3 hp Cobra strikemaster vs 3 hp Solo question

I bought the Cobra head when Gander Mt. was getting out of the catalog business from the Wausau store in ’95 for $100. It weighted a little more but I literally just held on and on glare ice had to wear creepers. I got a lot of life out of that auger but recently bought a 3 horse Solo. I don’t have a lot of time with it but my initial observations are that the lower weight I now have to push down or the auger will want to wobble a little when first starting the hole. If I let up after it’s in the groove after the first 6″ it just seems like it’s a lot slower than the Cobra. Can anyone chime in on this observation? I’ve got out of the box sharp, Swedish blades, not the Chinese ones and wanted to know if getting the 8″ auger with the chisel tip will make a difference rather than just the two chipper blades. I got more fatigued with pushing down for a dozen holes than I would have if I had to lug the Cobra twice as far drilling the same number of holes. I’m running Amsoil Sabre 80:1 non ethanol mid grade with a snort of sea foam, just like I did with the Cobra, for what it’s worth. Thanks.

So you are running the 10″ bit? I have no issues with my 8″ lazer and 2.5 HP Solo. Make sure the blades are tight and the Shaft bolt is tight. I honestly see no need for a 10″ hole.

I have a 10″ bit that has the chisel bit in the center, but was using the older model 8″ without it. Again, I know the blades are sharp; is it just me that the heavier, older strikemaster cut so much nicer without having to lean on it, or do all of the newer ones need it or is it just me?

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I have a 10″ bit that has the chisel bit in the center, but was using the older model 8″ without it. Again, I know the blades are sharp; is it just me that the heavier, older strikemaster cut so much nicer without having to lean on it, or do all of the newer ones need it or is it just me?

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You shouldn’t need to apply any significant downward pressure when drilling with a Strikemaster auger when you have a good set of Lazer blades.

You shouldn’t need to lean on any power auger…. They cut from the weight of the powerhead and the angle of attack. It should actually almost pull the auger down as it drills.

Did you lean on it the first time you used it? You may have bent the blades out of whack….

I’ll have to take a closer look, but I’m sure I didn’t bend the blades…I only “leaned” into it with my shoulders at the start….I will need to look at the disconnect, I have the quick couplers on all three of my augers and there might be a little slop that might be causing some of the wobble. Thanks for the help.

Not that I don’t like solving my own problems, but if I did that all the time, I wouldn’t have any reason to be on this site ……The blades I have on the auger currently were bought way back in ’98 or so via Stikemaster’s exchange program and didn’t take them out of the padded envelope until last spring. No rust, but couldn’t and now can’t vouch for them being absolutely new out of the box. They FELT sharp but know that doesn’t mean that it’ll shave ice like it’s supposed to. So, having said that and knowing that a new set is around $48 or so, is it something that after so long everyone just ponies up for a new set or do they send them somewhere to be resharpened? If resharpened, where? Thanks,

The simple answer is, strikemaster blades don’t sharpen well, just replace them. It’s not uncommon to have blades that feel sharp, that simply won’t cut like they are supposed to.

Before I say the rest – I’ll qualify it and say I love strikemaster augers, but there are some longevity issues.

I’ll suggest you first get a new set of blades, try it again. I know in the last 10 years, I’ve done more than one thing that I’ve forgotten. If those blades you have are already worn, then all that you’ve experienced makes sense.

You not only should not “have to” lean into your SM auger, you should NOT do it, imho. Especially the 10″ bit. I feel the 10″ bit is easily thrown out off in the attack angle of the blades, and it’s common to end up with an auger that won’t cut until you replace the flighting. It’s like the angle gets thrown off just a little bit, and it’s no longer a good cutting auger regardless of blade sharpness.

One thing I’ve done to get a little more life off an auger bit is wedge a match book cardboard between the auger and the blade, just to give it a little more of an attack angle. Don’t go overboard, just the thickness of a single match book makes the auger extremely aggressive. If your flighting is out of tune, it will get it cutting again. If your flighting was not bent out of tune, you may need to bring a small army to hold on to that thing as it’s going to really attack the ice hard. It’s a last resort thing to try you may damage the bit by doing this. Don’t try it to experiment. Only try it when everthing else has failed and you’re ready to throw the bit away.

If you know you’ve bent the auger – you’re toast already. The 10″ bits are far from durable.

Be really careful borrowing out your auger. One 250-300 lb friend that is used to leaning into the auger can wreck it, imo. Let the auger do the cutting. The only force you need to apply is to hold it back a little before going through.

I don’t think the 8″ bits are nearly as picky.

I’m going to be really careful with my 2 new 10″ bits to see if I can get life. So far the 10″ flighting has been about 1000 holes and it’s done. Not just me.

That’s the reasons I have 2 new strikemasters. 2 new 10″ bits, I still have 1 old 10″ bit that is marginal, and an 8″ chipper that I will keep new so I have something to sell with the powerhead if these go bad as quickly as the last 4 flights have. At $200 a flight, I can’t see any logic in buying just the flighting. I purchased new units instead.

My SM hand auger blades all went to fish307 to get exchanged for sharp ones. They were as sharp as factory when I got them. I think it was $15 including shipping.

Thanks for the replies on sharpening. The new blades that were put on after the “sharp” ones came off were night and day different. Auger cut like it should and I’ll look into 307’s exchange.