Ryobi cordless drill - good deal?

[RogerM]

I've been meaning to buy a cordless drill for some time and thought that the Ryobi 18v range looked like reasonable value. They do a starter pack of drill, 1hr charger and 2 batteries for about £120 although you can get it for around £101 by shopping around. In B&Q Plymouth today and they are doing a pack which also throws in the jigsaw for £98.95. Very tempted but not sure I need another jigsaw! And I guess it's only a good deal if you need it!

Perhaps this deal at Amazon would suit me better - I could use an impact driver and only an extrta £10.

Or just an extra £3.25 here . Decisions decisions! Any thoughts?

 

[promhandicam]

Roger,

I've had several ryobi cordless drills over the last 18 years and have been happy with all of them - haven't killed one yet! You could have a look at a couple of ebay shops - buy-a-tool and toolsave usually have some good deals - I've used both in the past and not had any problems.

Toolsave have this
kit which looks to be a good deal.

Steve

 

[RogerM]

Thanks Steve. I've ordered the pack which includes the Impact Driver as I reckon that'll get more use, for the same price from toolsave - £99.90 inc postage.

Many thanks for the link. I have a Ryobi electric chainsaw which I've always been pleased with so looks like a good middlemarket range for DIYers who want quality kit without paying for top-of-the-range professional stuff.

 

[RogerM]

Received an 18v Ryobi cordless drill and driver yesterday.

Given that I've been using a 20yr old Black and Decker which is either on or off, the controllability of both these is a revelation. Very soft start for pilot holes and driving screws, and excellent control of clutch etc. These 2, plus 2 x batteries and 1hr charger for under £100 inc delivery seems like great value.

Thanks for the help Steve - much appreciated.

 

[j]

Roger,

Is that part of the One+ Range?
I looked at the amazon link, but it didn't mention One+
I thought i'd find the same offer at axminster and get 10% off this weekend. No such luck.

 

[promhandicam]

J,

I don't think that the pack that Roger bought is from the one+ range but the batteries are compatible with one+ tools. AFAIK, the one+ batteries are 1.7ah whereas the batteries in Rogers pack are 1.5ah but they use the same charger and are interchangeable.

I hope this helps,

Steve

 

[j]

Steve,

That's exactly what I wanted to hear.
Just wanted to make sure that If I do go for that kit i'll be able to buy additional one+ stuff later on.

 

[promhandicam]

J, I don't know what you are after, but this looks like a good deal. I've used buyatool before and they are good to deal with. I'm tempted myself but I've already got 2 ryobi cordless drill / drivers.

Steve

 

[j]

Steve,
Thanks for the link, isn't that the same kit as the amazon link above?

And amazon has it £10 cheaper.

 

[promhandicam]

No it isn't the same - the amazon link is to a kit with 2 drills - one of which is a hammer drill. The one I linked to has an impact driver which doesn't have a chuck and I believe is better for putting in longer / bigger fixings.

The bare impact driver sells for around £60 so if this is what you are interested in then buyatool deal looks quite good.

Steve

 

[promhandicam]

I see that toolsave have what appears to be rogers kit for £100 including postage - here

Steve

 

[RogerM]

Roger,

Is that part of the One+ Range?
I looked at the amazon link, but it didn't mention One+
I thought i'd find the same offer at axminster and get 10% off this weekend. No such luck.

J - This is the package I bought - same as the link Steve put in his post above. It doesn't say one+ on the packaging and as Steve says, the NiCads are 1.5ah - but that's fine for the use I intend to give it - quantum leap on what I had before.

 

[j]

What's the general opinion of NiCad based tools?

I don't have a lot of use planned for them. But when I want to use it I want it to be ready.

So what I'm hoping is that if I charge it and leave it, it will still be charged when I need it. I don't really want to be worrying about draining batteries before charging, and remembering to take batteries off the charger once they are ready. It would be nice to just put it on charge until next time I need it, and once I'm done to just put it back on charge even if i've only used it for 10 mins.

I guess now's the time to decide if NiCads are for me or not.

Thanks
J

 

[promhandicam]

Up until very recently they were the only sort of rechargeable battery available for cordless tools. Assuming that you are going to use the tools quite regularly, ie a couple of times a month, you shouldn't have any problem. I think it is generally recommended to charge the batteries before use and to remove as soon as they are charged. That said, I've always charged my batteries once they are depleted and I always have one that is charged ready to go. I don't think that it is a good idea with NiCads to top them up - better to run them down and then charge them fully.

Steve

 

[tenpin]

Taunton, Somerset's B+Q has the Ryobi One+ system 18v Drill/Driver with impact gun for £99