K-Drill

RavYak · #1 01-14-2018, 12:41 PM

A buddy of mine bought the 8 inch k-drill and a Milwaukee Fuel 18V brushless hammer drill to power it and we took it out yesterday to try it out.

I have to say I was very impressed. The plastic flighting makes it nice and light and it cut super fast(would be dependent on drill though).

I am sure that drill quality plays a big part and I have read that you want a brushless drill. I don't think a cheap lower powered drill would work very well but if you have a drill equivalent to the Milwaukee Fuel 18V(which is K-drill's recommendation) or have other uses for a good quality drill it is a great investment especially if you do lots of hike in trips.

We didn't test the battery power out that much but must have got 15-20 holes in what was probably 18-20 inches of ice and still had some juice on the first battery. It was a nice day temperature wise so expect less on a cold day though.

Ultimately I don't think I would use this as a main auger for on lakes that I can drive too etc(although it could definitely work especially if you live down south where there is less ice on average) but for hike in trips it can't be beat. We also had a 6 inch hand auger as a spare with which I drilled 2 holes and then decided we should probably just sell the hand auger lol.

Calgaryguy1977 · #2 01-14-2018, 01:35 PM

I have that exact drill and if youre using a 6 inch auger you can easily get 30 to 40 holes on a battery in -20-30. I also have an 8 inch auger which takes a slight bit longer but i didnt test how many holes I can get. That drill is designed to work well in cold weather. The batteries are insulated very well.

Using a cheap 60 dollar eskimo hand auger with the 15 dollar adapter ( from cdn tire), I can drill through approx 20 inches of ice in about 8 seconds.

I highly recommend this setup as well. I can often times drill a hole faster than people with a gas auger. I don't own the K drill but I would love to have one because of the weight.

RavYak · #3 01-14-2018, 02:50 PM

I don't doubt that this Milwaukee drill setup is faster then some power augers, I was blown away with how well it cut. Only slight issue is that it would stall if you put downward force on the blade but if you just let the blade do the cutting there were no issues.

The main reason I wouldn't necessarily recommend it over a dedicated auger for drive to locations is that it isn't cheap and although this is a good drill I could see a person wearing it out if he was trying to drill a bunch of holes through thick ice repeatedly. After our first dozen holes(all drilled at the same time) you could feel that the drill was already getting warm so a guy has too keep an eye on that.

You can get a gas auger that will drill more holes and I assume would have significantly longer life for about the same price of K-drill bit alone. Price point and potentially durability(especially if using an inferior drill) aside they are awesome units though.

Moo Snukkle · #4 01-14-2018, 05:01 PM

I picked up an 8”K drill on Boxing Day. Seemed logical as I have a Milwaukee mud mixer and 9 amp battery. Cold does not affect these batteries nearly as much as previous ones. Auger is designed to run at 5-550 constant rpm. Blade angle perfectly matches this speed. Good year to be my best friend, as mine just inherited my Jiffy 30. Online reports say I should get a whole season of drilling without resharpening blades (yet to be determined). First impression is “wow “. Fast, embarrassingly light and no fuel to carry. This rig really simplifies fishing for me.

BootScoot · #5 01-14-2018, 05:34 PM

I just picked up a Milwaukee Fuel hammer drill with two 5.0ah batteries to pair with the clam drill plate adapter and an 8 inch fin bore. I think this will be a great light weight setup for ice fishing. The Milwaukee fuel is a work horse so I'm not worried about burning it out at all.

Rikkles Fisher · #6 01-14-2018, 07:10 PM

He pulled the trigger on it finally eh lol

Calgaryguy1977 · #7 01-15-2018, 04:24 AM

The Milwaukee m-18 drill batteries have a 3 year warranty and the drill has a 5 year warranty. If it wears out Im not worried about it. 1 year in and running strong now!

nimrod · #8 01-15-2018, 08:47 AM

K drill looks good, thanks for posting, now anybody know where a sale on these is,

Fishslayer99 · #9 01-15-2018, 08:49 AM

Tackle Shack in Red Deer carries them and a lot of other stuff for great prices.

RavYak · #10 01-15-2018, 12:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nimrod

K drill looks good, thanks for posting, now anybody know where a sale on these is,

Fishin' Hole carries the bits. Finding a deal will likely be tough considering the lack of stores carrying them and high demand(sounds like they have been selling a few of them).

cube · #11 01-15-2018, 03:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RavYak

Only slight issue is that it would stall if you put downward force on the blade but if you just let the blade do the cutting there were no issues..

When I went through all the info a couple of years ago the said that the drill was specifically set up to cut at high RPM's so any thing that would slow it down would cause it to over grab and stall. I guess they were right.

Thanks for the info. If I were going electric because of weight this is definitely the way I would go.

RavYak · #12 01-15-2018, 05:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cube

When I went through all the info a couple of years ago the said that the drill was specifically set up to cut at high RPM's so any thing that would slow it down would cause it to over grab and stall. I guess they were right.

Thanks for the info. If I were going electric because of weight this is definitely the way I would go.

It is an aggressive single blade chipper design bit, they work great but will try to take too big of a bite if you lean on them. The Jiffy propanes are the same way and will also stall if you put too much pressure on them although not as easily but that is expected considering you are running this with a drill.

It really isn't an issue, you just need to let the blade do the work and go a bit easier when about to break through.

Something else interesting about the K-drill is that they offer "free" blade sharpening. You have to mail in your blades so it will cost you a few bucks but it is neat customer service that I could see a guy taking advantage of in the off season if you notice it isn't cutting quite as good as it used to.

calgarygringo · #13 01-15-2018, 06:08 PM

Remember nobody should be putting pressure on your auger to make it cut ice. The auger should be doing the work on its own. Spend a few bucks extra when you buy your auger and get a second set of blades and change them when getting dull. I always laugh at guys almost standing on their augers to make them cut. Just lwt run and xhould go through with minimal effort.
I dont own a K drill yet but saw one in action a couple years back. Definitely on my toy list. Watch prices as they vary. Tackle Shack & GPS Central $329 and TFH $369 for 8 inch.

Quote:

Originally Posted by RavYak

It is an aggressive single blade chipper design bit, they work great but will try to take too big of a bite if you lean on them. The Jiffy propanes are the same way and will also stall if you put too much pressure on them although not as easily but that is expected considering you are running this with a drill.

It really isn't an issue, you just need to let the blade do the work and go a bit easier when about to break through.

Something else interesting about the K-drill is that they offer "free" blade sharpening. You have to mail in your blades so it will cost you a few bucks but it is neat customer service that I could see a guy taking advantage of in the off season if you notice it isn't cutting quite as good as it used to.

SamSteele · #14 01-15-2018, 07:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by calgarygringo

Remember nobody should be putting pressure on your auger to make it cut ice. The auger should be doing the work on its own. Spend a few bucks extra when you buy your auger and get a second set of blades and change them when getting dull. I always laugh at guys almost standing on their augers to make them cut. Just lwt run and xhould go through with minimal effort

I have a Strikemaster Mag2000 that I have put new blades on twice and I still have to lean on the motor to get it to cut. It cuts fine with some pressure but I can’t just let it spin without pressure or it won’t cut at all.

calgarygringo · #15 01-15-2018, 08:16 PM

Get your angle checked on your blades. Good chance it is out of sync to what it should be.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SamSteele

I have a Strikemaster Mag2000 that I have put new blades on twice and I still have to lean on the motor to get it to cut. It cuts fine with some pressure but I can’t just let it spin without pressure or it won’t cut at all.

TylerThomson · #16 01-15-2018, 08:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SamSteele

I have a Strikemaster Mag2000 that I have put new blades on twice and I still have to lean on the motor to get it to cut. It cuts fine with some pressure but I can’t just let it spin without pressure or it won’t cut at all.

Check the center point on the auger. Not the blades but the metal tip in between them.