Skil 20V Brushless Random Orbital Sander Kit

First impressions and setup

I put the Skil 20V sander straight to work on a cabinet door refresh and a couple of maple drawer fronts. Out of the box, the kit is complete: sander, 2.0Ah battery, charger, dust bag, and three discs (60/120/180). The low-profile body and soft overmold are immediately comfortable in a one-handed grip, and the lock-on rocker switch means you can focus on guiding the tool rather than holding a trigger.

The brushless motor has a gentle soft start and a pad brake that stops the disc quickly when you lift off. Those two details matter in finish work—no surprise swirl marks from a spinning pad skating across the surface, and no nerve-jangling spin-up when you set the sander down.

Ergonomics and control

Skil got the form factor right. The sander sits low over the work, which helps keep your wrist neutral and pressure even. The top is nicely contoured for palm control, and the reduced-vibration design lives up to its billing. After an hour of sanding hardwood at mid speeds, my hands weren’t buzzing, and I wasn’t fighting the tool to stay flat.

The six-position speed dial ranges from 7,000 to 11,000 OPM. I ran 60–80 grit around 5–6 for flattening, then dropped to 3–4 with 120–180 grit for finish passes. The brushless motor holds speed reliably under light pressure. If you lean hard into it for aggressive stock removal, you’ll feel it bog a touch sooner than the most powerful 20V sanders in the category, but for furniture and cabinetry work it has the right balance of finesse and productivity.

One note on weight and balance: with the included 2.0Ah battery, the tool feels nimble. Swap in a larger pack and the profile bulks up; it’s still manageable, but you’ll feel the extra mass if you’re sanding vertical panels or overhead.

Performance: from stock removal to finish

On pine with 60 grit, the Skil 20V sander chews through planer marks and filler at a reasonable clip. It’s not a demolition tool, and expecting belt-sander aggression will only frustrate you, but it keeps pace with other compact cordless 5-inch ROS options. On maple and birch ply, the pad brake and soft start pay off—fewer start/stop witness marks and better control near edges.

What impressed me most was surface quality. With 120 and 180 grit at moderate speeds, the finish was even and swirl-free, provided I let the sander’s weight do the work and kept the pad moving. The hook-and-loop pad grabs discs securely; I didn’t have any wandering or curling at the edges, and paper changes are quick.

Noise is typical for the class—certainly not quiet, but the pitch is less harsh than some brushed models. Vibration is notably low for a cordless unit, which helps you stay consistent over larger panels.

Dust collection: good airflow, fussy bag

Dust collection is often where compact sanders stumble. Here, the airflow is strong and the pad’s holes line up well with standard discs. Connected to a shop vac via a 1-1/4 inch hose (you’ll likely need your own adapter), capture is excellent and the work surface stays visibly cleaner. If you’re sanding indoors or on fine-finish pieces, run it with a vac—it’s worth the hose.

Using the included bag, collection is decent but not equivalent to a vacuum. The bag fills predictably, but I found two quirks:

• The exhaust stream can blow stray dust toward you depending on orientation. Rotating the sander slightly so the outlet points away solves most of it.
• Emptying the bag is trickier than it should be. Dust tends to pack tightly near the latch area, and the release tabs are stiff. Empty the bag frequently before it compacts, and give it a few taps to loosen material before pinching the tabs. If you do a lot of sanding, a vac connection sidesteps the fuss entirely.

I would love to see Skil revise the bag interface to a more glove-friendly latch or a twist-on canister in a future iteration.

Battery life and charging

With the included 2.0Ah pack, I averaged roughly a few medium-sized panels per charge at mid speeds—plenty for targeted jobs, light prep, or on-site touch-ups. Continuous heavy sanding will drain the pack faster, as you’d expect. If you’re tackling full furniture strip-downs or a room’s worth of trim, budget for a second battery or step up to a higher-capacity pack.

The charger gets the job done, but it’s bulkier than many 20V competitors and the cooling fan is surprisingly loud on start-up. That won’t matter on a garage shelf, but it’s worth noting if space and noise are concerns.

Features that help finishing

• Variable speed: The six-step dial makes it easy to tune aggressiveness to the grit and material. Higher OPM for leveling, lower for final passes.
• Soft start and pad brake: Reduce gouging and keep you in control at start/stop.
• Dust-sealed rocker switch: Keeps fine particles out of the mechanism and gives you a reliable lock-on option.
• Reduced vibration: You can run this for extended sessions without tingling hands.
• Hook-and-loop pad: Paper changes are quick and the hold is strong.

Small touches like the low profile and grippy overmold make a difference when you’re trying to keep a sander flat on narrow rails or door frames.

Where it fits in the cordless lineup

In the cordless 5-inch class, the Skil 20V sander lands as a capable finisher rather than a brute-force remover. It’s a strong match for:

• Furniture refinishing and cabinetry
• Trim, doors, and built-ins
• Between-coat sanding on paints and clears
• Site work where a cord is impractical

If you frequently hog off material, flatten butcher block, or level epoxy pours, you’ll appreciate a more aggressive sander or a corded option. For everything else, especially where control and surface quality matter, this one delivers.

Durability and maintenance

The dust-sealed switch and brushless motor bode well for longevity. Keep the pad clean, avoid pressing down (let the orbit do the work), and periodically blow out the dust port. Pads are wear items; if you sand a lot with coarse grits, expect to replace the pad over time. The included sandpaper is fine to get you started, but investing in quality discs with good stearate coating will improve cut and reduce loading.

Pros and cons

Pros:
- Comfortable, low-vibration design with excellent control
- Brushless motor with soft start and effective pad brake
- Good finish quality with consistent swirl-free results
- Variable speed covers everything from leveling to final passes
- Works very well with a shop vac; 1-1/4 inch port is convenient
- Complete kit with battery and charger included

Cons:
- Not the most aggressive in class for heavy stock removal
- Included dust bag is fussy to empty; latch is stiff and dust compacts near it
- Charger is larger and louder than many competing 20V units
- Runtime on the included 2.0Ah pack is modest for big projects

The bottom line

The Skil 20V sander is a well-sorted cordless finisher with genuinely low vibration, a thoughtful control set, and a brushless drive that keeps the pad moving smoothly. It’s at its best on furniture, cabinetry, and trim where you want clean, predictable results without chasing the tool across the workpiece. Pair it with a shop vac, and you’ll keep dust down and the pad cutting efficiently.

I recommend this sander for DIYers and serious hobbyists who prioritize surface quality, comfort, and cordless convenience over raw removal speed. It’s also a smart secondary sander for pros who already run the Skil 20V platform and want a reliable, controllable 5-inch ROS for finish phases. If your workload is dominated by heavy stock removal or you demand all-day runtime on a single pack, look at a more aggressive model or plan on a larger battery and a spare. For the majority of finish-sanding tasks, this Skil hits the mark.