Trying to decide between drill power or Strikemaster 40v

Hi All,
I’m pretty new around here but been a lurker for years I am trying to decide between drill powered auger or a strikemaster 40v. I am considering buying a Milwaukee M18 Fuel to run on my Clam plate. Specifically this model.

https://www.fleetfarm.com/detail/milwaukee-m18-fuel-1-2-in-lightweight-hammer-drill-driver-kit/0000000310455?Ntt=Milwaukee+brushless&_requestid=40551

The M18 drill with 5.0 batteries costs $300. Because of this I have also considered just biting the bullet and buying a Strikemaster 40 volt. The model I linked to is supposedly the third gen model M18. It had a few poor reviews which worried me.

For those of you running the M18, do you have any regrets? Do any of you wish you would have bought a strikemaster 40v instead? I have a crappy old Rigid brand drill on my clam plate now and it got me through last season but I came close to blowing it up a few times. My whole clam plate rig is so light which I really like, but admittedly the strikemaster is pretty sweet too. Thoughts and input from folks with real world experience is much appreciated. Thanks -Aaron

I have a KDrill and a M18 Fuel Brushless drill. I don’t have a clam plate and the drill works great chucked directly to the KDrill.

My justification for my setup was that I have plenty of use for the drill when I’m not using it with the auger and I have other M18 tools so I have several batteries and chargers.

I have buddies with Strikemaster 40 volt and Ion augers and they all work great.

If you already have a clam plate and a good quality auger to attach to it I’d lean towards the Milwaukee set up since you have the rest of that setup already.

Thanks, my auger is just a Mora 6 inch attached to the clam plate. Nothing fancy, but cuts well enough. I just Frankensteined the whole thing together last year on the cheap.

Best decision I have made for my ice fishing life!

If going the M18 route, wait until Black Friday’ish. Smoking deals including discounted prices WITH extra batteries. I believe both Northern Tool and ACME Tools had really goods deals.

Check the Fleet Farm October tool ad. They have $100 off of the brushless M18 Fuel hammer drill kit when you buy an accessory kit. With a screwdriver bit set I think I paid a little more than $230 out the door for a bit set and the drill, hard case, and two 5aH batteries which alone sell for $99.

I have the set up you are thinking of with the Clam Plate etc. I use a KDrill and I love it. Being an Iowa guy I don’t fish many places that I can drive on so I am always pulling my stuff and that means the LIGHTWEIGHT of this set up is very important. Like others said, since you already have the Clam Plate and auger, go with the drill set up. You can always use the drill in the off season.

Rick Janssen wrote:

I have the set up you are thinking of with the Clam Plate etc. I use a KDrill and I love it. Being an Iowa guy I don’t fish many places that I can drive on so I am always pulling my stuff and that means the LIGHTWEIGHT of this set up is very important. Like others said, since you already have the Clam Plate and auger, go with the drill set up. You can always use the drill in the off season.

I have the same setup and agree 100%.

IMHO it depends on how thick of ice your drilling, what species you intend to fish and how many holes your drilling. If your mainly going for panfish and only drilling 10 holes a day a cordless setup is all you may need.

I have the Strikemaster 40V and love it, but it’s a bit overkill for early ice panfish and 4″ of ice. I think a drill and the new Strikemaster Lite-Flite auger would be a nice addition. The new auger would also fit my 40V power head and weigh less.

Thanks for all the replies guys. I just came home from Fleet Farm with the M18. Hard to beat $100 off. If anybody else is interested in this deal it ends this Saturday.

You will like running the M18. For the last four years I’ve been running the M18 and 8″ K-Drill almost exclusively. I use the M18 from early ice to last ice. I still use it when we get 3 feet of ice in northern Minnesota. I have three 5ah batteries and one 9ah. I keep them in a little insulated bag. My fishing partners all run the same set up, so I am only drilling holes for myself. I use my four stroke Strikemaster when I want 10 inch holes in Canada. I am considering the electric Strikemaster to replace the gas auger for lake trout fishing.

I have a K-drill and an ionX and I’m selling ion this year. Love the k-drill and might buy another. I have the 8-inch with 2 Milwaukee batteries and I can get more than enough battery life for a weekend fishing.

I have the 6in K-Drill and M18 setup with 3 5A batteries. got this set up last season and its great. I have the ION X 8in as well for when I need a larger hole, but was so impressed with the K-Drill I was/am tempted to sell the ION X and get the 8in K-Drill. Havent decided yet

Anyone know how much lighter the lite-flute bit is than standard auger bit from strike master? I think the lite-flite only weighs five pounds?

8″ Lite-Flite with the blade guard and without the drive adapter
is 5 pounds 12 ounces.

I have a Milwaukee with a clam plate and an 8″ Lazer bit. I love this auger. I used it all year. I never cared how thick the ice was. I hole hop when I go. Average outing is 30-100 holes. I have 2 12.0 Batts that get 150+ holes each. I haven’t used a Strike master cordless yet, so I can’t compare.

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I’ve heard good things about both, I don’t think it really matters too much in the end, for the first couple years that I was ice fishing I just chopped my holes out with an axe.

Ahren Wagner wrote:

I just chopped my holes out with an axe.

Was it a gas, or battery powered axe?

Does anyone ever use DeWalt or is the Milwaukee just that superior?

lrott2003 wrote:

Does anyone ever use DeWalt or is the Milwaukee just that superior?

I use a Dewalt 996 on a 6″ K-drill and 8″ Nils. Works great.

I use the dewalts. It’s what I have for work. I turn a 9″ laser on a clam plate. Been fine for 2-3 years now.

I also use a Dewalt 996. I’ve seen far too many Milwaukee’s broken to go that route.

I told a friend not to go Milwaukee but he did anyhow. Lasted 2 months. Now he uses Dewalt with zero issues.

My other suggestion would be to use a strikemaster auger bit with your Dewalt 996. You will drill way faster and cleaner holes than a KDrill. In fact I bet a friend $100 on this and after last year I’m a $100 richer. Take this info for whats worth.

Anything is better than mixing gas like the olden days… (4yrs ago )

By the way I had a 40v and sold it. They have their place but I hole hop too much to lug the extra weight around.

Big advantages of using a drill instead of a dedicated powerhead:

1. Drill can be used year round for other projects

2. Drill is normally a bit lighter

3. Drill (with adapter tool) can be used to stake anchors in very quickly.

4. Drill battery can be used in a many other branded cordless tools so it’s easier to justify buying and carrying spare batteries.

Dewalt Guys. Maybe a stupid question but I am going to ask. I see Amazon has a hammerdrill and impact tool kit with two batteries with the 60V Flexvolt battery as one of the batteries. Is this battery going to work with these auger bits like the Lite Flight? I assume since it is 60V it would be fine but not sure if that Flexvolt is something that won’t work. I can get this kit now for $293 plus a Lite Flight is still cheaper than a 40V plus I like how light and portable this unit would be.

On that drill, I’m pretty sure it would still operate at 20v, it would just also work on the 60v dewalt tools. I don’t think they make a 60v dewalt hand drill, but I haven’t looked over all of the specs. Just make sure it is a heavy duty 3 speed.

2aforlife wrote:

My justification for my setup was that I have plenty of use for the drill when I’m not using it with the auger and I have other M18 tools so I have several batteries and chargers.

same. i have a fleet of milwaukee m18 products that all started with getting the drill/driver set to begin down this path.

Shawn U wrote:

If your mainly going for panfish and only drilling 10 holes a day a cordless setup is all you may need.

we probably average 50 holes an outing with depth averages of 8-20″ of ice. most of the time on a single 5.0ah battery or just getting into the 2nd battery.

jld wrote:

Dewalt Guys. Maybe a stupid question but I am going to ask. I see Amazon has a hammerdrill and impact tool kit with two batteries with the 60V Flexvolt battery as one of the batteries. Is this battery going to work with these auger bits like the Lite Flight? I assume since it is 60V it would be fine but not sure if that Flexvolt is something that won’t work. I can get this kit now for $293 plus a Lite Flight is still cheaper than a 40V plus I like how light and portable this unit would be.

yes. it will work and it will work well.

With the cordless drill set up do you opt for:

1. Getting some type of clam plate or attachment
2. I see Dewalt has like a handle you can attach for stabilizing
3. Just the drill itself and the auguer bit

I am looking to go this route and wondering what type of drill I should get. I am a Dewalt guy so leaning towards that. Do you have to have brushless I have talked to some that think you don’t necessarily have to have brushless.

You will want the best dewalt drill you can afford, i can usually find 995s on Ebay for around 80.

Joe Scegura wrote:

I also use a Dewalt 996. I’ve seen far too many Milwaukee’s broken to go that route.

I told a friend not to go Milwaukee but he did anyhow. Lasted 2 months. Now he uses Dewalt with zero issues.

My other suggestion would be to use a strikemaster auger bit with your Dewalt 996. You will drill way faster and cleaner holes than a KDrill. In fact I bet a friend $100 on this and after last year I’m a $100 richer. Take this info for whats worth.

Anything is better than mixing gas like the olden days… (4yrs ago )

By the way I had a 40v and sold it. They have their place but I hole hop too much to lug the extra weight around.

I’m on year 3 using the “new” Milwaukee Fuel and have had zero issues whatsoever or with any Milwaukee tools throughout my lifetime. I’m baffled as to how guys are “breaking” them or the handles. The handles are not there to put pressure on or use as a carrying handle. I fish 2 days a week all winter long and drill up to 2′ of ice without a single issue.

If it were me, I’d get the Dewalt or Milwaukee and not look back. They are lighter than the Strikemaster, take up less space, and the set-up gives you a tool you can use year-round all at a cheaper cost.