Professional Tool Reviews for Pros

Most sanders suffer from the same problem—at some point, the tool gets in the way, leaving a little bit of unsanded material for you to deal with by hand. The Skil PWRCore 20 Brushless Multi-Sander is designed to give you more reach than other sanders.

When Skil decided to cut the cord on their original Multi-Function Sander, they turned to the PWRCore 20 battery platform and a brushless motor that significantly improves the runtime and life of the tool. It’s capable of producing 21,000 OPM and has a 1.6 mm orbit diameter. This is a single-speed sander, so there’s no speed dial.

The big deal, of course, is the interchangeable pad system Skil uses. Flip the release switch at the top, and you can swap out the front of the delta pad for a finger attachment, louvre attachment, or flexible attachment. It’s a simple operation that doesn’t require any tools and only takes a few seconds.

Each attachment sticks out in front of the sander’s body and lets you access tighter spaces and corners than typical delta pad sanders can.

The attachments are flush with the base pad and that has the potential for the back pad to cause problems on your material. However, each attachment has some flex in it. Just tilt the sander forward slightly to lift the back if it’s a concern for your workpiece.

There’s less vibration than you might think in a cordless sander at this price point. Skil uses a counterbalance system to help dampen it.

Overall, this is a compact sander that measures 5 7/8 inches from the tip of the delta pad to the back. Once you add the dust bag, it’s about 9 3/4 inches long and stands 4 1/2 inches tall.

As for the weight, it’s just 1.5 pounds without the battery and 2.6 pounds with the 2.0Ah pack.

The sander opts for a non-traditional dust collection port. Its short, wide design has a gasket that seals off the bag well but doesn’t allow you to connect a vac. There is some suction that pulls dust up and into the collection bag, though.

Skil chose to place the battery on the back of the tool and that’s pretty standard for cordless sanders. It slides in from the side and balances well, even if you want to use a higher-capacity pack than the 2.0Ah that comes in the kit.

For one-handed use, it’s not a problem at all. Just place your hand on top of the tool with your fingers guiding the front. It’s comfortable thanks to the shape and overmold, and it works great.

We like to have the option grip from behind the tool and sometimes use a second hand on the front or top, but the battery placement doesn’t lend itself to that type of grip. On a round or even rectangular pad model, it’s not an issue since you can just turn the sander. That’s not the case with the extended attachments or when you’re pushing the delta pad tip into a corner, though.

Given the options, Skil made the right call. We’d rather have the battery on the back than on the top. This just ends up being a limitation you need to work with to have both cordless convenience and the attachments.

Skil sells this cordless sander as a kit with a 2.0Ah battery and upgraded PWRJump charger for $99.99. It also includes all four sanding attachments and 3 sheets of sandpaper for each one.

Skil has a 5-year warranty on the tool and a 2-year warranty on the battery.

By cutting the cord on an already innovative design, the Skil PWRCore 20 Brushless Multi-Sander helps you sand in tight spots more conveniently than ever. The battery can get in the way in some scenarios, but it’s a trade-off worth making for the versatility and value this sander offers.

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.

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Professional Tool Reviews for Pros