I own an Ion Electric Auger. I’ve had it for six years as best I can figure, and I can say that the conversion to an electric auger came easily, as someone stole my gas auger. I was excited about an electric though. The auger weighed less, cut well, and doesn’t drip gas on my hands, which could spoil the day’s fishing efforts. The reduced weight was spectacular and life altering. The electric weighs about half of those standard gas models and this makes handling it a breeze for practically anyone, and this is a wonderful thing. Another huge bonus is that it is quiet. I mean really quiet. The only noise made is that of blades cutting ice, and that is a peaceful noise. Gone too, are the days where I would have to carry a jerry can of gas in the box of the truck. I am happy to say bye to that.
An electric auger is light, and easy to handle.
The big questions I had with getting an electric was how many holes I could cut and would this limit my fishing options? Turns out that the advertised 1000 inches of ice per charge was about right, which said another way is about 40 holes through 2 feet of ice. Because I like to cut a whack-ton of holes, I bought a second battery, which has come in handy. I did notice that after several years the performance of one of my rechargeable batteries was noticeably reduced, so I bought a replacement battery last winter and I am right back to where I used to be when the auger was new.
My electric is durable and has given me years of great service.
With the option of getting extra batteries, there is no question about how many holes you can drill in a day. I also find the batteries take a charge really well. That is, they don’t take exceptionally long to charge up. So, after owning my Ion for many years, I give it my personal endorsement. It is durable, and has logged many hundreds of hours cutting thousands upon thousands of holes. And a neat bit of trivia, the day I bought the auger I immediately bought a set of extra blades, and I am happy to say that I am still cutting with the originals.
My friends and I are super pleased with the electric.
I’m not here to try to sell you an Ion, but rather to say that an electric auger is the real deal, an outstanding tool, and makes life on the ice, better. There are a number of quality electrics on the market now, but my experience is limited to the one I own, so that’s what I can comment on. If you have thought about, or are looking to make the jump to electric, I’m here to say that this would be a very good decision.