Skil vs DeWalt cordless drill

A value brand against the market standard, settled at the model level instead of the slogan level. The Skil side is the DL6293B-10 PWRCore 20 brushless kit at $109.99 live on Skil's own store; the DeWalt side is the DCD771C2 compact kit and the DCD800B XR brushless bare tool. All three rows come out of our 34-model sourced dataset untouched, and every price below was re-pulled on this page's build day, 2026-10-18, because Skil kit pricing moves often. One wall stands in the middle of the fight: Skil publishes torque in inch-pounds, DeWalt publishes power in UWO, and the two numbers are different quantities that this page refuses to convert into each other.

The three-way spec table

Each figure is the dataset row exactly as recorded, units printed the way each maker prints them. Why the two rating systems cannot meet is the subject of specs explained.

Weights are bare tool without battery unless the cell says otherwise; where a maker publishes nothing, the cell says so rather than guessing. Prices are the dataset's recorded figures with their kit or bare basis; the band line is what fresh pulls found on build day, and every model section below carries a check-current-price link. The DL6293B-10's 1.92 lb comes from the spec table on Skil's own product page, pulled 2026-10-18 and added to the dataset the same day once FrontDesk's spec record corroborated it to the two-source standard.

The unit wall, three ways

Skil rates the DL6293B's digital brushless motor at up to 450 inch-pounds of torque, a turning force at the chuck. DeWalt rates the DCD771C2 at 300 unit watts out and the DCD800B at 900 unit watts out, electrical power delivery figures. Inch-pounds and watts are different quantities measured at different points, so 450 against 300 against 900 is not a ranking, and any page that stacks them in one sorted column is comparing a torque to two power outputs. This table prints each number as its maker publishes it and stops there. The full anatomy of the unit mess, including why DeWalt's system is not a dodge but a different philosophy, is on specs explained; the same wall runs through the Bosch vs DeWalt and Makita vs DeWalt pair pages from the other direction.

Correction note that travels with the DCD800B row: the 900 is DeWalt's published power output in UWO, not an in-lbs torque figure. No in-lbs torque rating for this model exists anywhere in the US catalog. An earlier version of our dataset mislabeled it; corrected 2026-10-16, and the disclosure stays with the row.

Skil DL6293B-10: what the specs say

450 in-lbs as published, 0-500 / 0-1800 RPM, digital brushless motor, 1/2 in keyless ratcheting chuck, 17 clutch settings plus drill mode, 1.92 lb tool weight per Skil's spec table. Sources: Skil DL6293B product page (450 inch-pounds, 0-500/0-1800 RPM, 17+1 clutch, 1.92 lb spec table, $109.99 kit, all pulled 2026-10-18), Lowe's DL6293B-10 listing, Front Desk Review sourced spec table (dataset row basis)

The DL6293B-10 is the kit configuration of Skil's sub-compact 20V brushless drill driver, and at $109.99 live on skil.com it is the cheapest brushless kit in this three-way fight. What the box holds matters as much as the motor: the PWRCore 2.0 Ah battery charges over USB-C, doubles as a 100W power bank port, and ships with a 100W PD charger in the kit, so the drill arrives complete with nothing else to buy. That is a real battery-and-charger kit at a price where DeWalt sells a bare tool. The weight story needs every label attached: the dataset now records 1.92 lb bare for this model, added 2026-10-18 from the spec table on Skil's own product page once FrontDesk's spec record corroborated it; search-side retail copy for the DL6293B-10 has shown about 3.0 lb with the 2.0 Ah battery installed, which is consistent rather than contradictory, battery included against battery excluded. For context on the Skil 20V hammer class one tier up, Pro Tool Reviews measured the HD5295-1A at 3.3 lb bare and 4.8 lb with its 4.0 Ah pack, basis stated both times. One classification note, now settled: Skil's product page sells the DL6293B as a compact drill driver with no hammer mode, and when this page shipped the dataset's class field still filed it under hammer drills; the dataset was corrected to drill/driver on 2026-10-18 after skil.com, Lowe's, and FrontDesk all agreed, so this page and the dataset now say the same thing. Check current pricing before buying, because Skil kits move: see what skil.com charges today.

DeWalt DCD771C2: what the specs say

300 UWO as published, 0-450 / 0-1500 RPM two-speed transmission, brushed motor, 1/2 in ratcheting chuck, kit with two 1.3 Ah compact packs, charger and contractor bag. Sources: DeWalt DCD771C2 product page (300 UWO, 0-450/1500 RPM, brushed motor, kit contents, pulled 2026-10-18), Ohio Power Tool DCD771C2 listing ($179, full kit manifest), GenuineTools spec writeup ($107.99 kit, 3.6 lb with batteries)

The DCD771C2 is the drill most DeWalt households actually start with, and its spec sheet is a study in what the 300 UWO number does and does not tell you. It does tell you this is the entry motor: brushed, two speeds, the compact platform DeWalt has sold for a decade. It does not tell you it is weak; 300 UWO with a 1/2 in chuck drives lag bolts and deck screws fine, and the two-battery kit means one pack is always charged. DeWalt publishes no bare weight for the DCD771, so the honest figures are the tested ones: 3.64 lb as tested with battery, and about 3.6 lb with batteries per the GenuineTools spec table, which agree. The price is the volatile part. Our dataset recorded $130 kit; the 2026-10-18 pulls found $99 at Amazon through an affiliate reviewer's link, $107.99 at GenuineTools, $179 at Ohio Power Tool and $182.64 at Integribilt, a spread wide enough that the recorded price is only an anchor, not a quote. DeWalt's own product page is live and does not expose a list price in the listing, which is itself part of the story. Check before buying: see the current DCD771C2 kit situation at dewalt.com.

DeWalt DCD800B: the sourced row in detail

900 UWO as published, 0-650 / 0-2000 RPM, brushless motor, 2.82 lb bare, 15-position clutch, 3-mode LED to 70 lumens, Tool Connect ready. Sources: DeWalt DCD800B product page (brushless, 2000 RPM, 40 percent more UWO than DCD791B claim, pulled 2026-10-18), DeWalt DCD800B datasheet PDF (900 UWO, 2.82 lb, 0-650/0-2000 RPM, 15 clutch settings), Acme Tools DCD800B listing (Discontinued by Manufacturer flag, $179 in stock)

On paper this is the brushless XR compact drill/driver of DeWalt's 20V MAX range, and its 900 UWO is the highest published power figure of this three-way fight even though it ranks against nothing here, per the unit wall above. DeWalt frames the number as up to 40 percent more power output than the DCD791B this model replaced, measured with a DCB205 or POWERSTACK pack installed, and that framing is itself a UWO-to-UWO comparison, the only kind the number permits. At 2.82 lb bare with a 2000 RPM top gear it is the specification peak of the three rows, brushless like the Skil, a class lighter than the DCD771C2. Two cautions travel with the row. First, the correction note above: 900 is watts out, never quote it as in-lbs, because DeWalt prints no in-lbs figure for this model. Second, availability: Acme Tools, a major DeWalt channel, now shows the bare tool flagged Discontinued by Manufacturer while still listing it in stock at $179, and the 2026-10-18 market scan found new bare units at $79.99 on eBay, open box at $98.75, and Amazon at $138 against a $198.16 typical price. That is the signature of a model in channel transition, not a firesale; our recorded $149 bare sits mid-band. If the 20V MAX family is where you are staying, the price of entry is genuinely negotiable right now: check the current DCD800B status at Acme Tools.

The 12 volt Skil that changes the question

Before paying DeWalt money for a second drill, notice what Skil sells one tier down: the DL6290A-11, a 12V brushless kit recorded at $70 and live at $69.99 on skil.com as of the 2026-10-18 pull, 350 in-lbs as published, 1.9 lb per Skil's spec table, 0-450 / 0-1700 RPM, 2.0 Ah battery and charger in the box. Against the DCD771C2 it is 40 dollars cheaper as recorded, a pound and a half lighter with pack, brushless where the DeWalt is brushed, at the cost of the 20V ecosystem's depth. The full 12V-versus-18V class analysis, where the DL6290A-11's dataset row lives, is on our 12V vs 18V drill page. One price caution from the research pulls behind this page: third-party Skil dealers run clearance pricing on 12V kits in the $38.97 class, so the $69.99 figure is a ceiling to check against, not a floor. Current price: Skil DL6290A-11 product page.

Both badges say 20 volts. Neither battery is 20 volts.

The DL6293B-10 wears a PWRCore 20 badge and both DeWalts wear 20V MAX. DeWalt's own product pages carry the footnote verbatim on both models this page covers: maximum initial battery voltage measured without a workload is 20 volts, nominal voltage is 18. That is the manufacturer saying the badge is a peak reading, and it is printed on the DCD771C2 page and the DCD800B page, two sources in DeWalt's own words. The full teardown of what the 20V label means across brands, and what it means for battery cross-compatibility, which is nil between Skil and DeWalt regardless of badge, is the subject of our 18V vs 20V drill page, and this page defers to it rather than re-deriving the math.

Which one should you buy

• First drill, complete box, least money: the Skil DL6293B-10 kit at $109.99 live. Brushless motor, published 450 in-lbs, battery and USB-C charger included, and the lightest tool of the three at 1.92 lb per Skil's spec table, now recorded in the dataset. The trade is ecosystem: PWRCore 20 is a small platform next to 20V MAX.
• Already own 20V MAX packs: the DCD800B bare at $149 recorded, and in a channel transition this visible, watch the $79.99-to-$179 spread before paying anything. Two DeWalt batteries and a charger you already own turn the bare tool into the cheapest complete setup on this page.
• The classic two-battery starter kit: the DCD771C2, when found near the $99-to-$108 end of its band rather than the $179 end. Brushed motor, but two packs, a charger and a bag, and every future 20V MAX purchase reuses the batteries.
• If masonry is in the work: none of these three. All three are drill/drivers with no hammer mode; the hammer-class pages, starting with best drill for concrete, cover that class.
• If torque numbers must decide: only one figure on this page is a torque figure, the Skil's 450 in-lbs, and that is a publishing fact, not a victory. The DeWalt rows rate power in UWO and cannot enter an in-lbs ranking; any site that ranks all three together is mixing units. What the units mean: specs explained.

Where this fits on the site

Every brand pair gets its own page on the same dataset discipline: Bosch vs DeWalt, Makita vs DeWalt, DeWalt vs Milwaukee, Kobalt vs DeWalt, and Milwaukee vs Makita. The Skil rows sit in the budget tier of the budget cordless drills page, the household-level verdicts are on best for home use, and the Skil-vs-DeWalt fight at the compact tier runs on its own pair page. All 34 models sort by price and torque-per-dollar on the price comparison and line up at once on the flat comparison chart. The sortable comparison tool renders the whole dataset with a source citation on every cell.