Skil Bit & Blade Kit Power Tool Review

                   

Specifications - Skil Drill Bit & Saw Blade Combo Kit

Features
Hard Case
43 Bit Drill Kit
1 - 7 1/4″Carbide Framing Blade
1 - 7 1/4″ Steel Plywood Blade

We placed an order last week at Tylertool.com for some new cordless tools to test and saw the Skil Drill Bit & Saw Blade combo kit on sale. It was a great deal, so we decided to buy and review the kit.

Over the years we have seen a lot of these kits made by varies companies.  Most of the kits are good, but you will always find something in the kit that you either do not use or is cheap junk.  When we bought this kit, we weren’t sure what we would find.  Considering it is a Skil kit, we had high hopes for no junk, maybe just some useless sizes to get their bit count up. 

When we opened the case and took a look, we could see we were wrong.  The 3 nut setters are the most common used, the drill bits and bit inserts were also useable sizes all the way up to 1/4″.  A 1/2″ bit would have been nice, but again this kit was very inexpensive, so we new that wasn’t part of the package.  The screw guide was also very nice and strong.  The magnet was very strong.  We have seen a lot of magnet screw guides that don’t hold up much weight, but this one could very easily pick up 5 - 3″ screws, which is more than enough to keep the screw tight for any screwing position.

The test we ran was very simple and straight forward.  For the Saw blades we cut Oak 4×4 with our saw, and Oak plywood with the Plywood blade.  The Framing blade help up well. It took us a long time before the blade started to dull and cause some wood burning, but no quicker than other Carbide blades we testing in the past.  The Plywood blade dulled a bit quicker, but it’s steel and we were cutting 1″ Oak plywood.  Most of the time this blade will be cutting Grade B/C plywood and will last a little longer.

To test the bit inserts, we used harden screw heads and applied a light pressure to see how well the bits would hold up before they stripped.  Again they lasted about the same time as other bits of the same quality.

Overall we were very impressed with the quality of the blades and inserts.  We really like how the case is designed. You can carry four blades and all the popular sizes of bits and inserts in one place.  For the price, the Skil combo kit is a very good deal.

So if you are looking at getting a nice quality kit, definitely take a look at the Skil Kits.

Pro’s - Great case, Carry everything in one place. Can carry up to four saw blades. Magnetic bit holder is very strongCon’s - Only one! Just wish the plywood blade was Carbide

Professional Power Tool Guide Rating
OverallOverall for the price this is a very nice kit. It gives you a wide assortment of bits, plus two saw blades. The only reason we gave this a 4 out of 5 was because the plywood blade was steel instead of Carbide. Other than that, this is a very nice kit and great way to have everything you need in one central place.

Skil Worm Drive Saw Power Tool Review

Specifications- Skilsaw Worm Drive

Amps - 13.0
Volts - 120
RPM (No Load) - 4,300
Cord Length - 8 Ft.

Other Features
Carrying Case
D Handle
Anti Kick Back Design
Oil Pressure relief bellow

What do you think of when you think of bandages? Band Aid. You don’t ask someone for a tissue, you ask them for Kleenex. Well the Skilsaw is the same way. You don’t ask someone for the circular saw, you ask for the Skilsaw, no matter what brand you are thinking of. The reason is simple, Skil makes one of the best worm drives available. In this review we tested an older model called the Skilsaw Professional. Skil makes a newer model that has a magnesium case. This makes the tool lighter. To take a look at the new models you can go to tylertool.com and see the difference.

A worm drive is different than an in-line saw. We have an articlethat talks about the differences. A worm drive is a true professional circular saw, lots of power. Skil, which is owned by Bosch, has one of the most well know types of work drives on the market called the Skilsaw. The Skilsaw we tested is one incredible saw. Before we tested the saw, we went to a job site where it was going to get a lot of use cutting 1″ sheets of plywood for concrete pouring. On the 3rd floor they were cutting Maple and Oak pillar sides, so we also had this saw cutting some hard wood. We gave this saw to Jimmy because we knew he would be tough on it. He’s the type of guy who abuses tools before, during, and after use! You know this type of guy, he abuses tools because they aren’t his own! 

After we got the Skilsaw back, it looked like it went through a concrete mixer and was about 85 years old. We didn’t get much verbal feedback from Jimmy, so we ran some of our own test. First we changed the blade because three teeth were bent. We know this Circular saw has power and that was not the issue, so we wanted to test the anit-kickback system and oil relief.

The first thing we did was cut through some Oak 4×4’s. We wanted it so once the saw was in the center of the cut, the wood would bind on the blade. This is always a scary test because if you have every had a worm drive kick back, it can be violent and hurt like heck. I think I would rather be tazed than have a worm drive kick back. Well actually neither of them sound appealing. Anyway, we got the wood to bind, but we couldn’t get the saw to kick back or even slow down. No matter how many times we ran this test in different situations, we couldn’t get the oil to leak out anywhere either. We even ran the Skilsaw through so many cuts we got our Carbide blade to dull.

All in all we had fun with the Skilsaw. We are going to test the new version soon with video and more. Because this is an older version, we didn’t go as in-depth as the new review will be!

Pro’s - Plenty of power to rip through anything, great balance or as good as balance you will get for a worm drive.
Con’s - A little heavy, but again this is an older model. The new models are about 3 lbs lighter.

Professional Power Tool Guide Rating
Value

For a worm drive, you get a lot of power, good options and what we feel is a great value

Performance

The are no questions about the performance. It Does everything you want. More than enough power.

Ease of Use

The Skil saw is very easy to use. Depth adjustments and more are easy.

Balance

The balance is great for a worm drive, but again, the way a motor sits with a worm drive, they tend to be a little heavier than in line saws.

Feel

This is an extremely solid power tool. When you press the trigger and start cutting, you know it will cut what you want, and without hesitation.

Overall

Overall we are giving this a “5 Blade” Skil owns the worm drive market. These tools are made to last. If you are considering a worm drive saw, the Skil is the number one choice!

You can buy A Skil Worm Drive direct through Tylertool.com.