Ryobi ONE+ 18V Kit (Drill/Driver, Impact Driver, Reciprocating Saw, Work Light)

Seems to me there's a WHOLE lot of, 'It's good enough for homeowners but not for pros' stuff in this, and other, threads.

Over the past 20 years, I have had dozens of Ryobi battery tools. Some remain unused because they came in a package deal back when I needed batteries and the price was right. Know what? I have had exactly one Ryobi tool fail. And, it was their lowest end, blue,18V blower/sweeper. The blower/impeller wheel broke at the hub. And, that happened in the past 2 weeks. OK, one knock on Ryobi - That part is not available.

I have used Ryobi drills, impact drivers, 5.5" circular saws, blowers, weed-eaters, flashlights, reciprocating saws, multi-tool, grinder, etc. both professionally on rental property projects and for personal use. Based on my experience, they have performed extremely well.

I tried a DeWALT drill years ago - The plastic housing twisted to an unacceptable degree and it was returned. I had the original Makita 9.6V drills, etc. (later the 12V versions) and they were under-powered. But, so is most lower voltage stuff. I have a corded Milwaukee circular saw but it is heavy, cumbersome, etc. Sure, it makes a deeper, faster cut but it ain't battery-powered! I also have corded Makita reciprocating saws and a Milwaukee Sawzall - They work well. But, again, they need a cord. The Sawzall's weight comes in handy when cutting steel clamped in a vise. But, I have several vises and all have outlets within inches. I'll also mention that there just isn't any substitute for a Bosch SDS-Plus 11236VS or similar rotary hammer/drill. Those things are nothing short of amazing. The first time I used one, I was shocked. Mine were bought used and have seen a good bit of action without a single failure. BUT, they have cords - Great cords - But, still, cords.

A fair estimate is that I use the Ryobi battery tools 98% of the time. Of course, I am not (generally) into production work where I have to frame 100+ feet of wall a day. But, doing rehab work on rental properties will tax almost any power tool.

I wrote this in an attempt to clear the air a bit on the Ryobi-is-second-rate notion that seems to be present in threads like this one. YMMV but I appreciate the reliability and the battery compatibility of Ryobi tools. I do not, particularly, like their upper management for reasons that I won't go into. Except to say that I absolutely despise their promo emails that employ rapidly changing images - Blink, blink, blink, etc. VERY annoying. (As is that bank of animated Emojis that appears to the right of the box I am currently typing in!)

I just ordered a 40V Ryobi lawnmower (not because I really cut a lot of grass - I don't) but because I need something more than a weed-eater now and then and a gas mower would be more trouble to use/maintain. I also ordered an 18V Ryobi 6.5" circular saw because the 5.5" models won't quite cut through some "wet" treated lumber now and then - due to wet lumber being thicker than dry lumber. But, my little 5.5" saws have seen a lot of action and have never failed.

Ryobi ain't perfect. But, generally, they have two types of batteries and that's it. You don't need the whole gamut of 9V, 12/14V, 18/20V, 36/40V, 60V, etc. That is a very important factor for me.

OK. So, I take care of my tools. They are not rained on, they are almost never over-heated, they are oiled/sharpened/cleaned as required, etc. I wish I could say they have never been dropped but I can't. However, the few times my Ryobi tools have been dropped, the worst result was dented or scarred plastic. It's amazing that one impact driver is still operational and in one piece!

Maybe I am lucky.

Maybe Ryobi is second rate. I doubt it.

One last thing. I believe they warrant their stuff for 3 years minimum. Maybe that's incorrect because I didn't bother to check. I had a battery once that was replaced under warranty. At the time, the process was not a simple one. I don't know how it works now for reasons that should be obvious, if you've read this far.

If you have to lie in order to get a refund, that sounds like fraud.

And no, they won't take back one piece of a boxed kit.

Someone tell Home Depot and Ryobi we need a deal for the brushless tools!