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Are Ryobi tools of a decent quality?

Jul 2, 2012 1:50 PM

Okay so I've been a Craftsman guy for a long time now with an occasional Stanley tool thrown in there. I have a fairly broad selection of cordless power tools that I have acquired over the years. Just recently I purchased a closeout on a Ryobi hand-held wet tile saw (with no battery) for a bathroom remodel. The only reason I purchased was because I own a Ryobi auto-hammer that came with a battery and charger and I assumed the battery would fit the tile saw. Well it does not.
So I am now faced with a dilemma?
1. Should I purchase a battery and charger for the saw? The battery and charger are going to cost me twice what the saw did... I own a stationary tile saw and can probably clumsily make the cuts on it but will take a bit more effort.
2. Since the battery and chargers combo runs almost the same as a tool with battery, do I purchase another drill, circular saw, weed wacker???? Is Ryobi quality worth the additional investment?
3. Do you know of a cheap place for battery & charger?

jimmyd103 jimmyd103

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Well I'm sure you know they're no DeWalt or Milwaukee. But they're certainly better than anything you'll get from WalMart or Harbor Freight. After owning Craftsman power tools for years, I'd say they're about equal. It's bang for the buck equipment.

As for my opinion on wether you should purchase the battery/charger or not, it's tough to say since I don't know how much it costs nor how much the combo you're looking at costs. However I would recommend getting the "ONE+" version of Ryobi if you're going to be purchasing something else. They've started dedicating themselves to making one battery that fits over 80+ of their power tools (so kinda ironic with your current problem). NiCd or Lithium ion with multiple capacities, they all fit all the tools in the ONE+ lineup.
http://www.ryobitools.com/catalog/18v_oneplus

firebirdude firebirdude
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Lots of Ryobi batteries and chargers on Ebay, but not sure which ones fit your tool. I am a DeWalt guy myself and don't have any diriect experience with Ryobi. My impression is that they are at least as good, if not better than Craftsman.

nortonsark nortonsark
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@firebirdude: HERE is the tile saw I purchased on closeout for around $20. It is part of the ONE+ line.
I was looking at either a Ryobi 1/2 in. 18-Volt Cordless Drill Kit for $69 because I don't think they sell a NiCad battery/charger combo only.... OR Lithium Ion battery/charger for $59.97. The NiCad drill set comes with two batts and charger.
Or should I just go for a knock-off via ebay although most of those are just for battery with no charger? Or try Craigslist?

jimmyd103 jimmyd103
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From my personal experience, having bought 3 or 4 of their products over the past 10 years, they honestly hold up well. However they don't really do the job that they are intended to do very well. For example, my Ryobi buffer simply sucked. Not sure if the company didn't have a good enough patent for the parts so it didn't spin fast enough or whatnot, I have not clue. Whatever it was, it just didn't work very well.

dmaz dmaz
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I've got a few, because, once you've purchased the batteries and charger for one tool, the one+ tools are quite cheap. On the other hand, the hedge trimmer's a piece of garbage, but I use a hedge trimmer no more than once a year. The impact driver is my go-to cordless drill, and I would recommend it to anyone.

b2pi b2pi
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I prefer Ridgid. I got a great deal on some Ryobi for work. Ended up being replaced after about 3 months. We've been on the same 2 ridged drills for... 4 years now. Only thing that we had to do was have the batteries rebuilt since they stopped holding charge.

This is my experience with drills only. We abuse the heck out of them, and are used almost all day every day for fiber optic installations. Drilling through every type of material you might find on a home (interior and exterior).

bogie21 bogie21
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Ryobi Is not Makita or De Walt, but it is much better quality than harbor freight. How much are you going to use a portable wet saw?? On that note My plumber buddy has told me of wheels for 4" grinders that make fast work of tiles...

videowallart videowallart
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@videowallart: Good idea regarding the angle grinder. I have one! Maybe give it a try on some of the scraps and see if I can maintain enough control. My experience with the angle grinder is that it is very difficult to keep stead because of all the friction.
I'm cutting some relatively expensive porcelain tile for shower control valve, shower head pipe, recessed soap niche. The thought of destroying an 18x18 tile makes me a little queasy.

jimmyd103 jimmyd103
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You might try checking a few pawn shops for a good buy on a battery/charger/tool combo.

jsimsace jsimsace
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We've bought an assortment of Ryobi tools over the years for use on our farm.
They have held up well and I would by the brand (from Home Depot) again.

tpscan tpscan

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