Archived from the Tools In Action forum (Power Tools). This thread is read-only.
I came across this old Skil brochure in a metal jigsaw case I’m giving to a friend. It’s dated 3/98 and shows how far power tools have come in the past quarter century. To put things in perspective, though, DeWalt 12v Max and 20v Max as well as Milwaukee M12 and M18 were all introduced a little over ten years after this was printed, so the writing was on the wall for the old 7.2v, 9.6v, 12v, and 14.4v Ni-Cad tools by the mid-2000s.
Besides the cordless tools, the other Skil offerings from the time look blocky and lazily designed. I’m sure they did the job well back then, but most of today’s tools are designed to be ergonomic and to distinguish Brand A from Brand B. The Skill Warrior cordless drills look similar to my Black & Decker Ranger from the mid-’90s.
When I log into the computer I’ll see if I can rotate the pictures.
Interesting stuff would have been even cooler if they had pricing information. I know someone posted an old Harbor Freight ad and they had name brand tools back then before everything went private label.