through 5 feet of ice.

Yep, I don't care what anyone with a drill battery says, if your drilling through thick ice, in cold conditions, gas is the only way to go. 

I bought an ion, and I'm not super impressed by it. It does its job, but its too much money. I have a model 30 jiffy that does just fine, runs like a top, and has never leaked a drop of gas anywhere that now sits in my garage doing nothing, just to justify the purchase of going electric. 

Now, add up the cost of drill ($3-500), clam plate ($120), and auger ($200) and you have 2 brand new gas augers. 

I have buyers remorse after shelling out big bucks for my Ion. 

 

All that said, for the conditions we get here in southern Ontario, an electric auger does fine most of the time. 

 

S. 

[Chuck Enwinde]

The thing about the drill set up is that aside from the Clam plate - it's multi functional.  You have a hand auger when you need it and a good drill when you need one.   

 

Trombly's had a couple of the E-drills at the ice show earlier this year- might still but you'd want to call first.  

[canoecarrier]

Has your drill ever done this? 

 

[misfish]

That would bet you far out there now.

[porkpie]

By tonight that auger machine would Probably get you across the lake.  There was only 4-6 inches of slushy snow cover left on Simcoe as of yesterday evening, on the east side anyway.  It won’t last long now.  The argument between gas and electric in my mind is moot.  If you live in a very northern community and require massive extensions then sure, an electric auger is really not for you.  I’d say anywhere from North Bay on down,  Your probably good to go with electric.  I have both a clam mounted Milwaukee and a gas auger.  That gas auger hasn’t seen daylight for probably 4-5 years now.  As for costs, I had a drill,  my 6 inch auger cost me $50 and the 8 inch was free cause a buddy gave it to me and the clam plate cost me $100.  You don’t need to buy a k drill or E drill to make this work, although I’ve hefted them and they’re super light and very cool.   The big hammer drill is necessary in my opinion though and will be your biggest expense if your starting from scratch.  Worth every penny though  I’ve used it to remodel my kitchen and do countless tasks around the house so I count that stuff under the household budget!  If you do buy a Milwaukee drill, and your a little bit handy be warned, you’ll probably like it so much that you’ll end up with a whole bunch of other Milwaukee tools.

Edited March 3, 2020 by porkpie