Anyone tried the Ryobi 14.4v cordless drills? The Borg has them on for a pretty decent price. I have the Dewalt 14.4 and love it, but need another, mainly because I'm too lazy to change from drill bit to driver bit, The Ryobi looks to be about 1/3 the cost of the Dewalt. I realize you get what you pay for, but this will be a handyman/hobbyist application, not full blown everyday construction.
TIA,
Paul
I have the Ryobi 18v cordless. It's been working for me the past few years and its the drill/driver I always pick up first for a job.
And I have both the 14.4v drill and skil-type saw. Both are very good tools, but, the Ryobi 14.4 batteries just plain suck. After about a year now, neither of the two battery packs will hold a charge. An inspection of the tool reveals "Made in China" on the battery label. FWTW
The packs can be rebuilt with better quality nicads, but by the time you do that you'll have a considerable investment. May as well just get a tool with better batteries to start with.
I have one of their Jobsite II 14.4v drills. The drill is ok. Lots of power and the battery life is decent, even after 4 years of use. The main criticism I have is that the chuck doesn't hold a bit tight for more than a few minutes of use.
For the money the drill was the best deal around. It certainly doesn't owe me anything at this point, but when it goes I won't buy another Ryobi. I'll get a Milwaukee or Panasonic with a ratcheting chuck and better variable speed performance and low speed torque.
The Ryobi is probably a reasonable product for a woman who lives alone to have in her kit of tools; however, will never have one in my boat yard.
HTH
Lew
IMHO if you have a DeWalt that you are happy with you may feel like you are stepping down a notch or two if you get a Ryobi. I have 2 DeWalt 9.6 drills and my dad has a Ryobi. No comparison.
Had one but just replaced it with a Panasonic.
The Ryobi needed a new switch ($26) and hte batteries are shot. Batteries alone cost more than the drill.
I had the 14.4 volt It worked well for two years and then the batteries died.
O.K. value for $79.00
AZCRAIG
Why not get a new pair of batteries? They will only cost $90.
I had/have a 9.6...for over 5 years. Nice drill. The batteries finally wouldn't hold a charge more than a day or so. So...I had to make a choice. New batteries...or new drill.
I opted for a new drill. Buying a new battery costs almost as much as a new drill from Ryobi. If the new 9.6 would have come with 2 batteries instead of 1, I would have bought the drill. Then I would have had 2 new batteries...and 2 9.6 drill.
So I went to Harbor Freight and bought a 1/2' 18v. hammer drill...2 gear speeds...for $26.99. Great drill.
HF has a lot of cheap...and/or inexpensive...drills.
Have a nice one...
Trent
Budweiser: Helping ugly people have sex since 1876!
On 5 Nov 2004 08:33:19 -0800, snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.com (Paul in MN) calmly ranted:
I've used one for a couple years now and it has held up well. I had to replace the battery recently, but that's expected. I got the Borg $99 special. Drill, circ saw, saw blade, 2 battery packs, quick charger (heh, 2 hours), and case.
-- Sex is Evil, Evil is Sin, Sin is Forgiven. Gee, ain't religion GREAT?
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====================== A few years ago I needed a cordless saw zal for a weekend project at my daughters home (out of State) so I purchased the 18V Roybi kit..
The drill is a back up to my Milwaukee 14.4 drill BUT still has seen plenty of usage around the house and shop... I honestly have no problems with it...
Wish I could say the same for the circular saw and saw-zal... BOTH items leave a lot to be desired...can't tell you the last time I even though of using them...for anything!
Bob Griffiths
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