Professional Tool Reviews for Pros
Skil has impressed us with their brushless line of tools so far and the Skil 20V brushless angle grinder continues that trend. I tested it on several different types of metal with different wheels and couldn’t believe the performance it delivered for a grinder that’s well under $200 as a kit.
Buy it if you’re looking for a cordless grinder that gives you a lot of bang for your buck with the power to actually cut and grind. Pass if you want a cordless system that has a range of grinder sizes to work with or you’re looking for the performance that top-tier Pro models offer in this class.
The Skil 20V brushless angle grinder uses a brushless motor to spin its wheel up to 8500 RPM. That doesn’t mean a whole lot if it can’t keep those RPMs high, though. I started by making a few cuts in rebar and steel pipe using a diamond wheel. The cutting speed was right on par with my Makita 4-1/2″ brushless grinder (XAG06) and maybe even a little better.
I swapped the diamond wheel out for the grinding wheel Skil included and set to deburring some 1/4″ angle iron we’d cut earlier. Again, I was impressed with how well Skil’s brushless motor kept its speed up. I was able to bog it down, of course, but it took the same kind of force to do it that my Makita does.
For a DIY brand, even with a brushless motor, I expected it to have less power than it did. From what I’m seeing, it’s a good replacement for grinders in the 7-amp range. Once you get up around 10 amps, corded is definitely stronger.
If you’re used to using a Pro-level angle grinder, there’s definitely a difference between the higher-power advanced grinders and this one. But for your standard 18V/20V max grinder, it keeps up very well.
The Skil 20V brushless angle grinder follows a traditional cordless grinder design. The handle is on the thicker side compared to other handheld tools such as drills and impact drivers. If you have smaller hands, it might take some getting used to. It’s not any thicker than the handles on our other grinders, though.
With a 5.0Ah battery, handle, and grinder wheel, it weighs 6.1 pounds. That’s heavier than its corded counterparts, but not at all difficult to manage.
The lock-on power switch has a typical safety for similar grinders. You press the bottom of the switch down to lift up the front so it can ride over the safety. Once you turn it on, the switch stays locked on until you turn it off.
If you happen to have the power switch on when you insert a battery, it won’t turn on until you cycle the switch off and back on. That’s an important safety feature we like to see on any grinder.
Skil gives you an extra handle installation point. Most grinders have one on the right and left and a few add one on the top to help on vertical cutting. Skil adds the top install point.
Wheel changes follow the same process we see on our Pro models. There’s a wheel lock button on the top. Press it down and rotate the wheel by hand until you feel it slip into place. Then use your spanner wrench to loosen the flange and swap out your wheel.
What’s brilliant about the Skil 20V brushless angle grinder is that the wrench stores right inside the handle. It’s not something we see frequently from other brands, though Kobalt and Ryobi both have the same feature.
With our other grinders, we have to hope that whoever used it last put the wrench away in its proper place. There’s no standard hole configuration on the flanges, so having another spanner wrench doesn’t guarantee it will work.
The short answer is yes, you can the guard off. But you shouldn’t. Abrasive cut-off wheels are known for shattering and the shrapnel is unforgiving. You should always keep the guard on and wear eye protection.
The good news is that the guard has a tool-free rotation adjustment very similar to Pro models. Just flip the lever out, rotate it to the position you want, and flip it back in to lock it down. It’s super-simple.
There are two screens just above the battery that help keep debris from getting in through the air intake. If they start to get clogged up, you can take them off to clean and reinstall them.
Skil doesn’t advertise this as a braking grinder. However, the wheel takes 4 – 5 seconds to stop, so it’s not completely freewheeling, either.
You can pick up this angle grinder at Amazon for $179.99. That price includes the grinder, 5.0Ah battery, PWRJump charger upgrade, USB power adapter, grinding wheel, and 5-year warranty. It’s available to preorder now and looks like it will start shipping in January 2020.
That’s a pretty solid kit and I really like the bonus USB adapter. The PWRJump charger is an upgrade worth mentioning, too. It has a USB charging port on the front and gives you a super-quick charge for the first 5 minutes before settling in. If you just have a little grinding to do before you’re done, you can get the boost you need quickly.
To put it in perspective, the price is about half what you’ll pay for a similar kit from Makita or Milwaukee. Ryobi’s brushless grinder runs $99 and Craftsman’s brushed model is $49. Both are bare tools, so you may need to add the cost of a battery and charger.
Skil’s brushless tools have the performance to make the jump to professional use for budget-minded Pros, in my opinion. What may limit Skil with Pro group is that this is the only size cordless angle grinder they make, so it’s a fairly limited platform investment if you normally work with a range of grinders.
For serious DIYers, the performance and design you get for the price is solid gold. It can handle cutting and grinding tasks well and can easily replace your corded 4-1/2″ model in the 7-amp range.
Buy it if you’re looking for a cordless grinder that gives you a lot of bang for your buck with the power to actually cut and grind. Pass if you want a cordless system that has a range of grinder sizes to work with or you’re looking for the performance that top-tier Pro models offer in this class.
On the clock, Kenny dives deep to discover the practical limits and comparative differences for all kinds of tools. Off the clock, his faith and love for his family are his top priorities, and you'll typically find him in the kitchen, on his bike (he's an Ironman), or taking folks out for a day of fishing on Tampa Bay.
Milwaukee Expands Woodworking Line With M18 Cordless 1/4-Sheet Orbital Sheet Sander There aren’t many areas where Milwaukee’s cordless lineup isn’t deep, but cordless sanders are one of them. That’s beginning to change as the Milwaukee M18 Orbital 1/4-Sheet Sander joins the Random Orbit Sander in an expansion. Milwaukee M18 1/4-Sheet Orbital Sheet Sander: The Big […]
Ryobi 18V One+ Brushless Rotary Makes Accessory Changes A Tool-Free Snap Rotary tools are super-helpful for a variety of chores and projects, but many of them require a power cord and an outlet. Ryobi is jumping headfirst into the rotary tool class and they’ve looking to upend the traditional powerhouse. We brought in the Ryobi […]
Ridgid Raises Performance With New Brushless Angle Grinder When using an angle grinder, you want something that’s going to have the power to get the job done quickly and efficiently. Ridgid tells us that its 18V Brushless Angle Grinder (R86047B) delivers better performance than its predecessor. Ridgid 18V 4 1/2-Inch Brushless Angle Grinder: The Big […]
The Metabo 6-Inch Angle Grinder Earns Their Seat At The Table Metabo makes some of the best angle grinders on the planet and they have a huge range to choose from. The team behind the Metabo WEP 15-150 Quick 6-inch angle grinder set out to put together a full-featured, high-performing machine. We put it to […]
As an Amazon Associate, we may earn income when you click on an Amazon link. Thanks for helping us do what we love.
See our Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions.
Pro Tool Reviews is a successful online publication that has been providing tool reviews and industry news since 2008. In today’s world of Internet news and online content, we found that more and more professionals researched a large majority of their major power tool purchases online. That piqued our interest.
There’s one key thing to note about Pro Tool Reviews: We’re all about the professional tool user and tradesman!
Copyright ©2008-2022 Pro Tool Reviews, LLC. All rights reserved.
Professional Tool Reviews for Pros