Skil Brushless 20V 6 in Telescoping Pruning Saw Kit

What it is and where it fits

The Skil 20V telescoping pruner is a compact, battery-powered pole saw built for day-to-day yard maintenance—think storm cleanup, seasonal tree shaping, and trimming back overgrown ornamentals. It pairs a 6-inch bar and 1/4-inch pitch chain with a brushless motor and a short, push-button extension pole. Collapsed, it’s roughly 34 inches long; extend the pole about 2.8 feet and you get a practical working reach of around seven feet with arms up. It’s not trying to be a full-length pole saw for tall canopy work. Instead, it fills the gap between a one-handed mini saw and a traditional, heavier pole pruner.

Setup and first cuts

Out of the box, I had the bar and chain installed and tensioned in a few minutes. The tool-free tensioning dial is convenient for quick touch-ups as the chain warms and stretches. That said, aligning the sprocket cover over the bar stud and the tension pin takes a little patience the first time. Once you’ve done it once or twice, it’s straightforward.

Ergonomically, the pruner is light and compact for a pole-style tool. With the battery in place, the balance is handle-biased, which helps keep the bar end nimble as you place cuts overhead. The trigger has a lock-off that’s positive and safe, but the spacing between the safety and the trigger itself may feel a bit awkward if you have smaller hands or are wearing thick gloves. I adjusted my grip and got used to it, but it’s worth noting.

The extension mechanism is a simple push-button with defined detents. It locks firmly, and there’s minimal flex when fully extended. You don’t get the sweeping reach of a long pole pruner, but you also don’t get the overhead fatigue those tools can cause.

Cutting performance

For a compact 6-inch setup, the pruner punches above its size. The brushless motor spins the chain at about 5 m/s—modest on paper, but paired with a sharp .043-gauge, 1/4-inch pitch chain it makes clean work of dry and green branches. My sweet spot was 1 to 3 inches in hardwoods and up to 4 inches in softer species. It will nibble through larger limbs with patience, but that’s beyond its wheelhouse.

The head is small enough to wedge into congested branches where a larger bar becomes self-limiting. That’s useful for pruning cuts where you want to avoid collateral damage. It also helps with visibility: I could consistently see my cut line and guide the bar without fighting branch clutter.

Kickback control is good for a tool this size. There’s a toe guard at the tip to discourage accidental tip contact, and the low-profile chain helps. Standard saw discipline still applies—use the bumper spikes to stabilize, attack at the lower quadrant of the bar, and let the chain do the work.

Battery life and charging

Skil includes a 20V 2.0Ah battery and a 60W charger. Expect a meaningful session per charge on smaller limbs. On mixed cuts in the 1–2.5 inch range, I worked through a full round of pruning without needing a second pack. Recharge time with the included charger is roughly under an hour for a 2.0Ah pack, which fits the “trim-and-tidy” rhythm of this tool. If you own other PWR CORE 20 batteries, a spare 4.0Ah or 5.0Ah extends runtime considerably and improves balance a bit at the handle.

Noise and vibration are low, as you’d expect from a brushless 20V tool. It’s backyard-friendly—no hearing protection is required for short sessions, though I still wear it as a matter of habit.

Lubrication and maintenance

This is where expectations matter. There isn’t an onboard oil reservoir with an automatic oiler on this pruner. Lubrication is manual: Skil includes a small squeeze bottle so you can apply bar and chain oil at the bar tip periodically. It’s quick once you build it into your routine (I oil every few cuts or when I notice the chain running shiny), but you do need to stop to do it. The kit does not include oil; any standard bar and chain oil works.

Because this is a pruning tool, it will collect leaves and chips behind the guard in dense canopy. I found it helpful to pop the cover off now and then and brush out the debris. Chain tension is easy to keep in check with the dial—snug but not tight—and the 1/4-inch pitch chain sharpens quickly with the right file. A dab of light grease on the sprocket occasionally is a good idea.

Reach, control, and safety

With the pole extended, I could prune material overhead while keeping both feet on the ground, which is the point. The shorter pole length is a tradeoff: you gain control and reduce fatigue compared to long poles, but you can’t hit higher second-story limbs. For most suburban trees and shrubs, the reach is appropriate and keeps the weight and wobble down.

The lock-off trigger and tip guard add sensible safety layers, and the compact head reduces the lever arm effect that can tire your shoulders. For lengthy overhead sessions, a simple shoulder strap would be a welcome accessory, though the tool is light enough that I didn’t miss it on short jobs.

The IPX4 rating is reassuring if you get caught by a sprinkler or light mist. I wouldn’t use any saw in sustained rain, but this rating suggests the tool is built to shrug off incidental splashes.

Storage and the little quality-of-life touches

Two touches stand out. First, Skil includes its EASYSTORAGE bracket, which lets you hang the pruner on a garage wall. It’s lightweight enough that this is my preferred storage method, and it keeps the chain away from curious hands. Second, the compact length when collapsed makes it easy to stash on a shelf if wall space is tight.

The included charger has wall-mount holes, which keeps your charging area tidy. If you’re building out a small-yard kit around PWR CORE 20, this pruner slots neatly alongside a blower and a string trimmer.

What could be better

• Manual oiling: It works, and it keeps the head compact, but an onboard reservoir would save stops. At minimum, include a small starter bottle of bar oil in the kit.
• Trigger ergonomics: The lock-off and trigger spacing could be friendlier to smaller hands or thick gloves.
• Cover alignment: The first reassembly after a chain swap requires attention to align the bar stud and tension pin. It’s not hard, but it’s fiddly until you’ve done it once.
• Optional strap: A simple harness point would help on long overhead pruning sessions.

Who it’s for

Homeowners who maintain small to medium trees and shrubs and want a nimble, low-noise pruner will appreciate this tool. It’s ideal if you:
- Do most cuts below shoulder height or within a modest overhead reach
- Prefer precise, controlled pruning over brute-force cutting
- Already own (or plan to own) PWR CORE 20 tools and batteries

If you routinely prune higher canopies or cut 5–6 inch hardwood limbs, you’ll want a longer, heavier-duty pole saw with a faster chain speed and larger bar. If you mainly need quick, one-handed trimming at waist height, a mini chainsaw might be even faster—at the expense of reach.

The bottom line

The Skil 20V telescoping pruner strikes a practical balance: compact, controllable, and strong enough for the majority of residential pruning tasks without the fatigue of a full-length pole saw. The brushless motor and small bar/chain combo deliver clean cuts, the short extension is just enough to keep you off a ladder for most jobs, and the included battery/charger and wall bracket make it a tidy, complete package. Manual chain oiling and a slightly fussy first assembly are the main tradeoffs, but neither is a dealbreaker.

Recommendation: I recommend the Skil 20V telescoping pruner for homeowners who value control, low weight, and grab-and-go convenience for routine pruning up to about 3–4 inches. It’s a smart addition to a 20V yard kit, and its compact form makes it the tool you’ll actually reach for when branches start to creep into walkways and windows. If you need more reach or heavy-duty capacity, look for a longer, higher-output pole saw; otherwise, this one hits the mark.