StrikeMaster Lithium 24v Ice Auger Review: Is It the Best Lightweight Ice Fishing Option?
![Powerful and light weight—an ice angler carves through thick ice with the StrikeMaster Lithium 24v, sending ice and water flying. Powerful and light weight—an ice angler carves through thick ice with the StrikeMaster Lithium 24v, sending ice and water flying.](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_2560,h_1440,x_0,y_0/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/voltaxMediaLibrary/mmsport/fishing_on_si/01jjqzkkpy9z5gwkfpe3.jpg)
Not even a decade ago, four-stroke gas augers and propane augers seemed to be the way we would bore holes in the ice well into the future. But how times have changed! Advances in batteries, particularly lithium-ion batteries, have made electric ice augers the tools of choice for so many ice anglers that nowadays when I hear a gas auger fire up, it seems out of place!
Portability and Weight: A Featherlight Ice Auger for Any Angler
The first thing you’ll notice when you pick up StrikeMaster’s Lithium 24v auger is its weight, or rather, it’s lack thereof. The 8-inch auger weighs in at 14.3 pounds while the 6-inch model is a 13.3-pound featherweight.
Unlike StrikeMaster’s Lithium 40v, the 24v is only available with the company’s synthetic resin Lite-Flite Lazer auger, which is a major reason why the auger is so light. The auger has a heavy-duty steel hex shaft and a reinforced T connection to the carriage for strength with molded resin flighting, per the company’s website. What’s that mean? In a nutshell, the auger is strong and light. I’m hard on equipment and my auger has held up just fine through a lot of abuse this winter.
Ease of Use: A Hassle-Free Ice Auger for Every Skill Level
If you want to get technical, the powerhead has an electric brushless motor with a 50:1 gear ratio, but you really don’t need to know any of that. Even a guy like me can figure out how to run it. No mixing gas and oil. No choking it. You don’t even have to warm it up. Select forward on the left button (it also has a reverse setting to flush slush down your hole). Then squeeze the deadman switch with your fingers as you naturally would as your grasp the right handle and push the power button with your right thumb and you’re drilling instantly. That deadman switch ensures the auger doesn’t start running while bouncing around in your sled or while you carry the auger from hole to hole.
This simple operation, coupled with its light weight, makes this auger a real joy to use and anyone can use it. Formerly, when I fished with kids or a girlfriend, they frequently asked me to punch more holes because they didn’t understand how to start a gas auger. But this unit is so simple and light that anyone can use it. Yes, you can go light by using an auger assembly with a cordless drill, but with this system, you don’t have to assemble the auger or worry about torquing your hand and hurting your wrist when you drill. It’s simple, safe and easy.
Battery Life: How Many Holes Can You Drill on One Charge?
StrikeMaster claims you can pop 50 holes through 16 inches of ice on a single charge with the 24v 8-inch auger (you’ll get 100 holes with the 40v auger). That seems about right. I’ve definitely had 40-plus holes on a day where I just couldn’t find willing biters, and it was just a degree or two above zero. I kept the auger outside all day (although I did keep the battery off the ice) and I’m sure we were at more than 40 holes. But when the battery is drained for the day, you’ll know it. You’ll be drilling just fine and suddenly you’ll barely be able to finish the hole you’re cutting. The solution is easy: bring a spare battery and you’re ready to keep fishing.
Performance Features
POWERHEAD / MOTOR
• Electric DC Brushless Motor
• Planetary Gear System
• 50:1 Gear Ratio
• Power Button with Deadman Safety Switch
• Forward and Reverse
• Impact-Resistant Long Filament Handles
LITE-FLITE LAZER™ DRILL UNIT / BLADES
• Proprietary Synthetic Resin Molded Flighting
• Twin Serrated Stainless Steel Lazer™ Blades
• Full Length Segmented Flighting
• Carriage Formed from Exclusive Engineered Compounds
• Reinforced “T” Connection to Carriage with Heavy-Duty Steel Hex Shaft
• Power Point Keeps the Drill Unit in Place While Drilling
• 6" - Lazer™ Blade Guard
• 8" - Magnetic Snap Cover Blade Guard
-65 Holes - 6" Auger on a Single Charge*
-50 Holes - 8" Auger on a Single Charge*
at Peak Performance.
*Based on Repeated Tests with 16" of Ice
Final Verdict: Should You Buy the StrikeMaster Lithium 24v?
Major takeaways of the StrikeMaster Lithium 24v are that it’s extremely light, it’s very quiet and it’s so simple to use. Give it a spin. Chances are you’ll love it!
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