Light and Agile Skil 40V Blower Appeals to the Homeowner
The Skil PWRCore40 lineup fully has the homeowner in mind. The entirety of the 40V battery-powered line is designed for convenience and utility, particularly with small- to medium-sized lawns. The Skil 40V Brushless Blower is a prime example of that DIY focus. It’s small and light, and its power and runtime make it perfect for post-mow cleanup.
Pros
- Light and maneuverable at 6.6 lbs with the battery attached
- Adequate power for homeowner applications
- Solid runtime
- Kit retails for $180
Cons
- Might struggle a bit with packed leaves and dirt
Recommendation
The Skil PWRCore40 Blower is a great addition to the homeowner’s OPE arsenal. Its weight and size are its greatest assets, as they make this blower easy to use and easy to store away. It won’t blow you away with an overabundance of power, but for the typical residential need, the Skil 40V Blower is more than adequate for the task.
Skil PWRCore40 Blower Size and Weight
The Skil PWRCore40 40V blower weighs in at a mere 4.6 lbs without the battery. Sliding in the kitted 2.5Ah pack only brings that total up to 6.6 lbs. We’ve used dozens of battery-powered handheld blowers , and that weight is more than manageable.
The size alone makes for a pretty solid reason to check out the Skil 40V blower. At 35-3/8″ long, this blower maneuvers easily. Plus, when the job is done, you’ll appreciate the shorter tube for storage. If you still need to consolidate space, you can simply detach the tube from the motor housing via the quick-release button.
Ergonomics
The Skil 40V cordless blower feels well-balanced, by which I mean that it noses down pretty naturally. Really, this is what you want with a handheld blower. With the blower on, your wrist can hang in a natural position while the blower aims towards the ground.
Engaging the Turbo Mode feels pretty natural—and it doesn’t lock on. This isn’t an area where too many manufacturers struggle. We prefer holding down a button for the few seconds that you’d generally need that power boost. Anything else and consumers tend to overuse it and noticeably drop their run-time.
Skil employs a Cruise Control feature whereby a thumb dial at the top lets you set your speed. This keeps you from having to keep the trigger pulled. When you need a little extra power, you simply use your thumb to pull that lever past its natural stop. When you finish up with Turbo Mode, release the lever.
Runtime
With the 2.5Ah battery, we got just shy of 17.5 minutes of runtime with the blower set to High (not Turbo). For the battery size, this is actually pretty commendable.
For a point of comparison, let’s look at the EGO 650 CFM blower . With a 5.0Ah battery, that blower runs for around 16.5 minutes on High. Granted, the EGO pushes a fair amount more power, but the point remains: this much runtime with this size battery is pretty impressive.
And, should you run out of juice halfway through the job, the PWRJump charger that comes with the blower can get the battery back up to 30% in about 15 minutes.
Skil BL4713-10 Performance
The Skil 40V Blower features a brushless motor and axial fan design to blast the spec’d 500 CFM at 120 mph. While that sounds pretty good, we generally find CFM claims to be somewhat arbitrary.
Editor’s Note: About CFM Specifications
CFM numbers vary wildly depending on where you take the measurement from. Is the measurement taken from the end of the tube? At the end of the motor housing? With a tapered nozzle attached? Too many variables exist to get a consistent or meaningful standard number. That’s why Pro Tool Reviews takes its own Newton force measurements.
We measured how much force is exerted from a set distance. In this case, the Skil PWRCore 40V Blower measured 8.2 Nm at High speed. When we set to full-throttle with the Turbo Mode engaged, it registered 12.0 Nm of force.
Neither of these numbers is going to set any records for blower force, but they’re definitely more than adequate for blowing down sidewalks and driveways after mowing. And, it won’t have any trouble blowing leaves around.
The only place I noticed I had to exercise some patience was with some wet leaves and dirt that were mashed to the back patio. I got it to move with a little time, a little Turbo, and just a hint of scraping the nozzle against the wet mass.
How Much Does the Skil 40V Blower Cost?
You can pick up the Skil PWRCore40 40V Blower (model BL4713-10), with 2.5Ah battery and PWRJump charger, for $179.99 . It comes with a 5-year warranty when you register the blower within the first 30 days after purchase.
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Recommendation
The Skil PWRCore40 blower is a great addition to the homeowner’s OPE arsenal. Low weight and a compact size are its greatest assets. They make this blower easy to use and easy and easy to store. You can get faster and more powerful battery-powered blowers—but probably not for this price or value. For the typical residential need, the Skil 40V Blower is more than adequate for the task.
Skil PWRCore40 Blower Specs
- Model: Skil BL4713-10
- Max Air Speed: 120 mph
- Max Air Volume: 500 CFM
- Motor: Brushless
- Speed Control: Variable
- Turbo Boost: Yes
- Height: 6-5/8 in.
- Length: 35-3/8 in.
- Width: 9-7/8 in.
- Weight: 4.6 lbs
- Warranty: 5-year
- Price: $179.99
