Augers like a champ. Has just the right amount of power for me. At about the capacity of my arms to hold the unit, it powers out. We put up a fence in an area with a lot of roots and some were just to big for a handheld auger to drill through so the auger would catch. But we were able to manage it. The auger would work through even the larger roots, but it was easier and faster to cut them out with a reciprocating saw and then continue drilling the post holes.
Starts easily, though needs a couple of pulls when cold.