A love hate relationship

[PACMEN]

Drug out ice fishing stuff the other day and this conundrum presented itself again as the guard lay all skiwampus with the blade threatening to slice open anything even remotely close to it.

I absolutely love our 8" nils auger.
I absolutely hate the blade guard.

Have any of you figured out a way to make it work better or something else?
The best thing I have found is using the guard off of the Strikemaster but that leaves it without a guard.
I have seen and tried the magnet idea but it did not work for me.

[hookngrinin]

Drug out ice fishing stuff the other day and this conundrum presented itself again as the guard lay all skiwampus with the blade threatening to slice open anything even remotely close to it.

I absolutely love our 8" nils auger.
I absolutely hate the blade guard.

Have any of you figured out a way to make it work better or something else?
The best thing I have found is using the guard off of the Strikemaster but that leaves it without a guard.
I have seen and tried the magnet idea but it did not work for me.

If it were me, I would just buy another Strikemaster guard for the Nils auger. I bought one last year to replace a broken one. The one I bought has the stretchy rubber strap instead of the plastic tab. The plastic tab is what broke on the original Strikemaster guard.

[PACMEN]

Drug out ice fishing stuff the other day and this conundrum presented itself again as the guard lay all skiwampus with the blade threatening to slice open anything even remotely close to it.

I absolutely love our 8" nils auger.
I absolutely hate the blade guard.

Have any of you figured out a way to make it work better or something else?
The best thing I have found is using the guard off of the Strikemaster but that leaves it without a guard.
I have seen and tried the magnet idea but it did not work for me.

If it were me, I would just buy another Strikemaster guard for the Nils auger. I bought one last year to replace a broken one. The one I bought has the stretchy rubber strap instead of the plastic tab. The plastic tab is what broke on the original Strikemaster guard.

I have thought of that but I am about as tight as a hangmans noose.  I keep thinking "there has to be a better way".

[nofish2]

I got a stikemaster cover off amazon for my nills,  much cheaper than a ER vist to get stitched up after grabing a hand full of blades.

[Muskyon46]

The yellow cold snap cover made for nils is the best option you can find. The bad part is only marine general sells them. Best decision I ever made for my nils though. Love it

[joatmon]

I believe my brother Craig/catchinon uses an old ice cream bucket and a bungee cord on his. I still have the stock cover on mine, but see it already getting to be a problem. I did find a zip up bag I can keep the auger in though (mostly kinda fits)...

May have to look into the snap cover.

[PACMEN]

The yellow cold snap cover made for nils is the best option you can find. The bad part is only marine general sells them. Best decision I ever made for my nils though. Love it

I'm gonna look this one up.

---

I got a stikemaster cover off amazon for my nills,  much cheaper than a ER vist to get stitched up after grabing a hand full of blades.

Got a story bout that.

3" long 1 1/2" inches deep angular cut on left hand. Fish Lake South East shoreline.  Walked all the way back and the truck no startee, Getting dark.  3 guys pull up looking out at lake.  I charge over and ask for help.  They are staying in a cabin.  One gets dropped off at cabin the other two drive me to Richfield hospital.  The doc. was a renta doc. from University hospital.  He must have been a plastic surgeon cause all I have a line in the heel of my hand and up onto my wrist. No scar and 100% use of my hand.
Am I ever grateful to them for the help. We are a brotherhood and it pays to do fer others. I was in real trouble.

[Freakyfisherman]

I replaced my Nils with a k-drill. That was one of the reasons was the poor guard for the blade. Another one was I don't like being sweaty from drilling holes, have to take off my jacket, and then it freezes from the sweat. My two cents..
Gabe

[r2u2]

Packman, What Joatman said. The ice cream bucket idea works great.  First you get to eat the ice cream (your choice). I put two one gallon buckets together without the bails. I drilled two holes on the edge of the auger, opposite sides near the bottom (not the blade) just large enough to pass the hook of a small bungee cord (wire size). The other end of the bungee fits into the bale portion of the bucket. I have been using this method for several years, it works good.

rj

[PACMEN]

Packman, What Joatman said. The ice cream bucket idea works great.  First you get to eat the ice cream (your choice). I put two one gallon buckets together without the bails. I drilled two holes on the edge of the auger, opposite sides near the bottom (not the blade) just large enough to pass the hook of a small bungee cord (wire size). The other end of the bungee fits into the bale portion of the bucket. I have been using this method for several years, it works good.

rj

If I am following your idea you drilled holes in the flights above the cutter head for the bungee hooks. Is this correct?

I like this idea as well as the bonus of ice cream. Or is it the other way around? The bonus of the ice cream is the buckets.

[Crimson]

Drug out ice fishing stuff the other day and this conundrum presented itself again as the guard lay all skiwampus with the blade threatening to slice open anything even remotely close to it.

I absolutely love our 8" nils auger.
I absolutely hate the blade guard.

Have any of you figured out a way to make it work better or something else?
The best thing I have found is using the guard off of the Strikemaster but that leaves it without a guard.
I have seen and tried the magnet idea but it did not work for me.

Plus 3 on the using a container to fully cover the blade.  I use a folgers coffee 25 oz. container for my Nils 6 inch and 4 inch diameter blades.  I drill a few small holes around the top of the container opening for bungee cord hooks that I hold the cover over the blade with.  

 But I also put the old guard on first as a double safety effort.  Never-the-less the Nils sharp blades scare me and I am very very careful covering and uncovering the blades, and using the auger.

[r2u2]

Packman, What Joatman said. The ice cream bucket idea works great.  First you get to eat the ice cream (your choice). I put two one gallon buckets together without the bails. I drilled two holes on the edge of the auger, opposite sides near the bottom (not the blade) just large enough to pass the hook of a small bungee cord (wire size). The other end of the bungee fits into the bale portion of the bucket. I have been using this method for several years, it works good.

rj

If I am following your idea you drilled holes in the flights above the cutter head for the bungee hooks. Is this correct?

I like this idea as well as the bonus of ice cream. Or is it the other way around? The bonus of the ice cream is the buckets.

That is correct

[Jig-fisher]

I've had my 8" nils for several years now and have not had any issues with the guard. Maybe I got lucky with my cover.  I do have to position it right over the blades but the double bungee strap fits the cover snugly over the blades.  It is the yellow cover. 

I bought the adapter to convert it to use my lithium ion hammer drill instead of the manual handle.  It really punches through the ice fast now.

[PACMEN]

I also use a cordless drill on our 8" nils. There is no way I will go back to drilling holes by hand.
I made the adapter myself so there was no cost at all for it.

[RockyRaab2]

I used a Folgers plastic can and bungees, also. Not on a Nils, but that's irrelevant.

[fast_randy]

Thanks guys for all these ideas. I have a 8" nils hand, and a 6" nils that I use a drill with. And I have sliced the bag on my jawjacker open with it. But I mainly have to be careful of my dog Dakota and be sure to never leave the cover off. I've never liked the Nils covers.

[SkunkedAgain]

I sold my Nils to Craig after I cut holes through my new bibs and my shelter cover... Those blades are so sharp they are dangerous... I use a laser hand auger with a drill insert adapter now, doesn't cut near as fast and nice as the Nils, but no new holes in my gear and it has a cover that fits and stays on. Nils really blew that part of their design, however I agree with Matt the Cold Snap cover is a very good replacement option, I should have gotten one and I probably would have kept the auger... but the laser works great as long as you don't let ice freeze on the cutting edge.. Later Jeff

[catchinon]

Following the KISS principle I just leave the handle on the ice cream bucket and use a longish bungee to go up to the other end of the drill. Cheap and easy, which is usually a good thing, except in relationships ;-). The buckets will eventually deteriorate where the blades rub but you will just have to buy more ice cream. I recommend Burnt Almond Fudge, the cheap kind at Macey's. If you lose the bungee in the snow while out fishing, the bucket stays on fairly well without it. And it never hurts to take a spare bungee on your sled anyway. Or you might get one from a companion (thanks 2knots). If I were you I would try this and see if it works for you before laying out more money for a boughten one.