Adam wrote in about Home Depot’s Deal of the Day yesterday, which featured this Ryobi 18V 4pc cordless combo kit for $129 (P1872). I couldn’t get a deal post up in time, but saw that today’s regular price is only $10 more at $139.
Adam wrote:
Seems like a pretty good deal – I’ve been a contractor for 25 years and have many Ryobi tools in my arsenal…
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I have seen others say pretty much the same thing, and have observed quite a few Ryobi tools being used for residential work.
For $139, you get a drill/driver, 5-1/2″ circular saw, reciprocating saw, a worklight, (2) Li-ion batteries, and a 1-hour charger. This set offers a lot of bang for the buck, but you should also consider that it seems to be a holiday set, and as such it might have pared-down tools.
This combo kit might go on sale again, but if not, $139 seems like a good price.
I have had some great experiences with Ryobi tools in the past, but I should point out that this isn’t a set I would buy. A couple of years ago, I bought a Ryobi 18V drill and circular saw set on Black Friday for around $59, but returned it the next day. The price point was very appealing, but I didn’t like the idea of the saw’s 5-1/2″ blade. I looked around, and blade selection isn’t anywhere as good as with 6-1/2″ and 7-1/4″ sizes. This isn’t an issue for general purpose wood-cutting, but I tend to prefer specialty blades, such as plywood and plastic-cutting blades.
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Jason
Ryobi is probably the best budget brand in my option. They have the best variety cordless tools on one battery platform. You can get everything from yard tools too cordless nail guns using one battery pack. You also can’t beat the 2 4.0an battery pack deals they put on sale occasionally either. Ryobi tools are prefect for a helper, beater tools for jobs that are wet and dirty, or just on a job site where your afraid tools might grow legs and walk. It sucks getting you tools stolen but losing a Ryobi drill compared to a Milwaukee M18 Fuel is easier to deal with. I have heard stories where Festool has been left alone but other brands are stolen. People know about Dewalt, Makita Milwaukee, or Bosch not so much about Festool even people in the trades probably have no idea about some of the higher end import brands.
Thomas Reece
The REAL problem with the Ryobi circular saw is that it sucks up batteries about as fast as you can swap them! Even the lithium ion batteries only last for a minute or two of cutting; if you are using nicads, well, don’t bother. It is strictly an emergency use kind of tool.
glenn
My results are the complete opposite. I have the one of the old original blue Ryobi one 18v circular saws and I get a fair amount of work done per charge.
Just recently using this saw and an older 2.6AH li-ion battery, I cut @ 12 metres of 18mm form ply and made @ 8 cuts in pine bracing and the battery still had charge.
But agreed, it was nearly useless with the old nicad packs. It would only cut @ 3 metres of 16mm MDF. before dying.
Jon
Agreed. My circular saw lasts most of the day with a metal cutting blade doing soffit and fascia, on one battery. One of the small batteries. If I put the big one on I don’t have to think about it again. And that’s with the older blue circular saw.
The reciprocating saw is the only one I have that drains faster than I can charge. Oh, that’s not true. I have the grinder now as well. That one can really drain a battery fast, but it’s great for portability.
glenn
I don’t have the reciprocating saw so I cant comment on that but, yes, the grinder goes through the batteries fairly quickly. I have just 3 batteries and by rotating these through the charger, I find that this is enough to get me through most jobs.
Nathan
Couple things i read when I was looking into it yesterday:
* This set has been on sale for less than $100 in the past year
* There’s a similar item that includes a bag for ~$10 more and it has been at that price for some time, if that’s of interest.