We recently posted about the new Skil PWRCore cordless power tools. Amazon put up some new listings, and so we now have a look at the new oscillating multi-tool and several kit options it’s bundled in.
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The Skil PWRCore multi-tool joins the nascent 12V Max brushless cordless power tool lineup.
It looks to feature a tool-free blade change mechanism that works with slotted oscillating multi-tool blades. From the looks of things, it should be might with Dewalt and Rockwell multi-tool accessories.
The Skil PWRCore 12 oscillating tool also features a very large LED worklight, variable speed dial, and on/off sliding switch.
It will be available in several kit options.
Skil PWRCore Drill & Multi-Tool Combo Kit
First, there’s a 2-pc cordless combo kit, bundled with a brushless drill/driver, charger, and 2.-Ah battery pack.
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I would expect to see this kit aggressively priced during the upcoming holiday season. Seeing as how it only includes (1) lithium-ion battery pack, and how Skil seems to be positioning the PWRCore tools to appeal to homeowners and beginner DIYers looking for entry-level tools, I would predict promo pricing to foster widespread adoption.
Skil PWRCore 12 Drill, Multi-Tool, LED Flashlight Kit
Next, there’s a Skil PWRCore brushless drill/driver, multi-tool combo kit, with charger and (1) 2.0Ah PWRCore 12 battery pack.
Price (as of the time of this posting): $150
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SKil PWRCore Multi-Tool, Drill, Bluetooth Speaker Kit
With this kit, you get the Skil cordless oscillating multi-tool, brushless drill, and a Bluetooth speaker, plus the charger and (2) 2.0Ah Li-ion battery packs.
Price (as of the time of this posting): $180
Buy Now(via Amazon)
The charger one included in these combo kits don’t look to have the PWRJump quick-charging feature, or a USB charging port. Similarly, it doesn’t look like these combo kit batteries feature PWRAssist USB output ports.
satch
Stuar, thanks for the followup. These kits are nice for the homeowner/diy and brushless is always good going forward. I would say the one thing that will hurt these kits is the lack of two batteries. That is almost a given andmparti ularly in two tool combos. I am all for Skil rebuilding the brand and coming out with new lines of cordless but this could hamstring them.
As an aside, how do you find these things on Amazon? When the drill kits were announced last week or so ago I couldmofmcourse se them through hour links. Later I was at Amazon’s site and searched; skil pwrcore. Nothing. Is there a trick to the searches or is Skil providing links? Just cannot quite figure this out. Thanks.
Stuart
Luck and a decade of experience. =)
satch
Good enough!
Jared
If this is intended for a homeowner who wants to have the tools around for the odd task but isn’t going to use them for any lengthy projects, maybe one battery will cut it – especially with the quick-charge feature.
Where other drill kits and starter packages are usually trying to entice you to buy into the battery platform and get more tools later, maybe this is the opposite approach – intended to offer the tools most homeowners want at the cheapest price.
Seems somewhat odd to me that it’s brushless – I still perceive that as a premium feature so it’s odd to see it on a budget product. I suppose it’s a signal that brushless is becoming inexpensive to produce.
I am also interested to see, like you mentioned, how cheaply these are priced for the holidays. Although the tools are new to Skil, no one is going to want pay a premium because of that. Too many high-quality alternatives in the market with more diverse portfolios of tools and retail support. It seems more likely someone would purchase the kit because they see it as a cheap way to get the tools – and are reassured that it’s not complete junk because Skil is a brand, albeit a smaller one.
Paul Gershaft
Let me tell, in all my years of construction work and especially with the company I work with now, this “tool” would get you laughed off the job or at the very least be told “don’t blame the tool if you get fired.”
Look I am not going to say Dewalt, Milwaukee, Bosch, Hilti are the only power tools you should buy, as this is ultimately the individual’s choice. However, if you want to be taken seriously other than with skill and demeanor, going on any job site with what essentially appears to be a toy isn’t the way to go.
If you are going to do work yourself or in a commercial setting, I strongly suggest buying bottom of the barrel or close to this. Harbor Freight might be cheap and expect the quality to reflect that. With Dewalt, Makita, Bosch, Milwaukee and other better brands, most of these items are repairable and you are dealing with companies that with real professionals.
While I understand the cost argument, believe me I do, this will cost more to get a skilled tradesman to fix whatever mistakes a cheap toy will make, especially with a novice using them.
Brian A
Is it the first brushless multi tool? Milwaukee fans are waiting for a new brushless M18 and/or M12.
TonyT
Bosch GOP12V-28N is brushless
Corey
DeWalts is brushless as well. Been around for years.
Mike
Dewalt is brushless and so is Bosch
OhioHead
The charger @ the bottom of the post looks to have 2 USB thingy’s & the LED’s indicating charging are above.
Jim Felt
What truly shocks me is how some importers/brands can ask a third or a fourth or even less for what appear to be “similar” spec’d tools. And I’m not even counting Hilti or that (serious?) level. Hmmmm.
fred
Price and cost are related – but not necessarily in a linear fashion. When we fabricated an item or assembly in one of our shops – the price out the door reflected all the costs of doing business, including things like our ISO certification, our QA/QC programs, post production testing and our warranties. We were not making mass-market items where we could afford to take a loss on some early production units in order to build market share – nor did we often get big discounts from our supply chain for buying in bulk.
But folks like Chervon may be poised to cut corners or use their marketing budgets to reduce prices . With a product launch of a line like Skil – they have also likely done a lot of value-engineering on their products – looking at their competitors offerings and seeing where they can achieve economies in materials and production costs.
Jeff Deutsch
Specs and durability and quality are not the same thing. You can make a tool out of cheap parts that hits the numbers but does not stand up. Plastic gears, cheap switches, low quality drill chucks with runout, cheaper grade batteries all can make a tool that looks as good on paper, but is definitely not. Notice that when HF upped it’s game, the stuff was not that inexpensive. Quality costs.
CT
That new SKIL logo sure looks a lot like the STIHL logo.
satch
CT, that is a pretty good observation. While tool nuts like all of us will get into the weeds about whose is making what to whose specs, most people buy stuff they recognise or trust because dad or uncle joe always spoke well of it.
While many of us are dubious of the consumer grade ‘Walmart Skil’ tools, there is still market value to that name. Particularly by anyone who has a friend or relative who mentioned to them how much they like the saws. Of course the saws are a different lineup but the name is the same.
I said it when these were announced a week or two ago. Chervon was smart to make these look more no-nonsense and tool like. I had not really examined it but yeah, that new logo is no accident in my opinion. They are trying to make the image more tough and business like. I think they have even gone to the block lettering on the pro saws. I always found the old rounded script Skil logo to be familiar and comfortimg in a way. It’s what I know/knew. But I will admit I like the new look.
satch
Okay, weirdness at Amazon. I searched ‘skil pwrcore 12’ and three kits came up and one work light. Interestingly, one kit had the 1/2 inch drill driver, 1/4 inch impact, 2 – 1.5Ah batteries, and “one standard charger”. Item number CB738501. Priced at 139.99. Of course, out of stock. I expected as much.
Right now I don’t think we can assume much about street pricing for these tools. Until they drop at Amazon next month I think we will see the prices yoyo all over the place. One of the combos Stuart linked to has no price listed now. At least the last I checked. Just for the fun of it I am going to out these in my ‘save for later’ list at Amazon and watch what they do. I really want to see the 20v items show up too. Just to see where they are priced.
satch
Sorry, itmwas not a work light. It was a bluetooth speaker.
RC WARD
Looks like a rebranded Kobalt tool
Colin
I know Makita has trademarked the term ‘BL Motor’ I wonder what they will think of Skil labeling these tools with ‘BL’