Skil® Lithium Ion 18V Cordless 4-Tool Combo Kit Review

The Skil® Lithium Ion 18V Cordless Circular Saw employs a 5 3/8” blade and this is fairly standard for cordless circular saws. If the blade were any larger, you would sacrifice power and battery life. Cordless circular saws are not really meant for cutting multiple huge dimensional lumber or ripping multiple sheets of 3/4” plywood. So within that context, this cordless saw perfectly fits the bill.

The flashlight is powered by the same lithium-ion battery that powers the rest of the tools. The flashlight casts a narrow, circular beam that is sufficient for most uses. The best thing about the flashlight is that it stands on end (using the battery as a base), and its head rotates from horizontal to vertical.

The heart of any cordless tool system is the battery. One nice thing about the Skil® Lithium Ion 18V combo kit is that batteries themselves have indicator lights, obviating the need to put them into the battery charger just to see how much juice is left. Three blue lights let you know if your charge is high, medium, or low. What could be simpler?

One odd thing: I found it difficult to positively lock the battery in place. I would slide the battery in and it appeared to be locked in place. Upon closer examination, I would see a 1/8” gap between the battery and tool. An extra shove easily slid the battery the rest of the way. Eventually, I developed the habit of slapping the battery into place, in the same way a movie action hero will slam the ammo magazine into his (or her) weapon. Even for a pacifist like me, I have to admit there is something satisfying about the feeling of doing that.