Hand Auger

I am thinking about purchasing a hand auger. I was wondering how well a hand auger works. I don't want to spend 45 minutes drilling through 12 inches of Ice. Is a hand auger worth it, or should I just splurge and get a gas or electric powered one?

Don't forget the propane ones as well...
If the blades are sharp and you learn the technique you should be able to cut thru and inch a second... Over 12 inches of ice then it may take longer... I have a FinnBore3 with curved cutting blades and it cuts so easy....I used to have the straight blade auger but it didn't cut nearly as easy as the curved blade augers I own do.
I usually don't drill a lot of holes so a manual one for me is fine. If I moved and drilled a lot of holes the the power one might be better...
Cheers FM/Dave..

get both. early ice and late ice hand auger is great as light to carry but when the ice thickens the extra weight is traded off to easy of cutting.
I like to fish through a 3 hole triangle 2 for the lines one for the transducer so when the ice is 6 inches or less I'm cutting only to 18" when there is a foot cutting through 3 feet and that's for only 1 set up can see where the machine comes in handy

If you are going to the manual the 6 inch is better . Even the big fat Lakers will scweeze through the 6. If your not going to drill a lot of holes the 8 would work.

I cut a lot of holes so I stick with the 6 easier to cut and the blades last twice as long.

I love my hand auger up to about 12". I have an 8" blade, cuts like a hot knife through butter. Anything after 12", I pull out the jiffy.

Can't stress how important it is to take care of your blades and cover them after every use. Bad blades + hand auger = hard work and sweat. Sweat=Cold. Cold=Short day/miserable day.

DH - You have to agree with both fishfood and glfpro. A 6" hand auger is much easier to do the deed. If you need a larger hole (?), simply cut a second one beside the first and chip out the middle. Up to that 12" of ice, the hand auger is all you need (given some youth, health, etc.). Mid-season the 8" power auger is really nice for all of the reasons suggested (ease, mobility, lazy friends...). The power choice is yours to match with - personal preference/experience.
Some of the more "experienced" anglers will agree that we all made due in our day with a hand auger. As another character builder,.... An 8" Swede Bore, dull blades, 24+ inches of ice, and then to hit mud! Build my character! "CRUSTY!"
Lastly. Look after it and don't lend it. Tears will freezing on your cheeks as you watch your buddies pound your hand auger on the ice to "get the hole started"!!!!

Another thing to think of is transportation I'm a walker so the lighter the better. Would not want to pull around another 20 pounds Just for a faster hole

X2

x3

Go with a 6" FinnBore 3, and treat it like gold. Cuts like butter.

hand augers are fine just dont get a 8 inch. It seems like a small step up in size, but there is actually twice the surface area in an 8 inch circle than a 6 inch.

Get a hand auger then you can get a drill kit when you have money or there are sales.

8 inch finbore. (Drilling two 6 inch holes and chopping between them is no way easier or faster than just having an 8") You Just need to learn how to rotate both hands around the auger axis at the same time. It's awkward the first time you use it. Once you have that feel, it cuts fast! After watching buddies try and use mine, and cranking around only the bottom handle(like a swede-bore), with the auger twisting around on an angle and struggling, I started just drilling everyone's holes with my auger...problem is now it's become a lot more work, and so I bought a power auger. For one or two people no matter ice thickness...my 8" finbore-III is awesome.

Thank you everyone for your advice. I greatly appreciate it. I think I will purchase the 6" auger.

Also like the finnbore auger. The hand augers with the curved cutters seem to work better in my opinion.

6” Finnbore all the way. Had one for yrs. not sharpened yet and still cuts amazingly well.

X4 Finnbore3 6"