Skil’s 20V Cordless Pole Saw Makes Tree Care More Convenient
Skil has a 20V cordless pole saw that we got our hands on. There’s a lot to love about the design. First of all, it’s part of the PWRCore 20 lineup that includes 20V and 40V (using two 20V batteries) lawn care and Skil’s highest-performing cordless power tools.
Editor’s Note: Check out our best pole saws article to see our top picks.
Setting Up
The Skil 20V cordless pole saw has three main pieces in the box. You get the handle section, the motor section, and an extension. With all three pieces together, you have a 10-foot pole saw. For most people, it’s an effective cutting height of 14 to 15 feet. The nice thing is you can remove the extension and have a 6.5-foot pole saw for reaching lower branches.
Putting the pieces together is easy. Just turn the shaft until it lines up and slips into position. Then, slide the threaded connector up against it, and tighten it down.
You’ll need to install the bar and chain. That’s also easy thanks to Skil’s tool-free bar and chain access. Twist the locking knob until the cover can come off, set the bar in place, and run the chain around the drive sprocket and into the bar guides. If you’re not 100% sure which way the chain goes on, there’s a graphic right next to the cover to help you match it up.
To finish up, put the cover back on and tighten the locking knob back up.
If you notice the chain is loose at any point, loosen that locking knob a turn, turn the tensioning sleeve surrounding the knob to increase the chain tension, and tighten the knob back down.
Skil 20V Cordless Pole Saw Convenience
The bar is 8 inches, which is plenty to cover most limbing that you’d want to do from the ground. Even though it’s a little smaller than professional 10-inch pole saws, Skil’s articulating head really helps you work around larger branches. By pressing both buttons at the pivot point, you have a total of 135° of movement. That includes a point that’s 90° to the pole and fantastic for getting over the top of a branch to cut downward.
If a branch you cut doesn’t fall away, there’s a plastic hook below the saw to encourage it to give in to gravity.
The chain is a 0.043-inch gauge, 3/8-inch pitch that’s easy to get ahold of when you need a replacement. Skil’s PWRCore 20 motor pulls it at 8 meters per second (1575 fpm).
When it comes to controlling the cut, we really like Skil’s handle design. The trigger runs the entire length of the handle, making it convenient to pull from any grip position. The trigger safety is a simple push-down button that you can press with your thumb whether you’re right or left-handed.
Keeping the chain oiled is no problem. Just take a peek at the translucent oil tank to make sure it’s filled before you start cutting and the auto oiler does the rest.
Including the bar and chain, the tool weighs 8.9 pounds and its balance is very forward as we expect for any pole saw. Skil includes a shoulder strap to help your manage the weight.
As we’ve seen with several other lawn care tools on the PWRCore 20 line, Skil includes their Easy Storage Bracket with this tool. In fact, they include two along with a bracket to hold the extension.
Skil PWRCore 20 Pole Saw Price
Skil’s 20V cordless pole saw is available as a kit for $149.99. It includes the saw, an extension, shoulder strap, bar sheath, 2 Easy Storage Brackets, a U-link bracket, 2.0Ah battery, and 60W charger. There’s a 5-year warranty on the tool.
The Bottom Line
The Skil 20V cordless pole saw includes a robust feature set that really does make limbing and trimming from the ground more convenient. If you have trees to care for on your property and want to keep your lawn care and power tools on the same battery system, adding this pole saw is a no-brainer.
Check out the entire line of Skil battery-powered lawn care tools here.
Skil 20V Cordless Pole Saw Specifications
- Model: Skil PS4563B-10
- Power Source: Skil PWRCore 20 battery
- Bar Size: 8-inch
- Chain: 0.043-inch gauge, 3/8-inch pitch
- Chainspeed: 8 mps (1575 fpm)
- Oil Capacity: 140mL
- Weight with Bar and Chain: 8.9 pounds
- Length: 118 inches with extension, 79 inches without
