[SomeStrangeGuy]

Just picked up their P890 cordless workshop...just wondering if anyone here has, or will admit to having Ryobi Hardware? ..and or any good/bad experiences with it you've had.

My last job had me using drills/sawzalls/impact drivers every now and then. Back when I started that job I had a few of each for doing install and it thinned out as I became more service oriented. My job now has a power screwdriver in the lab for wusses and thats about it. People there still think I'm a weirdo for having my own tools but it's just a habit I can't break .

So over the course of the years I have a DeWalt 4piece combo (drill,circ saw, sawzall, light), a Milwaukee 14.4v driill/light, and a Makita 14.4v drill/impact, and a Makita 18v drill.

Really wasnt sure which 'direction' to carry on with -DeWalt seems to be the most versatile with their add-ons, but their 18v technology is so old its not funny. I know something is coming around the bend (well yes its a new LiIon 36v system that is designed to replace corded tools) and I don't think it will be compatible with current tools OR be priced within reason for me.

My sitch was that batteries on my DeWalt 18v system were dying, and I wanted a batt. powered impact driver, is how this whole 'unification' process got started .

Loves my Makita stuff but they don't make enough accessories. Their new LiIon is tight, but not 600$ worth of tight for 4 tools.

Milwaukee - not sure how I ended up with it, but oddly their NiCd batteries from 1998 are still going strong (tools as well). They never really the true selection of stuff I wanted either. Stuff I needed - yes, but it's all about having the ability to march into hd at the drop of a hat and buy an 18v caulking gun cause you're lazy that day


I do practice good charging routines with all my cordless stuff, comes from the days of racing r/c cars as a kid, so I guess I should be glad it all lasted as long as it did. B

ut I really wanted a 1 for all system with batts/tools/etc. Not just for 'around the house' stuff (which fyi I dont own a house - its either 'rents, helping friends, or projects in the garage) but something that would allow me to do anything I do at home - wherever. I do some automotive/car enterntainment/automation work and other stuff every now and then and the cordless tools always pay in dividends. But as stated I no longer make my living with them so it was hard to justify the price tag.

The Ryobi (while I have scoffed it for years) was just a silly deal when comparing all my options. The stuff seems solid - so let me hear the horror stories now that I'm done convincing myself it was the right thing to do

[Hammer]

I've had a set for about 1.5 year now and do not regret buying it. For around the house jobs it is great. Not too shure about durability OTJ but for my use it is a good investment. $150 vs $600 wils IMO

[luvtolean]

I have a Ryobi 14.4V drill/circ saw combo I picked up for $100 (on sale) almost 4 years ago.

The drill is mediocre, and so is the saw, but I haven't found a job I couldn't do with them without some creative thinking. I just have to make sure to use good sharp bits.

They're not a nice DeWalt, but they'll get you by. Next time I plan to coin up to the good stuff, but I don't regret the purchase at all.

[SomeStrangeGuy]

Thanks for the feedbacks...LTL Makita is the only 14.4 stuff you can own and be happy with, but I'm assuming power wasn't the complaint there. DeWalt 14.4 sucks too.

This is the first time owning a non-corded right angle driver - man that thing is going to come in handy

...for 44$ off ebay I also have another new battery/charger/drill/flashlight/case coming my way...and I also just found Ryobi has a promo right now where if you buy any of their kits you can select one extra tool free (like the DW promo) so I am getting a cordless Mitre saw.

I'm so excited, I cannot wait till this inexpensive **** bursts into flames while I'm using it, yeeah

[SomeStrangeGuy]

Originally Posted by luvtolean

They're not a nice DeWalt, but they'll get you by. Next time I plan to coin up to the good stuff, but I don't regret the purchase at all.

Sounds like my dating ethics...

[luvtolean]

Mine still isn't sparking or anything, and believe me, I'm not nice to it. (I'm the guy who managed to kill a Dremel in about an hour) But I am just a hobbyist. I'm pretty sure a "serious" user would've long ago killed it.

I used a Dewalt 18V impact and drill helping some friends recently, and I had tool envy. (here come the punters)


Once upon a time 14.4V was good stuff! Heh, my Ryobi is slow, that bugs me more than power. It's a really basic drill, just a clutch and reverse.

[ND4SPD]

A buddy of mine owns a construction company and up until recently he swore by DeWalt....that is until he bought a couple Bosch tools and he said he'll never look back. For him it's worth it for the 3yr unconditional replacement guarantee, if nothing else.

On-topic content...I've walked by the Ryobi display at HD plenty of times

[SomeStrangeGuy]

I've heard good things about Bosch and Panasonic actually...but I think thats really mainline contractors stuff. None of this useless junk like vacuums, staplers, sanders, that homeowners 'need' ya know

LTL if you bought that Ryobi 14.4 when it was considered 'good stuff' then I am suprised you don't have tool envy using the automated doors going into HD .

DeWalt does feel the part well - I cannot explain it, just sitting there it looks and feels better then Makita (and many others), thats why I have it, and also why it's so lightly used . But I'm telling you you can put a Makita 14.4 and DW 18 next to each other and the 14.4 will do more overall work then that DW18. Any other manfacturers 14's are better suited for roofers because they are best suited for holding down the corners on a tarp.

ND4 - did the display break the 3rd or 4th time you went by it or did it hold up ok? ...and need I remind you it's only a time till you're asking about Ryobi stuff, thank me later

[luvtolean]

Naw, 18V was "it" back then. I think I got it in 2001, maybe 02.

[MedTechRR]

ok, I do own my own construction company. Not my cousins friends brother. I use 18v cordless tools every day, all day, including drills, sawzalls, and circular saws. I personally own a 18v milwaukee. One of my brothers personally owns the 18v deWalt kit, my other brother owns an 18v porter cable kit, and my father bought the 18v makita kit, and our company van is outfitted with 18v ridgid tools.

So far with my 18v milwaukees I've gone thru one 1/2" hammer drill because the trigger transistor burnt out and it only had 2 speeds, on and off. This happened after 2 years of use. Also, after 5 years I did buy 2 new batteries because I noticed the longevity was shortening.

My brother who has the 18v dewalt has gone thru one 1/2" drill because the motor smoked, after about a year, and is about due to get some new batteries after 3 years.

My other brother who has the porter cable drill had to get a bunch of new batteries covered under warranty because they were defective and kept burning up. Other than that, the tools have handled fine.

We bought a few sets of ridgid cordless tools for our new truck. Including 1/2" hammer drill, impact drill, angle drill, sawzall, circular saw, and jigsaw. We bought these because they came with a lifetime warranty for all the tools and the batteries. We did have to replace the 1/2" drill once because the trigger burnt out and only had on/off speed. Everything else has been up to par.

The dewalt, milwaukee, porter cable, and ridgid all have roughtly the same power, strength, battery life, durability, and reliability. They all cost almost the same for the same feautres and kits. Each has some slight advantages and disadvantages as far as user features and comforts. None have a real advantage over the others. If I had to buy again I'd look for the cheapest with the best combination of tools/accessories/features and the best warranty.

My fathers makita tools suck ass. Of course the fact that he got a free 18 speed mountain bike with the purchase of his tool kit should have given it away. The drill is the weakest I have ever used. The sawzall dies after 2 minues of use. the rest of the batteries barely made it 1 year before they were all but useless for a flashlight. He has replaced the keyless chuck 3 times so far. His tools sit in a bucket in the back of the truck just so he doesn't feel left out .

For home use I'm sure just about anything will be good for you. My experiences are from every single day, all day, constant use. The key to good battery life is draining the battery as best as you can and fully charging before re-using. Also, never leave a charged battery on an unplugged charger.

Boy, that was long, hope it helped someone!

[MedTechRR]

oh yeah, back in '96 we had a couple of ryobi drills. they were fondly named smokey and pokey. The reason, one overheated, almost started on fire, and release a large cloud of smoke, the other would drive a screw at about 1/2 turn per minute each time they were used. Maybe they're good for little kids, can you say Cool Tools!!

[luvtolean]

I think that's more what SSG was looking for.

[MedTechRR]

If you're a real man's man and you have all the money in the world to burn, I hear Hilti came out with a 24v cordless set including concrete saws and rotary hammers. Can you say argg arggg arggg!

[luvtolean]

I like the sound of 36V LiIon for 2 reasons. One, if I decide to coin up, it will be mad powerful. If not, the 18V stuff is gonna get cheap.

[SomeStrangeGuy]

Very good write up MTrr - thanks, oh and damn you

Well for those interested, DeWalt signed the agreement with their LiIon partner on 11/02/05...their pre-production units are working out bugs before some hardware show on 1/16. The company they went with's claim to fame is 'nanotechnology' in batteries I believe. So Im thinking these may/will sell better then their 24v stuff did .

Strangely their 18v sets currently have a 'free tool' mail-in coupon good for 1 tool worth up to $250, this coupon is good till 2/16/05 if I am not mistaken..which puts us a month after what? ..yes race in January sell in February is what I am thinking.


And reading your post MedTech reminded me I know someone that can get me new free DW batteries - Thanks!

Hilti 24v - I think is still Atlas Copco, who was making Milwaukee for the last few years .
Ever since Ryobi took over Milwaukee..well...I dunno now I guess. No V28 for me.

[davef]

Originally Posted by SomeStrangeGuy

Strangely their 18v sets currently have a 'free tool' mail-in coupon good for 1 tool worth up to $250, this coupon is good till 2/16/05 if I am not mistaken..which puts us a month after what? ..yes race in January sell in February is what I am thinking.

I was just on Lowes website looking at the sets and I can't find any mention of the free tool coupon. Does it come in the kit or is Lowe's hiding something?

[SomeStrangeGuy]

Its ok - I found the coupon sitting (printed out) on the shelf @ HD the day after I bought my kit.

Solution - take receipt from kit#1, go buy new kit with proper part I desire (and applicable rebate form*) return newly purchased and unopened kit with receipt from first kit, done.

* - criteria for rebate is that you need to have both kit and purchased tool on same receipt, thus the reason for the above.

I believe you can also printout a coupon if you go to http://www.ryobitools.com/OnePlusPromo/

[SomeStrangeGuy]

p.s. you can print the form off the website above.

[davef]

Thanks, Mang

[ND4SPD]

http://www.slickdeals.net/#p6816

[SomeStrangeGuy]

Good deal...cept that is the Mforce stuff Medtech was wagging about above - but 100$ for any 18v Cordless isn't bad.

Though I just paid 44$ (shipped) for a NIB Ryobi 18v 1/2" w/flashlight/charger/batt, not complaining.

[esoteric]

I picked up the Dewalt 18v hammer-drill this year for perforating my patio to make drainage. Free battery, nice piece of hardware... very comfortable to hold. I talked a while with the guy at teh store about Ryobi and Rigid (he rated all other brands about the same) which I THINK are both Home Depot brands. The Ryobi tools looked less expensive, but as individuals adding in batteries and chargers really nullified the sense to it, bringing you to the price of the higher end units rather quickly. I tried one of their laser levels and promptly returned it... it seemed to be more oriented to someone with a one-time home use "isn't that neat" type of mentality rather than someone expecting a long-lasting problem-free durable piece of hardware.