- Boring through ice is continuous heavy work, so the drill needs high torque at low speed: the LEIYU XLY-21-13C is a brushless drill with 160 N·m maximum torque, a 13 mm chuck, two speeds and reverse.
- The ice auger connects through an adapter clamped in the 13 mm chuck; check the chuck every so often and tighten it if it has loosened.
- Charge drops fast in the cold: the XLY-21-13C comes with two 6.0 Ah batteries; keep the spare inside your jacket or in an insulated bag and swap them in turn.
- If the auger jams in the ice, release the trigger first and back it out in reverse; do not force it.
- The ice-fishing season in Central Asia runs from November to March, busiest in December and January; fishing shops should have stock by late October or early November.
How is an ice auger drill different from an ordinary drill?
Boring a hole in ice means an auger 110 to 150 mm across cutting through tens of centimetres of ice in one go, with far more resistance than drilling wood or driving screws; the thicker the ice and the duller the blades, the harder it gets. An ordinary drill copes with the odd hole, but an ice auger drill has to bore a dozen or several dozen holes in a morning without overheating. So check three things: torque, the low gear and the batteries.
The XLY-21-13C is a brushless drill with 160 N·m maximum torque; a brushless motor works longer on the same battery and runs cooler. It has two speeds; use the low gear on ice for more torque. It also takes ordinary bits for drilling and driving screws, so it stays useful outside winter.
How much torque is needed?
The larger the auger, the thicker the ice and the duller the blades, the more torque is needed. Auger makers usually do not give one universal figure, so go by the auger's instructions. With a drill that lacks torque, anglers often fit a reduction gearbox between the drill and the auger to multiply the torque, at the cost of lower speed.
The XLY-21-13C has 160 N·m maximum torque. If you are unsure whether that is enough, send us your customers' auger diameter and usual ice thickness and we will check it together.
Chuck and adapter
The ice auger does not fit the drill directly; an adapter goes in between, one end connecting to the auger and the other a shank clamped in the drill's chuck. The XLY-21-13C has a 13 mm chuck, so any adapter whose shank fits a 13 mm chuck will work.
Drilling ice causes strong vibration, and the chuck slowly loosens. Check it every so often and tighten it when loose; if the chuck is not tight, the shank slips and its edges get worn round. The adapter has to match the customer's auger, so ask which augers your customers use when you order.
How to handle batteries in winter?
Lithium batteries give less usable charge in the cold, and the colder it is, the more noticeable it gets. The XLY-21-13C comes with two 6.0 Ah batteries: one on the drill, the other inside your jacket or in an insulated bag, swapped in when the first runs down.
Back indoors from the ice, let the batteries warm to room temperature before charging; do not plug them in the moment you come in. Batteries that will not be used for a long time should be kept at about half charge and topped up every two to three months.
Safety
When the auger jams in the ice, the drill kicks hard the opposite way, so hold it firmly with both hands and keep your footing. If it jams, release the trigger first, switch to reverse and back the auger out; do not force it. Once through, lift the auger slowly, as the edge of the hole is slippery. Read the instruction manual supplied with the tool before first use.
When should a fishing shop stock up?
The ice-fishing season in Central Asia runs from November to March. The table shows how many times a month people in Kazakhstan searched Yandex for «ледобур» (ice auger): the most in December and January, rising from October, and only one to two hundred a month from April.
| Month | 2024/25 | 2025/26 |
|---|---|---|
| October | 978 | 617 |
| November | 2242 | 1382 |
| December | 2840 | 1955 |
| January | 2303 | 2460 |
| February | 1860 | 1892 |
| March | 1489 | 980 |
Source: Yandex Wordstat, region Kazakhstan, searches per month.
So fishing and outdoor shops are best stocked by late October or early November. The XLY-21-13C comes 5 per carton with two 6.0 Ah batteries and a charger. It runs on the LEIYU 21 V battery shared with the other LEIYU 21 V tools in the shop; customers bore ice holes with it in winter and drill and drive screws in summer.
Drills and ice drillWhich drill to choose: 10 or 13 mm chuck