Over at Home Depot, today’s deal of the day is on this Ryobi 18V 5pc cordless power tool combo kit, P1879. The pricing is said to be valid all day today, 12/3/15, unless supplies run out sooner.
This kit comes with a drill/driver, circular saw (5-1/2″ blade size), reciprocating saw, worklight (LED??), Bluetooth radio with USB charger, 2 compact Li-ion batteries, a charger, and a carrying bag.
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A similar worklight model features a removable lens for easy bulb changes, so this one probably isn’t an LED light.
Ryobi tools are generally well-regarded and offer great bang for the buck. The tools bundled in this set are all going to be their most entry-level models, but you cannot expect much else for the price.
Despite the many reviews – which all seem to be for a slightly different 4-piece combo kit – and the “was $229” advertising, this seems to be a special combo kit that only came out this holiday season.
Home Depot says that this is today’s Deal of the Day, but the product page also says that the pricing is good until 2/1/16.
Price: $139 or $135 after coupon
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Use coupon code HDHOLIDAY (which expires 12/3/15) for an extra $5 off.
Tom
That is a lot of tools for not a lot of money. What a great gift for a new homeowner.
abnormalist
I have this kit minus the bluetooth radio.
Saws are solid, drill is pretty light duty (I gave it to the wife) , but its a solid kit for the money.
Flashlight is not led, but you can pick up a replacement LED for about $10 bucks online and then its a great little light.
If you want to get into the Ryobi line, expand what you have, or get started in cordless tools I say go for it
Sean
These prices just amaze me. At the same time, it makes me question Ryobi’s quality and simultaneously wonder whether other manufacturer’s aren’t getting away with highway robbery at some of their prices.
I would consider this THE perfect combination of tools and accessories: drill, circular saw, reciprocating saw, radio, and obligatory worklight. I’ve never seen another company put out this exact set. They usually throw in an impact drill but skip the radio – where are your priorities!? (I’m really a sucker for radios.)
An oscillating tool (especially for detail sanding) would be a nice addition, but I wouldn’t consider it essential like the 3 tools included in this kit. Since it’s Ryobi, you could just get a Jobmax!
I don’t have any need for this, but as Tom just said: this would be a fantastic gift for a new homeowner or a young person just starting a tool collection (or a not-so-young person just getting into tools).
Stuart
Keep in mind that there are going to be a number of tradeoffs and sacrifices with a kit like this. You get what you pay for.
The drill, for example, has a 3/8″ chuck and unspecified torque rating. I wouldn’t be surprised if it was less powerful than a Bosch, Dewalt, or Milwaukee 12V-class drill.
Stephen
To your point, I own most of the tools in this kit as well as the Milwaukee M12 base model drill and driver kit, and I reach for the M12’s first. I have yet to find a job that the Ryobi drill could handle but the Milwaukee 12V couldn’t.
jim
try the RYOBI 18 volt Hammerdrill this thing kicks ass big time very powerfull and quick as long as you use the new lithium batteries.
Frank D
I actually picked up the same kit minus the radio <—( Really sucks I didn't get it) for $129 about 8 months ago and honestly I am not a Ryobi Guy. I am all Milwaukee, Makita and Bosch but these tools are all very well made. I bought the kit bc I picked up the Bare Tool Brad nailer for a steal as well and it was more cost effective to buy this kit, rather than buying a battery and charger set. I use either a dewalt or Milwaukee metal blade with the reciprocating saw and it works great, I say that considering I use a Hilti WSR1250 when I don't need cordless. I also run a diablo 5-1/2in blade on the circular and its pretty good. and I have to say with the radio anyone looking at this that needs any of this stuff …. GO FOR IT. you won't regret it. The drill is also good and comes in handy when friends need to borrow something!
Jon
The price is quite amazing. Consider that from $139 (or $135) the Home Depot is going to make at least $25 profit, and then Ryobi is also going to be making at least $25 profit, that means there’s maybe $90 to manufacture all 8 items (three tools, one radio, one lamp, one charger, two battery packs). Now consider that’s the ALL IN price which includes the cost of assembly/factory in China and the cost to ship the items backs to the west, plus there is the cost of distributors, and the costs of packaging and marketing and handling returns / defective product, etc.
By the time you boil down how much is left for the actual raw materials in each item it’s absolutely amazing!
Stuart
Are you sure about that?
Profit margins are often slim on power tools, and who knows what they might be on holiday specials like these.
I once chatted with a product manager who suggested that Q4 tools are as much about building brand awareness as driving sales.
It could be that Ryobi and Home Depot are accepting razor-thin margins on these combos. Maybe even losses?
Jon
$50 profit (total) is already a relatively thin margin on a $135 retail price believe it or not.
It’s a common misconception that retailers (or manufacturers) will take a “loss” for any reason. They may take less profit sure, which is a loss of sorts however they are never selling an item for less than the real world cost which would literally be paying money to sell you an item. Brand awareness is important but you cannot give away the farm to achieve that.
Even if you adjust my numbers down from $50 profit to only $25 profit (between Ryobi and HD), that only adds a few dollars to the equation for each item, which is still an amazing feat!
Don’t get me wrong I am not bashing Ryobi I am actually applauding the achievement of creating such incredible value (for the right consumers)!
Jerry
I run some Ryobi tools and am always impressed by their bang for the buck, as well as the sheer number of tools available in their 18V lineup. However, because they have so many varieties of tools, you need to be sure to match up the particular tool to your needs. This seems to be a good starter set, or something for a homeowner who just needs decent usable tools, and not top performance. My experiences with Ryobi entry level tools is that they seem to cut power/performance to achieve a lower price point. It’s not that the drill will only work a half hour and burn up, but rather that it is a lower torque model with only a 3/8 chuck. The circular saw is the smaller bladed model. Again,, noting wrong with it, just remember it will not cut what the bigger ones will. Looking farther, the recip saw isn’t the anti-vibe version, the charger is the slow one, and the flashlight doesnt look to be LED. The radio appears to be the latest version, though..
That said, there is nothing wrong with any of this, as long as you realize what you are getting. It almost looks like Ryobi had a bunch of old model tools sitting in new inventory, so they put them together in a kit. However, I don’t know where else you could get this many usable tools, along with batteries and charger, for a better price.
If my kids were a little older, I might consider this as a gift for one of them, as their first set of power tools. They would look a lot like Dad’s, and would even use the same batteries. For that purpose, a drill with a little less torque, and liter, easier to handle saws make perfect sense.
Derek
This set sold out but HD listed two more dewalt sets for today only.
fred
ToolUp seems to be running some good kit deals again:
http://www.toolup.com/promotions/holiday-deals