Ryobi hammer drills

[newbinga]

I am considering buying a cordless hammer drill. Since I have all ryobi tools now it only makes sense to stick with ryobi. I can't afford to switch brands.

I install security cameras and use the hammer drill a couple times a week. The majority of the time it is just drilling 1/4 holes for 1" anchor pins for conduit or electrical boxes. On rare occasions I need to drill a large 1" hole through a wall.

It's such a pain to drag out an extension cord to drill a few holes or climb an extension ladder with the cord. There are also occasions where I need to tie into electrical and mount a box to put our outlet where there are no existing outlets.

So I can get the normal hammer drill for $70 minus a $20 coupon. But I am considering the $99 sds drill but it's available online only in my area (west Atlanta) and I can't use the 20$ coupon.

Anyone have experience with either drill? Think the cordless sds will drill a 1" hole through a wall without.much issue?

 

[Chicken123]

Ryobi tools ****!
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1-1-2-Electric-Rotary-Hammer-Drill-Bit-SDS-Plus-Demolition-1100W-Concrete-Steel-/360621226993

This includes masonry drill bits, chisels and an adapter to use standard drill bits up to 1/2 inch shank, including silver and deming.

 

[Coach James]

I have a Ryobi corded hammer drill that has been excellent. It's also pretty old though as it was made in the USA. There newer stuff is about on par with Black and Decker.

Coach

 

[mrvm]

I am considering buying a cordless hammer drill. Since I have all ryobi tools now it only makes sense to stick with ryobi. I can't afford to switch brands

Buy the Ryobi cordless hammer drill and "test" it out to see if it meets your needs since you don't want to switch and already have some Ryobi tools. Tool-only Ryobi 18V hammer drills are relatively inexpensive $69 up to $99 for SDS. I own a few Ryobi power tools, they work and get the job done. Picked up some of those $25 4 Ah Li batteries for my hard surface blower and string trimmer. The 4 Ah Li batteries have rejuvenated the "old" blue Ryobi tools.

 

[neophyte]

If you need to drill larger holes you'd probably be better of with the SDS drill.

1" would likely be pushing it for either drill, but the SDS drill will likely handle it better over time.

The SDS will be heavier, more awkwardly balanced, and require an adapter chuck if you want to use regular drill bits, or use it for fastening. You might even find you'll need both, unless you already have another drill you currently use.

 

[newbinga]

I already have 5 lithium batteries, 2 green drills, 2 green chargers, reciprocating saw, 2 circular saws, flashlight etc

Overall for the price they have been a great value. I use the drills every day and they have handled everything I have thrown at them. Drilling into steel beams, studs, top plates etc.

Recently I bought some batteries, missed the battery clearance deal...

So I can get an adapter for the sds that will allow me to use my old.bits?

 

[balrog]

Bosch makes a keyless chuck that fits into an SDS drill chuck.

 

[goforride57]

A friend of mine is a contractor who let me borrow his ryobi hammer drill for a lift install. He claimed he bought it at auction for $20 bucks that he never used. It still looked new. I drilled 2 holes and then went and rented a real hammer drill with a sds chuck. That ryobi is junk in my opinion. But hey, you get what you pay for.

 

[Kurt4440]

I have both the Ryobi 18v hammer drill and the Ryobi 18v SDS. If I were in your situation, I would buy the SDS and some quality German SDS bits. I would not try to use the tool for anything much larger than 1/4".

 

[toolin' around]

Most has already been said... I had a ton of Ryobi 18V tools... they are inexpensive and have an enormous range... for light duty work, they are perfectly serviceable. It's the higher load/duty cycle tools where you begin to find their limit... I've burned out an angle grinder and fried a battery at different points on heavier jobs. I switch to Milwaukee some years back, and there's no comparison, but the Ryobi has a decent place for those who can't justify a 3-4x price tag for occasional use.

In your situation, if the need was only one tool... either have their pros and cons. I just looked at the specs, and the SDS is actually relatively light and compact. 3.65lb vs 3.2lb for the hammer drill. The SDS is 11.8" long vs 9.7"... if you're up a ladder, 2" of extra tool length is a consideration, particularly the added weight and length of a keyless chuck if you're drilling 1" holes in timber studs etc... but the hammer drill would be tested drilling too many 1" holes, but with decent bits, you could do it...
My advice would be save a few extra pennies and get both, so you have a manageable tool for 90% of your tasks, but a capable (more capable) tool for the heavier duty tasks.
I have a Milwaukee M12 drill, an M12 right angle, M18 hammer drill and M18 SDS... which one I pick up depends on the task, but I'm sure glad I have all four because there are tasks that just couldn't be done without the right one.

 

[Al Borland]

Just using for anchors and such, the Ryobi is great. SDS or not an 18v Hammer drill will struggle with a 1" hole thru anything tougher than CMU blocks at the voids.
Get the non-SDS for anchors, you can turn off the hammer part and use it as a regular drill (one less tool to cart around).
Get a corded SDS for those rare occasions you need a bigger hole.

 

[Paul_The_Builder]

For a 1" hole you'll definitely need an SDS drill. SDS drill may feel like a little overkill for 1/4" anchor holes, but if you're up on a ladder, an SDS drill is a lot more comfortable (and faster) to use.

 

[Al Borland]

For a 1" hole, you need something with more power/speed/torque/pizazz than a cordless.
I have the Ryobis (SDS+ and regular), 18 and 20v DeWalts, and still use the corded ones for anything large. Just gets done faster. If I'm on a ladder screwing with a drill, I want to get it done.
Honestly, the Ryobis are great because they work fine and nobody wants to steal them...