Rigid v.s Ryobi

[BigguyZ]

There no doubt that I think the Rigid tools are of a higher caliber than the Ryobi tools. But right now my brother has to replace his stolen Ryobi cordless drill.

HD is clearancing out the Ryobi NiCad tools, and has a set with 2 batts, charger, drill, recip saw, circ saw, radio, vacume, and sander for $150. My brother still has a flashlight and battery that wasn't stolen.

Not a bad deal at all.

BUT- Rigid has a $170 kit with their drill, recip saw, and flashlight.

I was looking at their recipricating saws that sell individually, and there seems to be a huge difference in quality. The Rigid was much heavier.


I'm trying to think of what my brother will actually use, and IU'm not sure if I should steer him to the Ryobi, which has more tools at a lower cost, should he want to expand- or the Rigid, which are heavier duty and are alsoa very high quality. I've never had any quality issues with my Ryobi drill, but the circular saw is near useless, IMHO, and the saber saw seemed cheap.

Thanks everyone for any feedback you can provide.

Both are NiCad kits, and both brands have LI batteries that are compatible.

[newbie2wood]

How will your brother use the tools? Is he using them for work or just around the house?

IMO, for the $20 difference in price, I would go for the Ridgid. Ridgid tools come with a lifetime service agreement, including the batteries. For cordless tools, batteries dying is a big issue.

I find the vacuum, radio, and flashlight to be useless accessories. I usually re-sell them on eBay. I not sure how useful is a cordless sander but I will stick to my ROS. If he really needs the recip. saw then Ridgid is the way to go.

A cordless circular saw is nice but is not included in the Ridgid $170 package.
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Zoloft lawsuit

[BigguyZ]

It's be to do around-the-house type stuff, and light home improvement projects. Anything more major and we'd use the corded deals.

I have the Ryobi cordless circular saw, and I can barely rip through a single sheet of 3/4" ply on a full battery... So I don't know the practicality of that...

[Hellrazor]

If he was happy with Ryobi, buy another. If he wants more power, buy a Ridgid. I have all Ridgid 18v tools and the guy I frame/roof with has all Ryobi. After the first job we did where we HAD to have cordless tools, his Ryobi tools were never back on the jobsite.

[Gator95]

I've got the Ryobi kit (circ saw, jigsaw, driver, recip saw, vac, sander, flashlight) and it does fine for what it is designed to do: home improvement stuff and light duty woodworking. I actually find the circular saw to be pretty useful for breaking down 3/4" sheetstock, never had an issue with power for light duty work especially after I replaced the stock blade with a 5 3/8" Diablo. I mean to expect it to perform like a 15amp dewalt is redonkulous but it does a fair enough job for what it is.

Also, the old blue Ryobi 18V tools can use the same lithium battery as the new puke yellow ones. This can be a huge upgrade. That said- if you can get the same set or Ridgid tools for the same price and the Ridgid tools can be upgraded to Li-Ion then go with Ridgid- definately heavier duty specifications.

[rnelson0]

Why do you say Ridgid is heavier duty? My favorite Ryobi "war story" is dropping my Ryobi 3-speed hammer drill from a 40' ladder. Twice. Other than a discoloration of the plastic around the battery housing that it landed on (battery is fine, it's the base of the drill), the drill is fine.

In fact, it drills with less wobble than my regular Ryobi drill. I'm half tempted to throw it off the top of my house to see if that evens things out a bit.


If he's got a battery already, I'd stick with the Ryobi. I've got the circular and reciprocating saw and they work great, no complaints. For the sander, I think you're talking about their Mouse, not the orbital, right? Great for vertical applications like sanding down paint, but not much else. That said, I've used mine and hey, it works. For the limited use I'm glad I didn't pay more than I did. I have an older kit that seems similar except it came with a jigsaw instead of the radio, sounds like a better deal. The vacuum is pretty much the suck, and not in a good way.

The flashlights I have found to be nice. I've had to do some exterior work at night when I was working on the electrical panel, so battery lights were my only option. Also used them indoor and frankly they're better than nearly any other battery in the house such as the D-cell flashlights (exception - the D-cell lights work better in self-defense mode!).

I think the Ryobi tools are great, especially for the price. The existing battery, if it's any good, will make it a little easier to work for a longer period of time, too. I can't imagine how the Ridgid tools are *that* much better for the price, except for the battery service agreement. Has anyone ever used it and know if it can be done or if it's surrounded in disclaimers and gotchas?

[JimD]

I will only add that I have both the Ryobi 18V jigsaw and a Bosch. I use the Ryobi a lot. I found that orbital settings above 1 were not so great, however. With the orbit on 0 or 1, it cuts nearly as well as my older bosch and blades are easier to change.

I also get useful service from my circular saw but I agree it needs a fresh battery. The drill will ususually do some work for me with the battery that has been in it awhile but not the circular saw. I haven't tried a Diablo blade yet but I may.

I do not have the recipricating saw yet but that will be my next cordless tool.

Jim

[Hellrazor]

Why do you say Ridgid is heavier duty? My favorite Ryobi "war story" is dropping my Ryobi 3-speed hammer drill from a 40' ladder. Twice. Other than a discoloration of the plastic around the battery housing that it landed on (battery is fine, it's the base of the drill), the drill is fine.

All cordless tools are not created equal. I have tested a lot of brand names over the years, both at work and at home. Cordless ratings according to me..

Skil, Ryobi, Craftsman rebrands - Homeowners

Dewalt aren't all that great anymore- Dedicated weekend warrior to light commercial at best

Makita - Commercial

Milwaukie and Ridgid are the best I've used for commercial work.