Ryobi has come out with a cool new 18V brushless drill with sliding clutch, but we still haven’t seen it announced or released in the USA. However, we are getting a new Ryobi brushless hammer drill.
On paper, the new Ryobi brushless hammer drill looks to be more powerful than any other consumer drill I’ve seen. Actually, it has better numbers than a lot of professional cordless drills and even brushless drills.
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The Ryobi P1813 brushless hammer drill delivers up to 750 in-lbs of torque and is also said to be up to 25% higher performing and 25% more compact than the previous model.
- 1/2″ all-metal ratcheting keyless chuck
- 0-410 and 0-1800 RPM (no-load)
- 0-5400 and 0-23000 BPM
- Up to 750 in-lbs max torque
- 24 position clutch
- Weighs 3.15 lbs
It is said to have a clutch override for quick mode changes, with a drill mode, driving mode, and hammer mode for masonry drilling.
It also features an “afterglow” LED worklight, auxiliary handle, a belt clip with left or right side attachment options, and a Magtray magnetic holder for onboard screw and bit storage.
The P1813 kit includes: P251 brushless hammer drill, P108 4Ah high capacity battery, P117 dual chemitry charger, tool bag.
Price: $149
ETA: Nov 2016
Compare(Dewalt Entry-Level Brushless Kit via Amazon)
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First Thoughts
$149 for a powerful brushless hammer drill, and for a kit? That seems like a pretty good bargain.
You only get 1 battery, and not 2, but it’s a high capacity battery pack. If you need more than that, Ryobi battery 2-packs go on sale almost every holiday season, so that’s something that can always be added later on. And if you’re using the drill so much that you need more than one battery pack, you probably have other tools and batteries at your disposal.
If the on-paper specifications are accurate, that would make this one of the most powerful cordless tools on the block.
It’s said to be compact, and I can see at least one tradeoff that was made of this to happen. Look at the auxiliary handle. It looks like the auxiliary handle is built into the drill housing, just above the trigger. You can probably flip it around to the other side. Actually, I’m sure you can flip it around. In the product image, the drill is shown configured for left-handed use.
Looking at other Ryobi hammer drills, their auxiliary handles are also attached straight to the housing, below the drilling axis and just above the trigger. I sound surprised because I don’t think I’ve ever used a Ryobi drill with aux handle, and it looks a little awkward. Maybe it’s not, but it’s certainly different from all the aux handles I’ve used, which attach more or less perpendicularly to the drilling axis. I guess it’s something you get used to.
Again… $149. Wow.
Dewalt’s newest brushless drill kit is just $20 more, but it’s a compact drill/driver. I’m only drawing the comparison because it shows the shortening gap between consumer and professional grade tools. Granted the DCD777 isn’t Dewalt’s everyday compact brushless drill.
I very much expect for the Dewalt DCD777C2 kit to drop in price during the holiday season, and if it does, that pricing gap will likely disappear.
If I could only have one cordless drill, I’d want it to be a compact brushless model, which are usually powerful enough to handle most of my drilling and driving needs, at least those I would use a cordless drill for. When I need more power, I dig out my corded Bosch hammer drill.
But if I could only have one drill, that’s where the brushless Ryobi with 750 in-lbs torque rating starts to look even more appealing. Maybe I’d have a 12V-class drill or impact driver for smaller stuff, but that cheats the scenario a bit.
It looks like this new Ryobi should be capable of anything a DIYer or value-oriented pro might ask it to.
Is the the Ryobi brushless drill you’ve been waiting for?
Personally, I’d still like to see Ryobi bring their compact brushless drill to the USA. I tend to prefer drills over hammer drills, as they’re more compact, better balanced (in my opinion), and less expensive. I rarely drill into masonry these days, and when I do, a rotary hammer is preferable.
Paul
I am going to have to agree with you on the compact normal drill over the compact hammer drill. I have first generation [yellow] compact brushless hammer drill that was my first professional drill and it was a gateway into buying into the platform more. Most of what I do is garage shop woodworking but I am the handyman of the family (both sides). For that reason, I bought the hammer thinking that it could handle the few times that I needed it to drill a hole for tapcons but still be used in the shop. I had an immediate project that needed a hammer drill and a small budget so it was a good fit.
That was 3 years ago and I use my drill almost every day. I have used the the hammer mode maybe 10 projects. I wish that the budget allowed me to have to drills as the non-hammers are so much lighter and easier to use. Pressing the clutch in every time is a bit of a pain and you are forced to keep a certain pressure on the object for the bit to move. In retrospect, I think I could justify a normal compact drill and then a full-sized hammer dill that could be pulled out only if the job required that mode or more power.
(Update: I still have trouble justifying buying 2 new drills when my current one does all the jobs that I do fairly well.)
Mr. Creek
Ryobi has some cool stuff, no doubt. Especially for the price point. Initial stats out of the box are similar. However, give it a year of daily use on a job site, and in my experience from other trades they loose perforce or just give up the ghost.
Thom
They’ve had this type of side handle before- on the previous non-brushless cordless hammer drill (see http://www.homedepot.com/p/Ryobi-ONE-18-Volt-1-2-in-Cordless-Hammer-Drill-Tool-Only-P213/205172444 or http://www.homedepot.com/p/Ryobi-ONE-18-Volt-Lithium-Ion-Cordless-Hammer-Drill-Kit-P1812/205754060). Cool none the less.
abnormalist
So I own the 1812 kit, the handle isn’t bad, and the depth gauge plugs into it as well to help measure the holes. Its 3 pieces I think, (handle, gauge holder, and bolt) and there is some flex when you are really laying into it, but its pretty decent, and it does switch sides in a few seconds (15?).
I’m on the fence about this drill, mostly because I have the 1812 kit and I like it so much. The step up from 600-750 and the added benefits of brushless i dont think is worth the buy in when I have a decent normal drill and a good hammer drill.
Dont get me wrong, I think its a great option to add to the line, I just dont see myself picking it up anytime soon. I do see others picking this up inplace of the 1812 though, as I really dont see a good reason to keep that one in the lineup when you have this guy such a small step up in price.
Jerry
1). I have a DeWalt hammer drill. The side handle clamps to the front of the drill body in approx the same position as this Ryobi handle sits. It can swivel around to any position where this one is just fixed either on the left or right but 90%+ of the time I leave mine straight out when I use the handle. My opinion is the swivel is probably better for a top end tool but ithink this would be fine for a drill at this price point.
2). I agree a compact drill is better most of the time but my experience is that the hammer drills have a better chuck and stronger headset than a non hammer version.
3). A belt clip on a heavy duty drill? Seems odd but maybe they have it engineered right so I could clip it to my belt without my pants falling down. Maybe the brush less motor and lithium power will make it lighter than I’m expecting.
4). I was on the fence on this one until I read the specs. $150 for a brushless hammer drill, with an ALL STEEL ratcheting chuck, in a kit with a high cap lithium battery, and the fast charger? Sign me up! Actually, they had me at the steel ratcheting chuck. I’ll need to see it in person, but if it is half the chuck that was on my old (and long dead) hammer drill (sorry, can’t remember model number except it was an old USA made DeWalt) I’ll be getting one. Probably will wait and see if it will be available as a bare tool during the Christmas shopping season.
Jerry
Sorry. Gear set got auto corrected to headset.
Carmine Giattino
I just recently bought this kit P1813 at HD a couple days ago. This is one powerful Brushless Hammer Drill! I love it and can’t wait to start using it around the house for projects.
Edmund Sergeant
The handle is in the exact same place, attached same way as P213 and P214. So nothing changed there. Higher torque on paper than Ridgid, Bosch etc. Warranty same or better than most pro brands. Brushless allows for longer run time and lighter eight than previous models, which were already light. Chuck is all steel and good quality. No way to justify cost of other brands at this point. Even if it only lasts a couple years. At this price (I expect bare tool to come in at $99,) you could buy 2 or 3 for the price of one of Milwaukee,DeWalt or Makita. Power greatly exceeds Makita except for their full size hyperexpensive offering. Same is true of Milwaukee. Ryobi now makes best drill value on market, bar none.
Koko the Talking Ape
Any more news on this guy? If the specs are true, it is a beast for a bargain.
John Ross
I know this is an old post, but worth noting that currently Home Depot stores have this as a combo deal where you get this kit for $149 (an amazing deal in itself), plus any other Ryobi tool worth up to $120 for FREE!
I just picked up this kit and a free rotary hammer drill (normally retails for $99) for a total of $149. Cant beat it. I have nothing but good things to say about Ryobi tools, in many cases they are actually better in terms of durability and performance than their “pro” cousins that cost much much more.
Rick C
When I bought my brushless P251 in the P1813 kit for $129 in May 2018, HD only offered the brushed P214 in the 1+1 $149 kit.