Who determined you need a brushless drill and a handle? I ran a 6" Eskimo Pistol Bit all last year using a cheap Ridgid 1/2" brush-type drill without handle. 14 - 20 holes per day through ice ranging from 10" early season to almost longer than the auger late season. Never ran out of power, never broke my wrist.
At most I would say that a brushless with a handle is a "nice to have". Maybe cutting with an 8" - which is almost 2x the ice to move, requires a fancy drill.
