For Ryobi One+ Owners

[Pappy]

As mentioned in another thread, my old 14.4V Ryobi batteries are starting to die off and I have been looking at making the move to lithium ion. With the announcement from Ryobi about the intrduction of LI tools/batteries that will be compatible with the One+ tools, I am thinking that is the way to go. There is also the possibility that the current tools will go on sale/clearance when the new ones come out.

According to the 2007 Ryobi tool catalog there are 25 different tools available, not including the chargers. For those that own the One+ tools, which ones would you rate as good, marginal, or poor? What is the drawback to, or limitations of, the marginal and poor rated tools?

[gwyneth]

A few months ago, I got the reconditioned drill and circular saw, with two batteries and a charger, for $50 (total) at Cummins.

They are great. The one person I know who'd had cordless Ryobi stuff warned me they wouldn't keep a charge, but they do.

My previous cordless Makita drill worked fine (14.4) but not nearly as well as the Ryobi. I'm not sure I've used either of my corded Dewalt drills since the Ryobi came.

The circular saw makes me wonder why I didn't get one years ago. In addition to the advantages of any cordless circular saw--the ability to cut sheet goods either before loading into the pickup or before taking them off--it is powerful enough to handle cross cuts of 1" maple. Narrow boards, to be sure, but works well enough to shorten them for easier handling.

The only complaint I've got about either tool is that using the reverse switch on the drill is a stretch, but in fairness, that's probably more like a complaint about my short fingers.

[softop41]

Pappy,
I have the hammer drill, circular saw, lam trimmer, and right angle drill and have been very impressed with them. I think I will get the recip saw next. They fill the bill in more places than I expected thy would. I don' t have any battery life issues(I have only two) but the Lith Ion option is very appealing. I use the circular saw most to cut sheet goods down to managable sizes for the BT; I have cut a 4' x 8' sheet of 3/4" MDF into twelve different pieces(four of the cuts were 8' each) on a single charge and it was still going.
Jerry

[gslyons]

My wife got me a set of the one+ tools few years ago that includes the drill, circular saw, recip. saw, 'dustbuster' vac, flashlight, charger and two batteries. I've since gotten the jigsaw, stapler, air pump/compressor.

Almost all of the tools have been outstanding. The exceptions are the stapler, the vacuum and the air pump. The vacuum sucks, just not well. LOML got me the stapler, and while it functions, it is slow to cycle, somewhat awkward due to the battery and lies mostly unused in favor of my PC air stapler. The air pump I purchased to replace the small air pump that I use to blow up mattresses when camping. I thought that it would be handy to use the One+ batteries that I own, but there is no way to vacuum the mattresses down when breaking camp, and it took nearly a fully charged battery to top off an underinflated tire on my 4Runner.

The flashlight works well, but I hardly ever use it.

I should add that I also own and love my BT3100, a Ryobi drill press, Ryobi gas powered string trimmer as well as an ultrasonic measuring thingy/stud finder and laser level also by Ryobi. I would almost certainly buy the planer if I could find an AP1300 and not the 1301.

Note to self: look into Ryobi stock...

~g

[tedkitch]

Like gslyons I got the set as a gift and I have been very impressed. Due to the fact that my wife doesn't know what else to get me I keep getting tools from the line. All in all I have 16 of the tools from the line. Here are the tools that I have and what I think of them:
Drill - Very good, I like the magnetic plate on it and it feels good and balanced in my hand
Circular Saw - Very good saw, easily adjustable, squares up great and cuts well
Recip Saw - Way better than the B&D one that I had. Easy to change the blades and gets dirty without it having any issues
Tuffsucker Vacuum - Unlike gslyons, I've been very happy with mine. I even scored a bunch of replacement filters for it cheap. The rubber seal on mine fits nice and tight, so that may be the issue with others
Flashlight - It lights up and rotates
Jigsaw - Does what it is supposed to. Nothing special, but nothing lacking
Stapler - I have to agree with gslyons on this as it is slow to cycle, especially if you are used to using air tools
Blower - Nice and light and does a great job for simple things. It does go through a battery very quickly though
Caulk Gun - Very heavy and a little awkward, but works very well and I love the fact that there isn't any "extra" caulk coming out when I release the trigger
Angle Grinder - Very, very nice. Goes through the battery fast if you are doing anything heavy duty
Laminate Trimmer - I've used this thing for trimming and very light routing with equal success. Very light in the hand and I like the way it fits my hands
Spiral Saw - Another that I love to use. Great for cutting out holes in drywall and siding
Chain Saw - I've actually used it quite a bit and it has done very well. Can go through batteries quick. One issue is that in storage the oil leaks out of it when it is stored upside down (the natural way to store the tools with the lanyard)
Sander - It has been very good. I like the fact that it came with some cleaning pads as I've used as much for that as I have for sanding
Planer - I love the planer. It has been so easy to use and everything about it is well thought out IMHO.
Right Angle Drill - Surprisingly balanced in my hand and has plenty of power.

By now I'm sure that I've bored everyone, so I'll wrap it up. I also have quite a few of the B&D 18v Firestorm tools (also a gift from family) and I like the Ryobi tools much more than the B&D. The only B&D tool that I use more is the drill with the detachable chuck. That is just an excellent idea.

I can't wait to see what the 18v LI batteries will bring to the picture. Hopefully they won't price them at some insane price to begin with. The BORG has a habit of starting off new things at higher prices.

[leehljp]

I have two Impact Drivers, two flashlights, two Drill Drivers. I have one set in the States and one set here in Japan.

I use those three all the time. I left the other set in the States in June of 06. I went back to the States in May of this year (07) and the batteries were still charged and worked fine.

I also have:
Circular saw - does great for a battery powered saw. I do not expect it to replace a corded saw but it does great in cutting a board here, there and yonder and cutting a 3/4 sheet of plywood down. I always charge the battery after a cutting a couple of sheets of plywood. I didn't purchase it for that purpose but use it that way. I use it mainly when I am under the house, in the attic and hate dragging cords for a "fix" or "brace". I am always fixing things in these situations for our house and it is ideal for this aspect.

Speed Saw/Rotary Cutter This is very handy and I was surprised how easy it is to use without a cord. I have a rotozip and the Ryobi 1 Plus is a lot easier to use. Plenty of power and lots of cuts (for me) before the battery goes down.

I would buy them again and will be adding on to my 4 above when I am back in the States.

[gerti]

Not yet mentioned (though probably no longer available):

Compound miter saw: Where it's limited capacity is enough, it is great! Goes though the batteries though. Came in the early 'box' kits.

String trimmer (Homelite, uses Ryobi batteries): limited but perfect for my needs. I love not having to deal with my gas powered one any longer.

Hedge trimmer (also Homelite): Got it in a package with the string trimmer and didn't think I would use it. I was wrong, actually quite useful.

Other ones I have and like: Drill, Flashlight (handy!), Impact driver, Recip Saw, Circular Saw (goes through the batteries fast).

That little vacuum and the Speed Saw don't work well for me, but these were the first models from years ago and probably have improved a bit, as others seem to like them.

Anyhow, I am a big fan. Handy tools.

[bluzcat]

The Impact Driver is by far my most used One+ tool. I originally bought a 4 piece kit; D/D, Circ., Recip., and light. I used the reciprocating saw a lot more than I thought I would (wish I had the quick-change blade). I also have some Homelite stuff, it was the cheapest way to buy replacment batteries. Weedwhacker and a hedge trimmer with 2 batts and a charger for $89! The batts. alone used to cost $40 each. Needless to say, I'm up to my kneecaps in Ryobi/Homelite 18v chargers! I must have at least 6. I am really looking forward to the Li-ion batteries. I bought the Bosch 10.8v Li-ion driver and I love that little tool. I'll use it for half a day, won't touch it for two weeks and the battery still works.

[Bigbit]

My short assessments:

Drill: Excellent
Circular Saw: Good
Jigsaw: OK
Flashlight: Good
Reciprocating Saw: Excellent
Stapler: OK
Caulking Gun: Very Good
Radio: Very Good
Fan: Very Good
Hedge Trimmer: Very Good
Pole Pruner: Very Good
Tuff Sucker vacuum: Poor
Cannister vacuum: Excellent, but a battery eater
Corner Cat Sander: Good
Orbital Sander: Very good
Laminate Trimmer: Still in box (bought yesterday)
Inflator: Very good

[jononelson]

18v string trimmer (strimmer)

I used the hedge trimmer and it didnt really have enough guts for large jobs but small was fine. I have used pretty much all the products they make with the exception of the radio. The skilsaw and the cordless drill are the most used. The batteries hold a charge fine. http://www.mower-magic.co.uk/acatalo...ne_Plus__.html
that is the product I really want but Ryobi doesnt sell it in us and the UK places wont ship. I did get the 18v trimmer from heartland america and it works fine with the ryobi one plus batteries.

[gerti]

http://www.mower-magic.co.uk/acatalo...ne_Plus__.html
that is the product I really want but Ryobi doesnt sell it in us and the UK places wont ship. I did get the 18v trimmer from heartland america and it works fine with the ryobi one plus batteries.

Way back then they sold it under the Homelite name:

http://www.amazon.com/Homelite-Cordl.../dp/B0007NVXXI

Cummins for a while sold a reconditioned kit (Hedge trimmer, string trimmer, 2 batteries and charger) for seventy-some dollars, which is where I got it. The string trimmer isn't very powerful, but perfect for my use. And I use the hedge trimmer to cut back brush invading walkway/driveway. Again not very powerful, but works well for my use.

[Pappy]

Thanks for the input, everyone.

I stopped by HD one the way home Friday to check out the new Lithium tools. 4 pc set for $259 was the only thing they have so far. The same set (drill, flashllight, circ saw, and recep saw) pluse the hand vac is $159 in the One+ line. Different One+ sets have been going on sale each week so I am going to watch for a few weeks to see if this one does. Later on I will add the hammer drill, angle drill, and impact driver.

The only other tool I am thinking about is the caulk gun. Is the plunger action smooth so you get an even flow out the nozle? Can you control the speed of the plunge action to vary the output, or is it basically on/off?

[prlundberg]

My experience:

Drill: Works fine, but magnetic bit holder came bent. Ryobi replaced.

Jig Saw: Would not hold blade straight. Returned, HD didn't have a replacement, haven't bothered with another one.

Impact Driver: Variable speed off (goes faster then slower then faster) but otherwise works great. The most used power tool I own.

Recip Saw: Lots of play in the blade. Seems to work OK, but other recip saws don't do this. about 1/2" of movement fore and aft at the end of a 4" blade. Returned for replacement, same thing. At least one other person here reported the same thing.

Circular Saw: Handy but limited, eats batteries.

Vacuum: Almost worthless. Puts almost as much dust in the air as it picks up.

Light: Works fine but I haven't had much use for it. Would have preferred a flex-neck design.

I think most of the tools are actually pretty good, but quality control may be an issue. But at that price, well, those things happen.

[billnsue@mcn.org]

new lithium ion tools

I have had the one + tools since they first came out. I have used them in constuction and they have held up and outlasted the bosch drill driver and batteries that I had purchased six months earlier than the Ryobi set. I was in the need for some more batteries and the lithium ion set came out so I up-graded. Even though the set was duplicating my one + tools I figured that I could used the second drill driver and cordless circular saw and I would just have to take the recipricating saw as a cost of getting the rest. The lithium ion set and tools ahve really been an improvement over the originals. The batteries last much longer in use before needing a re-charge. The drill driver has the one hand chuck and seems to have higher RPMs (might just be the extra power of the lithium ion batteries). The circular saw has a much larger sole plate, easier and smoother depth adjustment, and a better balance with the new battery placemant. The flashlight has a new lower profile that hlelps it be more stable. The Recipricating saw is vastly improved with a different battery placement, quick change blade and the ability of the blade to be placed in upside down for closer cuts ( the original one could not do that and it was sometimes not as useful). Most Important are the lithium ion batteries themselves. They have longer sustained power and as a result inprove on the performance of all of the other one + tools. I puchased the canister vac 7 months ago and was dissapointed with it's performance and the quick baterry depletion. I just used it recently to clean up sheet rock dust and sawdust on a bathroom remodelling and with the lithium ion battery it was terrific. From my experience I highly reccomend the full set of new tools. They are really an improvement. My other favourite tool in the one + line is the impact driver. I relly have found it to be most useful and I like the 2400RPM speed for drilling, and the impact for driving 3" screws.
Bill