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How to use an auger drill bit

Updated: 22 October 2026

The hole goes wrong when the drill is in high speed, one hand is on the grip, and the flight hits a stone or a root. This is how to use an auger drill bit, for a garden spiral or the Einhell. You set the tool before the tip touches, you drill in short lifts, and you stop when the ground or the shaft says stop. There is no ranking on this page. Models and prices are on the [auger drill comparison](/hub/drilling-and-accessories/auger-drill). Listings were checked on 19 October 2026, with Electrical Safety First’s drill advice and the HSE page on hand-arm vibration. We did not time a hole. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

The hole goes wrong when the drill is in high speed, one hand is on the grip, and the flight hits a stone or a root. This is how to use an auger drill bit, for a garden spiral or the Einhell.

Our top picks

Einhell Einhell GP-EA 18/150 cordless earth auger

Best overall

Einhell Einhell GP-EA 18/150 cordless earth auger
9.2/10about £148.45
View offer
hsawbit hsawbit 40 mm x 230 mm wood auger

Alternative

hsawbit hsawbit 40 mm x 230 mm wood auger
9.2/10about £14.99
View offer
WORKPRO WORKPRO green set, 4 x 22 cm and 8 x 30 cm

Best value

WORKPRO WORKPRO green set, 4 x 22 cm and 8 x 30 cm
9.0/10about £13.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Set the drill before the tip touches
  2. 2.Drill in lifts, not in one push
  3. 3.Reverse, heat and a shaft that unscrews
  4. 4.When you stop

Set the drill before the tip touches

Chuck the bit until the jaws sit on the flats, then tug it. A hex shank that is only pinched on the corners will slip once the flight loads, which is what a Thrink reviewer described when the end was not actually 3/8 inch. WORKPRO, LYFETC and Insaga claim a 3/8 inch hex for a 3/8 inch or larger chuck. If your drill’s chuck will not close on that shank, the rest of the setup does not matter. For the garden bits in this set, an 18 V cordless drill is the class the listings suggest. Use the low gear and a medium clutch, with light pressure. Electrical Safety First says keep speed low and fit the side handle where the drill has one. The clutch lets the chuck slip. It does not remove kickback. Hammer mode and impact mode stay off. Two hands means the side handle plus the trigger hand, or both handles on the Einhell. Planting depth, once the tool is under control, is on auger drill for planting bulbs.

Drill in lifts, not in one push

Let the tip bite, then pull the bit out before the flight is packed solid. Soil left on the spiral becomes a plug, the drill bogs down, and the next squeeze is how wrists get hurt. A buyer of the 10 cm by 30 cm LYFETC bit said it saved digging in hard soil with a DeWalt cordless drill, and also that the drill twists if it digs in. Another could not get deeper than about 6 inches. In clay, lift and clear the spoil rather than pushing a long shaft in one go. On timber, withdraw when the flutes are full of chips. The buying guide is where shaft length is separated from the depth you can clear.
Einhell Einhell GP-EA 18/150 cordless earth auger

Testsieger

Einhell Einhell GP-EA 18/150 cordless earth auger
9.2/10about £148.45
View offer

Reverse, heat and a shaft that unscrews

Reverse is how you unwind a jam, and it is also how a two-piece shaft leaves its tip in the ground. The LYFETC 5 by 80 cm title says solid shaft. Reviews on that ASIN say the shaft arrives in two screwed parts, the joint turns without much force, and reverse separates it. If you own that bit, snug the joint before you start, keep reverse brief, and do not use reverse as the way you empty the hole. If the lower part is already buried, digging it out with a spade is safer than powering the thread against the soil. The 10 cm LYFETC listing calls that model a short hollow-core.

When you stop

Stop when you do not know what is under the border. Before the first hole, look for manhole covers, meter boxes, and the line a cable or a pipe would take to the house. A bulb auger can nick a shallow irrigation pipe or a low-voltage cable as easily as it can nick a stone. If you are on a new-build plot, hardcore and buried offcuts are already in the reviews of these bits. If the drill kicks hard enough to numb a finger, or you cannot hold it with two hands, the session is over. The HSE treats earth augers as a source of hand-arm vibration at work. Numbness is still a stop. A specified structural post is a job for someone who does this for a living. The family split is on wood auger or earth auger.

Common questions

Which gear and clutch setting should you use?
Use the low gear and a medium clutch, with the speed kept down. Electrical Safety First’s advice is low speed and light pressure, and Insaga’s listing says the same in its own words: both hands, and no high-speed digging. A high gear packs the flight before you can lift it.
How do you stop the drill spinning in your hand?
Use two hands, a side handle if the drill has one, and a clutch that can slip. Stand so a stall does not fold one wrist. On the 10 cm LYFETC bit, reviewers say the drill twists and can hurt the wrist if the flight digs in, which is what a wide spiral does in stony soil.
Should you drill the hole in one push?
No. Drill a short way, pull the bit out, and clear the spoil, then go back. One push packs clay into the flight, stalls the drill, and is how a long shaft gets stuck halfway. A buyer of the 50 mm by 80 cm bit still finished a shrub hole with a spade, which is a realistic end to the job.
What happens if you hit reverse on a screwed shaft?
On the LYFETC bit titled 5 by 80 cm, reviews say reverse unscrews the joint and can leave the lower part in the ground. The title says solid shaft. The reviews say two screwed parts. Snug the joint first, and use reverse only in a short burst if you must. Do not spin the drill backwards to fling soil off.
When do you put the tool down and fetch a spade?
When you hit a stone the bit will not pass, when the hole is deep enough and only needs cleaning, or when the drill stalls and will not clear. Einhell reviewers describe exactly that: the auger stops on stone or old concrete, and the rest is hand digging.
What should you check before the first hole in a border?
Look for the routes of cables, pipes and drains, and for hardcore on a new-build plot. A planting auger does not know the difference between a stone and a shallow pipe. Check that the shank is tight, that the clutch is not locked, and that you can hold the tool with two hands.

Related pages

Best auger drill

Auger drill

Auger drill bit buying guide for soil, timber, posts

Auger drill for planting bulbs: depth, not shaft length

Wood auger or earth auger: timber, soil, or a machine

Sources

Public UK sources from the research digest, last checked on 19 October 2026. Shelf prices and star lines are the amazon.co.uk figures in the display file.

  1. HSE: PUWER overview (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  2. HSE: hand-arm vibration in tree work (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  3. HSE INDG480: hand-arm vibration (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  4. Control of Vibration at Work Regulations 2005 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  5. Consumer Rights Act 2015 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  6. Electrical Safety First: drills (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  7. RHS: planting bulbs (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  8. Einhell UK: GP-EA 18/150 Li BL Solo (retrieved 19 October 2026)