As a poor entry level DIY-er, I've been getting tools as budget allows. The last two I've bought have been a SKIL Miter Saw and The SKIL Table Saw and I have to say. I'm pretty damn impressed with them. Looks like I'm getting this next.
Glad to hear Branden. I haven’t used the Skil Miter saw yet but we should get to that one soon. I think you’ll be impressed with this nail gun also, esp for the price. Good luck and thanks for watching!
Skil has really upped their game, and definitely deserves a seat at the table. In the past Skil was a common and popular tool on every job site (worm drive saw). This new Powercore line has me personally measuring them up against a lot of the Milwaukee and DeWalt models. Thank you for the honest review and putting this new contender through its paces. ⭐️⭐️👍👍⭐️⭐️
Skil has been around for many many years and was a good brand years ago. I have several Skil tools that are over 30 years old and still working. I guess that depends on how much use they get too.
If you mean this isn’t the same company from 30 years ago you’re definitely correct. Skil and Skilsaw are both currently owned by the parent company Chervon.
I have several of the skil 12v tools and they are fantastic. The impact has real balls and the drill and oscillating tools are tough as nails. Bought them online by mistake thinking i had ordered the 20v but they have over performed, punching way above their weight class
First: I massively appreciate your very thorough examinations of all the things you test. I'm also impressed by all the manufacturers that send you things to critique on your channel. With a relatively small number of subscribers (I'm one of them), you get a rather large interest from tool makers. That ROCKS! What impresses me most about this nail gun as a "hose-less" tool is how quickly it can fire again after each firing. Seems like it's not actually "pneumatic", like most battery operated nail guns are (i.e.: you can hear them recharge after each firing. SO... is this somehow completely motor-driven firing without a pneumatic air pump? I honestly never heard the sound of an air pump recharging the system for the next shot. Therefore, I gotta ask: Is this a quasi-pneumatic system, or is it completely electro-mechanically driven? Inquiring minds want to know...
Nice review Mike, great to see proper reviews. Just sold off last of RIDGID 18v tools to get on board SKIL train. Just impossible getting them up here in great white north Canada
I owned a set of brushed RIDGID 18v tools for about a day once. Drill would throw a three inch spark out the side vent when the motor came to a stop. Never seen anything like it. It still amazes me you up north folks have trouble getting products that are abundant in the US. I get the difference in politics but in the end it's just a semi truck ride away. 🤷♂️ Thanks for watching Michael!
@@ProjectsForAllReviews Likely basic economics - 1/10th of the population with the big boys - DeWalt, Makita, Bosch taking up a majority of shelf/marketing space in big box stores, Milwaukee/Ridid/Ryobi pushed & well marketed at Home Depot. Our local tool stores focus on the money making brands. Access to those products is easy & abundant. Metabo HPT is small but accessible. Reno Depot & Rona stores here (formerly of Lowes) carry EGO and a limited amount of Flex so it might make sense for Skil to appear there but they appear focussed on Kobalt & Craftsman at the lower end. Chervon would need to push & market Skil to make inroads but they're likely more focussed on profitable EGO & Flex brands.
Skil owned by same company that has Kobalt and Flex so this nailer just keeps engineers and designers on another floor in the office busy. This battery nailer with the charged air canister is 16 years old now and everyone except Paslode and Dewalt run this technology. It’s ordinary… it all about getting that battery technology out into people’s homes that these big companies spend on because of licensing. They’re just DIY. Big rumour has it Hikoki will shake up this segment this year. Thanks for the review mate.
Another nice review. I own five air nailers from when I worked full time as a carpenter. I've considered a battery-powered one to keep in my shop for projects. If I want to tack something together, it's a pain for roll out the compressor, hoses, and nail guns for just a dozen shots. I think a battery nailer would fit that bill nicely. The Skil looks OK, but the brand gives me some concern. The price is nice, though.
I agree Jim, I hate going up in the garage loft for the compressor and guns just to use it for 10 minutes! Menards has this one on sale for $150 at the moment and for that price I'd be all over it. Time will tell if this lasts but this will be my only gun until I get another for review. Thanks for watching!
I am getting more and more impressed with Skill, which is kinda interesting given that my father was also impressed with them...back in the '70'! I still have his old circular saw and reciprocating saw.
As a woodworker, there’s 18g Brad nails in nearly everything I build. We use them as clamps until the glue dries. Id love a cordless Brad nailer, but to get one that shoots up to 2 1/8” nails is some money, and with 2 kids in college, my pneumatic will just have to do lol. Btw, porter cable and metabo brad nails are some of the best I’ve used. Most others snap when you have an oopsie and need to pull one lol.
I usually buy the porter cable nails but got a wild hair this time and tried out the DeWalts. I did try to yank a few and they did snap off. Maybe a brad nail comparison would be interesting one day. Thanks for watching Griffin and Happy New Year!
Oh... a sort of addendum to my first post: STILL waiting for your assessment of Kobalt's 15 amp, 10-inch table saw you promised some months ago! I've got one ( Model KT 10152). I like it just fine for what I do, just want to hear your assessment. Keep up the good work, though!
I use one of those in the wood shop along with good glue for projects. After installing new laminate floor in the 2 biggest rooms in my house I used it to reinstall trim, 3/4” x8” oak woodwork into old hard doug fir studs and only had a couple shallow hits. Great tool and my shop is full of skil power tools. Question, have you and will you review the skil rolling tool storage boxes?? I’m curious how they compare with other brands.
Hey Brother. This thing a little bit big, but think it's still smaller than the RYOBI, not to mention the SKIL can be balanced vertically on a 2Ah battery, while tough to balance the RYOBI on anything smaller than a 4Ah. Anything smaller and falls over if sneeze in it's direction.
This looks a lot like the Worx WX842 18GA nail guns. It has exactly the same toolless nail jam removal, depth adjuster in the same/similar place, single shot/bump at the same place... Although some other details are definitely different. Worx are known for making a lot of white label tools. I was able to use a Worx battery on a Wesco tool. Interesting to see if this Skil also uses the same battery port...
Mike, first of all, the best of everything to you and your family in the New Year! This is a nice looking nail gun. I started with an 18 gauge Ryobi soft strike nail gun and quickly went to the De Walt; then I added the 23 gauge DeWalt pinner. I also have all of those in pneumatic nailers; but once you go cordless, it's hard to go back. Price for this gun seems reasonable; so, why couldn't this one been around when I started? The prices I see are comparable to what I payed for that original Ryobi of mine.
Happy New Year Mr Meat! I’ve had my Porter Cables and Paslode framer as long as I can remember, prob 20-25 years. I’ve never broken one. Other than friends and coworkers guns those originals are the only ones I’ve used. I wish I’d had them out for the video but I have no idea were they are. The wife and I close on a new house this Friday and half my stuff is packed. I’ll do an official channel announcement within a month or so. Thanks for watching!
I noticed that the LED on the left-side of the tool throws a big shadow to the right....which, for a left-hander like me, gets annoying. Otherwise, it looks like a great nailer.
It's odd how manufacturers work. As a lefty too, I would find that annoying whereas the Metabo HPT's nailer has only 1 light that shines on the right side and casts a shadow on the left which I would assume annoys most right handed users.
for those wondering how is this nailer comparing Ryobi air strike brushed nailer, this week i had my hand on both plus Einhell with 4 amps battery, i tested the three of them on a thick piece of hardwood with 2 inch nail and i want to confirm that Ryobi Air strike with 2 amps battery outperformed Skil and Einhell. with its nail depth set to the shallowest and air pressure gauge to the minimum , the nails head was barely on the top of the wood surface while the other 2 was to be considered misfire. with the deepest setting and maximum air pressure, the nails were deep inside the wood, something wasnt achieved by both Einhell and Skil. i have photos for my test but i can not put in comment. So if bump firing feature is not a big deal for you, and you dont mind brushed motor, i would highly recommend the Ryobi Air strike. other than that, Skil would be great if it is mainly MDF casing, moulding, etc. I am not sure how they do on the long term but Ryobi had a positive feed back on long term use since it has been in market for years. I am handyman and i am not affiliated to any of them
Happy New Year Mike , great review, I'm really liking skil these day's. I bought the jobsite table saw, after watching your review on it and recently bought the plunge and fixed base skil router combo. I would buy this in a minute but have so many Ryobi tools with the 18v platform. Thanks again Ed
Ryobi redesigned. The front end, magazine , single side led , piston drive, even the sound. This is cranked out from Techtronic Industries or they're at least sourcing the same parts.
I own several portable compressors as well as framing, 16 ga, 18ga and, pin nailers. All future purchases will be battery operated just to eliminate the obnoxious compressor noise and the trip-hazard air hoses.
I would definitely try a different brand nail but I shot all the included nails first without a problem. Make sure your holding the tool tight to the work piece when you pull the trigger. Good luck and let us know how it turns out. Thanks for watching!
I wonder why Chervon (the maker of SKIL power tools) has this nicer design as the Kobalt 18gauge nailer is so weirdly tall? Now Skil needs a 16gauge cousin ASAP. BTW Menards has 15% when item fits in the bag which this should qualify for.
Just bought at menards tonight for 149.00 trying it out tomorrow. Have mostly kobalt 24 volt but their nailer is too big and 100$ more Have the porter cable 16ga finisher and 18 gage narrow crown that work awesome. A couple older paslode 16 ga gas. And a gas paslode framer, love them but did not want the gas on a 18 ga. Love this channel. Bought the skil table saw after projects for all review. Best out there no BS.
I'm not gonna be too picky since it's generation one and I can see many applications with this gun in my line of work, especially with the max lenght of the nails, but I can help but be dissapointed they didn't make it 2 in 1, nail and staple gun, then I could really commit to this brand but for now I'll have to stick with the Einhell/Ozito. I'll still get it when it coes out in Poland cause it seems powerfull but still... 😅
It's true this is Skil's first one and there isn't even a Flex yet to borrow tech from but it ran flawlessly. I would have maybe given it a slight pass if there was an issue but it didn't have to. Thanks for watching John and Happy New Year!
I do enjoy watching your channel. I think a 1000 brad nails on a 2 amp battery is pretty good. I did look up some specs on it. You are right, it does have some weight to it and it does come with a belt clip. You would have to have a hefty belt to clip this to your belt. LOL!!! I think from your description. You would be very happy person to add this to your arsenal of tools if you are in this platform. Good review
I have a few projects coming up this year and this nailer should get some good use. It’s a lot of tool for a pretty low price and I’m looking forward to seeing how it holds up in the long run. Thanks for watching Ron!
It's too bad Chervon couldn't shave off some size and weight to more closely mimic their Flex cousin - no worries about cannibalizing sales as they serve 2 different markets/users. It would be a tempting purchase however, in Canda - the kit is significantly more expensive(+ $100) than the Metabo HPT equivalent. It would be nice if Chervon/Skil put more effort into the "Great White North".
I like it. You have the USBC option or a regular charger if that’s your speed. Or use the battery to charge your phone in a pinch. What’s not to like. Either way, thanks for watching!
As a poor entry level DIY-er, I've been getting tools as budget allows. The last two I've bought have been a SKIL Miter Saw and The SKIL Table Saw and I have to say. I'm pretty damn impressed with them. Looks like I'm getting this next.
Glad to hear Branden. I haven’t used the Skil Miter saw yet but we should get to that one soon. I think you’ll be impressed with this nail gun also, esp for the price. Good luck and thanks for watching!
Skil has really upped their game, and definitely deserves a seat at the table. In the past Skil was a common and popular tool on every job site (worm drive saw). This new Powercore line has me personally measuring them up against a lot of the Milwaukee and DeWalt models.
Thank you for the honest review and putting this new contender through its paces. ⭐️⭐️👍👍⭐️⭐️
I agree and especially this tool is somewhat comparable to the big boys. I’m always looking forward to the next Skil tool. Thanks for watching!
Skil has been around for many many years and was a good brand years ago. I have several Skil tools that are over 30 years old and still working. I guess that depends on how much use they get too.
This isnt that same company that makes the skillsaw there different companies just similar names
If you mean this isn’t the same company from 30 years ago you’re definitely correct. Skil and Skilsaw are both currently owned by the parent company Chervon.
I have several of the skil 12v tools and they are fantastic. The impact has real balls and the drill and oscillating tools are tough as nails. Bought them online by mistake thinking i had ordered the 20v but they have over performed, punching way above their weight class
First: I massively appreciate your very thorough examinations of all the things you test. I'm also impressed by all the manufacturers that send you things to critique on your channel. With a relatively small number of subscribers (I'm one of them), you get a rather large interest from tool makers. That ROCKS!
What impresses me most about this nail gun as a "hose-less" tool is how quickly it can fire again after each firing. Seems like it's not actually "pneumatic", like most battery operated nail guns are (i.e.: you can hear them recharge after each firing. SO... is this somehow completely motor-driven firing without a pneumatic air pump? I honestly never heard the sound of an air pump recharging the system for the next shot. Therefore, I gotta ask:
Is this a quasi-pneumatic system, or is it completely electro-mechanically driven? Inquiring minds want to know...
Nice review Mike, great to see proper reviews. Just sold off last of RIDGID 18v tools to get on board SKIL train. Just impossible getting them up here in great white north Canada
I owned a set of brushed RIDGID 18v tools for about a day once. Drill would throw a three inch spark out the side vent when the motor came to a stop. Never seen anything like it. It still amazes me you up north folks have trouble getting products that are abundant in the US. I get the difference in politics but in the end it's just a semi truck ride away. 🤷♂️ Thanks for watching Michael!
@@ProjectsForAllReviews Likely basic economics - 1/10th of the population with the big boys - DeWalt, Makita, Bosch taking up a majority of shelf/marketing space in big box stores, Milwaukee/Ridid/Ryobi pushed & well marketed at Home Depot. Our local tool stores focus on the money making brands. Access to those products is easy & abundant. Metabo HPT is small but accessible. Reno Depot & Rona stores here (formerly of Lowes) carry EGO and a limited amount of Flex so it might make sense for Skil to appear there but they appear focussed on Kobalt & Craftsman at the lower end. Chervon would need to push & market Skil to make inroads but they're likely more focussed on profitable EGO & Flex brands.
Skil owned by same company that has Kobalt and Flex so this nailer just keeps engineers and designers on another floor in the office busy. This battery nailer with the charged air canister is 16 years old now and everyone except Paslode and Dewalt run this technology. It’s ordinary… it all about getting that battery technology out into people’s homes that these big companies spend on because of licensing. They’re just DIY. Big rumour has it Hikoki will shake up this segment this year. Thanks for the review mate.
Another nice review. I own five air nailers from when I worked full time as a carpenter. I've considered a battery-powered one to keep in my shop for projects. If I want to tack something together, it's a pain for roll out the compressor, hoses, and nail guns for just a dozen shots. I think a battery nailer would fit that bill nicely. The Skil looks OK, but the brand gives me some concern. The price is nice, though.
I agree Jim, I hate going up in the garage loft for the compressor and guns just to use it for 10 minutes! Menards has this one on sale for $150 at the moment and for that price I'd be all over it. Time will tell if this lasts but this will be my only gun until I get another for review. Thanks for watching!
I am getting more and more impressed with Skill, which is kinda interesting given that my father was also impressed with them...back in the '70'! I still have his old circular saw and reciprocating saw.
I’ve been pretty impressed too. They keep pumping out good stuff. Thanks for watching!
Big difference between skill and Skil. 2 LL's don't make it better like ss's in desert & dessert!
"Skil" Is chevron and better.
I’m writing SKIL in for president this year.
Skill is doing a great job for the DIY customer......
Let's see that Hercules miter saw!!!!
I agree can't wait to see what's next. We'll get to that Hercules soon enough! Thanks for watching!
As a woodworker, there’s 18g Brad nails in nearly everything I build. We use them as clamps until the glue dries. Id love a cordless Brad nailer, but to get one that shoots up to 2 1/8” nails is some money, and with 2 kids in college, my pneumatic will just have to do lol. Btw, porter cable and metabo brad nails are some of the best I’ve used. Most others snap when you have an oopsie and need to pull one lol.
I usually buy the porter cable nails but got a wild hair this time and tried out the DeWalts. I did try to yank a few and they did snap off. Maybe a brad nail comparison would be interesting one day. Thanks for watching Griffin and Happy New Year!
Love your videos Mike! Great review.i appreciate the details you provide, even when there are not that many.
I appreciate that! Thanks for watching!
Oh... a sort of addendum to my first post: STILL waiting for your assessment of Kobalt's 15 amp, 10-inch table saw you promised some months ago! I've got one ( Model KT 10152). I like it just fine for what I do, just want to hear your assessment. Keep up the good work, though!
I use one of those in the wood shop along with good glue for projects. After installing new laminate floor in the 2 biggest rooms in my house I used it to reinstall trim, 3/4” x8” oak woodwork into old hard doug fir studs and only had a couple shallow hits. Great tool and my shop is full of skil power tools. Question, have you and will you review the skil rolling tool storage boxes?? I’m curious how they compare with other brands.
Thanks man! Loved the video, very thoroughly explained and demoed! Appreciate it
Glad it was helpful! Thanks for watching!
Hey Brother. This thing a little bit big, but think it's still smaller than the RYOBI, not to mention the SKIL can be balanced vertically on a 2Ah battery, while tough to balance the RYOBI on anything smaller than a 4Ah. Anything smaller and falls over if sneeze in it's direction.
This looks a lot like the Worx WX842 18GA nail guns. It has exactly the same toolless nail jam removal, depth adjuster in the same/similar place, single shot/bump at the same place... Although some other details are definitely different. Worx are known for making a lot of white label tools. I was able to use a Worx battery on a Wesco tool. Interesting to see if this Skil also uses the same battery port...
Different manufacturers for sure but the Chinese company’s do seem to love using the same parts accross many brands. Thanks for watching!
Mike, first of all, the best of everything to you and your family in the New Year! This is a nice looking nail gun. I started with an 18 gauge Ryobi soft strike nail gun and quickly went to the De Walt; then I added the 23 gauge DeWalt pinner. I also have all of those in pneumatic nailers; but once you go cordless, it's hard to go back. Price for this gun seems reasonable; so, why couldn't this one been around when I started? The prices I see are comparable to what I payed for that original Ryobi of mine.
Happy New Year Mr Meat! I’ve had my Porter Cables and Paslode framer as long as I can remember, prob 20-25 years. I’ve never broken one. Other than friends and coworkers guns those originals are the only ones I’ve used. I wish I’d had them out for the video but I have no idea were they are. The wife and I close on a new house this Friday and half my stuff is packed. I’ll do an official channel announcement within a month or so. Thanks for watching!
@@ProjectsForAllReviews Hey, congratulations and best of luck in the new place. I hope you're staying in Chicagoland.
Nice dude! Skil is stepping up... love it.
I noticed that the LED on the left-side of the tool throws a big shadow to the right....which, for a left-hander like me, gets annoying. Otherwise, it looks like a great nailer.
Good call on the light Jeff, I often forget about you lefties unless we're talking about circ saw variations. Thanks for watching and Happy New Year!
It's odd how manufacturers work. As a lefty too, I would find that annoying whereas the Metabo HPT's nailer has only 1 light that shines on the right side and casts a shadow on the left which I would assume annoys most right handed users.
Happy New Year, Mike.
Happy New Year Magius!
for those wondering how is this nailer comparing Ryobi air strike brushed nailer, this week i had my hand on both plus Einhell with 4 amps battery, i tested the three of them on a thick piece of hardwood with 2 inch nail and i want to confirm that Ryobi Air strike with 2 amps battery outperformed Skil and Einhell. with its nail depth set to the shallowest and air pressure gauge to the minimum , the nails head was barely on the top of the wood surface while the other 2 was to be considered misfire. with the deepest setting and maximum air pressure, the nails were deep inside the wood, something wasnt achieved by both Einhell and Skil. i have photos for my test but i can not put in comment. So if bump firing feature is not a big deal for you, and you dont mind brushed motor, i would highly recommend the Ryobi Air strike. other than that, Skil would be great if it is mainly MDF casing, moulding, etc. I am not sure how they do on the long term but Ryobi had a positive feed back on long term use since it has been in market for years. I am handyman and i am not affiliated to any of them
Shame we can't get it in the uk
Why?
Happy New Year Mike , great review, I'm really liking skil these day's. I bought the jobsite table saw, after watching your review on it and recently bought the plunge and fixed base skil router combo. I would buy this in a minute but have so many Ryobi tools with the 18v platform. Thanks again Ed
How long does it take to charge the battery?
Ryobi redesigned. The front end, magazine , single side led , piston drive, even the sound. This is cranked out from Techtronic Industries or they're at least sourcing the same parts.
I own several portable compressors as well as framing, 16 ga, 18ga and, pin nailers. All future purchases will be battery operated just to eliminate the obnoxious compressor noise and the trip-hazard air hoses.
Yep I think it's time for me too. Obnoxious is the correct word for those small compressors too. Thanks for watching Kelley!
Why can’t I seem to drive a nail all the way in? Depth gauge set to drive fully down. Are the nails that came with it just junk?
I would definitely try a different brand nail but I shot all the included nails first without a problem. Make sure your holding the tool tight to the work piece when you pull the trigger. Good luck and let us know how it turns out. Thanks for watching!
love the detail on your reviews. Thanks, and blessings in the new year!
Happy New Year Lora! Thanks for watching!
I am glass placer. Its worthless even put on deepest. Wil not completly go in
I wonder why Chervon (the maker of SKIL power tools) has this nicer design as the Kobalt 18gauge nailer is so weirdly tall? Now Skil needs a 16gauge cousin ASAP. BTW Menards has 15% when item fits in the bag which this should qualify for.
Just bought at menards tonight for 149.00 trying it out tomorrow.
Have mostly kobalt 24 volt but their nailer is too big and 100$ more
Have the porter cable 16ga finisher and 18 gage narrow crown that work awesome.
A couple older paslode 16 ga gas.
And a gas paslode framer, love them but did not want the gas on a 18 ga.
Love this channel. Bought the skil table saw after projects for all review. Best out there no BS.
I totally agree. This dudes content is excellent. Very relatable demeanor
I'm not gonna be too picky since it's generation one and I can see many applications with this gun in my line of work, especially with the max lenght of the nails, but I can help but be dissapointed they didn't make it 2 in 1, nail and staple gun, then I could really commit to this brand but for now I'll have to stick with the Einhell/Ozito. I'll still get it when it coes out in Poland cause it seems powerfull but still... 😅
It's true this is Skil's first one and there isn't even a Flex yet to borrow tech from but it ran flawlessly. I would have maybe given it a slight pass if there was an issue but it didn't have to. Thanks for watching John and Happy New Year!
Can I use this gun to nail wood on floors ?
big no
I do enjoy watching your channel. I think a 1000 brad nails on a 2 amp battery is pretty good. I did look up some specs on it. You are right, it does have some weight to it and it does come with a belt clip. You would have to have a hefty belt to clip this to your belt. LOL!!! I think from your description. You would be very happy person to add this to your arsenal of tools if you are in this platform. Good review
I have a few projects coming up this year and this nailer should get some good use. It’s a lot of tool for a pretty low price and I’m looking forward to seeing how it holds up in the long run. Thanks for watching Ron!
Thanks Mike
Thanks for watching Stormpooper!
Where can I buy it?
Amazon
Decent price for a kit.
I agree and on sale at Menards right now, not sure how long though. Thanks for watching!
It's too bad Chervon couldn't shave off some size and weight to more closely mimic their Flex cousin - no worries about cannibalizing sales as they serve 2 different markets/users. It would be a tempting purchase however, in Canda - the kit is significantly more expensive(+ $100) than the Metabo HPT equivalent. It would be nice if Chervon/Skil put more effort into the "Great White North".
Niiice
did you really just measure brad nails...
Maybe…..
Those USB C batteries are a deal breaker. Way to flimsy and too easy to lose for any real work.
I like it. You have the USBC option or a regular charger if that’s your speed. Or use the battery to charge your phone in a pinch. What’s not to like. Either way, thanks for watching!
If you are caulking nail holes, you are doing it wrong.
Don’t know if that’s right or wrong actually but I was taught that way and did it in many high end houses. 😂🤡
do it right show it right else usless bs