Power Planter Extended Length Garden Auger Drill Bit, 3" x 24" with 1/2" Non-Slip Hex Drive, Auger Drill Bit for Planting Bulbs and Potted Plants, Garden Digging Tool for Dirt, Clay, Soil and Sand

I bought this auger to install termite traps around my house. I dug 20 holes for the traps and 18 of them I ran into gravel and rock in the ground. I used my 18 V DeWalt drill to do this. This is a very heavy bit but my DeWalt drill got it Done. If I was drilling a lot of holes into the soil around my house which seems to be filled with a lot of gravel I would probably want A heavier drill. The auger bit is heavy built, and I understand it's only welded at the bottom and top with no welds in the middle but if the top or the bottom welds break the bit is done anyway so it don't really matter. Even though my drill overheated and I had to quit after about 5 holes, the auger held up great, I had smoke coming out of some of the holes which had a big rock in them but it did not break the auger bit. I considered a cheaper bit because I really only needed to drill the 20 termite trap holes but I figured Somewhere along the line I would need this bit again I'm glad I bought the better one because the cheaper bit would never of dug the 20 holes I needed without breaking. The two holes that didn't have any stone I was able to drill in about ten seconds. The other holes took a bit longer but less than a minute even through gravel filled soil so as far as the auger bit it is terrific and well-built and stood up to hitting rocks that didn't give but the auger bit did not break . Yes as long as you have a half inch chuck on your drill you can use a drill but if your soil is hard to cut through like mine was the drill will overheat I assume as mine did. Planting bulbs or anything in soft soil I'm sure it will be much easier, this auger bit is very heavy and very hard on a regular drill but if you're patient then you won't have a problem . So the drillbit is everything it's cracked up to be but it's weight is hard on the regular drill, if you're planting a lot may need a bigger drill than mine. Now I understand why pest control professionals or anybody that digs holes like this for a living would have a very heavy drill to use but this bit is all you would need. This auger bit is worth every penny I paid for it even though I thought it was too expensive and almost didn't buy it I could not find a cheap one that got good reviews so I'm glad I bought this one and it works fantastic. Just if using a regular drill and drilling into hard soil give your drill time to cool down if it overheat, but you won't have a problem with this auger bit cause it's fantastic. Thank you happy digging

Omg! Might be the best garden tool ever. Recently, my wife and I planted 1,000 daffodils. It only took us 1.5 hours with this tool(3-4 daffodils per hole). Just be aware, you need a heavy duty drill or you'll probably wear out your cordless drill. My 56 volt DeWalt drill started overheating and I had to go to a corded Milwaukee Hole Hawg in order to finish. For 50-100 bulbs a 20 volt drill with a handle will be fine. But, for big work you're going to need an industrial type drill. Note: I liked this so well I bought the 5" version as well. It works great for planting 1 gallon pots. But, as I previously mentioned you need a heavy duty drill.

The old adage "you get what you pay for" comes to mind when reviewing this product. My first impression of the Tanaka 3x24 inch bulb planting auger bit was that of an antique farm implement, heavy and built to last a lifetime. The 1/2 inch solid steel shaft with flat sides for the chuck and a thickly spot-welded spiral vane is built to withstand commercial farming use but will delight the weekend gardener with years of usefulness without ever having to be replaced. Take note that you must have a drill with a 1/2 inch chuck to use this bit. I would recommend a heavy duty drill that wont chew up a plastic gear if torque is repeatedly applied. I used my Milwaukee 8 amp drill which easily withstood an afternoon of abuse ( I however was not so lucky as I will shortly relate). I would also recommend a T-handle attachment for the drill, the reason for which you will also find out shortly. I also thought that the 3 inch auger was overkill after my initial inspection for I was only planting one inch diameter bulbs. I later found out that this diameter was perfect for the job I was about to do. My initial test of this tool came as I planted a 10 by 15 foot oval bulb flower bed, the site of which is where a 20 year-old maple maple tree had very recently stood. I had the stump ground out to a perimeter circumference of about 4 feet from the outside of the tree. I then dumped about a yard of aged compost, several bags of compressed peat moss and some topsoil and then tamped it all down firmly. The result was a raised bed about 2 feet high at the center and tapered down to ground level around the outside edge. I did not mix the layers by hand as the principles of engineering told me that the Tanaka auger should do it for me. I was not disappointed. What would have been long, very hard work with a spade was rendered very easy and in a short period of time with the auger bit. I started in the center of the bed where I knew the tree roots had been thoroughly mulched by the stump grinder. The weight of the drill and the auger was enough to penetrate the soil without applying extra pressure. It dug down easily the full length of the bit by itself, allowing me to regulate the depth and time that I mixed the soil and then extract the bit effortlessly from each hole. I was impressed with the consistency of the soil as a result of the augers wide vane engineering, spatially mixing all the layers very evenly. I prepared about four holes per minute allowing myself time to mix the soil and leave a hole to the exact depth where I wanted to place each different bulb, as every variety I planted required a different depth. When I was finished with this section of the bed each bulb then had up to 24 inches deep and 3 inches wide of loose, well mixed prepared soil to take root in, perfect for starting a long-term perennial bulb bed ( on a later date I edged a section of tree root-free lawn about 6 inches wide by 60 feet long, removing only the turf. I then drilled holes about 8 inches apart resulting in about 65 holes. It only took me about 10 minutes to drill all those holes with the soil mixed thoroughly and to the exact depth I wanted with this tool! ). The next stage in digging this bed was not so much fun, but it was my own fault. In hindsight, I would have paid extra to have that tree root-bed ground out and expanded to the entire size of my flower bed. Upon encountering the first of many roots, the auger quickly grabbed it and pulled down, taking me with it (This is where that T-handle that I recommended for your drill comes in). I quickly learned to use the infinite setting of my drill trigger to regulate my drill speed, and had to use the reverse function on my drill to release the root. After the second root the auger caught, the drill came loose in my hands and spun around and cracked my shin, hard, and I learned to hold the T-handle tighter. The third root the auger "bit" into, I found out just how much torquing your wrist can hurt by tightly holding the T handle. This scenario was repeated many times over the next several hours as I waged all out war on the tree roots, and alternating between a mattox, a spade, a 6 foot pry bar and the drill, I finished putting in my bulb garden. During that conflict I gave my new Tanaka auger bit every opportunity to break, snap, rip the vane off the shaft, bend, twist, or strip off in the chuck. The only result was a well bruised shin, a nearly torgue- sprained wrist, and a near-perfect Tanaka bit blemished only by the paint that wore off the outside edge of the vane and off the tip of the bit that bore the brunt force of every rock and root it encountered. I cleaned the auger after I was finished and noticed that dirt had compacted between the inside vane edge and the shaft because it was only spot welded at several intervals and not welded along the entire length of the vane. Over time I'm sure the paint will wear off there, as well as from the other places mentioned, and that a coat of oil or wd-40 will be required to keep rust from setting in as I do not think this tool is made from stainless steel. I could be wrong about that point. For that reason alone I wish that the manufacturer had welded along the entire length of the vane and shaft, for there is certainly no structural deficiency, as far as my experience is concerned, that could cause these two components to fail. On a final note my brother bought a cheaper, $20, 2-inch bulb auger bit from a different manufacturer and the shaft broke in half after the first use in his non-tree-rooted flower beds. Taking his lesson to heart I bought the Tanaka, and he has already asked to borrow it. I think I will buy him one for Christmas. As I stated at first, you get what you pay for.

Used to drill 20"x3" dia holes for setting re-bar in concrete. As others have said, plenty of strength- I was never worried about breaking it. For clay soil, it only worked okay for my project as the auger portion is not 20" deep (I had to keep pulling it out of the hole and pulling the clay off.) Also, it tended to spiral into the clay rather than break it up and pull it out. Of course, it's not a "real" auger so I didn't exactly expect it be able to break up the clay. Would work great for planting bulbs and we'll probably use it to do that in the future.

This tool is very sturdy and I've been putting it to the test. I've dug into hard stone-filled clay with great success. And it has assisted me in planting over 100 vegetable plants. If I had to do all this digging by hand, or if I were not using such a sturdy and reliable auger, the task would have been overwhelming. You do need to make sure you use a drill with a handle to avoid any potential for injury. But bottom line, best tool ever! Don't try cheaper alternatives, you'll regret it!

I own the 2"x7", 3"x7", and 3"x12" auger from Power Planter and they have been a game changer in the garden. I purchased them for bulb planting but I now use them to all my plantings. They are perfect for digging holes for the 4 inch and quart cans. If the the cans are 7" wide, I just drill 3 holes closely together and make one large hole. Using these augers has saved my back and a lot of time digging holes manually. I recently took my drill and auger to my brother's house to help with a new bed he was starting. He was so impressed with my augers and he loved that they are heavy and very sturdy. He liked them enough to ask me to order him the 3"x24". He tried it the day he received it and called me that he was very pleased. FEMALE AND MALE APPROVED.

This auger is awesome and a real time saver in the garden. It makes planting fruits, vegetables and flowers so easy. You just drill a hole where you want your plant to go and pop it in the hole. I wish I would have bought this years ago. It's expensive, but worth it if you want to save time and effort in the garden. The item is of high quality and should last for many, many years if not abused. I highly recommend it.

Very well made. Substantial construction.

Je commence à utiliser la tarière pour aider à planter mes 600 plantes de haie et c'est vraiment géniale. Il faut le utiliser avec une perceuse puissante toute même et faire tourner doucement au début/milieu du trou car si rencontre avec racines d'arbres ou pierre, peut bloquer net avec coup sur ton poignier. Mais rendre la tâche de plantation beaucoup plus facile. Je recommande.

I have purchased a few of the Power Planter augers and they all are great quality. I highly recommend their products. This is the perfect size for bulbs.

Way better than 3/8 drive ends.

quickly digs holes and is rugged enough to withstand our somewhat rocky soil. Definately need a drill with a side handle though, when it grabs on a rock, it wouldn't take much for one to break their wrist if they don't have a firm grip on the drill.

The product is quite large and heavy but fits into a cordless drill with a 1/2" chuck and my heavy duty cordless drill has no problems driving it. It wouldn't fit into a drill with a smaller chuck.The weight of the auger helps when drilling down but of course also makes it a bit harder to pull up. I used to plant all my bulbs by hand but a chronic shoulder injury makes that extremely difficult and this tool turned an impossible job into something quite doable and is much much faster than planting by hang (by a factor of at least 10x). I'm very happy with the purchase - money well spent.