Augers, Power or manual.

Manual 6" is much much easier to work with than 8 ". It is also much lighter. When walking especially in slush or snow every pound counts:-)

I would go with a 6in hand then when ice gets thicker buy a good 20volt cordless drill on sale and adapter plate by rapala. I have the strike master rechargeable it's not worth the powder to blow it into next week . DO NOT buy strike master unless you like meeting new people as your asking to borrow their ice auger because yours has let you down again .

Remember when your finished drilling don't bang the blades back down on the ice . Even once can destroy the blades . And always buy new blades trying to sharpen them is a waist of time .

If you go manual, keep in mind a 8 inch hole is almost twice the area of a 6 inch hole.

I went for the drill adapter for this season

if you go manual go with 6" fin-bore

8" takes a lot more effort, fin-bore is much better than swede-bore

manual 8" swede-bore on thicker ice is a real workout

Gas ones are faster and of course give you the best hole. But if you plan on walking onto the ice you will have to carry it, you have to ensure its running every year, engine issues, most of the good ones are more than a couple hundred bucks and for the short months just stick to a manual ones. There cost is simple and fare, there easy to use and the weigh next to nothing compared to a gas one.

6 inch is a good sized hole 8 inches defiantly take to much effort.

Best hand auger in my opinion is the Nils USA. I’ve had the 8” for a couple of years now and it is impressive. From what I understand though, the Fin-Bore III is quite a unit as well and a little less money. I had a buddy make me an adaptor for my DeWalt drill, can get around 12-15 holes on one battery with the Nils. There is one model called the Nils Convertible that is drill ready.

Gas augers are great when they start. A manual auger with decent blades will be more reliable. I sold a top of the line gas Jiffy last year....never again.

If you do projects at home and can see the use of a good drill with house work or your job. Get the drill adapter and use that. The drill will ring you up as much as a gas auger but like I said... if you going to need the drill anyways for house work do it. Make sure you pick up a good high torch drill will the bigger battery. I have been trying to source out a Milwaukee 18M fuel with the 9.0 battery. I don't do house work as I am not a handy man so pulling the trigger to buy one has been difficult. Trying to convince myself that I need this drill for something other then ice fishing and it is not working out.

Drill + battery will ring you up about $400. The adapter at regular price is $80. As long as you buying the drill for another purpose it will not hurt as much! Lol 😂

I use an 8" swede bore and love it. As long as the blades are in good shape it works well enough, packs light and required very little maintenance. I set my pop-up shelter with three holes inside and a few around for tip-ups without getting too tired. On days when you have to drill 40plus holes, it's pretty exhausting. I like manual now, and don't mind the exercise.

That said, if I was older, richer, had back problems, or lived up north, Id go for a powered auger for sure.

If you buy the Nils power auger it also comes with a handle so you can handbomb early ice or if something goes wrong such as running out of gas which is all that may ever happen with the tanaka power head .

TD

I think it really depends on the fish you are targeting also. If you are mostly fishing for pan fish (perch, crappie, gills) then a 6" is fine.
I only used a 8" manual for many years, then bought a 6". manual about 3yrs. ago. I bought a 8" power this year.
The 8" has a surface area of approx. 50 sq/in., the 6" has a surface area of approx. 28 sq/in. When the ice is thick the effort needed on the 8" manual is substantial if you plan on drilling lots of holes.
I prefer to target panfish these days, Crappie are my fish of choice for taste and entertainment value due to volume of fish you can catch in a day. I only bought the power auger because the deal was to good to pass up.

If you're going to save money and buy a hand auger. Buy one in the 4 inch to 6 inch max. Anything bigger and you have to be Yukon Eric to drill even one hole. Save your money and save up for a propane auger. You won't regret it. They starts on the coldest days and the bonus is you never end up smelling like a gas can at the end of the day.

It takes about 20 to 25 seconds to get through a foot of ice even quicker if your experienced at it... Slow and steady not forcing the blades to much is the way to go. 15 holes can be drilled comfortably in a day in my opinion...I have an eight inch manual and it really is no problem but I could see if I had to drill five holes at once then there might be an issue..lol .. When the ice is really thick it changes my game plan
where I move less and pray harder..
Curved blades are the way to go in any manual auger..
... Good luck and be safe out there..

Thank you all for the help and advice. I went with the 6" Fin Bore for this year. I am going to buy the drill attachment if it becomes more difficult later in the season. Now need some ice. Hoping to get to simcoe sooner tether then later. If I go to cooks bay where is a good place to park and walk out?