Skil PWRCore 12 Flip Drill Pulls Double Duty With The Press of a Button
We review quite a few drills on this site, but none are quite as unique as the Skil Flip Drill! Two-headed drills aren’t too common in today’s tool landscape, but they do serve a valuable purpose for our DIYers and hobbyist friends.
Pros
- Compact profile
- Lightweight design
- Reversible collets
- Electronic clutch
- Compatible with both 12V and 20V batteries
Cons
- Only compatible with 1/4-inch hex shank bits
Skil Flip Drill: The Flipping Big Deal
This style of drill isn’t too common across the tool industry. In fact, the Worx SwitchDriver (WX176L) is one of the few commercially successful models on the market. With that said, the Skil Flip Drill does serve a pretty useful purpose.
The first thing to know is that this drill works using either Skil PWRCore 20 or PWRCore 12 batteries. Which one you choose has an effect on the performance, though.
The DL6300D-11 features two 1/4-inch hex collets that allow you to quickly change between drilling and driving tasks, rather than stopping to swap out bits. All you need to do to rotate the collets is to press the release button on the front of the motor housing and spin the mechanism.
This allows you to quickly go from drilling a pilot hole to driving your fastener in a matter of seconds. Keep in mind, you are limited to shorter hex shank drill bits since there’s only about 3 inches of space under the magnetic bit holder. You can obviously use a longer bit in the forward facing collet, but you’ll need to remove it in order to fully rotate the collets.
Skil Flip Drill Performance
- 12V No-Load Speed: 0-420/0-1550 RPMs
- 12V Torque: 300 in-lbs
- 20V No-Load Speed: 0-450/0-1700 RPMs
- 20V Torque: 350 in-lbs
- Collet Capacity: 1/4 in. hex
- Clutch Setting: 9+1
- Motor Type: Brushless
Drilling and Driving
The Skil Flip Drill is powered by a brushless motor that produces up to 1,700 RPMs and 350 in-lbs of torque using a 20V battery. If you use a 12V battery, it drops to 1,550 RPMs and 300 in-lbs of torque.
This is a bit unusual for multi-voltage tools, but it appears that Skil is employing some internal technology that limits power output to protect the tool and batteries.
My testing methods for drills drivers are to run them through a series of drilling and driving tasks that will highlight the tool’s strengths, weaknesses, and performance limits. This typically includes various sized spade bits, twist bits, self-feed bits, as well as some fasteners that you’d likely encounter during everyday use.
For testing, I paired this drill with the kitted PWRCore 12 2Ah battery. For the most part, this drill performed well in high speed with drill bits up 1/2-inch, and fasteners under 2-1/2 inches. Moving up to our larger 1-inch spade bit and 1-inch self-feed bit, I had to drop into low gear in order to completely drill through our pine 2×4 stud. With that said, the tool noticeably struggled with the larger bits, but that’s not really a surprise given its power level.
The takeaway from my testing is simply that this is a drill best suited for light-duty tasks. Was it able to drill holes with the larger 1-inch bits? YES! But is it the right tool for this job on a day-to-day basis? Absolutely not. If you need to regularly use larger bits and fasteners but want to maintain the smaller form factor, I’d suggest stepping up to Skil 20V Compact Drill Driver (DL6293B).
Not Your Average Clutch
The clutch system is different from what you’d find on the average drill driver. Instead of a manual clutch collar, Skil opted for an E-torque digital clutch you operate with a small panel with blister buttons to navigate the clutch settings.
This drill has nine clutch settings and a drilling mode. The clutch settings not only increase the torque but also increase the RPMs as you cycle through them. That’s a big change from standard drills that keep the same speed regardless of the clutch setting. This makes it incredibly versatile for driving tasks, especially when you’re working with small fasteners or delicate materials.
Skil Flip Drill Design Notes
- Model: Skil DL6300D-11
- Power Source: Skil 12V or 20V battery
- Weight: 2.1 lbs (bare tool), 2.6 lbs (with kitted 12V 2.0Ah battery
- Head Length: 7.9 in.
- Height: 7.4 in.
Size and Weight
One of the benefits of this drill is its lightweight design. The DL6300D-11 clocks in at 2.1 pounds as a bare tool, 2.6 pounds with the kitted 12V 2.0Ah battery, and measures 7.9 inches from tip to tail. That’s right in line with Skil’s 12V Compact Hammer Drill.
The grip and rubber overmold are very similar to the Skil drills I’ve already mentioned above, but the biggest difference from a design perspective is the motor’s position. Rather than sitting on top of the tool, it’s oriented vertically in front of the grip. This serves two purposes—it makes room for the flip drill mechanism and doubles as a finger guard while you’re working.
Its slim design gives you easy access to corners, edges, and other hard to reach spaces. I will say, while this drill is pretty lightweight, it does have a noticeable forward lean due to the motor’s position. It’s not a dealbreaker for me, but it’s something to know if you have issues with your wrist or grip strength.
Magnetic Bit Holder
Skil added a pretty unique feature to this drill in the form of an onboard magnetic bit holder. It sits on top of the tool right above the grip and allows you to temporarily store a spare drill bit, or even a couple screws while you work.
Additional Features
- LED work light with pre-light and afterglow
- 2-position belt hook
Skil Flip Drill Price
The Skil DL6300D-11 kit retails at Lowe’s for $99.98 and comes with a 12V 2.0Ah battery, charger, and a few drill bits and Phillips bit to get you started. There’s also a 20V kit available on Amazon for $99. Skil backs this drill with a 5-year limited warranty.
The Bottom Line
Without a doubt, the Skil Flip Drill offers a ton of benefits for DIYers and occasional drill users. It showed a lot of promise during our testing for light-duty projects, and the unique design can help save a little time on your next project. If you’re on the hunt for a capable drill to help you tackle your Saturday to-do list, Skil has your back.
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