Combo cordless kits

[JPetru82]

If you were shopping for a solid cordless combo kit that has a good variety of tools, which would you go for?
Main use would be for home improvements, and some woodworking projects for my property.

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[Chucktin]

I would decide on which tools I want and (maybe) which brand. I would consider a kit of several pieces only if they (the other pieces) weren't just fluff tossed in.
But I'd probably check an online retailer for prices because most kits have one top of the line tool combined with 2nd or even 3rd tier additions.

 

[arms1970]

Memorial day weekend. I picked up rigid 18v brushless 5 piece kit. 2 Batteries. Circular saw, Drill, driver, and reciprocating saw for $399. Very happy so far.

 

[awdblazer]

ryobi
i abuse mine and have no problems
lots of different tools

 

[Notgrownup]

I’ve have great success with my Porter Cable 20v system, holds a good charge and I have used it for about 3-4 years now. I would buy it again, I have 2 drills, 1 impact, reciprocating saw, small circular saw, jigsaw, flashlight, I might be forgetting something...
Once you start with a brand you are pretty much stuck with it so pick something you can get and get replaced under warranty locally.
I like Dewalt as well and Milwaukee...

 

[joseywales]

Keep in mind, you’ll need extra batteries and chargers, so two or three small combo sets can makes. And, if you end up with a couple tools you don’t want, just sell them off.

Go handle the different tools and also look for unique tools that you might want. Virtually any brand will work for you, but if one brand has a unique tool you want, go for it.

Right now, there are very good/great deals on brushless and brushed sets. Dewalt and Milwaukee especially.

 

[American Locomotive]

If you're just looking for a decent homeowners tool set, I would go with Ryobi.

 

[joseywales]

If you're just looking for a decent homeowners tool set, I would go with Ryobi.

Agreed. HD has the brushless 7 1/4 saw with impact and drill/driver for $179. I grabbed in a clearance isle for $130 last week, now it’s on sale. Makes no sense to me, other than that store isn’t stocking it anymore.

Look hard at other brands brushed tools as well. Dewalt and Milwaukee seem to be moving this a bit right now.

EDIT: I will add that there is a difference in feel and performance from the Ryobi brushed vs brushless and I’m glad I grabbed that brushless kit.

 

[joshmodelskidoo]

I have the craftsman c3 but it’s not worth investing into now but ryobi is almost identical but more tools. Milwaukee and Dewalt are Advanced home owner/professional stuff. Ryobi is Home Depot and online only for the most part. Milwaukee is available at Home Depot and a few other places. Dewalt is at lots of places. Lowes craftsman is on the rise. I think I would give harbor freight bauer line more time to see how that stuff pans out. Ace and ttrue value carry Dewalt to.

 

[ddawg16]

Another vote for Ryobi.

I see a lot of contractors using Ryobi now....as one told me, they do the job just fine, and less likely to walk off the job....(get stolen).

For the money, they are a great value. I think I have about 8-10 cordless Ryobi tools...and about 6 corded Ryobi tools.

HD was having a sale on the 3 Ah batteries...buy 2 + a charger, get a free tool. I got the leaf blower. I use that daily in my garage to blow out saw dust.

As for which kit? Drill, 5 1/4" circular saw and Sawzall. That is a good start.

 

[JRC3]

Yep. For a homeowner you can't beat Ryobi. Probably the best real value for what you get. I didn't say cheap, I said value.

Ryobi has plenty of tools available in their line and plenty of battery purchase options at a value too. There's that word again.

My backup tools are Ryobi.

 

[joseywales]

OP. You have some time to decide on Ryobi kits. Most of the deals expired with Father's Day. BUT, 4th of July sales are coming!

 

[Robinson1]

Depends on what you want to do. I love Bosch drills but their cordless tool selection is very limited and sometimes hard to source.

If you do primarily woodwork and home repairs I'd go with Dewalt. If you do mostly mechanical work I'd go with Milwaukee.

On a whole Dewalt is generally a few dollars cheaper than Milwaukee.

Mid tier brands like Ryobi and Porter Cable can be a great value as well. Just depends on how much you plan on using your tools.

Whatever you buy try ti pick something that you can expand upon locally. Meaning buy a brand that has local support. If you have a hardware store or lumber yard with a giant Dewalt display it's a fair bet than if you need a tool fast you'll be able to find it in a hurry and without ordering.

Watch Ebay for bare tools. Generally about 20% or more cheaper than buying from a store. Sometimes you can find a killer deal.

Best thing to do is to buy a small kit like a drill and impact driver then expand from there. Also if you are looking to do some serious work you cant have too many batteries. I think I've got 11 or 12 dewalt batteries and there are days when I have them all dead when working in areas with no power

 

[dar24601]

Just helped my brother pick out starter set this weekend. Looked at the ridgid (what I own) and Ryobi. He liked the feel of ridgid tool better but ultimately went ryobi because they have the widest variety of tools including outdoor landscaping tools. This is what we got

ryobi 5 tool brushless kit not in store ordered online

ryobi promo deal. Buy the battery pack get 1 tool free. He got the multi tool.

So For $440 (after taxes) get a
drill
impact driver
Circular saw
Angle grinder
Multi tool (Free tool promo choice)
Flashlight
3 2Ah batteries
2 3Ah batteries
2 chargers

 

[kctyphoon]

Invest in a system not just your first tools.. decide what you want, what you might want later (the cordless tools options are endless these days), do you want outdoor stuff like a string trimmer, blower? Heated sweatshirt or jacket? Ratchet or impact for the cars? Go from there..

 

[techieman33]

I’ve have great success with my Porter Cable 20v system, holds a good charge and I have used it for about 3-4 years now. I would buy it again, I have 2 drills, 1 impact, reciprocating saw, small circular saw, jigsaw, flashlight, I might be forgetting something...
Once you start with a brand you are pretty much stuck with it so pick something you can get and get replaced under warranty locally.
I like Dewalt as well and Milwaukee...

I wouldn't want to invest in Porter Cable right now as a new platform unless you find them on a really cheap clearance deal. It feels like Lowes is phasing them out for Craftsman, so they could become hard to find. And I doubt SBD will be investing much money in expanding the line up since Craftsman is falling into that same price point.

 

[Crazyjake8493]

I would absolutely get Ryobi at this point for home and hobby use. If in the future you ever intend on making money with your tools, then I'd look into Milwaukee.

 

[anythingyoucanimagine]

Personally for a home gamer I'd be keeping my eye on Craftsman. They are trying to make a comeback and I'd bet that they will be willing to discount some of their stuff just to try and undercut to get market share.

Why buy Ryobi when Horrible Freight is right around the corner? I have yellow tools and I'm married to DeWalt at this point. If I could do it all over again I'd buy Milwaukee M12 and Hilti.

 

[techieman33]

Personally for a home gamer I'd be keeping my eye on Craftsman. They are trying to make a comeback and I'd bet that they will be willing to discount some of their stuff just to try and undercut to get market share.

Why buy Ryobi when Horrible Freight is right around the corner? I have yellow tools and I'm married to DeWalt at this point. If I could do it all over again I'd buy Milwaukee M12 and Hilti.

Because Ryobi is far superior to HF. The quality is probably similar. But Ryobi has a huge line up on a single platform. HF is spread across 3 platforms and even together they don’t come close to matching what Ryobi has available.

 

[JRC3]

Why buy Ryobi when Horrible Freight is right around the corner?

Are you serious? Or did I miss something?

 

[anythingyoucanimagine]

Are you serious? Or did I miss something?

I was being semi-serious. Every Ryobi tool I've ever tried has broken basically at the same rate as HF tools. I'm a home-gamer but use my tools closer to how a general contractor would. Personally I'd buy a HF corded tool over corded Ryobi. But that's just my opinion...

 

[seber]

I would make sure you get a drill and a 1/4" impact. Anything over that will depend on your needs. My surprisingly next used tool is the vibrating multitool. I bought it to cut door trim for wood flooring installation but have found it handy for all kinds of unusual purposes. Especially great for cutting installed drywall without creating a lot of dust.

 

[DWise]

I like the Ridgid, and if you register on line their batteries have a life time warrenty

 

[SilverBulletZ06]

I was being semi-serious. Every Ryobi tool I've ever tried has broken basically at the same rate as HF tools. I'm a home-gamer but use my tools closer to how a general contractor would. Personally I'd buy a HF corded tool over corded Ryobi. But that's just my opinion...

if you're having that many problems just by a rigid and take their lifetime service agreement

 

[Crazyjake8493]

Because Ryobi is far superior to HF. The quality is probably similar. But Ryobi has a huge line up on a single platform. HF is spread across 3 platforms and even together they don’t come close to matching what Ryobi has available.

Not to mention Ryobi has had the same battery platform since 1996 I believe, and probably will for years to come. At the rate HF changes brands I'm sure in 2-3 years all the existing lines will be replaced with other brands that aren't compatible.

 

[jd_1138]

ryobi
i abuse mine and have no problems
lots of different tools

Yep nothing wrong with Ryobi. I saw a fella the other day at the local mom and pop grocery store. He had a Masterforce (Menard's store brand) large tool bag with a lot of toxic yellow Ryobi tools inside. He was doing some work inside the store.

DeWalt, Makita, Milwaukee are also good. I am in Makita and Ryobi. I like having 2 brands to pick tools from. I received 2 batteries and a charger with my first Ryobi purchase, and I got 1 battery/charger with my first Makita purchase. Now I have 3 batteries for each platform. I picked up a new bare Ryobi 1/4 impact driver off ebay for $40. Comes in handy when working a project with a buddy. I hand them the Ryobi 1/4 impact, and I use my Makita 1/4 impact.

 

[jd_1138]

Not to mention Ryobi has had the same battery platform since 1996 I believe, and probably will for years to come. At the rate HF changes brands I'm sure in 2-3 years all the existing lines will be replaced with other brands that aren't compatible.

Yep, screw HF. They go with the cheapest vendor to source their tools. I'd rather stick to Ryobi, Makita, Milwaukee, DeWalt, Ridgid.

My Makita and Ryobi tools cost less than the new Bauer/Hercules HF stuff.

 

[JRC3]

I was being semi-serious. Every Ryobi tool I've ever tried has broken basically at the same rate as HF tools. I'm a home-gamer but use my tools closer to how a general contractor would. Personally I'd buy a HF corded tool over corded Ryobi. But that's just my opinion...

Not me...I'll take the 3 year Ryobi tool and battery warranty over the pathetic 90 day warranty at HF any day. Besides the warranty you can take the Ryobi back withing 90 days and get your money back if it breaks or you simply do not like it.

On my Ryobi 40v trimmer and blower, if I register the batteries the warranty goes from 3 years to 5 years.

 

[tez929rr]

I’ll also recommend Ryobi. Bought a drill and liked it so much I bought another. Each came with a charger and two batteries. Saw a four piece set on sale at HD and bought it. The circular and reciprocating saw work great and now I have six batteries and three chargers (and three drills).

 

[Coach James]

I have cordless sets from Porter Cable, Kobalt and Ryobi. I like Ryobi the most. The cordless brad nailer is 1000 times better than having to drag out a compressor when I only need to put up baseboard or door molding.


Most of the framing crews I see around here use Dewalt or some other high dollar tool line, but I have seen more of the finish crews using Ryobi lately.

Coach

 

[JPetru82]

Thank you all for your advise. I think I'll be going with Ryobi for now. Now just to watch online and wait for a sale to pop up.
Now I can start researching miter saws.

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[bds1984]

I have been using Craftsman cordless tools for a decade now; both 19.2v and 20v models. With the downfall of Sears and their selection, I am considering going to Ryobi if/once anything needs to be replaced.

I almost bit on the deal Home Depot had where you bought a charger with two battery combo and get a bare tool free. Unfortunately for me, the charger seemed to be the "slow" charger and the tools I wanted were out of stock but probably was a good thing otherwise I would have ended up spending a few hundred dollars I don't really need to spend.

 

[joseywales]

Thank you all for your advise. I think I'll be going with Ryobi for now. Now just to watch online and wait for a sale to pop up.
Now I can start researching miter saws.

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Don't just wait for sales, scour the HD's in you area. Twice now, I found the Ryobi 3-piece brushless kit: 7 1/4" saw, Drill, and impact with batteries and charger for $130. The lowest it's been on sale is $179. In fact, it might be on sale now, so I'm dumbfounded as to why this was on the clearance isle for $130. A week later, another one showed up, same set, $130. I damn near bought the second one as well! Sometimes they find these sets in the rafters and clear them out. These were both new sets. I also believe they do it to keep us scouring the isles. Don't we always end up grabbing something else as well?!?!

I just picked up the P3240 vacuum and and cleaned my truck with it - impressive performance from that thing.

 

[JPetru82]

Don't just wait for sales, scour the HD's in you area. Twice now, I found the Ryobi 3-piece brushless kit: 7 1/4" saw, Drill, and impact with batteries and charger for $130. The lowest it's been on sale is $179. In fact, it might be on sale now, so I'm dumbfounded as to why this was on the clearance isle for $130. A week later, another one showed up, same set, $130. I damn near bought the second one as well! Sometimes they find these sets in the rafters and clear them out. These were both new sets. I also believe they do it to keep us scouring the isles. Don't we always end up grabbing something else as well?!?!

I just picked up the P3240 vacuum and and cleaned my truck with it - impressive performance from that thing.

I at least have to wait until I get home. I'm stuck in boat jail at the moment.

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[JRC3]

Good point on the charger. If you Ryobi get the green charger. The black ones really are slower. Not sure if the green ones are even still available or not.

 

[JerryC]

I bit on the two batteries get a free tool deal twice, got a 3/8" impact (perfect for changing blades on my riding mower) and a Jig saw. As if that wasn't enough I went back for the 6pc Ultimate Combo that was going for $199, older brushed tools but good enough for my uses.
The 6pc kit came with the green charger, it was less than 10 minutes faster on a 3AH battery over the small black charger that came in the 2 battery kits.
With six batteries and three chargers on my bench I'm looking at the Supercharger.

I've given up on staying with one platform. I have Dewalt 18v (drill, circ saw, RA drill, 1/2" impact) and 20v (drill and impact driver), using 20v adapters for the 18v tools. Ryobi 18v One+ and Ryobi 40v (string trimmer, BP blower, hedge trimmer, chainsaw). And a lone Rigid 18v 1/2" impact. The upside of this mess is that I can pick the best tool out of those systems. Yeah, it's not pretty

 

[Chucktin]

Ryobi is the last ones I'd consider. The one I ha, the cadmium sulfide battery set, had nylon innerds. No thanks! DeWalt is my go-to.
I love to have Bosch or similar but that's too rich for my blood.

 

[Legion Prime]

While I'm personally not a fan of Ryobi you can find some awesome deals. As far as the combo kits I'm not personally a fan of the big 5+ kits. They rarely have anything useful beyond the drill/driver, usually a saw. The rest of the kit is typically a light (which I've NEVER found to be anything remotely usable) and these days a handheld vacuum. I'd go with a smaller drill/impact set as they usually come with 2 batteries and you can get their newest models rather than last years model and then pick up anything else you need either as a bare tool as needed or in sales. I picked up the Ridgid router this spring with a battery and charger for less than DeWalt & Makita were selling their bare tool router for. Right now HD has a sale where you buy 2 of their new Octane batteries and a charger for about what the batteries alone would cost and you get a new Octane tool tossed in for free.