Eskimo Pistol Bit Question
In my neverending quest to become as mobile as possible and support the "run and gun" style of fishing I enjoy. I am considering adding one of these units to my arsenal.
For those of you that own one of these units I would like some specific feedback. Particularly on the 8" model. 1. Overall impression with performance late season on thick ice. 2. I normally fish a double 10" hole to sight fish for whites, trout etc. I realize these are max 8" but can you drill double or triple holes? Any issues? Do they reopen holes ok? 3. Any trick to getting the hole started? I have seen lots of YouTube stuff about them being finicky to get going. 4. What drill are you using? Make/Model? I appreciate any feedback you can provide. Cheers, Scott. |
I haven’t played with the Eskimo version but I see Strikemaster came out with one and the head to head comparisons between K Drill, Eskimo and SM show SM to be quite a bit faster and lighter.
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Cheers, Scott. |
I believe he’s referring to this video:
https://youtu.be/dnNUjlFjAp8 |
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Cheers, Scott. |
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Check this video on the Strikemaster. Explains the details of it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_c...&v=NtSUnF9rB7M |
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Still looking for feedback from those that have used this style. Specifically the ones I asked above. Thanks for your feedback. Cheers, Scott. |
I did try out a K Drill a few years ago. I thought it was pretty cool at the time but being fairly new on the market I hesitated to buy one since it was early and there was not many out there yet. I like the lite part for hauling out on my sled. The float on a K Drill is comforting too and the newer style are using discs instead. I have heard stories of guys losing their flytes down the hole. I wasnt convinced totally on cutting speed of K Drill with the chipper blades. Hence I have waited and glad I did. Talked to a few guys that bought a Pistol bit last year and said they worked very well and addressed a few issues and improvements. I see them all working very well but also remember your drill will also have a big affect on how the drills will work and how many holes you will get. It also depends where you fish and thickness of the ice. Us south guys seldom get more than 2 feet of ice 3 on a cold year and guys up north or Lake Wpg as example can get 4 ft or more where gas still makes more sense. Just my opinion from what I have tried and others have passed on.
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If you are wanting to reopen holes I think the K Drill blade style would work better than either the Eskimo or Strikemaster style. There are quite a few videos on how many holes you can get with the different bits and drills.
I bought the Lithium 40V Strikemaster last year which has the same blades as the new SM bit. It cuts fast and easy and I’ve drilled connected holes with it without an issue. I haven’t reopened holes with it though. I believe SNS2 has an Eskimo Pistol Bit. |
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The connected holes portion is the most important to me (less so reopening holes). Price wise the SM looks like a good option and would allow for a bigger spend on the drill which is the most important element here I'm thinking. Cheers, Scott. |
I use a 18v Milwaukee and have 2 5 amp batteries and never run out of power. You need the brushless version of drill, makes a big difference.
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Cheers, Scott. |
Mine is the fuel and it definitely pushes it to its limit. Through less than 12” you could probably get by with a weaker drill but past a foot you need a lot of tourque. I also have an ion and I much prefer the pistol bit.
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Thanks for the feedback!
Cheers, Scott. |
One thing I remember hearing about the pistol bit is that it doesn’t have a centre point so it can “wander” a bit until it gets going. The SM Lite Flite has a centre point to help prevent that.
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I saw that, which should mean connected holes become easier.
Cheers, Scott. |
If your redrilling holes or doing double holes kdrill blades would probably be better option than the shavers on the pistol
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I'm really leaning towards the SM Lite-Flight of the 3.
Cheers, Scott. |
Im thinking the strikemaster myself, i like the centre pivot. seems like a mix between the kd and eskimo and its cheaper so thats a bonus. Guess ill watch for black friday/cyber monday sale
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yep, I also appreciate the feedback on this snowy day, my old Jiffy has been great for many years but our winter trips to the big lakes in northern manitoba really require the run and gun attitude and this thread has got me thinking - now how to slip another fishing purchase past the better half -
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Ok narrowed down my choice to the SM Lite-Flite and a Milwaukee Fuel M18 Brushless Hammer Drill.
Where is the cheapest place to acquire the tool and a few spare batteries 5ah or better? Cheers, Scott. |
Actually I think I may have found a better deal than the Milwaukee.
$199 https://www.homedepot.ca/product/rid...bag/1001221496 And two extra batteries 3ah only run $98 https://www.homedepot.ca/product/rid...ck-/1001214561 Guess I'll be watching for sales upcoming! Thanks for all the input fellas! Cheers, Scott. |
Watch KMS tools monthly deals , those Milwaukee drill combo and battery sets go on sale quite often.
Black Friday is also coming up and that's always a good time for tool sales. I run a Dewalt 20v brushless and with 3 - 4 aH batteries I can drill holes with my 6" nils auger all day long |
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When I look at the cordless drill/auger setups I always wonder about the torque on your wrists if the auger binds up or jams? We have all had that “hang-up” when the auger is about to punch through the last inch. A bigger powerhead is heavier but probably easier to control in that situation.
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You beat me to it. For some fun go over to Ice Shanty forums and YouTube as well as there are lots of guys all over North America using the Rigid drills with a lot of success. They go on good promotions quite often from what I have read and are lifetime full replacement warranty and 3 year on battery as well.
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Have to feather the last few inches nice n easy b’y |
Pulled the trigger on the Strikemaster Lite-Flite 8" model today from BPS. Looks like the best option for the style of fishing I enjoy.
Also decided on the drill to pair it with. I was originally looking at the Rigid Octane kit from Home Depot but it only came w/a 3AH battery which meant I needed to buy a second higher capacity one. All in it was going to run $350. I did some further research and ended up pulling the trigger on the Makita XPH07MB 18V LXT Li/Ion Brushless Cordless 1/2" Hammer DriverDrill Kit w/2 4Ah batteries. Very close to the Rigid at 1,091/lbs torque and has a better/faster charger. All in I'm at $550 which just happens to be what I sold my Eskimo HC-40 Propane unit to Zip-in-Z for. So win-win-win for me and by that I mean I'm happy, Zip's happy and my wife can't complain about me spending more dough on fishing gear!...lol. Now hurry up and freeze already!!!https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...c8e6b2cd1b.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...48adb89edf.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...f613d5e7b7.jpg Cheers, Scott. |
It's going to be a deadly set up.
Congrats man! |
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