Skil PWRCore 40 Brushless 18" Chainsaw Kit vs Skil PWRCore 40 14" Chainsaw Kit

Skil PWRCore 40 Brushless 18" Chainsaw Kit

Skil / Battery

Skil PWRCore 40 Brushless 18" Chainsaw Kit

50cc class (by bar)

~$330

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Skil PWRCore 40 14" Chainsaw Kit

Skil / Battery

Skil PWRCore 40 14" Chainsaw Kit

40cc class (by bar)

~$199

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The Skil PWRCore 40 14" Chainsaw Kit costs about $131 less; the Skil PWRCore 40 Brushless 18" Chainsaw Kit sits a class up (50cc class); the Skil PWRCore 40 Brushless 18" Chainsaw Kit swings a longer bar (18 in).

SpecSkil PWRCore 40 Brushless 18" Chainsaw KitSkil PWRCore 40 14" Chainsaw Kit
Approx. price~$330kit with 40V 6.0Ah PWRCore battery and 320W charger~$199kit with 40V 4.0Ah PWRCore battery and 60W charger
Engine class50cc classplaced by shipped bar length40cc classplaced by shipped bar length
Power typeBatteryBattery
Use caseFarm & RanchHomeowner
Voltage40 V40 V
Kit battery6 Ah4 Ah
Bar length18 in14 in
Single-pass cutabout 16 inabout 12 in
Bar range18 in14 in
Chain3/8" pitch (9.5 mm) / .050" gauge3/8" pitch / .043" gauge
Weight8.99 lbtool with bar and chain, without battery (manufacturer spec)7.83 lbtool only, without battery (manufacturer spec)
Warranty3-year consumer, 5 years with registration within 30 days; 2-year battery3-year consumer, 5 years with registration within 30 days; 2-year battery

Tinted cells mark the better figure on that row alone: more engine, longer bar, lighter, cheaper. A lighter weight is only a win on the same basis.

What owners like and complain about

Skil PWRCore 40 Brushless 18" Chainsaw Kit

  • 8.99 lb bare is remarkably light for 18 inches of bar
  • 210 published cuts in 4x4 pine on the included 6.0Ah pack
  • 320W charger does 0 to 100 percent in an hour — fastest in this group
  • IPX4 water resistance, which no other saw here publishes
  • Commodity .050-gauge chain rather than a narrow-kerf .043 loop
  • Up to 5-year tool coverage if you register within 30 days
  • PWRCore 40 is a small platform, so the battery has few other tools to justify it
  • Replacement 6.0Ah packs are expensive relative to the kit price
  • Skil's own store frequently shows the kit out of stock; retail stock is the real supply
  • Battery coverage is only 2 years against the tool's 3 to 5
  • 18 inches of bar on 40V still means feeding it slowly in hardwood

Skil PWRCore 40 14" Chainsaw Kit

  • 7.83 lb bare is the lightest 14-inch saw in this group
  • $199 kit includes a 4.0Ah pack, larger than most kits at this price
  • Brushless motor with tool-free side-dial tensioning
  • Up to 5-year tool coverage with registration
  • Tool-only CS4555-00 exists for owners already on PWRCore 40
  • The $199 kit's 60W charger is slow; the faster 150W charger only comes with the smaller 2.5Ah pack
  • 14.8 m/s chain speed is the slowest of Skil's 40V saws
  • .043 narrow-kerf chain limits it in dense wood
  • Two near-identical kit SKUs make it easy to buy the wrong charger
  • Battery warranty is 2 years, shorter than the tool's
Skil PWRCore 40 Brushless 18" Chainsaw Kit in fullSkil PWRCore 40 14" Chainsaw Kit in fullMore matchups