Yard Butler Roto Digger 30” Auger Drill Bit, IRD-2 - Digging Tool for Effortless Bulb Planting - Multi-Use Drill - Heavy-Duty Garden Tool - Power-Coated Steel - Rust-Resistant

I just finished a yard construction job where I, as a homeowner, needed to drill holes about 12" deep to drive steel tubes down into the ground to function as leg supports for a wrought iron trellis. This auger drills 1.25" holes into soil. It worked perfectly. I am not a construction worker and I am not building skyscrapers. This inexpensive tool is spectacular for its purposes and price. I cannot believe some reviewers whine over its quality. It is quite fine for its purposes. It's fabricated as one might expect and works well. I did lots of online research and also drove to several gardening and farm supply stores. NO ONE offered a 1.25" diameter garden auger. I then went home and despite some of the complainer-reviews I ordered this product. The project is complete. The auger is excellent. If your soil hard-packed, perhaps wet it awhile, first. But I had no problem at all.

When I bought this it was $17. This is not a $50 or $150 dollar tool, and I set my expectations accordingly. It worked very well for me. So far I have 3 holes drilled that are 24" deep in some terrible dirt. I'm hoping to get another 8-10 holes done, but even if not, this thing has already paid for itself. A few tips for using this effectively: 1. Go slowly. This is a huge drill bit for a household drill and it puts a lot of stress on the drill and you. Ease it in, don't lean on it, and back it out every couple of inches to ensure it's clearing debris out of the hole. I set my drill to the slower speed and then turned it very slowly. It's not a race and you're not drilling a 1/4" hole through a 2x4. Give it a chance to work and move the dirt. 2. Try to keep the sides of the hole straight. I let it wobble around on my first hole so the inside of it was lager than the bit. It can't move the dirt out if the hole is too wide. Slow and some care are require to keep the sides straight. 3. Gravel is a real pain. I have 1/2" to 2" gravel buried all over my yard. I had to abandon some holes when I hit a larger rock. You can you 1" gravel up, but you need to ensure it dislodges it. I let it "bite" into the dirt around the gravel and then pulled up on the drill gently. Then I slowly pulled out the bit while rotating it to get the gravel out. You can't expect it to to just fling out big pieces of rock. My trees are going to be so much happier that I can get them some deeper watering. Plenty of other uses for this as well.

I purchased is tool specifically to use as a compost aerator. We have a big garden and do a lot of composting. We end up with two piles that are about 40" tall. It becomes really difficult to turn the compost properly after it exceeds about 30 inches in height. I purchased the 30" auger and this sucker drills down beautifully and works the compost into a fine crumbly consistency. I agree with other reviews that the key is to keep the tool moving. If you just let it drill down, it tends to get stuck and the drill bucks back pretty well. If you work the tool in and out of the compacted compost, or soil, then it will keep working smoothly. It does offer some resistance of course, and will take some effort. It's not a magic bullet. I use a DeWalt cordless hammer drill and I keep two fully charged lithium batteries on hand. I can aerate an entire 36" x 30" x 30" compost pile in about fifteen minutes. I have also used it to till some harder soil. It is suitable for small jobs, anything large and you'll see its limitations rather quickly. You'll need to do as the other reviews have said. Take a flat file and square off the rod about 1.5" where the rod meets the chuck. You just need to get the circle to have four edges, you don't need a perfect square. So, I find it to be an adequate light-duty tiller and auger, but it makes a truly superb compost aerator! I give it a FOUR.

Got this for my green giants arborvitae fertilizer spikes. I was little skeptical at first after reading some of the reviews regarding how the auger gets bent, gets stuck and other common issues. For the first few holes (4-5), I had the same issue, it got stuck in the ground (illinois-clay soil), the drill had lots of difficulty getting it out (used an electric drill with extension cord)or the hole was not big enough for the fertilizer spike to go in. Then i finally figured it out, the best way to use it is the same way you would while drilling a hole in the wall, had to go slowly with you controlling the depth of the auger while it goes in. The key is to SLOWLY move the auger in the ground while the drill speed is medium to high, you might have to keep on drilling at the same depth before you go deep further in the ground, to give it some time to loosen the dirt around it. It means you have to CONTROL YOUR DIG BY NOT LETTING IT PUSH IN RATHER THAN PULL IT AWAY while it goes in slowly. Was able to get the rest of 35-40 spikes within an hour. no issues. Very pleased.

Planted a couple of hundred bulbs with this. Your success rate will depend on your soil type but worked well for me.

Every spring Mrs plants annuals and a few perennials. By inserting this in a driller, the planting was so much easy and quick. The tool is well made and will last a long time

Hole circumference not more than 1/1/2" (38mm) might be suitable for crocus and bulb size under that, the shaft will just slip round in drill chuck in when in use I will make some amendments to the design and drill holes in the lawn for drainage

Top notch!!! Works like a charm Really glad I bought it 😀

purchased for planting bulbs in hard ground. Works perfectly for that purpose and will be using each year.