Drain Auger vs Drain Snake: What Is the Difference?

Drain Auger vs Drain Snake: What Is the Difference?

Plumbers use the words drain auger and drain snake almost interchangeably, but the two are not exactly the same. Here is the practical difference and how to pick the right tool.

Drain snake: the general tool

A drain snake is any flexible steel cable pushed into a pipe to break up or pull out a blockage. Hand snakes, drum machines and sectional cables are all snakes. The cable can be turned by hand, by a crank, or by an electric motor.

Drain auger: snake with a purpose-built tip

A drain auger is a snake designed for a specific job, with a crank handle or drill fitting and a corkscrew or cutter tip. Common types include the toilet auger (short protected cable for toilet traps), the drum auger (cable stored on a spinning drum) and the hand spinner (compact drum for sinks and lavatories).

Which one do you need?

• Toilet clogs: a toilet auger with a coated cable, like our D01-005 toilet auger (3 ft or 6 ft cable)
• Sinks and lavatories: a hand spinner or small drum auger, such as the D01-010 HD hand spinner
• Long drain runs and sewer lines: an electric drum machine with 50 ft+ of cable

Manual or powered?

Manual augers and spinners need no power and suit quick jobs. For repeated professional use, an electric machine like the SP-HD75 400 drum with auto feed clears long runs faster. Many plumbers carry one electric machine plus manual augers for small jobs.

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