Features and tips for operating the Mora ice augers

Mora is a small Swedish town, known for true masters of their craft: knives made by them are famous and popular not only in Europe. In 1955, in addition to the usual kitchen and hunting accessories, the company of the same name, Mora, first released an ice screw with unusual spoon knives.

The unusual shape of the knife is not the only thing that fishermen paid attention to. The most striking visual difference is the reverse rotation of the drill and work with both hands while drilling. Already in the process of use, the fishermen noted the quality of the steel and the assembly of the tool, as well as its reliable and long service life.

For the manufacture of knives for ice screws, Swedish Mora uses mainly two types of steel.

1. Sandvik brand "12c27" - steel hardened with liquid nitrogen; hardness range 59-60 HRC - the highest level, while maintaining the fine structure of the carbide. Differs in the purity of the composition, that is, the absence of impurities.
2. Carbon Steel C - carbon steel, which is easier to sharpen, increases the strength of the blades, but due to the carbon content rusts faster and therefore requires more careful maintenance.

Another feature is the presence of two nodes when connecting parts of the drill: the telescopic extension allows people of different heights to drill ice of different thickness, and the folding unit provides compact transportation.

But more on that below. Now let's get acquainted with the ice screws of the named brand as a whole.

To decide on the purchase of a drill, let's analyze the models that are most often mentioned by sellers and buyers.

The entire lineup can be divided into the following groups:

• inexpensive drills for beginners;
• more expensive and technically difficult for amateurs and professionals;
• ice screws for winter sport fishing;
• elite Boers.

One of the simplest and most inexpensive options - ICE SPIRALEN... Flat knives force the hole to be drilled longer. But the model is very effective on multilayer and wet ice. Due to the presence of knives of different diameters (175 and 200 millimeters), it is possible to increase the diameter of the hole. An axial lock on the handle will make the drill more compact.

The tool is capable of drilling ice with a thickness of 95 cm. When folded, the length is up to 80 cm. In the working state, it is 150 cm, including the auger is 47–55 cm long.

It is possible to use an electric drill or screwdriver by means of an 18 mm adapter - adapter, as well as an extension of 31.5 cm. The color of the auger is blue.

In the same category ICE EASY. A distinctive feature is the absence of a folding unit... This option will allow beginners to handle the model more freely without fear of damaging it at the fold. There is an extension cord. The technical characteristics are similar to the previous drill. Weight approx. 3 kg. The color is also blue.

The category "professional anglers" is represented by the model for thin ice (up to 85 cm) ICE MICRO... When folded, it is 53 cm long and can fit in a backpack. In use - up to 137 cm (the extension cord can be fixed four times and lengthened up to 46 cm). The auger length is 34 cm. All this makes the drill lightweight - 2.2–3.2 kg, depending on the modification. Spherical knives of several diameters: 110, 130, 150, 200 mm. The color of the auger is red.

For professionals, there is the ICE ARCTIC modelused in cold winters on thick ice cover of a pond.The 80cm auger is capable of drilling ice up to 1.6m thick. The foldable handle, combined with the extension, increases the ability to drill 2m ice and beyond. When folded, the drill has a length of 114 cm. There are 3 modifications according to the size of spherical knives: 110, 130, 150 mm. Weight - from 3.4 to 4.2 kg. The color of the auger is yellow.

Mora ICE Expert has served for anglers-sportsmen for a long time. Now its place has been taken by a more modern ICE Expert Pro... The model is equipped not only with a folding, but also with a telescopic handle.

Auger length - 48–58 cm. Maximum ice thickness - 120 cm. It has four modifications, as in ICE MICRO, but with modernized spherical blades to increase ROP. A 31 cm extension can be purchased separately, but plastic sheaths for knives are included. The color of the auger is green.

The speed of drilling holes and their number for a certain time are fundamental indicators for sport fishing. That is why they are appreciated motorized ice screws. Among the Mora, this is, for example, ICE S-140 (Solo 3.0hp)... Light weight, quiet 3 hp engine. with. and a capacious 0.68 liter tank. Weight - 9.5 kg. Can be purchased separately or complete with auger. The color of the auger is black.

The newest in the lineup - Mora Nova System... It is positioned as a construction set for fishermen, since you can buy its individual elements and assemble the ice screw you need.

In the manual version, the drill is 10% lighter than other models. The main feature is the removable cutting head made of composite materials. The possibility of replacing the elements allows you to save money: it is enough to buy removable heads of a diameter different from the size of the ice screw, so as not to buy another auger or auger. Head diameters: 110, 130, 160 mm.

The auger is 42–80 cm long, and the drill in working order is 130–175 cm. Weight - 2.3–3.45 kg. The maximum ice thickness is 90–120 cm.

Replaceable spherical knives can be standard universal, high-speed or for motor-drills. The drill can be extended by 30 cm with an extension. You can purchase a 22 mm Mora 21141 adapter for upgrading to a motor drill.

The color of the auger is white. Handle color - light green.

The choice of a knife for an ice screw depends on the type of ice: dry ice is drilled with straight blades at not too low temperatures. They are the most common for Russian drills, used for about half a century. For other types of ice, use:

• stepped knives with two straight cutting edges for strong ice on a frosty day;
• triangular bladeswith three cutting edges are used on melting loose spring ice (a rare commodity in fishing shops);

• serrated blades also not yet widely popular with fishermen; designed for softer ice;
• spherical rounded nozzles called universal: suitable for dry and wet loose ice, require minimal physical effort from anglers.

Most models of Swedish ice augers have spherical knives, less often flat ones.

Experienced fishermen have developed their own rules for the selection of knives for augers.

• The dimensions of the augers with blades must be suitable for the fishing conditions: it makes no sense to use a small auger for drilling a hole with a large diameter.
• When buying, carefully read the certificates: the country of origin of Mora is Sweden, but not the Asian countries. Poor quality steel of the blades is a waste of money.
• The inability to predict the type of ice before fishing is the reason to use more universal - spherical knives instead of straight knives.
• A set of Mora blades cannot be cheap (in the prices of the current year, it is no less than 1,500 rubles).
• When buying blades, take care of their safety during transportation - do not forget to buy covers. This will also protect the angler himself from accidental injury.

Absolutely all anglers who use ice screws with spherical knives of the named brand say that such blades are very difficult to sharpen at home.

This changes the working capabilities of the tool. This can be achieved by installing different washers or spacers under the blades. But if the knives are dull, then no tricks will help drill ice without any problems.

The easiest way to keep your instrument in order is constantly update knives... But since their cost reaches 40% of the cost of the entire drill, many try to sharpen the blades on their own. The problem is that spherical knives, in addition to fine sandpaper, need a curved surface. A jar is often used for this.

But professional fishermen offer the following way to sharpen spherical knives.

• Sharpen the blade to the factory angle (plus 1–2 degrees) using the "Efim" grinder.
• To do this, use a narrow diamond, half-inch Boride abrasive stones, rounded stones.
• Remove the burr by hand on the 5 micron stone while keeping the blade almost parallel to the stone while working on the grain.
• Walk the cart again, finish at 10 microns.
• Remove the burr from the back with a thin stone.
• The correctness of sharpening is checked by cutting the newsprint. The newspaper should be cut, not torn.

The rules of safe operation (general instructions for ice augers) will be useful for novice winter fishing enthusiasts.

• In order not to knock down the factory settings, do not reinstall the knives immediately after purchase.
• After drilling, the drill is screwed into the ice in an upright position, this will remove water from the blades.
• It is not recommended to knock ice off the auger.
• Attempts to clean the knives by hitting the ice lead to their deformation.

• Drilling holes near the shore or near the bottom will result in a loss of cutting performance on the blades. A spare set of blades will save the day.
• During transportation, a cover is put on each knife.
• Blades are replaced according to the rules for working with cutting tools.
• To make the ice screw really safe, you should not buy "non-native" blades, check certificates upon purchase and beware of unscrupulous suppliers.

Every amateur and professional has their own favorite tools, devices, gadgets, equipment. Many are afraid that over time they will not be able to find spare parts for their drills. But winter fishermen are surprised and pleased to note that the Mora company, taking care of its customers and its name, produces knives even for those Boers that were discontinued in the 90s of the last century.

See a detailed review of the MORA ICE EASY 150mm ice screw in the next video.