Over at Amazon, there are some new listings for SKIL cordless power tools, their first since Chervon acquired the brand in 2016 from Bosch.
Chervon, a Chinese-based power tool manufacturer, owns several brands – Skil, Skilsaw, and Hammerhead, and has manufactured tools for other brands, such as Craftsman’s C3 line, 12V Nextec line, and Kobalt’s 18V, 20V, and now 24V line.
You might not know Chervon, but I’m sure you have seen some of their tools.
The new lineup of Skil PWRCore cordless power tools, from what I can tell so far, seems to stick with Skil’s entry-level positioning for beginner DIYers.
From the listings, it looks like there will be 2 lineups – Skil PWRCore 12, with 12V Max tools, and Skil PWRCore 20, a lineup of 20V Max tools.
So what does PWRCore, read as Skil Power Core, mean?
Skil says that they have developed “industry-leading PWRCore 12 lithium battery technology” that delivers longer runtime and battery life. They “wrap each cell with cooling material to keep the battery powering on for 25% longer runtime and 2X battery life.”
(My assumption is that they’re referring to tools of the same class, which would likely be Black & Decker, Walmart’s Hyper Tough lineup, Harbor Freight Bauer and other such lineups.)
It looks like each Skil PWRCore battery pack, at least those bundled with the 2-tool combo kit, has a built-in fuel gauge, and a USB charging port, allowing you to charge your devices. They’re calling this PWRAssist mobile charging.
Each charger features a PWRJump charging feature, where you can recharge a PWRCore 12 2.0Ah battery pack to 25% in just 5 minutes. A full charge takes 45 minutes.
The image I found on Amazon shows a built-in USB charger, something that’s becoming increasingly popular.
This sounds a lot like the Craftsman 12V Max Nextec QuickBoost technology that they developed nearly 8 years ago. At the time, the QuickBoost tech would recharge a battery pack to 25% in just 3 minutes.
(I don’t recall ever using this feature on my Nextec chargers, but it seemed like it could be useful.)
To start off, there will at the least be a new SKil PWRCore 12 brushless drill and impact driver combo kit, complete with (2) 2.0Ah battery packs and a charger.
Pricing is not yet available.
Buy Now(via Amazon) – as of the time of this posting, the combo is not currently available for sale yet.
There will also be a Skil PWCore 12 brushless drill and 12″ digital level combo kit.
Skil designed the new digital levels with BLUE vials, which they say are easy to see, highly accurate, and include both vertical and horizontal leveling.
The color of the bubble vials is interesting because, as far as I am aware, it has been exclusive to Empire and their True Blue technology.
Pricing is not yet available.
Buy Now(via Amazon) – as of the time of this posting, the combo is not currently available for sale yet.
Additional Listings
From additional listings, we know that there will be a new 3-in-1 multi-function tool, with drill, hammer, and screwdriver modes, “ideal for a wide range of drilling, fastening, and hammer drilling applications.” (So, it’s a hammer drill?)
These listings are incomplete, but you might find them interesting.
SKIL HD527803 5.0Ah Powercore 20 Lithium Battery – this is the one that mentions the 3-in-1 hammer drill-type tool.
SKIL RS582902 with 2.0Ah Pwrcore 20 Lithium Battery & Charger – this one mentions a reciprocating saw (or similar) with a 1″ stroke length and up to 3000 SPM cutting speed. They say that the tool is super-compact and 10% shorter than competing tools.
SKIL BY519601 4.0Ah Pwrcore 20 Lithium Battery with Fuel Gauge – “phase change material inside the battery housing can absorb heat and slow down the temperature rise speed, extending the runtime before the battery overheats.”
SKIL CB738701 Brushless Battery And Charger – $150 combo kit that features the following:
Skil OS592701 oscillating multi-tool – the new Skil PWRCore 12 multi-tool features 6 speeds and soft-start.
Skil Lh553101 brushless area light – LED light with 400 lumen output and pivoting head. (The “brushless” part is probably a mistake.)
Skil DL529001 brushless drill/driver – features a 1/2″ single-sleeve keyless chuck. (Milwaukee’s M12 Fuel brushless drill/drivers are the only other models I know of to feature a 1/2″ chuck.)
Skil’s “drill driver hybrid chuck” features an integrated 1/4″ hex bit holder so that bits can be used without tightening the chuck. Max torque is said to be 350 in-lbs.
First Thoughts
None of this is very surprising, actually.
Chervon has a lot of experience in designing and manufacturing DIYer-level cordless power tools, and it looks like they’re leveraging their know-how and manufacturing capabilities to revitalize the Skil brand.
Chervon and Skil look to be doing something similar to what they did for Lowes’ Kobalt 24V Max lineup, and that’s to keep all of the tools brushless. All of the Skil PWRCore 12 tools I’ve seen described so far, although there could be others, are brushless. Well, at least those that have motors. Maybe all of the tools are brushless, maybe not, we’ll have to see.
So far, the PWRCore 12 lineup looks to include a drill, impact driver, a 12″ digital level with blue vials, and an oscillating multi-tool. The drill/driver that features a 1/2″ chuck and integrated 1/4″ hex bit holder looks to be the same model.
The PWRCore 20 lineup seems to include a reciprocating saw (or something similar), a level, and an LED worklight.
I am sure there will be more tools.
For years, users have been wishing for Craftsman 12V Nextec tools. I would assume that the new Skil PWRCore 12 lineup will answer those wishes.
I cannot find the reference, but at least one person emailed or messaged in recently, commenting about how some Walmart Hyper Tough tools resembled one of Craftsman’s Nextec tools. We might see similar here – adaptations or evolutions of tools that Chervon has already developed for other brands.
As for Skil PWCore 20 – they will face strong competition, from brands like Ryobi, Craftsman (under Stanley Black & Decker), Black & Decker, and Kobalt, among others.
We don’t have pricing details yet, but from the designs and descriptions, it looks like Skil is aiming at the entry-level DIY tool category.
While enthusiastic to see what Skil is coming out with, I do have hesitations.
What happened to Chervon’s Hammerhead brand? Hammerhead, building upon the tech they developed for Craftsman’s cordless hammer, came out with a 2-in-1 impact driver and auto hammer back in 2013. After that, they came out with a small cordless screwdriver. There were some power tool accessories too, but that was it.
Since then, Chervon launched their EGO brand of cordless outdoor power tools, which has grown to be one of the best brands of DIY and homeowner cordless OPE tools on the market.
The timing of these releases – are they aiming to win over holiday season sales, or are they committed to growing Skil into a competitive brand that can go toe to toe with Ryobi and the revitalized Craftsman brand?
The PWRJump feature, which allows you to rapidly recharge a battery pack to 25%, is a feature that’s good in theory, but one I never took advantage of back when I was still using Sears Craftsman Nextec tools. And building a USB charger in every single battery pack, at least those that have the PWRAssist feature? Won’t that add to their size and cost?
While potentially useful, I’d rather buy a USB charging power adapter attachment or accessory, than to pay for that feature in every single battery pack that comes with a kit or is purchased separately.
I said pretty much the same thing when Black & Decker announced their Smartech Bluetooth battery with built-in USB charger two years ago. But that was also just one kit that cane with the battery.
Do you think that the new Skil PWRCore cordless power tools will rise up to pose serious competition to Ryobi, Craftsman, and Kobalt?
Or will they compete on the slightly lower end, with brands such as Black & Decker, Hyper Tough, and Harbor Freight’s Bauer?
I’ve posted about Skil power tools before, but have never been excited about their cordless power tools, aside from maybe the Bosch-era iXO screwdrivers. Maybe Chervon and the new Skil PWRCore offerings could change that – IF they aim high enough. But I am excited about the new lineups, at least the 12V Max platform.
Do you think that this is the first push of many? Will Chervon look to build Skilsaw into a professional cordless power tool brand? Skil serving the entry-level and DIY side of things, and Skilsaw serving the advanced DIYer and pro user side of things – that would be something.
