Are you looking for the best cordless drill for an ice auger?
Many ice fishermen are turning their favorite hand auger into a powered auger using an electric or cordless drill.
This is not only a very efficient way to break the ice, but it also can be much more affordable than buying an expensive electric auger that you will only use a few times throughout the year.
In this post, we are going to show you how you can turn your drill into an ice auger and we are going to talk about some important features to consider when searching for the best drill.
Let’s begin…
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What is the best cordless drill for an ice auger?
Here is a quick preview of our top 3 options:
Before we take a closer look at each model mentioned above, let’s first talk about how to turn your drill into an ice auger.
How To Turn Your Drill Into An Ice Auger
Choose a good adapter. The first step is to choose a good adapter. The adapter basically allows you to connect your drill to any hand auger of your choice.
Most adapters are pretty straightforward and easy to use, but here are two of our favorites.
Pictured above is the Clam Drill Auger Conversion Kit.
This is a great adapter to connect your auger to your drill. What I like most about this particular model are the handlebars.
These handlebars give you the ability to put some weight on the auger as it drills, helping it to work more efficiently and preventing the drill from entering the water if you break through the ice suddenly.
Learn more about how to use it in the following video:
Another great option is the Ice Auger Cordless Drill Adapter.
This is as simple as you can get. It is simply an aluminum adapter that fits a 3/8 or 1/2 inch drill chuck.
See how to put it together and more importantly, in action in the following video:
Choose A Good Blade. Now that we have selected a good adapter, let’s talk about blades.
One of the most popular questions people have when converting their drill into an ice auger is: Which blade is better, mora or lazer?
I would recommend going with a lazer blade.
They tend to cut the ice more easily, causing less stress on your drill.
Why is this important?
Not only can this affect the overall life of your drill, but it can affect your battery life as well. The more efficiently your drill can go through the ice, the less battery you will consume and thus the more holes you will be able to drill.
Once such blade I would recommend is the Strike Master Ice Augers Lazer Hand Auger.
This model is available in blade sizes ranging from 5 to 8 inches. The handle can be easily removed to add either of the aforementioned adapters. It is equipped with Lazer blades that will help you to cut through ice like a butter knife cuts through butter.
Ok, so now that we have selected the adapter, as well as the blade, it is time to answer: What is the best cordless drill for an ice auger?
DEWALT DCD950KX 18-Volt XRP
Features:
- 1/2 cordless drill
- Extended battery life – XRP batteries
- LED work light
- 18 Volts
The first drill to make our list of the best cordless drill for an ice auger is: the DEWALT DCD950KX 18-Volt XRP.
This is a 1/2 inch cordless drill that would fit either of the adapters mentioned above.
The reason I would recommend this drill is the battery life.
Simply put, the more battery life you have, the more holes you are going to drill. This is especially important when fishing for small fish like panfish.
More holes equal more fish. This particular drill provides more than 40 percent more than the standard NiCad batteries.
In addition, the LED work light comes in handy when ice fishing through the early morning or late at night.
Bosch DDB181-102 18V Lithium-Ion Powered Drill
Features:
- 1/2 cordless drill
- Good Battery Life
- LED worklight
- Durashield housing
- 18 Volts
- Weight: 3 lbs
The next on our list is the Bosch DDB181-102 18V Lithium-Ion Powered Drill.
There are 3 features that I think make the Bosch DDB a good option.
The first feature is the weight. This is a super lightweight cordless drill only weighing in at 3 pounds.
If you combine that with an average hand auger, you will have a powered auger for under 10 pounds!
It also is made with durashield housing. Let’s face it, ice fishing in the cold weather isn’t the best situation for our tools. In order for them to last the long haul, we need them to be made from durable materials. This particular model has very durable housing.
Lastly, battery life. This is another great option that has a good battery life when out on the water.
Milwaukee M18
Features:
- 1/2 inch cordless drill
- Good Battery Life
- Brushless motor
- LED worklight
- 500 in/lbs of torque
- 18 Volts
- 2.8 pounds
To conclude our list of the best cordless drill for an ice auger, we are going to take a closer look at the Milwaukee M18.
As we have stressed in this post, battery life and overall weight are so important when choosing a good drill.
The great thing about this drill is that it comes with a lithium-ion battery. A lithium-ion battery is going to be much lighter than others on the market.
In addition, because the motor is a brushless motor, the Milwaukee M18 is designed to run twice as long as a brushed motor with the same battery.
As we mentioned earlier, the lithium-ion batter helps to keep it relatively lightweight. In fact, the M18 only weighs 2.8 pounds.
Combine it with your favorite hand auger, you will have an extremely lightweight ice cutting machine.
Final Thoughts…
What is the best cordless drill for an ice auger?
Well, in this post we explained how to attach your drill to make an ice auger that is efficient, lightweight and most importantly is an affordable option.
We also discussed 3 of the top options on the market.
We chose these options based on three characteristics; they have great battery life, they are super lightweight and they are built to last.
What cordless drill do you use on your auger? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.
I use a Lazer 6″ auger with an M18 Fuel drill and I love it! I’ve had a Jiffy and a Strikemaster 12v, and have used Strikemaster gas and Ion augers, and wouldn’t give up my drill for any of them. I recommend the 4ah batteries, the 9ah are just too heavy and I can get 140-150″ of ice drilled per battery (22-25 holes in 6″ ice). Perfect for chasing panfish.