There have been rumors that Lowe’s was preparing to push Flex and Skil tools out of their stores. While we still haven’t seen official word about this, Lowe’s is now offering massive discounts on tools from both brands.
Here are some examples of the prices I’m seeing:
Flex 24V 4-Tool Combo Kit with Stacked Lithium Batteries – $349 ($469 at Acme Tools)
Flex 24V Brushless Circular Saw – $69 ($149 for the kit at Acme Tools)
Flex 24V Brushless Band Saw – $69 ($299 at Acme Tools, $250 at Ohio Power Tool)
Flex 24V Impact Wrench – $69 ($199 at Acme Tools, $150 at Ohio Power Tool)
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A lot of the tools I’m seeing are available for free shipping, but some look to only be available for in-store pickup or paid local delivery.
Skil 12V Brushless Reciprocating Saw – $20 ($check at Amazon)
Skil 12V brushless Impact Driver Kit – $30
Skil Cordless FlipDrill with 12V Battery – $30 ($80 for similar with 20V Battery at Amazon)
Skil 4V Cordless Screwdriver – $10 ($23 at Amazon)
Skil 12V 2-Tool Combo Kit – $39 ($130 at Amazon)
Skil 12V Brushless Ratchet – $20 ($150 for the kit at Amazon)
Skil 12V 5-Tool Cordless Power Tool Combo Kit – $79 ($170 for similar kit at Amazon)
Skil 12V Impact Wrench – $20 ($99 for the kit at Amazon)
Some of the tools seem to have been exclusive to Lowe’s, and so I searched for similar models or configurations that could provide any context about the pricing.
A lot of these prices are shockingly low.
Even the cordless screwdriver, which has been discounted to $10, is a good buy if you factor in shipping fees.
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Lowe’s says the savings end Nov 28th, and it’s not clear what happens then. Seeing as the deep discounts seem to only apply to the tools that are stocked at local Lowe’s stores, this does look to be a huge clearance sale.
At these prices, I don’t expect much inventory to last long. Keep that in mind if you see something you must have.
Update 11/25: it seems Lowe’s backtracked and pulled the deals down for unknown reasons.
Update 11/25 11am: The deals are (mostly?) back, some with new prices.
Rob H
Some of these would be one-off use tools for me, so not very beneficial because I’m in other battery systems, but for someone already in either system these would be some outstanding deals.
The only downside is it just begs the question of whether these products are end-of-life and if someone would be buying into a doomed system.
Luis
Both are Chervon owned brands but they are sold in other sites like Amazon, ACME, and so on. Skil is also sold at ACE Hardware. I don’t think they are anywhere close to becoming doomed platforms.
Stuart
How many tools has Dewalt added to their 12V Max Xtreme cordless power tool system in recent years? What happened to Craftsman’s plans for a 12V cordless power tool system?
What happened to Craftsman’s plans for a USA hand tool factory?
Would Klein Tools have expanded into general construction and plumbing tools if not for Lowe’s buying it up to put in their stores? Would the Klein ModBox tool box system exist if it couldn’t be found at Lowe’s stores nationwide?
The impact of retail support – or lack of such – should not be underestimated.
Flex and Skil’s parent company specializes in B2B, not B2C, with EGO a notable exception. It’s unclear what the rumored and seemingly evident departure from Lowe’s will mean. I doubt the brands are going to give up or disappear, but this will likely change things.
AngryDrumGuy
Looks like the Lowes site crashed, at least it did for me.
Stuart
Works just fine for me. Their website can sometimes get mad if you click too many links in a short time. Or just one from Google.
Oarman
The Skil stuff is (other than the screwdriver, router bits and some low end corded saws) all the 12v line. That’s pinched between Milwaukee/ Bosch 12v on one end and… Just not being cheaper than low end 18v /20v / 21v chinesium on the other. No surprise if that vanishes. The 20v Skil seems normal-ish prices.
The Flex also seems a weird mix of get-it-outta-here and regular prices for stock items, but find be less confident there.
Rob K
Some of the tools on sale are 12/20v capable. I picked up a couple of the light towers for $30 each.
https://www.lowes.com/pd/SKIL-12V-20V-Tower-Light-Kit/5015401915
While the 12v batteries they come with probably aren’t ideal for those lights, I have plenty of 20v batteries to use with them. The 12v batteries are nice for items like the 4 inch fan and smaller lights. I grabbed a couple of their small work lights for $8 each.
https://www.lowes.com/pd/SKIL-PWR-CORE-12-volt-Lithium-Ion-li-ion-Cordless-600-Lumen-LED-Rechargeable-Power-Tool-Flashlight/5001851815
The lights are available with free shipping.
Jason
Looked at the screwdriver earlier, finally had time to go back and order and seems it’s back at $40.
Everything seems back to normal price on my end which is weird
Mike
Looks like they’ve “fixed” the prices.
ColeTrain
Yes this was obviously a mistake. My local Lowe’s just ended there in store Skil deal and everything is back to normal prices. I would have even bought one of those goofy flip drills for that price.
Scotty.
Not seeing any of these discounts as of 9pm Pacific time.
Doug
I was able to purchase the drill kit($59) and the 3.5a battery and charger($89) and already picked up from my local store in Las Vegas. Website is no longer showing these prices.
Aaron SD
A cordless bandsaw at $70 is pretty tempting even on another platform. Main problem USA not sure how long (years?) before I’d really need it.
TMedina
The low prices on the Skil products looks to be a 24-hour sale. Looking after midnight CST shows prices back to expected levels.
The brushless driver kit is now showing for $79.
Bern
How long was this price mistake up for? I missed it!!!! And I just bought a full set of skil12v to replace my m12!!!
Patrick T
Skil & Flex both: “rumors of my death are greatly exaggerated”.
I’ve picked up a few of these Skil tools recently as deals of the day. They are good and, at the prices I picked them up at, they are great “gap fillers”.
I really like the 12v/20v work light. It’s well thought out.
I would like both lines to stay. But, I won’t be upset if they keep having great sales!
MM
I was in Lowe’s yesterday (11/24) and made a point to stop by the Flex display. Not only was it not taken down, but hardly anything was on sale. In fact several of the sales I had seen that were active earlier in the week were not active yesterday, which I confirmed in person and on their website. For example, I had been looking at the jobsite blower, which is normally $149 and for quite a while had been on sale for $99. Yesterday it was back to $149. I’ve also been looking for deals on the larger stacked lithium batteries, bandsaws, and the large recip saw and while my Lowe’s does carry those, none were on sale.
My lowe’s doesn’t have a large section for Skil, but I did see some scattered around the tool area, including a couple drill/drivers set up so customers could test them out.
John
The Flex band saw is showing $329 for me. I’d definitely grab one for $69, but not $300+. I managed to get the jig saw a few weeks ago when you posted for $79 and I really like it. Feels very well built. Although the battery is significantly larger/bulkier than the M18 batteries I normally use.
Rick
Looks like several of the Flex deals are even better today, with prices $10 lower than yesterday.
Stuart
I’m seeing a mix of higher and lower prices, and broader selection of discounted items (at least for Flex).
MM
Thank you for sharing, there are certainly some updates. The jobsite blower I mentioned being $99 yesterday and $149 three hours ago just went down to $39, so I ordered one. The large recip saw is not on sale.
Luis
That’s so tempting of a deal. I was able to add the Skil 12V drill/driver + impact driver kit, a jigsaw, a ratchet and a circ saw to my cart for less than $150 tax and shipping included. Of course only 1 battery and charger but my dad still owns an older 12V kit + 2 batteries. He’s since switched to Ryobi but oh this is still so tempting TBH.
OTOH there are very few Flex deals left…
Chrisk1970
I just went in the store in Greenland, New Hampshire, but a flex volt stacked battery pack with charger for $89 the compact drill kit with both the impact driver and the drill and two small batteries for $89 the reciprocating saw for $79 and the larger impact driver with the stacked batteries for $79