Cordless drill comparison - DeWalt and Ryobi

[brewman_63]

I'm looking to replace an old (and not very good) Black and Decker

14.4v cordless drill with another cordless. I think I have my selections narrowed down to either the Ryobi P220C or the DeWalt DC759KA. The DeWalt is $199 and the Ryobi is $138.94 (after I add in for the battery charger and two batteries). I like the compactness of the DeWalt but it looks like the Ryobi has a few more bells-and-whistles (not sure if I would need them, though). It would be used primarily around the house - everything from light to moderately heavy duty. Both are 18v - the DeWalt has 450 in-ilbs of torque, I don't know what they Ryobi has. I guess my concern is with Ryobi's quality and the fact they are available only at Home Depot. Does anyone have an opinion on either drill (or any other for that matter). I'm leaning torwards an 18v with good torque power for those occasional heavy-duty jobs. And I also like the 1/2 chuck so I don't have to worry about bits being too large.

Thanks.

[Ken]

Well, I don't know any of the specifics about either drill, but I wouldn't buy a Ryobi anything. I'm surprised the Ryobi costs that much, I rate Ryobi right at the bottom of the line there along with B&D. And for that matter, DeWalt is owned by B&D so I'd exercise caution when buying any DeWalt tool. Personally, my experience with DeWalt is so-so. I have a palm sander and 3/8" corded drill which both work fine, but I have a jigsaw that broke (the main casting that holds everything just broke) and the part is not available to fix it.

Fine Woodworking had a review on cordless drills recently:

Unfortunately you can't read the article online, you have to buy a back issue.

If I were you, I would look at Porter-Cable, Makita, Milwaukee, and I hear Panasonic cordless drills are very good. I'm sure others will offer plenty of opinions on this one.

Ken

[Thumper350]

I've posted this a few years back and will now again; consider a Makita. My 9.6V is STILL going strong at

18 years old. I'm on my 3rd & 4th battery, of course, but the drill is still a joy to use. I had dropped it 2 stories onto a concrete floor when I had it only 2 months and nothing got broken!!! I was bought a DeWalt for work 5 years ago and within 3 months it smelled of burning electrics. It died shortly after and I now have a 12V makita. Now this Makita did have an issue with the clutch, which I repaired. Despite this, I would still consider another Makita.

2 other choices: Milwaulkee and Porter-Cable. Let's face it, if you buy a top quality tool, you should have it a LOOOONGGGG time.

Life's too short to use cheap tools!! ;-)

Thumper

Edw> > I'm looking to replace an old (and not very good) Black and Decker

[.]

x-no-archive: yes

I have the Ryobi 18V that you mention. I have used it both commercially and in the home. It's a middle of the road tool. But the price was right, so I bought it. I have had no problems with it. And the first commercial job I did with it was to screw in over 2500 3.5" screws, often working in the rain. I also put in about 300 6" lag bolts into PT lumber that was not pre-drilled and it screwed them in just fine, plenty of torque, enough that I had to hang onto that drill with both hands. I've loaned the drill out to other people and it still worked just fine when I got it back. Right now a friend has in on a job and hopefully, I will get it back still working :)

I would buy another, just because of the price and the fact I had no problems with this one. It's a year old now.

[MrC1]

Check out Consumer Reports. They did a battery power tool comparo recently (maybe as much as a year ago, however) and the Ryobi came out on top from what I remember.

Make sure you price replacement batteries while you're at it. I remember that the CR article pointed out large price differences between brands.

[Vic Dura]

I had a Ryobi once. It lasted about two years doing light-duty stuff before it died. I don't remember what went wrong, but I do remember being very disappointed in it. I haven't bought Ryobi since.

[Fred]

For my money, little more than $199 ($237.49 minus $30 if you open an account with them) I get a Panasonic:

DeWalt is over rated in my opinion. I don't thank anyone makes a better drill than Panasonic but for thome use, not pro, you couldn't have a better price to performance ratio than the Ryobi. I have Panasonic drills for about

7 years, Ryobi drills for around 4 years and a B&D for 20 minutes before I put it in the trash bin.

I just pick up a Hitachi drill yesterday and looks like a winner. Couldn't comment too much since I haven't abused it yet on projects but it does look pretty good.

[Edwin Pawlowski]

Look into a Panasonic 15.6 volt Compact, plenty of torque, and it will far outlast the Ryobi. I've had both and I'll never buy Ryobi again because of both battery failure and switch problems. . DeWalt is questionable.

[Sacramento Dave]

I have a 9V Makita. then I bought a 14V Dewalt . The 9V batteries just would ware out it seamed to fast. the Dewalt are suppose to take 1200 charges I lost count after 3. The Dewalt has allot of power the only thing I don't like the batteries are hard change you really have to push in the clips hard. The I used a Makita 12V on a job very solid just a nice drill. If I had used that before buying the Dewalt I would bought one. Another one to try is the Panasonic I no someone who swear by it. Maybe do a search and see witch have metal gears, I should of done that. But then another point there so expensive now you can buy a nice whole shooter and a 100" cord and go to dinner for the same price and the batteries don't go dead.

[Jim Yanik]

brewman [e-mail] wrote in news: [e-mail]:

I'd go with the DeWalt before any Ryobi. First,does the Ryo have a fast charger,1 hr or less? The ones I've seen only had a simple charger that took 3 hrs or more,and can overcharge a pack if left on longer;there was no charge control.That is very important for battery life. Second,in Wood magazines tests on cordless drills,the DeWalts ALWAYS come out better than Ryobis. Third,I see lots of pro construction people with DeWalts,but no Ryobis.

Have you Googled for "cordless drill tests" to see what they have to say? There's a lot of them online.

[FDR]

What kind of heavy duty jobs? Unless you are a construction worker, I doubt you'll need or want an 18V.

[calhoun]

Just around the house. That is what Ryobi is made for. The Dewalt is a step up. FWIW I make a living doing construction. I use my 18v dewalt tools everyday. Have not had a tool failure in 4 years. (Used 12volt ones for 4 years before that) They get left in the rain, fall off roofs, even dropped one in a swimming pool once. Batteries only last about 2 years though.

[rider89]

[larry moe 'n curly]

May 2004 Consumer Reports evalated cordless drills, and among 18V models the DeWalt and Panasonic ranked highest, both receiving "A" grades for power and battery run time. The 18V Ryobi was "B" for power, "C" for battery life butd was still designated a "Best Buy". I know that the 18V DeWalt is noticeably more powerful than the 18V Ryobi, but the Ryobi costs so little (Home Depot charged $100 for my

18V with 2 battery packs and a flashlight) that it's a good alternative to a 14.4V DeWalt or Panasonic.

You may want to check the battery warranty, which can be different from the drill warranty, and the cost of replacements (some people don't buy Panasonics simply becase the batteries are so expensive) and availability of local service (local doesn't always mean good -- Ryobi's center for Phoenix is a lawnmower shop that doesn't even stock batteries, but DeWalt's is a complete repair center).

OTOH if you don't need a cordless drill (120VAC available, ot working in a damp environment), a corded drill is not only a lot more powerful but also cheaper and lighter. I think that a DeWalt 3/8" corded is just $60.

[Edwin Pawlowski]

I did not read the article, but if CR says Ryobi is a good deal, but he DeWalt. I've had three batteries. The original stretched out to about 18 months before I got tired of recharging them after 20 minutes of use so I bought the Panasonic Drill.

Since the Ryobi was collecting dust and the battery price dropped to $25, I decided to try another. It still does not hold a charge for more than half the time of my Panasonic.

Ryobi may be OK for the twice a year handyguy at home, but under those circumstances, a corded drill is probably best anyway as it is not going to have a dead battery.

[Art Todesco]

[CL (dnoyeB) Gilbert]

I was building a gym in my backyard when the handyman left his cordless drill one day. After that I had to have one.

I started with a Bosch hammer drill. But it weighed like 25lbs and was also refurbished without the refurbished part...So I sent it back.

B&D Firestorm 24V 1/2" 2 speed cordless hammer drill. 450in-lb torque. $99

Keyless chuck with the 2 handed attachment whatever its called. 2 batteries and a charger. This thing is more than good enough for around the house. It has never let me down, and I am completely satisfied with it. Plus a nice case. Only extra feature I find I could use is a leveller bubble. Other than that, why go away from B&D? know your role. What was wrong with your B&D that you didn't like it?

[MG]

I bought a 12V Makita and am very happy, I am not a professional that may require a long time between charges but do a lot of handy work at home and semi heavy screw driving.

Also bought a Makita hammer drill, corded, excellent. Like the way the chuck grip.

Both Makita about $100 each.

My 36 year B&D is tired but still operational, my 2 year old battery B&D went in the garbage.

MG

[Edwin Pawlowski]

The day I bought my Panasonic, I set out to buy a Bosch. It was just bigger and heavier for my needs so I made the change. Bosch is top quality though. Most of the better drills today have the one hand chuck. VERY handy to have.

[brewman_63]

Thanks to all who responded - it was a great help. I ended up getting both a Makita cordless 14.4V 1/2" drill-driver and a Makita corded

9.16" hammer drill. They're running a rebate on cordless drills $20 - $75 depending on what you get. Used the cordless a little this weekend and can already tell the quality difference from my old B&D. And the corded hammer drill is great - drilled into concrete block with no problem. Only wish the case was a little better designed. I have to take off the side handle and depth gauge to put it in the case. Other than that I think I'll be pleased with both drills.

Thanks again to all.