The design of this chisel is such that you can take massive slabs of ice with each strike. The design also throws the ice away from the hole. I can go through about 3" of in 15 strikes. Used this chisel to get a 48" Muskie through a 6" hole I had augered for Crappie. It is a must have for anyone fishing pannies that could potentially hook something larger and would need to widen the hole. 4 stars because it is not quite as rugged as the one I purchased 4 years ago but the split pipe and welding should hold up fairly well.