Question about those cheap post hole digger augers

Bought a $90 auger bit online for my skid steer, said it was for rocky soil. Snapped the flighting clean off on the third post hole in my own clay-heavy yard. Lost a full morning's work and the cost of the part. Anyone have a brand that actually holds up?

4 comments

4 Comments

betty_kelly91mo ago

You get what you pay for, that's just how it works. A skid steer puts out crazy force and a cheap bit can't handle it. My cousin runs a rental place and he only buys the expensive commercial grade stuff. Those bits last for years even in bad ground. Blaming the tool ignores the power of the machine you're putting it on.

max_torres441mo ago

So every cheap bit just snaps right off?

miles_hall27d ago

Betty's cousin at the rental place has it right. That commercial grade steel is a totally different animal. A cheap bit is basically hardened chalk, it'll shatter the second you hit a real rock or catch an edge. You're not just paying for the name, you're paying for the way the metal is treated so it bends a little instead of snapping. It's a safety thing too, flying metal is no joke.

lee8471mo ago

Betty's cousin has the right idea, go commercial or go home.