Skil 6 In. Saw Bar & Chain Kit

Why I reached for this kit

My 6-inch cordless pruning saw has become one of those “always-on-the-cart” tools for yard days. After a season of trimming, the stock chain had earned its retirement, and the bar rails were showing the usual wear you get when you occasionally bump dirt or power through dry hardwood. I swapped in this 6-inch bar and chain kit from Skil, and it reminded me how much a fresh, correctly spec’d cutting set can transform a compact pruning saw.

What you get and what it fits

The kit includes:
- A reversible 6-inch guide bar
- A matching 6-inch cutting chain

Key specs:
- Chain pitch: 1/4 inch
- Chain gauge: .043 inch (narrow-kerf)
- Drive links: 40
- Weight: about 249 g

It’s designed for SKIL PWR CORE 20 6-inch pruning saws, including the PR0600B and PR0601B, and it’s compatible with the brand’s 6-inch telescoping pruning saw. If you’re running a PWR CORE 20 mini chainsaw with a 6-inch bar, this is the drop-in, OEM setup to use.

Installation and setup

Swapping the set took only a few minutes. I pulled the side cover on my saw, cleaned the accumulated fines and old oil from the clutch cover and bar groove, and dropped in the new bar. The chain slipped onto the drive sprocket with minimal fuss. As always:
- Make sure the cutters face forward along the top run.
- Seat the chain in the bar groove all the way around.
- Lightly snug the side cover, then tension.

Tensioning was straightforward using the saw’s adjuster. On a new chain, expect a bit of initial stretch. I tensioned until the chain just “snapped back” into the bar groove when pulled, then rechecked after the first few cuts. The reversible bar is a simple but important detail—flip it each time you service the saw to even out rail wear.

I topped the oiler with standard bar and chain oil before the first cut. This narrow-kerf system really benefits from consistent oiling; it helps the chain glide and reduces heat on the slim rails.

Cutting performance

With the new set installed, the saw immediately felt quicker and smoother. The .043-inch narrow-kerf chain takes a slim bite, so the little 20V motor isn’t fighting excess drag. On fresh hardwood limbs around 2–3 inches, the kit chewed cleanly with minimal bogging and a tidy finish. On dry, seasoned branches, it produced fine chips rather than dust, which is a good sign that the factory grind is sharp and the depth gauges are set appropriately.

I worked through a mix of landscape trimming—fresh ash shoots, a few stubborn, dry oak deadouts in the 1–3.5-inch range, and some scraggly hedge growth. The saw stayed planted and controllable, with predictable chip clearing and no chain “hunt” in the cut. Vibration felt low for a compact package, and the low-kickback chain profile did its job: even when I touched near the bar tip to reposition, the saw remained well-mannered. That said, a low-kickback design is not a license to be careless—bar-tip awareness is still critical.

One notable benefit of a fresh chain and bar on these compact saws is the knock-on effect to battery efficiency. With less friction and a sharp edge, cuts complete faster and the motor spends less time at high load. After a few hours of intermittent work, my battery state-of-charge was better than I typically see with a dull chain. It’s a small system, so every bit of efficiency helps.

Build quality and fit

The bar rails were true out of the package, and the nose sprocket spun freely. The chain arrived evenly ground, with consistent cutter length and raker height. There were no burrs on the drive links, and it meshed cleanly with the sprocket and bar groove. That matters on .043-inch setups—any rough stamping or burrs can chew up a narrow bar. After the first session, the bar showed no discoloration or bluing, a good sign the oiler and narrow kerf were in harmony.

Everything fit the intended saw exactly as it should. The chain tracked without wandering, and the side cover closed up with the usual alignment—no need to coax the bar studs or fight tolerances.

Durability and maintenance

After the first day, I retensioned once as the chain settled, then again mid-session the next time out. That’s normal break-in. The rails are holding shape, and the chain has not developed any tight spots or “gritty” pivot points. As always, avoid cutting into dirt or bark with embedded grit—narrow-kerf chains dull quickly in abrasive material. I flip the bar every battery cycle or two, wipe the oil holes and groove with a thin pick, and brush the clutch cover to keep chips from packing around the drive sprocket.

Sharpening a 1/4-inch, .043 chain is straightforward if you’re comfortable with hand files and guides. If you’re new to it or prefer to stay OEM-only, keep a spare chain on hand. With a compact saw like this, swapping to a sharp spare keeps you productive and lets you sharpen at the bench later, rather than mid-job.

Safety and handling

The low-kickback grind and short bar length make this combo quite approachable. Still:
- Keep two hands on the saw.
- Be mindful of the bar tip.
- Let the chain do the work—don’t force the cut.
- Keep the oiler topped up; a dry narrow bar overheats fast.

Kickback potential is reduced but not eliminated. On awkward ladder work or overhead cuts, I found the predictable bite of this chain helpful, especially when trimming from odd angles.

Where this kit makes sense—and where it doesn’t

This is a great fit if you:
- Own a SKIL PWR CORE 20 6-inch pruning or telescoping saw and want a guaranteed match.
- Want the efficiency of a narrow-kerf, low-kickback setup optimized for a compact 20V platform.
- Prefer a reversible OEM bar to stretch service life and keep wear even.

A few caveats:
- Compatibility is narrow by design. If your saw isn’t the SKIL 6-inch family using a 40–link, 1/4 x .043 chain, this won’t fit.
- .043-inch bars and chains trade durability for efficiency. They cut fast on small saws but don’t love abuse. If you routinely cut dirty wood, roots, or larger, knotty stock, you’ll chew through sharpness (and bars) quicker than a heavier-gauge system.
- This is a 6-inch setup. It excels on branches in the saw’s design envelope—roughly shrub work to small limbs—rather than firewood or demolition.

Value and alternatives

You can find third-party 1/4 x .043 chains and bars with 40 drive links, but matching all three variables—pitch, gauge, and link count—plus the bar’s mount pattern and oiling holes can be trickier than it looks. On a small saw where chain tracking and oiling are already tight tolerances, I’m comfortable paying for the OEM kit. The assurance of fit, the reversible bar, and the low-kickback profile tuned to the platform remove guesswork.

If you do experiment with alternatives, verify:
- 1/4-inch pitch, .043-inch gauge, 40 links for the chain.
- Bar mount pattern identical to the SKIL 6-inch saws.
- Proper oil hole alignment and chain groove width.

A mismatch can lead to poor oiling, rapid rail wear, or dangerous derailments.

Final thoughts

Refreshing a compact pruning saw with a matched bar and chain is one of the highest-return maintenance moves you can make. This kit restores out-of-the-box cutting speed, reduces strain on the motor and battery, and keeps the saw behaving predictably in awkward pruning positions. Installation is simple, the reversible bar extends life, and the low-kickback, narrow-kerf chain delivers the right blend of speed and control for small-limb work.

Recommendation: I recommend this kit for anyone running SKIL’s PWR CORE 20 6-inch pruning or telescoping saws. It’s a precise, OEM-correct refresh that maintains the saw’s intended performance, keeps battery draw in check, and avoids the fitment hassles that can come with off-brand parts. If you stick to clean wood within the saw’s size range and keep the bar oiled, this setup cuts fast, stays controllable, and holds up well for maintenance cycles.