A portable power drill (11) is disclosed having a chuck or drill collar (14) at one end and a substantially cylindrical (or frusto-conical) twist throttle handle (25, 125, 225) at the other end. Rotation of the handle in the direction of forward rotation of the chuck decreases the drill speed and, conversely, rotation of the handle in the direction of reverse rotation of the chuck increases the drill speed. Consequently, in the event of an auger locked in the chuck becoming jammed, the reaction forces experienced by the drill unit rotate the drill unit in a direction such that throttle decreases the drill speed. In addition, the drill unit is provided with forward (44) and reverse gears (45) and a forward/reverse selection mechanism (48, 50, 51) which is actuated by a forward force, or a withdrawing force respectively being applied to the drill unit via an operator who holds the handles (20, 25) of the drill unit.

An ice drill. The ice drill includes a power head, the power head configured to allow the user to control operation of the ice drill and an engine, the engine producing an output rotation at a crankshaft. The ice drill also includes a planetary transmission. The planetary transmission receives the output rotation from the crankshaft, changes the rotation speed by a specified ratio, and outputs the rotation at an output shaft, wherein the output rotation is left-handed in orientation. The ice drill further includes an auger, the auger attached to the output shaft and a cutting blade, the cutting blade configured to be moved by the auger to create a hole in ice.