Ion Alpha Auger Repair, Can we fix it?

[@zachchristensen1394]

Mine did this but started working again they sent me a new variable speed switch and battery great customer service top notch

[@funwithflandy]

I agree as frustrating as it was when it didn’t work the support I got from the first moment I called in was great

[@DOOBERtv]

Good on you for fixing that but id be demanding an entirely new power head. For how much these things cost they can manage that.

[@natan8704]

s there a bit of wobble where the auger attaches to the drill? I was looking at one at fleet farm yesterday and it seemed a little wobbly. Maybe the screw wasn't tight.

[@funwithflandy]

I don’t notice a wobble with it when I’m using it but to be fair after years of using a gas auger it feels pretty smooth compared to that. As far as a floor model at a store there is always a chance it’s not tightened up all the way or been banged around by a lot of people. Even with having to fix it I’ve been really happy with it

[@EastPointNecropolis]

Same thing happening to me after drilling about 20 holes or so. I’m guessing solder points were weak and broke loose. I took mine home and tried another warm fully charged battery on it and it immediately started to smoke. Contacted Ardisam (Ion) and they immediately shipped a new power head. So customer service is great. Only thing is I wont be able to put it to use again til next season since Ice is gone here in Ohio. So we’ll see if this one holds up next season

[@funwithflandy]

It really sucks you won't be able to get out again this year. We had rain here in MN this week so I have no idea if we have safe ice anymore and our fishing season ends on Feb 28th so my ice season is probably over as well. Hopefully next winter we can both get out more

[@Big.Nick.Thompson]

yes the alpha plus... cuts amazing... when it works!!.. friends didn't come with hardware for the battery guard... then 6 holes later the control board went out... then on mine the blade holder failed, was shipped a new part only to find the threads for the center spike were null and void in the new part. needless to say it cuts amazing...when it works!

[@funwithflandy]

I was just out fishing with my brother who has a G2 and he was surprised how much faster the alpha cuts and how much lighter it is with the composite auger so maybe it's kinda like having an exotic car super fast but extra work to keep it going. Sounds like your friend got one more hole than I did before the control board went out. Hopefully they got it switched out without any trouble. Thanks for checking out my video!

[@retirementrevolutionadvent7602]

HI, I just bought one from canadian tire (Canada) Calgary and it was on sale. Original price was 822 C$ . Eventually I got it for 150 C$ and it was stated that it it was missing a battery. I had some other batteries than ion and try to make it work but I could not. My opinion is that I have same issue as you do and this ion auger would not work for same reason. I will call Ion to check. What is your opinion on this matter. Thanks. Petar

[@funwithflandy]

If you know anyone that has an Ion maybe see if they will let you test it with their battery. Not sure if it matters but I always like to check as many things as I can before calling a company. That being said the customer service I received was fantastic and I got the impression they really wanted to help. I hope you get it running soon as that was a great price for it and they are great augers

[@mathisngo1786]

It happenned to me ! I have not been able to drill one hole! I went to my local store and they refunded me the ion... but I am still mad and wonder if i should still buy another one!

[@funwithflandy]

If you are still looking at getting an auger I would recommend getting an Ion still. Even with the problem I had the company made it right quickly and with the weird winter we have had in Minnesota there are some great deals out there. You could also check out the new Eskimo augers they are very similar and a little cheaper

[@mathisngo1786]

@@funwithflandy I bought another Milwaukee and a pistol bit (like I had before the Ion). It works really well. I have 3x 5ah batteries I will be good with that. I wouldn’t want to have to play in all those wires myself. I’m disappointed they don’t send you a new one or repair it themselves

[@funwithflandy]

@@mathisngo1786 I'm not going to lie to you I was very surprised when they said they would ship me out a new part to install myself. That being said I really didn't mind not getting a different one shipped to me since I know most companies that do replacements on electronic devices will only send you a remanufactured one and since this one only had about 10 minutes of run time on it everything else was brand new. As far as doing the swap myself I am guessing that is the policy because not everyone is close to a facility that can do the repair and this is the fastest way to get it back up and running for the customer. I'm sure I'm coming off as a bit of a Ion fanboy but this isn't the first auger that my family has owned that was made by Ion or their parent company and they have always served us well for over 35 years so they have earned my trust. Glad to hear you got something that works, hope you got out and caught some fish.

[@mattpee55]

Is it still working after the change? I did the same thing to a g2 last week. It has drilled about 60 holes and failed again.

[@funwithflandy]

I only was able to take it out a couple of times after I fixed it so maybe about 12-15 holes so far. Hasn't been any issues but not the biggest sample size. Getting a new job severely cut into my ice fishing time :-(

[@toddbunnett640]

Every winter multiple times I’m one mouse click away from committing to one of these ION augers then I stumble upon one of these videos…. Old trusty gas’s auger just keeps on ticking.

[@funwithflandy]

If it ain’t broke don’t fix it is an old saying for a reason but the flip side is changing out the control board wasn’t any more difficult than a normal carb cleaning and it was really nice to drill holes in my shack with the heater running when it was sub zero out. As long as you can get fishing it’s all good either way.

[@flhtc0383]

The same thing happened to me after just ONE hole drilled with a brand new Alpha 8 inch. Luckily a guy I met on the way out fishing loaned me his. So, not all was lost but it's dissapointing when you pay that kind of money and then have to do the repairs yourself. Customer service was very good, but I had to call ION back to have the video link they said they would send and did'nt.

[@funwithflandy]

Thankfully that guy was willing to help you out but still I understand the frustration, mine went out while I was trying to take my kids fishing and not being able to move when we weren't catching anything was beyond annoying

[@flhtc0383]

@@funwithflandy Replacing the wiring was a hastle and it did not fit in "tightly". Unfortunately the screws ended up stipping out so the casing it still loose. I need to find a way to back the screws out and get replacements. I drilled 6 holes yesterday in 2 feet of ice and it cut through them like butter.

[@funwithflandy]

I would reach back out to Ion about the screws I am hopeful that if they expect us to make repairs on these on our own that they would offer assistance when we run into common issues like screws stripping out. I know they have several service centers by where I live in Minnesota hopefully they have some near you and they can cover the cost of one of them helping you out with getting your auger back to the way it should be

[@walleyeye]

Wonder how ling that one will last.

[@funwithflandy]

I've taken it out a couple of times since the repair and it has worked as it should I hope that is the last of the problems with it but only time will tell, If something else happens I will be sure to post an update

[@nw3332]

this same thing just happend to me i just got my aplha 8 inch and used it one day drilled about 8 holes and now the light wont even turn on. brand new

[@funwithflandy]

That really sucks. The light still came on with mine and it made a faint clicking noise when I tried to use it. Depending on where you bought it they might replace it for you or reach out to customer service. I had the replacement parts in about a week so it was fairly quick. I hope you can get back on the ice soon

[@wcnmmgb]

damn, I was going to sell my strikemaster 40v for Alpha plus because of the lighter weight. Guess i will stick with my 40v then

[@boghammar1423]

Have you compared the strikemaster with the alpha plus? I’ve never seen them drill side by side.

[@funwithflandy]

@@boghammar1423 I don't know anyone with a strikemaster to compare the two, I will say that my alpha cuts very fast, we have had weird ice conditions this year with a hard crust, a layer of slush then the actual ice on a lot of lakes and when it was running it went through like butter. I've been walking out onto the ice this year since I don't trust it to drive on and the lighter weight of the plus has been really nice for that