Power tools

[Democritus]

Are Ryobi power tools any good?

 

[clogs]

not the ones I had........no spares available and the 9" angle grinder was only 3 years old.....
the rest I sold on whilst they still worked....
buy another make.....plenty to choose from Makita Hitachi even Bosch etc etc...

 

[Adam W.]

You can easily get Makita spares, and I would go with them despite the Chinoiserie provenance.

 

[mwinfrance]

The old ones were good, the newer ( last 10 years no ) ..a bit like dewalt.
as Adam says..Makita.
Or Parkside performance, 5 year guarantee, spares for at least 5 years, usually 10.
UK may not require 10 years spares since brexit ?...EU does, not always respected, but Parkside IME do.

 

[Jameshow]

Ok for DIY not up to trade use imho..

Cheapest system to buy and probably the widest range of tools.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Most people I know around here have changed from Makita to Milwaukee and DeWalt.

 

[TheUnicorn]

I don't think I've ever used a ryobi tool, I always find it odd when a tool brand makes a big point of saying how one battery fits multiple tools, as if that were a thing they'd come up with, somewhat presumptive of me but that has given me the impression they were tools that were for people that didn't buy tools

 

[Mickjay]

The only one I have is the 18guage airstrike nailer and can't fault it in any way other than yet another battery and charger. Had it for 3 years regular DIY use and it's never missed a beat and had very few misfires in 1000s of pins.

 

[heimlaga]

They are all going downhill very fast and Ryobi puts great efforts into being the forerunner.

Makita and Fein and Milwaukee are lagging a little behind the reast but they all head in the same general direction. Soon we will be back to hand cranked drills and ratchet screwdrivers.

 

[Adam W.]

Agreed, Makita were much better quality tools when they were made in Japan.

 

[DiyAddict]

More information needed to properly answer this question. Are you talking about all Ryobi tools, or just the cordless ones? Will they get a daily hammering, or occasional DIY use?

For mains powered tools, I've stuck to Makita, Dewalt, Bosch and Festool. I did have a large Ryobi mains router, but hated it.

However, I have around 20 Ryobi cordless tools and not had a problem with any of them. When I started buying cordless around 20 years ago, the main manufacturers each had several different batteries for theirs, so the Ryobi One+ system was a revelation. Since I now have a large number of batteries, it makes sense for me to stick with Ryobi. Their bare tools are excellent value, and it makes economical sense to just replace one if it breaks, but they get heavy DIY use, and I've never had a failure so far.

The only departure I've made from Ryobi cordless was for the Festool ETSC sanders. There is a world of difference - the ETSC sanders are superb. So it depends on what you want from them.

Recently, Ryobi have brought out their line of 'hp' cordless tools that use a brushless motor. They're a bit more expensive and I've seen reports of motors failing. I don't know how widespread that is. They feel nice quality in use.

As for mains powered tools, don't stick to a single manufacturer. Do your research and get the one that best suits your needs.

 

[Bristol_Rob]

You'll get supporters of all the major brands as well as haters.

I think red, yellow, teal, or green will serve you better than Ryobi.

Some of those brands don't sell certain battery powered tools. Say nail guns for instance.

So only you have the right answer if you take the time to right down your needs of today, and then try and guess your needs for tomorrow.

Good luck

 

[recipio]

Agreed, Makita were much better quality tools when they were made in Japan.

Agree. Their consumer goods are now more often made in China but are better quality than Ryobi. Makita routers are however excellent and made in Japan as far as I know. With just a few of their 18v lithium ion batteries you can buy a lot of ' body only ' tools and save the pennies.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

With just a few of their 18v lithium ion batteries you can buy a lot of ' body only ' tools and save the pennies ...

As you can with all the rest.

 

[Democritus]

Thanks for all the advice, guys.
I have DeWalt cordless drills, Bosch corded drill and sander. My other powered tools are Elu ( which gives my age away) that all still effortlessly ‘do what’s on the tin’. I want to get an angled cordless drill for occasional use, and have looked at a few makes. I don’t want to spend a fortune, and the Ryobi version is significantly cheaper than Makita, DeWalt etc. For that reason I am wondering about the quality, because, even with occasional use, if it’s not up to much, one poor performance would be too much.
D.

 

[Doug B]

Just buy an angle drill attachment for you existing drill as it’s only for occasional use, I had one for years before I bought a Festool txs which had an angled driver adapter with it.

 

[Inspector]

Ryobi were once an equal to Makita and Hitachi when they were made in Japan until they were sold off to one of the big companies, run by shareholders and accountants. Those people drove them into the low end consumer, almost disposable market. Same sort of thing that happened to Delta, Rockwell, Stanley and the list continues to grow today. If you come across the old tools (corded) they will be decent and long lived. That said 7 years ago when we were building here and all my tools were in a shipping container I bought a Ryobi drill/driver. It was the only corded one I could find here and I didn't need it for long. I am still using it even though the clutch setting marks have long worn away. It has made thousands of hole and driven many thousands of screws. Hopefully when it expires I'll be able to find another corded one like it. You could do worse than a Ryobi.

Pete

 

[TheUnicorn]

However, I have around 20 Ryobi cordless tools and not had a problem with any of them. When I started buying cordless around 20 years ago, the main manufacturers each had several different batteries for theirs, so the Ryobi One+ system was a revelation. Since I now have a large number of batteries, it makes sense for me to stick with Ryobi. Their bare tools are excellent value, and it makes economical sense to just replace one if it breaks, but they get heavy DIY use, and I've never had a failure so far.

I hadn't realised that ryobi where ahead of the curve in having all their tools run on the same battery, it is just such a common sense and common place situation I'd assumed all of the manufacturers had always done it.

I'm scratching my head as to what you would need 20 cordless tools for, especially just for DIY use. Can't help but feel you've become brand loyal to Ryobi not because of the quality of their tools but because you've got locked into a system and it would cost to much to move to a different brand.

I always think it makes sense to have a couple of different brands on the go, of differing cost and quality, so when you buy a tool you can decide if it is for occasional use (cheap), or for regular use (expensive)

I'm also a fan of buying corded for most things I'll be using close to a power point, brand loyalty be damned

 

[DiyAddict]

I'm scratching my head as to what you would need 20 cordless tools for, especially just for DIY use. Can't help but feel you've become brand loyal to Ryobi not because of the quality of their tools but because you've got locked into a system and it would cost to much to move to a different brand

Well 4 of them are drills - very convenient for pilot/main/countersink etc, plus an angled drill. Some of them are also garden tools, like an excellent pole chainsaw for lopping. Others are cordless versions of corded tools I already own, eg router, jigsaw etc. I love my corded Makita jigsaw, but have very rarely used it since I got the cordless Ryobi. Just recently I got a cordless, high power light, which blows away all my lead lights. And, as has already been mentioned, their cordless nailers are brilliant.

I thought I made my reasons clear - this way I don't have loads of different battery chargers/batteries, and I can save money on bare tools. It works for me, and I don't feel particularly 'locked in'. A tool would just have to be significantly better quality to persuade me to get another set of batteries and charger, as was the case with my Festool cordless sanders.

I've also bought bare tools that were cheap enough that I could try them out without worrying too much about lack of use, or they came on promotion with batteries that effectively makes the tool price close to zero. Hope that helps - like I said, it works for me.

 

[DiyAddict]

I want to get an angled cordless drill for occasional use, and have looked at a few makes. I don’t want to spend a fortune, and the Ryobi version is significantly cheaper than Makita, DeWalt etc. For that reason I am wondering about the quality, because, even with occasional use, if it’s not up to much, one poor performance would be too much.

Mine is about 15 years old and has been used occasionally but heavily in bursts (if that makes sense) for sistering joists as well as routing cables through them with spade bits. It hasn't failed me, but I will say it doesn't 'feel' like a quality tool.