HD didn't have the Rridgid tools on sale

[Bart Leetch]

I was lookin to buy so I substitute with these. They won't be used every day so I think they should last as long or longer than Sears Craftsman tools considering that they make Craftsman tools.

So far I've tried the saw out on 5/8" plywood & 2x & it has worked fine & so has the impact tool.

[Bart Leetch]

So you no likee Ryobi. Well time will tell. I'm not hard on tools so it may be a long time.:eek: :D

[skip coyne]

Bart

I did something similar , my drill died last sat so I needed a drill , I liked the price on the rigid set but when that didn't happen HD had the ryobi saw, 1/2 drill 18volt combo with one battery and charger on sale for 49.00 so I bought two one for me , one for my son who happened to mention at thanksgiving that he could use a drill and saw .

I'm going into my 4th year with the ryobi 18 volt kit ,this is the 4th drill , first lasted right at three years , then the switch went out . I needed a drill that day and I had been looking at the 18volt hammer drill anyway so I bought it I had a problem with it and HD replaced it (right about a year ago ) it died last sat (right at a year but I cant find the receipt and haven't checked into warranty options but agian I cant wait to send it off I need the drill for work )

I replaced the batteries a year ago , the originals still hold a bit of a charge so I keep them for the flashlight .

so now I have three chargers , two old batteries and three new batteries

On the whole Ive been happy with the Ryobi set . I'm a bit hard with drills and in all honesty 2years is about what I get out of most brands . (my ryobi 14volt did go 6 years )

the saw is handy , it wont replace a 7 1/4 corded but it is great for quick light cuts

Ive been wanting a impact driver , I guess I should break down and get the ryobi I have seen several people mention they where happy with them .

I think they will work fine for you , Ryobi offers a lot of bang for the buck

[David Duke]

I know most folks poke fun at the Ryobi but I've had real good luck with them and for the price I think they're a pretty good value. I bought 2 14v drills in 2001 when I was running the d/c duct work in the attic of my shop, both drills did the swan dive thing from the rafters at least twice each and still kept going (I'm sure if they had landed "wrong" it would of been a different story). Up until about two years ago the batteries held up fine then around then they begin losing their charge overnight but would remain strong enough to last until the backup battery recharged (I had a total of 4 batteries 2 chargers). Then in the last six months the batteries have gotten to where they loose there charge pretty quick when under a load, guess.............sure am glad its Christmas!!!!!!!!!!

I'm sure there are better battery operated tools out there but for those of us who only use them occasionally the Ryobi seems to be a pretty good value to me.

[Art Mann]

Yo Bart,

I bought the Ryobi 18V drill, circ saw, recipsaw, vac, flashlight combo 6 or 8 months ago and have used the tools frequently. I liked them so well that I went back and bought the impact driver. People often make fun of Ryobi and call it junk, but this set has been excellent.

By the way, I bought a Ryobi drill press also and it really is junk - Harbor Freight grade.

Art

[David G Baker]

I was lookin to buy so I substitute with these. They won't be used every day so I think they should last as long or longer than Sears Craftsman tools considering that they make Craftsman tools.

So far I've tried the saw out on 5/8" plywood & 2x & it has worked fine & so has the impact tool.
Bart,
I bought the Ryobi tool set in the roll around tool box. I have been using the set for about 5 years and so far the tools have been very good. I would love to have a little better quality tool set only because the tools are a little more comfortable to work with. I love the little skill saw. It has it limitations but I have used it to cut 2x6s and if the battery is fully charged I can trim quite a few. I tried to use the saw to cut some sheet metal siding using a fine tooth saw turned backward but it didn't do too well, I didn't think that it would but thought I would test it.
I use the drill more than any of the other tools in the set and it has been great. I recently purchased the right angle drill and my only complaint with it is, wish it had variable speed and adjustable torque.
If you can't afford the higher end tools Ryobi is fine in my opinion. I know a contractor that will only buy Ryobi for his employees because the number of tools stolen, lost or abused by them was costing him a fortune.
David

[Bart Leetch]

For batt powered drills I have 2 2 speed 9.6 volt Makita & 2 variable speed 9.6 volt Makita & 8 batteries 2 of the old chargers & one of the newer chargers & a 9.6 flashlight. These things just don't know the meaning of the word quit.

The 2 blue drills are drillmaster from HF $38 dollars 3 years ago with 2 extra batteries use just to drill 3/8" & smaller holes the batteries are about shot I've gotten my $38 worth out of them. I lowered the little platform on the right side down & put the Ryobi charger in it. It's like it was made for it.

[Corey Hallagan]

I have that set Bart. It is my main set that I back up with my Craftsman 12 volt that I use for most of my wood working. I have been using the 18V Ryobi set for 2 years now and the batteries fit all the 18volt tools. Also can get 2 batteries for 39.99. They are great for home use. I have used them on all my remodel projects. The trim saw is great for thing plywoods, hard boards etc up to 1/2. It really isn't made to do alot of 2 X materials. When the battery gets low I just pop in a fresh one and go on. I really like it.
Yup, ITT is the parent company for Ryobi. They make most of Craftsman drills for them and the Ridgid line as well I believe. The parent company also owns Milwaukee since about a year or so ago.

I think you will like them just fine Bart, just know they aren't built like Dewalt, Makita etc. going in. But my opinion on this.... unless you use them every day on the job, I don't get spending $500. for cordless tools and then have to pay $50 - 60.00 for a battery. Just doesn't make sense to me.

Corey

[Randal Stevenson]

For batt powered drills I have 2 2 speed 9.6 volt Makita & 2 variable speed 9.6 volt Makita & 8 batteries 2 of the old chargers & one of the newer chargers & a 9.6 flashlight. These things just don't know the meaning of the word quit.

The 2 blue drills are drillmaster from HF $38 dollars 3 years ago with 2 extra batteries use just to drill 3/8" & smaller holes the batteries are about shot I've gotten my $38 worth out of them. I lowered the little platform on the right side down & put the Ryobi charger in it. It's like it was made for it.


I still have and use my old Makita 9.6's, won't replace them with another cordless till they quit. My neighbor uses the drillmaster on Everything. The only thing I don't think the Ryobi would really be good for, is deck type projects (lags) or boring. So I bought a Ridgid impact a while back, and use my corded drills for boring, bought the Ryobi for the shop, and my boss liked it so well, he absconded with it, LOL.
Just my .02, but it really depends on WHAT you do, why lug a 28v drill around for cabinet assembly, or a 9.6 for lagging.

[skip coyne]

nice charging station Bart

ive thought of doing something like that but never gotten around to it

since there seem to be a few ryobi owners here there is a forum on the ryobi site with info and discussions on tools

go to the ryobi home page and then there is a tab for forums .

dont think Im allowed to link here but its not hard to find

[Art Mann]

The only thing I don't think the Ryobi would really be good for, is deck type projects (lags) or boring.

The impact driver works great for driving 1 1/2" deck screws. The only problem I had was the battery gets hot if you use it continuously. The charger won't charge a hot battery, so you have to wait for it to cool down. The owner's manual warned about this.

Art

[Randal Stevenson]

The impact driver works great for driving 1 1/2" deck screws. The only problem I had was the battery gets hot if you use it continuously. The charger won't charge a hot battery, so you have to wait for it to cool down. The owner's manual warned about this.

Art

Deck screws it would be fine for. But when I bought mine, the Ryobi's were new, and I had access to other Ridgids, and was using it for lag bolts (big (censored) deck).