Ion auger at Costco

I saw a pallet of ion augers at Maplewood Costco 1/5 for $630. I didn’t look close as to what version they were – just though I would mention it if someone was looking. It does not appear on the Costco website.

Lol, i live 2 blocks from there. Guess i know where I’m going tomorrow…

Good price if they are Gen 2’s. I just received my new Gen 1 battery this morning. I replaced the original with the 5 amp version. The original lasted me about 4 years and just died last weekend.

Saw the same thing. They are indeed the Gen 2.

I cant wait to hear how they compare to the Strikemaster 40v which has been the benchmark heavy duty electric for a few years now. Hopefully they all continuously raise the bar.

suzuki wrote:

I cant wait to hear how they compare to the Strikemaster 40v which has been the benchmark heavy duty electric for a few years now. Hopefully they all continuously raise the bar.

I have no experience with the ION but have no doubt it’s a good one.

And at that price point it should be better than a SM 40V (in theory). $120 more unless you get the Costco deal which puts it at $80 more for an 8″ auger.

Just stopped in. It’s the g2 6ah for $630. Looks like a decent deal if you’re in the market

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Serious question. Is $630 really a deal. I haven’t looked at them lately. What is regular price on them. I guess my drill set up is looking more and more like a better value.

From what I’ve seen they are normally $750 with the 6ah battery, so save $120 get additional rewards with costco.

Also, i completely agree, insane money, but, people buy them i guess! I’ll stick with my gas auger for a few more decades

Just for reference my replacement battery was $179 and that was the best deal I could find online. Some were selling them for $199. G1 5A.

OMG. I just did a random internet search on old ion’s and it pulled up an ion post from IDO that include input from me. It was from 2016!
Apparently I bought mine in 2015 so I was on my 6th season with the original battery before it pooped.
I’ve done nothing with my blades yet. Not bad.

They’re the real deal.

Just as fast as the SM 40V

A LOT Lighter than the SM 40V

More capacity than the SM 40V

The only downfall has been the price tag.

There’s a good video on YouTube comparing the SM 40V, G2 Ion, and Electric Jiffy.

That was an outstanding review. Thanks!!!!

I can tell you this much…
I had an Ion X since Dec. of 2016, This was the new cast aluminum cutting head.
Out of the box I was having issues with the cutting head, it would randomly get shavings built up behind the blade while drilling a hole. You could tell as it was happening as the auger would grab less and less till so many shavings were froze behind the blade that the blade could no longer contact the ice. Sometimes it was on my first hole sometimes it would happen on my 20th hole, you never knew when it was going to happen.
I contacted Ion the next year on it and they sent me a box to return my auger bit to them. They in return sent me a new bit with a new “coating” on the cast aluminum head. BUT… same issues.

Fast forward to Dec. 2020… I noticed they had a new plastic head on their auger. I contacted Ion Customer service to see if the new plastic head had the same bolt pattern as the cast aluminum and if so I would like to holder the plastic blade holder head.

I kid you not, within minutes Ion was sending me a completely new auger…
I had to destroy my existing auger and send pics, I was really surprised how much effort it took to create this carnage.

On 2 occasions their CS responded greatly and IMHO went WAY above and beyond any of my initial expectations. Great customer retention.

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Geez Mark that’s good to hear but that pic is nightmare fuel!

I owned the 1st gen model for 6 years and now own the G2, the G2 is a BEAST!! I love it!

Ardisam customer service is awesome!

I feel a rebound in the gas auger market is near. Unless of course they lower the price point which is very plausible. I thought they were all around $500….oops? My 4 stroke honda lite will be cutting holes for me another 10 years and i just pour gas in it.

Ripjiggen wrote:

Serious question. Is $630 really a deal. I haven’t looked at them lately. What is regular price on them. I guess my drill set up is looking more and more like a better value.

I feel the same way. My 106 dollar lite flite bit is way better of a deal then I thought.

eyeguy507 wrote:

I feel a rebound in the gas auger market is near. Unless of course they lower the price point which is very plausible. I thought they were all around $500….oops? My 4 stroke honda lite will be cutting holes for me another 10 years and i just pour gas in it.

I don’t.

Only problem with this test is the thin ice conditions. Try the 3 different units side by side in 16 plus inches of ice and you will see real results. Then make your decision on the best value and performance machine. And please do the same test with a 10″ auger instead of 8″ to see the real difference, oh and don’t forget actual hole count as well from full battery to fully discharged. Have fun….

Ripjiggen wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>eyeguy507 wrote:</div>
I feel a rebound in the gas auger market is near. Unless of course they lower the price point which is very plausible. I thought they were all around $500….oops? My 4 stroke honda lite will be cutting holes for me another 10 years and i just pour gas in it.

I don’t.

Incandescent light bulbs … land line phones …. drills with cords, too! LOL