Thread: Ryobi package deal

I have the tools and I love them, I bought mine separately not in the pack but I still think its worth it. They are not trade quality tools but for general work the are great.

My experience with Ryobi tools is that they are at the top end of the budget market with many extras and attachments that match the top brands. Except that the extras don't work.... Yesterday I was looking for a new belt sander; the choices available to me in the Big Green Shed were a Makita, AEG, Ozito and Ryobi. I've had two of the Ozito's before; not worth the money. The Ryobi came with a "cyclonic" dust filter system...that still needed a pleated filter. It also came with a baseplate for smoothing larger areas. Unfortunately it's pressed steel and when I put a straight edge on it I could plainly see that it wasn't parallel to the belt plattern. I came away with the twice as expensive AEG.

I also have a Ryobi "D" handled biscuit cutter..... that's sloppy as hell in it's tracks so I have to take care when plungeing. One of my 1/2" routers is a Ryobi; the adjustable depth stop fine adjustment winds itself in and out as it pleases in use. About the only product that hasn't been problematic is my laminate trimmer, but maybe that's because I've only used it a couple of times so far.

I will buy Ryobi, but do so with the knowledge that the basic tool function is the only bit that'll work reasonable satisfactorily. The add-ones don't value add at all.

I seem to edging towards AEG these days; I recently purchased a new cordless drill and impact driver combo. What really sold me was the extended guarantees, especially the 2 year battery one. And I like the orange colour; it clashes wonderfully with my Bosch blue!

steamjunkprops thx for your reply.

Chief Tiff only the drill and the impact drill are in this package and they are pretty standard tools right ? Only the circular saw has a laser "gimmick" which is easily ajustable.

Sounds like this pack would be a good deal then.

Anyone else for the drill and impact driver ?

Originally Posted by Upsy

Chief Tiff only the drill and the impact drill are in this package and they are pretty standard tools right ? Only the circular saw has a laser "gimmick" which is easily ajustable.

My concerns would be for the batteries; having gone through many brands and voltages only my new AEG L-Ion batteries can actually keep up. When I was building my deck the AEG was driving the screws and by the time the battery was exhausted the one on the charger was ready. In contrast to do the pre-drilling I had a 12V Blue Bosch and a 14V Green Bosch; I have 3 batteries for the 12V and two for the 14V with three chargers and they still couldn't keep up.

Admittedly this was quite a work out for the tools but it easily demonstrated to me why I need to keep spending money towards the quality end of the market.

As for the circular saw; I would regard the whole tool as a gimmick! I used to have a Hitachi 24V saw at work and quickly realised that this was only really useful for very light trimming jobs.

By the way; can anyone tell me why cordless circular saws are now universally left handed?The older ones weren't..... I think it's great that lefties now have tools that are safer for them to use; but what about those who don't have dodgy DNA/the Mark Of The Devil?

Having to make french cleats all over the workshop i couldn't wait, I went to bunnings and bought the package deal thing.

1h of drilling and screwing and the 1.3ah battery is still going I haven't had the chance to try the 2.4ah yet.

the power of the impact drill is amazing for such a budget toy and the drill is great as well.

the circular saw is the only tools that empties the battery fairly fast. Also as said earlier the laser is a bit of a gimmick but actually accurate enough if adjusted properly.

So far so good.

thx for the advices everyone

jon

I would not worry too much about the battery quality, Ryobi always been ridding on Samsung cells. The Ryobi battery management system BMS is built into each pack, takes care of the battery health. Unfortunately, the BMS draw a small amount of current when resting. So don't store it empty, else the BMS will over drain the cells, then the charger wont charge. The more highend $$$ brands like Panasonic and Metabo rock Sanyo/Panny cells.

Samsung cells are priced at a very competitive level. The Chinese cells play a small part in the Aussie powertools market. They have to be super real cheap tools that fall apart as soon as you pick it up. Even Positech made tools like Worx and Wesco brands are Samsung cells. FYI Worx are pretty serious about their batteries the BMS is very well implemented with the electronics protected in silicon potting compound. For this and their many innovation I would rate Worx tools higher than Ryobi

For things like circularsaw and angle grinders I would stick to corded. They are rather power demanding and chew through batteries quickly. If you need portability of a cordless circular saw, don't run the saw continuously, let the battery rest in between jobs. If you have two batteries, alternate between them to quickly finish a job.

If you are in the trade, don't worry too much, time is money use the tools as designed. The batteries wont last very long for heavy usage. Rotate a few packs, don't drain them empty all the time.

I would bring a few drill bits to bunnings and try out the keyless chuck of the drill. IMHO the most annoying is the chuck play and not gripping properly.

I have the latest corded Ryogreen sander too, the adjustable speed works well, the belt guide could be better. Its nice design it can be mounted on a bench like other brands. The depth guide is useless, it doesnt align with the mounting points, it needs some monkeying around to realise precision and plastic adjust screw dont work together. Dust clogged everywhere, i should hook up a vacuum. I don't have a sander to compare with this is my first floor belt sander.

Pretty much agree with forp.

I bought a Ryobi 18v cordless with 2 batteries and charger several years back.
very happy with it. Sometimes I wish I had the impact driver or a bit more grunt
but it really is not a bother. Still charging and holding charge well despite the
odd hiding I have given the batteries on tougher jobs.

Originally Posted by Upsy

hey guys,

It has been 3 years that I am fighting with corded tools and starting to be sick of it.

There is this package from ryobi including circular saw, drill and impact driver with charger and 2 batteries for $299

i borrowed the same circular saw from a friend and pretty happy with it.

Does anyone own the package itself ? What do you think about it is it worth it ?

Good Morning Upsy

The above link that you gave got hijacked so I am not certain which Ryobi package you refer to. Is it this 18 volt system at the big green shed?
http://www.bunnings.com.au/ryobi-one...r-saw_p6210467

If so, it appears to provide two batteries for three tools. This would be a real PIA, IMHO. Have you priced another couple of batteries? It is great having battery interchangability, but I think that you need a battery in each tool, plus one on the charger.

I pretty well agree with the comments about buying quality, every year I resolve to never again buy crap tools; a more philosophical friend summed it up several years ago:

• Is a Makita sander better than a GMC? YES.
• Are some Makitas better than others? YES, Makita make a range from entry level to tradesman quality.
• Is a Festool sander better than a Makita? YES.
• Is a Festool sander better than five GMC sanders? ONLY you can decide the price/quality trade-off.

I think this is a nice summation.


Fair Winds

Graeme

Originally Posted by artme

Pretty much agree with forp.

I bought a Ryobi 18v cordless with 2 batteries and charger several years back.
very happy with it. Still charging and holding charge well despite the
odd hiding I have given the batteries on tougher jobs.

+1 what artme said regarding the 18V cordless drill.

Ross