16″ x 4″ Upgraded Auger Drill Bit with Sharp Thickended Blades and Tungsten Steel Cemented Carbide – Ice Augers for Ice Fishing Intensive Blades for Planting for 3/8″ Hex Drive Drill
$ 8.69
- I didn’t even know you could buy stuff like this for a home drill until a couple of months ago. My dad supplied me with two that looked dubious, more like cement or paint mixers than augers, but he insisted they’d work. I cranked them tightly into my trusty drill, had at it on the red clay of my previously unlandscaped yard, and… major fail. They bounced off the soil, didn’t manage to penetrate it.But that made me think there were legitimate versions out there, which led to an online search, which led right here. I purchased a few different sizes and types, not sure what I’d really need; this was the first one I tried, and quite honestly, I don’t need to try anything else!Of note: my battery powered 20V regular drill did not really grip this thing all that well, and it didn’t feel safe using it with that. I had to upgrade to a hammer drill, still battery powered, and then we got somewhere. The hammer drill chuck still loosened a touch with use, but I could retighten it easily. I had to put it on hammer mode, not on drill mode, to make it work properly; that’s the key difference.This auger is sharp, and it throws and pulverizes even the red clay so nicely that it was no problem after using it to mix in my compost/manure blend to amend the soil. I contrast this with the eleven hand-dug holes I had done prior to the arrival of my new drill, and… night and day.First day with this thing, I used it to plant sixteen peony bulbs without breaking a sweat. In red clay dirt that has never been gardened and has no topsoil, but was just tilled for the first six inches. I didn’t just drill a 4 inch hole; I widened it with the auger as well, because I was trying to give the roots a fighting chance against the clay. It was child’s play with this thing and the hammer drill (use the 90 degree handle, btw, or the torque it puts out could injure your wrist, believe me).Then I had six more roses to plant the next day. Much bigger holes, bare-root plants… I wanted about 12 inches across and 8 inches deep. And this time, I was tired from the day before (the manual digging part, not the use of the tool), and I didn’t want to have to till on the slope again, because that was a pain. So, I decided to try the auger without tilling first, straight into hard/rocky red clay. I just made a first hole with this auger, then started making more around that to get my rough width, and then went back for more depth. I don’t mix the compost in with this; it throws the dirt up and around and would waste it. For that, a fork or a hand tiller is perfect; this auger breaks up the soil so much, as I said, that mixing is really satisfying afterward. I use the hand tiller to drag in and break up clay around the edge of the hole, as well as to get a bit deeper as I’m mixing, but all the hard work is done by the auger first.Six holes of that size, plus another eight peonies, done in about two hours and twenty minutes, including planting, watering, and mulch! Considering I was still sore from digging all those holes the day before, this was a godsend.I think the specific traits that make this auger worth getting, if you have hard red clay soil especially, are the following: pointy tip instead of blunt to help you center and get started, sharp/thin edged starter blades (but they still threw up the rocks, no problem), and the generous 4 inch diameter with 16 inch length.I was bummed that all the augers I was seeing for drills were so short/not very wide, but when I think of what this was like to use with that hammer drill, I realize any bigger a diameter would be risky with that tool, and longer length just gives it more risk of breaking along the shaft from all that torque. This is a great find, and I’m no longer dreading planting all the shrubs I’ve accumulated for the brand new landscape, around 250 feet in length and on a slope, all red clay. I think my hand digging days are done; if nothing else, I’d start with this little guy, go as far as I can, and then augment with shovel or post-digger and the hand tiller.Safety notes: WEAR EYE PROTECTION. WEAR LONG BOOTS. Seriously. This thing throws up rocks and dirt like they’re meant to fly. I had to remind myself to keep my mouth closed while I worked, so I didn’t have to taste clay. Also, USE THE 90 DEGREE HANDLE WITH THE HAMMER DRILL. That’s why it’s there; holding the drill with one hand to operate it with something like this risks a really bad wrist sprain or even a fracture from the torque, and there goes your gardening season. USE VARIABLE PRESSURE ON THE TRIGGER. It is hard not to just go full speed, but I think it gives you better control and throws the dirt less far away if you need it for mixing back in.Anyway, this thing is wonderful, and if mine punks out eventually, with all I’m asking of it, I’d get another of the same. The paint on the chuck end started peeling immediately, so I was bummed at first, but with how well it digs, I really don’t care now!!! Hopefully it won’t rust, but even if it does a bit, I’ll deal with it. The business end doesn’t have any significant paint flaking or chipping despite all the rocks I encountered, so I’m not sure why the hex end flaked almost immediately when I tried it in a chuck… again, small issue that wasn’t even worth knocking off a star, when I look at how well this thing worked for me.Of note, I’m a disabled woman with not the best hand strength or endurance, and with some unpleasant carpal tunnel syndrome in my dominant hand. This thing made it possible for all the things I bought on my nursery bender to go into the ground before I dropped from exhaustion. Still have another 150 feet of slope to landscape, and I’m okay with that now!
