“Great news! You are invited to a tool event in Heber Springs, Arkansas!”
So read the invitation sent to me earlier this year. I must confess that the Arkansas location, at first glance, did not seem to be such great news. I had never been to the “The Natural State” before, and I must admit to having heard a bit of bad press. However, when I arrived I found it to be a lovely place, with warm and friendly hospitality.
The folks from Skil had brought a bunch of us editors to Heber Springs to show off their newest tool offerings at the locale of one of their largest manufacturing plants. So we not only got a chance to see their brand-new tools, but we got to see some of them being built.
The key “new” tool news at the conference was that Skil was revamping their circular saw line. Over the last 77 years, this offering has been so successful that the term Skilsaw has become almost interchangeable with “handheld circular saw.”
The redesign has resulted in five new versions of the Skilsaw entering the market. They reflect design changes which center around improved safety features and enhanced ergonomics. For instance, an onboard lighting system, anti-snag lower guard, and multi-position front assist handle are among the many patented features.
Along with the new circular saw line, Skil is presenting new offerings in both cordless and corded drill drivers and jigsaws — all of them at a variety of very affordable price points.
We also had the opportunity to do our own tool tests by going “hands-on” with many of the tools on a sunny Arkansas afternoon. The Skil people supplied each of us with an Adirondack chair kit, and, while our peers watched, we constructed a great lazy day chair with tools that had just made their premiere.
All in all, although Bill and Hillary are no longer likely to make an appearance at an Arkansas event, I found my time there informative and enjoyable & and I have only good things to say about the both the state and the new Skil tools.
