Ryobi 18V Drill and impact question

[Brownsfan]

What does the Garage Journal community say bout this set. http://www.homedepot.com/p/Ryobi-ON...Impact-Driver-Combo-Kit-2-Tool-P882/203406854
I am looking for a 18v or better drill and impact driver set because my Craftsman nextec 12v set while surprisingly powerful just is not enough sometimes. So what makes this set 70 bucks less than the Makita.Milwaukee and Rigid sets? Is this just that much worse or are those that much better? I only do automotive electrical so I dont need say the1/2 impact or anything like that. It will also be used for house hold stuff as well. Thanks

 

[Zeke]

I have a Ryobi 14.4 drill that someone gave me. Free is always good, but I like it.

 

[wolfsburged]

I have a ton of their 18v stuff. I got an entire starter pack with the drill, sawzall, flashlight, vacuum, and circular saw for free from a coworker who had upgraded to Milwaukee after the battery set had faded away. I think he said it was on its second set of NiCAD batteries when I got it. But he had used them for 5 or 6 years day in and out doing alarm installs, and they were fine except for the batteries. I ended up replacing with the Lithium batteries and so far so good. I ended up buying the 3/8 impact which is great for sinking lag screws, deck screws, etc around the house. Used the **** out of the sawzall and cordless drill too. No complaints, nothing has given up the ghost. Also bought the cordless leaf blower to take up on the roof and clean gutters with. Not a replacement for a gas blower but for gutter work and cleaning the garage out it works great. Will definitely keep buying more stuff to work with the batteries. But I would say to stick with the Lithium batteries over NiCAD. Really regardless of brand.

 

[IHI]

I bought 5 of the ryobi 5 packs yrs and yrs ago to keep in our trucks for the guys...previously had Dewalt and grew tired of the battery's not lasting a yr with daily use and then to find out a replacement was as much as a new tool set or they changed battery design so i'd have to buy all new tools.

Bought 5 sets and all 5 sets of tools still going today with daily use in residential construction for yrs. People can claim color loyality all they want, I wanted bang for my buck and vowed one day to upgrade to milwaukee when these started dying...they won die LOL. I've since replaced all the nicad batteries with lithion packs and that made the tools even more powerful for a longer period of time...best part, SAME BATTERY DESIGN so all my older than dirt ryobi drills, saws, impacts, sawzalls, radio's, etc...did'nt have to be **** canned.

I will say they lack the power some of the big name brands have, but what they lack in power they make up for in wont die longevity and continuing battery compatiability. Besides, when a job called for muscle, we'd pull out our corded tools, as in major demo work, lots of holes to be drilled in concrete, alot of large holes to be drilled, lots of lags or whatever to be sunk.

 

[FullToolbox]

i've had the ryobi 18v tools for 5 years now and they have always been great. i do maintenance work for 20 commercial properties and abuse them every day and they have always treated me well. over time the batteries wear out but that will happen with any set. the new lithium batteries have great life, just upgraded so not sure how long they last compared to the old nicad but ive always been happy with the tools. they have a very wide veriety of tools that all work on the same batts, ive used most of them and have never been disappointed with the quality. and if anything breaks you can find any replacement part online for very reasonable prices. overall a great set

 

[Jim Johnstone]

My uncle has a bunch of ryobi one+ tools. The tools seem solid the only complaint he has is battery life.

I dont know why people get all worked up about having to buy all new tools because dewalt changed their battery design. They arent going to stop supplying batteries for the old 18 volt anytime soon.

Sent from my SGH-I727R using Tapatalk 2

 

[928'er]

Like others here I got a five piece set with nicads about 5 years ago. Later added a 1/4" drive impact. When it became available, I added a 1/2" drive impact and lithium batteries. Most recent is an oscillating tool.

Still got the two nicads and have added two full size and two half size lithiums. The lithium batteries make a BIG difference and are backwards compatible with all the + tools.

I'm just a DIY'er, but I use the hell out of these tools. I autocross, so I'm always changing tires - the 1/2" impact has no trouble spinning lug nuts off. I recently used both the 1/4" and 1/2" impacts to strip a 928 that was going to the crusher.

I know that the pro's scoff at them, but the Ryobi's have done everything I've asked of them and are still going strong. Not sure, but I believe I read somewhere that the battery packs are Panasonic.

James

 

[pipsters]

Ryobi, Ridgid, and Milwaukee all share the same battery cells in the 18v lithium line (Samsung cells). The tools are, of course, slightly upgraded. I have the Ridgid but really like all the tools available for Ryobi, and I've played around with it in store. Not bad, but there is a definite improvement going to the Ridgid over the Ryobi in terms of build quality. The Ryobi IIRC doesn't have a ratcheting chuck, which is one feature I really dig with the Ridgid.

FWIW that set you linked to has been $99 on Black Friday for the last couple years. The only reason I bought the Ridgid over the Ryobi is because back then I had a coupon for $50 off $100 and the Ridgid set was $179, so it was $129. I knew the Ryobi could be had for $99 in just a few weeks and I felt for $30 more I would be better served with the Ridgid.

Pros for Ryobi:
Tons of tools
Good batteries
Backwards compatible batteries

Cons
Slightly amateurish build quality
No lifetime warranty

Pros for Ridgid
Lifetime warranty on hardware AND batteries (big one, lithium batteries are expensive)
Build quality is above Ryobi

Cons for Ridgid
Extreme lack of choices for tools...no 3/8 or 1/2" impact etc., no homeowner tools like trimmers.

Here's the thing, let's say you want some new batteries for your Ryobi. Buy the $99 kit on Black Friday, sell the two drivers for $70 +/- on eBay, and you've got two new batteries for $30...

Whatever you do get the lithium batteries. They charge in about 15 minutes. Really big upgrade over the nicads.

 

[KaHuNaZ]

What does the Garage Journal community say bout this set. http://www.homedepot.com/p/Ryobi-ON...Impact-Driver-Combo-Kit-2-Tool-P882/203406854
I am looking for a 18v or better drill and impact driver set because my Craftsman nextec 12v set while surprisingly powerful just is not enough sometimes. So what makes this set 70 bucks less than the Makita.Milwaukee and Rigid sets? Is this just that much worse or are those that much better? I only do automotive electrical so I dont need say the1/2 impact or anything like that. It will also be used for house hold stuff as well. Thanks

I would pick up the impact separately as the newer model has slightly more torque (1600 vs 1500in lbs.) and is lighted by leds. I picked one up in Jan for $69 (tool only) and I freaking love it. I also picked up the drill/circular saw kit for $99, but I could use a few more lithium batteries.

 

[djjsr]

I just noticed that you can now get the 18V NiCad drill w/battery and charger for $40. They may not be as nice as the lithium but that's a great value on a general purpose drill.