SKIL XBENCH ROUTER PORTABLE
SKIL XBENCH ROUTER PROFESSIONAL

IMO $380 is alot to spend on a loaded Yugo. I'm skeptical about how well any of the added features will work. It appears to be a loaded version of their other benchtop saws. The 'stuff' brings the price up, but you're not getting any better basic quality. Right up front I'll tell you that I haven't used this saw and it's not my intent to flame it, but my first impression when I examined it wasn't favorable (but I've been wrong before!) It's loaded with 'stuff', but appeared to be fairly light duty in all applications, has a small table, I think a direct drive universal motor, and most of the same drawbacks as other saws in the category.

SKIL XBENCH ROUTER PROFESSIONAL

They just don't make professional grade tools anymore. Seems to me Skil has some nice features & ideas. I've also admired that little Skil X-Shop, & wondered why one of the pro-level manufactures hasn't incorporated a few of the ideas from it into a machine for the builders & finish carpenters out there. You can often find one in the same price range as either of the portables mentioned, but you get many more features & longevity.ĭo a search in knots or breaktime if you're interested in hearing peoples experiences about the different saws out there- there's a ton of information & opinions. If you really want a dedicated saw set up in your basement, garage, or whereever, & you don't need the portability feature of these saws, consider a contractors saw.

SKIL XBENCH ROUTER PORTABLE

They are excellent saws for what they are: portable jobsite saws. They both have good fences, enough power, adequate size tables, etc.

My experience with both the Dewalt & the Bosch we now use on larger remodels has been positive. Maybe try to think about what you'll be doing with the saw 3 or 5 years from now, & see if that leads you to a decision. OTOH, if you buy the Skil, you may well outgrow it you may want more ripping capacity, accuracy, power, etc. You may not even outgrow it, depending on how into home projects you get. If you buy the Dewalt (or the comparable, maybe slightly better Bosch) you probably won't regret it.

I can't comment on the performance of the Skil, other than to say the Skil isn't a heavy duty saw, but I can comment on the Dewalt since I owned one for years.

Skil xbench router