Full Review-

SKIL has brought a slew of power players to the mix in the last year or so, and it’s no wonder their OPE lineup was one of their most anticipated launches. With a strong line of Homeowner geared tools, how does their new Mower stack up? Let’s find out in the SKIL Mower Review. 

About the Tool

SKIL Mower Review

SKIL has been around a long time. But they’re revamped and reimagined lineup of 12V and 20V tools have stolen more than a few hearts with their robust performance and generous feature set. One thing is for sure, SKIL has certainly positioned itself as a brand to keep an eye on in the homeowner market. 

Their OPE lineup includes a core set of homeowner essentials, Two Mowers- both a Self Propelled which we are looking at today and a traditional model, as well as a Blower, Chainsaw, String Trimmer and a Hedge Trimmer. These tools are geared towards the 1/2 acre and under properties, making them a great fit the bulk of users. Something to focus on with SKIL is their battery technology has some of the same technology we have come to love from EGO, as they are both owned by the same group. While these brands are designed to suit different needs, knowing there is some shared tech goes a long way in improving the value of the SKIL lineup. 

Standout Features

SKIL Mower Review

SKIL generously appointed this Mower with a Brushless Motor and a 20 Inch cutting capacity offers a standard size that will make quick work of your yard.

Weather-Resistant Construction provides enhanced protection from the elements.  And the foldable design allows for quick and easy storage that is compact, making it ideal for homeowners short on space, and provides the option of vertical storage. As well, the handle is easy to adjust for height and comfort, allowing you to tailor the mower to your needs. 

SKIL utilizes a  40V Battery. With their PWRJump Battery technology with ultra-fast charging, offering 30% capacity in 15 minutes. This is a huge plus when we have those days we forget to charge our batteries, whoops!

Where their Batteries shine though, is truly in their PWRCore Technology. Each cell in the battery is individually wrapped with a special material that improves heat displacement. Cooler batteries mean longer running tools, and longer life out of your them too!  

SKIL equipped their Self-Propelled mower with adjustable speeds for easy adjustments based on your needs. A quick turn of the dial and you can increase or decrease speed. For me, the speed adjustments are excellent when maneuvering hills and rougher terrain as I prefer a slower speed than when I am tackling the bulk of the property. 

Push Button start is a common thing we see now in vehicles, but on a mower, it really stands out as a feature users will love! SKIL included this convenience feature to skip the hassle and get right to mowing. 

Deck Height Adjustments are easy with the SKIL Mower, a single lever adjusts the deck height with 7 different heights ranging from 1.5 to 4 inches. I liked the design on this quite a bit and found it to be very responsive to adjustment. 

This Mower offers both Bagging and a Mulching option, and switching between the two is simple. The bagging mode is probably one of the most effective bagging designs I have seen. As well the bagging capacity comes in at 1.7 bushels or 60 liters of clipping capacity. 

Value

SKIL Mower Review

SKIL is known as a budget-friendly brand that doesn’t act like it. While they’ve stayed true to their roots in providing tools that work well but don’t break the budget, they’ve overhauled their lineup to have new and better tools with features you normally wouldn’t find.  This model comes in at $475 on Amazon for the kit with a charger and a 5.0 battery. If you’re looking for an alternative, SKIL does offer a Push Mower at $349.00 on Amazon, while you lose the self-propelled feature, it is a stellar value and includes a 5.0 Ah battery and charger too. Either way you go, both are great options. With a 3 year warranty, that SKIL will extend to 5 years if you register your product within 30 days, your investment is in good hands! See SKIL’s Warranty information for for more details. 

My Thoughts

SKIL Mower Review

SKIL really impressed me with their lineup overall, but this Self Propelled Mower really stood out as a great performer. With so many manufacturers offering new OPE in their lineup, its a bit like navigating physics when trying to select which will suit your needs, tricky to say the least. One of the great things though is that we’re here to save you a headache and hopefully make purchasing decisions a bit easier!  

Here in Texas, I own 3 acres of property with a wide range of terrains. Portions are heavily wooded, but we have trails that weave through meaning we get lots of pine needles, sticks, and the like, presenting a unique challenge for any mower. We also have more than our share of hills and intense grass growth with a lot of spring rains and full sun so we had a good mix of things we could consider. One of my favorite tools to test has become OPE because it keeps the property well maintained! What is great about this mower though, it handled very well on hills as well as the trails without slowing down, something I expected of a mower in this class. One of the greatest aspects is definitely the bagging system. Both easy to empty and shockingly efficient, this was easily the best bagging system I have used to date! 

SKIL opted to go with a 40V battery platform. While it’s easy when you’re looking at different lineups to get a little lost and assume the larger the voltage number, the more powerful it is. Honestly, though, it just isn’t the case when it comes to batteries, as not all are created equal. Yes, their voltage is relevant, but it is only one piece to the puzzle in what equated to a tool’s overall performance and runtime as well as the overall life of the tool. What is great about SKIL is they took some of their well-proven battery technology from their other lines and made adjustments to suit this lineup. I found their tools to all be of sufficient power for their intended user, and much like their traditional power tool lineup, there is a lot to love! 

The SKIL lineup as a whole extends past the mower, to include a Chainsaw, Hedge Trimmer, String Trimmer, and a Blower. I am going to talk more about the other tools soon, but I appreciate that they started their OPE line with a solid starting set that is all compatible with the same battery. I always think this is something as a consumer I find important, as selecting a battery platform of any kind largely means you are hoping to stick with it. 

Starting gas-powered mowers can be a hassle, no question about it. What makes Battery-Powered Motors really stand out is that rather than priming, pulling the cord that never seems to trigger a start on the first pull, and repeating, you simply push a button. More than that too, the maintenance on gas OPE equipment can be tedious if it isn’t something you are well versed in. This is another great way Battery Powered OPE can really shine if you have a smaller property and just need basic tools to maintain the yard without getting too involved. No gas cans, fuel treatments, and winter storage to be concerned with! One thing is for sure, I think most new homeowners will especially find themselves gravitating towards their weekend yard work when they can avoid the hassle gas OPE can cause. 

All in, I am a huge fan of what SKIL put together in this Mower, and I am by far not the only user singing their praises. I truly found SKIL’s new Mower to be pleasant to use, well-appointed, and to be a workhorse in tall and full grass as well as rough terrain and hills. Solid cutting power, quiet operation, compact storage are all things I would really look to SKIL for if you are in the market.