Used Ryobi 18v tools for $5

[Packard V8]

Anyone else noticed the market is flooded with used Ryobi 18v tools?

Here in Spokane, I can buy all the Ryobi 18v drills, impacts, circular/recip/sabre/chain saws, weedwhackers, lights, vacuums I'd ever want for $5-10 each.

The tools themselves are often like new, but the batteries are always TU or missing. It seems the big box stores and Amazon flooded the market with individual tools and kits at sale prices. Then, they waited to **** the user when he needs another battery.

For the most part, that ain't happening here. A lot of customers just throw the tools on craigslist or garage sales and buy something new for very little more than a new battery.

I picked up a few just for light duty use. They're not contractor grade, but sometimes they're all the homeowner needs for a quick fix. The sellers always start high, trying to get back some of their sunk cost, but after it's been out there a while, they'll usually take the $5-$10 I mentioned.

What are you seeing in your area?

jack vines

 

[jd_1138]

lol, if I could get them for $5-$10 here, I would buy up spares and spares for the spares. I am in the Ryobi system. Around here, there are not really any for sale. As I think most people would rather just keep the tool rather than virtually give it away for $5-$10.

Home Depot has a 2 battery pack going for $59 right now which is a good deal. But it's like 6 of 1, half dozen of another. You could buy a $99 impact kit that comes with 2 tools (impact and a drill/driver), 2 batteries, and a charger. Then throw a drill in your trunk.

A neighbor guy who is great with masonry helped me install a walkway here, and I gave him a Ryobi impact in lieu of payment. I had to give him my spare charger, 1 battery, and a case to go along with it, but it saved me about $150 out of pocket. It's his first impact, and he loves the thing. Didn't know what he had been missing. All he had before was an old B&D 14volt regular non-impact drill.

 

[drivesitfar]

Jack: i love the Ryobi 18v tools. i HATE the old batteries that were an orangish color. once i started replacing the old batteries with the new lithium batteries the tools work great and the batteries hold a charge for months now.

I personally love the impact and the little chain saw the best, but the drill, sawsall and even the hedger are good tools. I've got doubles of some and if Home Depot has the 2 big batteries for $59 i better buy a couple because i bought 4 for $99 for a pair around Christmas for the big sized ones and they work great.

if the blade is sharp on my Ryobi chain saw i can cut a 6 inch branch or tree without stopping once i put in a little undercut.

 

[Vegaman_Dan]

I would like to expand my Ryobi tool collection and at those prices, I wouldn't hesitate.

I see them frequently cheap in pawn shops as sets. I am tempted to go in with a fully charged battery of my own to test with since you can't really test their stuff with dead batteries. It's not uncommon to find a set of 4-5 tools for $99.

 

[Packard V8]

A cheap-*** friend of mine has cut off the top off the Ryobi battery and soldered in 10' leads which he connects to a full-size 24-volt battery. He runs all the bargain tools off that and thinks it's a heckuva deal. When I mention he's tethered to the battery, he counters with how much lighter the tools are without the battery hanging on the bottom.

jack vines

 

[drivesitfar]

Jack: some guys are too handy for their own good. i bet he owns every color of duct tape too. too funny

on a side note i did burn up a newer Ryobi 18v skill saw cutting 1.125 inch thick plywood and with a sharp blade so there are some jobs for the real power tools.

 

[jd_1138]

A cheap-*** friend of mine has cut off the top off the Ryobi battery and soldered in 10' leads which he connects to a full-size 24-volt battery. He runs all the bargain tools off that and thinks it's a heckuva deal. When I mention he's tethered to the battery, he counters with how much lighter the tools are without the battery hanging on the bottom.

jack vines

A 2 pack of batteries is $59. Sure, not cheap, but since he's doing stuff himself and not hiring a pricey professional, $59 is chump change.

Or buy a set with some tools you need, then get a battery or 2 inside the kit that comes with it.

 

[Garageguy65]

Anyone else noticed the market is flooded with used Ryobi 18v tools?

Here in Spokane, I can buy all the Ryobi 18v drills, impacts, circular/recip/sabre/chain saws, weedwhackers, lights, vacuums I'd ever want for $5-10

jack vines

Where??????

 

[SCscoutguy]

To me at least the Ryobi One + line of tools are hands down the best tools on the market for what you pay for them. I have a friend that is a contractor and that is all he buys now to give to the Mexicans he has working on his crews. They have been using them none stop for years now and he said he has only had two drills fail in that time. He picks up the kits whenever they are on sale just to get the extra batteries.

 

[Ign]

Same thing happened here in northern New Mexico

 

[Packard V8]

He picks up the kits whenever they are on sale just to get the extra batteries.

From a marketing standpoint, keeping the cost of batteries high does sell a lot of extra tools.

Obviously, the real cost of batteries is much less than $30 each or the sale prices of the kits couldn't be so low. But package it with a tool and Ryobi gets the extra dollar volume.

jack vines

 

[Packard V8]

Where??????

Today, at the Early Ford V8 Club Swap Meet at the Fairgrounds.

Got the case, recip saw, circular saw, two lights, two drills, four batteries and a dual battery charger for $20.

If one just counts the tools, that's $3.33 each.

Now that I know the trick to bringing back the dead batteries, I'm drowning in these Ryobi.

jack vines

 

[mrvm]

Prefer the blue color of the older Ryobi power tools and absolutely hate the newer lime-green color power tools. The 4.0 Ah lithium batteries or 2.3 Ah lithium batteries rejuvenate these older "blue" tools and makes them feel stronger and last longer (endurance).

 

[xxaler]

I snagged a Ryobi 18v Chainsaw for $15. Best tool purchase I've made I think, couple it with a high amp-hour battery and it RIPS through everything. Hard to believe, but until you see it, you can't comprehend it. Had my buddy sharpen up the chain and it's amazing.

Purchased the combo kit a few years ago with the newer style batteries, circular saw, reciprocating saw, drill, driver, flashlight, and 2 batteries. Picked up 3 refurb high amp-hour batteries when I was in the states, and 4-1/2" grinder, jig-saw, and hammer drill for cheap when I was down there.

I compare mine to the Dewalt my co-worker has, or another with a Rigid set, and there is absolutely no difference, aside from the ridiculous price tag.

 

[1931S/X]

I had a few of the Ryobi tools. not too bad. all my old batteries died, so I bought a new green drill and driver kit with a couple batteries on black Friday a few years ago. I really liked it. but the small betteries they came with died on me. I bought one new one, and another one died. I bought a 2 pack of the big batteries on another black Friday. nice. but just the other day I burnt out the drill. I was wondering if I could replace the motor. I really liked the green Ryobi stuff, but im now thinking maybe its time to switch to Milwaukee.

 

[jd_1138]

Prefer the blue color of the older Ryobi power tools and absolutely hate the newer lime-green color power tools. The 4.0 Ah lithium batteries or 2.3 Ah lithium batteries rejuvenate these older "blue" tools and makes them feel stronger and last longer (endurance).

Yeah, it's kinda weird that they changed from blue to toxic shock green. I don't think anyone else has dark blue so they could've stayed with blue. Oh well, still a lot of bang for the buck. I have 95% green a few blue Ryobis.

 

[kythri]

One of the things I have always loved about Ryobi is that the batteries never were a "**** me" price.

A two-pack of the 4Ah batteries is $99.00, which really isn't all that steep.

Keep forgetting to snag an extra reciprocating saw when a cheap one comes up on CL...

 

[Packard V8]

I snagged a Ryobi 18v Chainsaw for $15. Best tool purchase I've made I think, couple it with a high amp-hour battery and it RIPS through everything. Hard to believe, but until you see it, you can't comprehend it. Had my buddy sharpen up the chain and it's amazing.

Is there any significant difference in the blue and the green chainsaw?

jack vines

 

[kythri]

I wouldn't imagine all that much.

 

[RedFordTruck]

Their pricing system confuses me.

$59.97 for a two pack of compact batteries: http://www.homedepot.com/p/Ryobi-18-Volt-ONE-Compact-Lithium-Ion-Battery-2-Pack-P170/205105619

Or $79.00 for a drill, circular saw, charger, and the same two batteries: http://www.homedepot.com/p/Ryobi-18...er-and-Circular-Saw-Kit-2-Tool-P826/204321512

 

[pauls_workshop]

Hey I could use a spare recip saw if anyone has one cheap. Trying to get my sister setup on the system and she could use one. Let me know of you do. - Paul

 

[Packard V8]

Even at cheap, I can buy one here for less than the cost of shipping. Watch craigslist and garage sales.

jack vines

 

[Packard V8]

Their pricing system confuses me.

$59.97 for a two pack of compact batteries: http://www.homedepot.com/p/Ryobi-18-Volt-ONE-Compact-Lithium-Ion-Battery-2-Pack-P170/205105619

Or $79.00 for a drill, circular saw, charger, and the same two batteries: http://www.homedepot.com/p/Ryobi-18...er-and-Circular-Saw-Kit-2-Tool-P826/204321512

Henry Ford once said, "I'd give away cars if there was a way to sell all the gas, oil, tires and parts." That's the why of the battery pricing structure, plus HD expects to sell drill bits, saw blades and whatever else the homeowner needs.

jack vines

 

[Vigo]

Well, Henry Ford did actually try to start a corn alcohol revolution and get into the fuel business. We more or less got Prohibition out of it. Dangerously plausible, as Rockefeller saw it!

I love my Ryobi stuff. I think the idea of making the batteries way less expensive in tool sets is a great way to sell more tools. They're still the best value as far as i've seen compared to the other stuff out there, so as long as that holds, they can do whatever they want to drum up business.

I've been wanting to pick up the p261 1/2" cordless impact lately, but havent yet. I havent been able to actually use one and i'd kind of like to hear opinions of people i trust first! All the cheap stuff i see on my local CL is stuff i already have and dont need more of.

 

[velillen01]

I've been wanting to pick up the p261 1/2" cordless impact lately, but havent yet. I havent been able to actually use one and i'd kind of like to hear opinions of people i trust first! All the cheap stuff i see on my local CL is stuff i already have and dont need more of.

I actually just picked up the p261 Saturday morning. Havent got to use it all that much yet but so far i like it. Weight and feel is pretty much the same as the drill. Only real "test" I did was removing two bolts that were torqued to ~60ft lbs and it broke them with no problem.

The lights on it are nice too! Pull the trigger and let go and the lights stay on for like 5 seconds or so. Nice for darker areas to get the socket on the bolt head.

 

[1950mercury]

Good tools=good resale value.

**** tools=**** resale value

 

[kythri]

Good tools=good resale value.

**** tools=**** resale value

Because resale value is always the reason to buy a tool.

 

[Lassen Forge]

Just bought a pair of the 2.3 AH lithium's yesterday to replace the dying orange beasts from my kit to see how they work... the first thing I noticed was, putting one on the charger, the charger told me it was "charged" even tho only 2 of the cool indicator lights on the battery lit up...

Is there some way to get the charger to accept the LiIon batteries, or does it put the batts on slow charge when they're partially filled, or ?? The idea of batteries that don't die sitting there 48 hours on their own jazzes me, but if they don't charge on the old charger, or if they only slow charge (during a job, where batteries get depleted pretty quick), it's kind of a non-starter...

Any ideas?

 

[kythri]

What charger are you using?

You want to be real careful that you're not using the older Ni-Cad only chargers on the Li-Ion batteries.

It does sound like you need to get one of the newer chargers.

 

[Vigo]

Can I charge Lithium batteries with a NiCad charger?
Only a Lithium-ion charger can be used to charge Lithium-ion batteries.

^ Per Ryobi website.

Good news is i've seen the newer-style chargers as cheap as $10 for refurbished and i think $16 for actual new at a refurbished tool outlet in San Marcos TX.

 

[Ign]

Because resale value is always the reason to buy a tool.

Exactly. Other than the crack-smokin' pawn shops in my area, I think cordless tools hold their value the least of any similar tool. There's too many variables, ie the potential purchaser doesn't know if the tool has been abused, left in the rain, and the condition of the batteries is almost impossible to assess, even if you put a multimeter to them. OTOH, generally if a corded tool works the second you plug it in, it will probably continue to work.

I'm not bashing cordless by any means (it's virtually all I use), but I don't buy it thinking I'm going to resell it for any sum of money worth mentioning. I buy it to use it to make money.

 

[dodge610]

Just looked on craigs list around here ryobi is selling for approx. $15.00 to $20.00 apiece. Not the $5.00 to !0.00 like in spokane. But still not bad I guess most of them are coming with charger and battery. The question is are the batteries any good.

 

[Vigo]

If it's a ni-cad i think it's safe to assume no, they are not very good. In my opinion the ni-cads were NEVER very good. The li-ion switchover really turned around my opinion of Ryobi 18v stuff. Before, the tools were fine, but the batteries were **** which made the tools de facto **** by association. But the Li-ion stuff lasts what seems like 10x longer, and i havent noticed any serious degradation over a few years of use on my oldest battery.

Im assuming they are ni-cad because noone with any financial sense would let go of a functional li-ion battery for <$20, let alone with a working tool attached to it, and you're making it sound like you're seeing multiple deals like this.

 

[mrvm]

Just looked on craigs list around here ryobi is selling for approx. $15.00 to $20.00 apiece. Not the $5.00 to !0.00 like in spokane. But still not bad I guess most of them are coming with charger and battery. The question is are the batteries any good.

Buying used batteries is a **** shoot no matter the brand. Some of the newer batteries have a button to press indicating a relative state of charge. How well the battery handles under a load will be unknown and what you expect for decent battery endurance may differ from the seller. Got a couple good looking well used lithium batteries that charge up real nice, lights up green, but put a load on them and they die right away. Ryobis are probably cheap enough to replace rather than rebuild so into the recycle can they will go. $15-20 is pretty good for tool+charger but not profitable to CL/ebay

 

[mingus2112]

I'm knee deep in the Ryobi system after years of cordless drill battery hell. There are a few things that got/keep me in the Ryobi system. First is that my tool-owning buddy and my father-in-law both have tons of Ryobi stuff. With my father in law, there's always the swap and lend, etc. With my buddy, he actually started me in the system. He and my father-in-law both would do the whole "buy a new kit" when the batteries died. I asked my buddy to borrow a drill until Christmas and he GAVE me a blue drill, vacuum, circular saw, and reciprocating saw with 6 or 8 niCad batteries. (he had just gone out and bought all Lithium) So I was pretty set. The batteries were all decent actually - the ones he marked "dead" I was able to "spark" back by using a battery charger. Then I got the drill and two slim Lithium+ batteries for christmas and picked up two full size Lithium+ batteries myself and i'm completely sold.

Went on to pick up the impact driver and, just this week, the P261 impact wrench. That P261 got the lugs off my car faster than I could blink.

So what's the other huge reason? Lawn tools. I love my 18v hedge trimmer and weed wacker! I think Ryobi really gears itself towards the handyman/homeowner with these tools and they do a great job. I keep my batteries in much better shape when I'm using them all the time.

Speaking of batteries, I would really only get the Lithium+ batteries. The two for $59 lithium batteries aren't really good when compared to a new niCad. Check out this site for more than you'd ever want to know about Ryobi batteries (not my site - but I bought my string trimmer and impact driver from him!)
http://www.toolboyworld.com/eBay/Ryobi_Batteries.htm

Am I drooling over Milwaukee tools from time to time? Hell yeah. But while I could MAYBE justify a killer drill, I couldn't justify the higher cost of an impact driver, impact wrench and other tools like that. I just don't use them enough. Not to mention that Milwaukee doesn't make yard tools - do they?

-James

 

[Katodog]

I own a few Ryobi tools...

Ryobi Family Portrait 02 by Edward Durbin, on Flickr



The photo is a little old, doesn't include the new Hybrid trimmer, angle grinder, and drill press I have, which of course are Ryobi. I used the older "blue" tools in the work environment, building maintenance and machine maintenance, definitely weren't "DIY" or "homeowner" quality when I was using them for that type of work. My original 6 "blue" are 13 years old and still run strong. The old NiCad batteries make great tool holders, just take the battery cells out.


Garage 052 by Edward Durbin, on Flickr

 

[WxDude10]

Is your miter saw the 7 1/4" or 8 1/4" 18v saw? If it us the 8", how do you like it and how does it do using the lithium batteries? I'm in the market for a miter saw and the 8" seems like a nice middle ground.

 

[1950mercury]

Because resale value is always the reason to buy a tool.

I never said it was a reason to buy them im just saying why they are so cheap.

They maybe ok for the diy light use home owner,but you will almost never see them on a commercial/industrial job site because they dont hold up and have no balls

 

[1950mercury]

$300 truck tool saw
$100 resale

$39 ryobi saw
$5 resale

Who lost the $200?

Some of you just out and out startle me.

66% loss vs 80% loss...

And not nearly as many sell the tool truck saw because they realize that the saw is a light duty turd and have to up grade to a yellow or red saw

 

[Katodog]

Is your miter saw the 7 1/4" or 8 1/4" 18v saw? If it us the 8", how do you like it and how does it do using the lithium batteries? I'm in the market for a miter saw and the 8" seems like a nice middle ground.

It's the 8 1/4", and I like it. It works great on the Lithium batteries, all the other tools do too. I don't know if you can find the 8 1/4" anymore, I think all they have is the 7 1/4" now.