Home Improvement

I've smoked tools from all of the major brands at work and I prefer the stink of Makita electronics over all of the others, so generally thats what I'll gravitate towards at the tool store. That said, the stuff we've got at home for projects around the house is all ryobi green. Sure they feel kinda cheap, sure they aren't as powerful, but for around the house stuff they do just fine, just don't beat on them like I do mine.

I had all Dewalt for a number of years went from their 18v to 20v line. But i kept wanting a few tools they did not make so i purchased the Ryobi versions. I was so happy with the price, capability, and mostly variety of tools. I switched completely over to Ryobi. Sold all my old Dewalt 18v stuff. I now have prob 35 different Ryobi products and 5-6 Dewalt. I even have Ryobi's 40v trimmer, chainsaw, leaf blower, pole saw. I simply love that Ryobi has pretty much any freaking power tool you can think of, and more.

Is Ryobi the best...No. Does Ryobi have a heck of a selection at really good prices...Yes. Is Ryobi perfectly fine for Home\hobbiest use...Absolutely! If i was in the trades and used these tools daily would i choose Ryobi...Probably not, I would prob go with Milwaukee.

I had a terrible experience with a sander. Never buying them again.

I actually use mine for work, but I'm not using most of them daily. For me I needed variety (the right tool for the job) and them all to be on the same battery ecosystem. They've also got some great "widgets", the 1-gal battery shop vac is around $60-70 IIRC and is an amazing little bit of kit. It's like a suitcase of clean. The power caulker isn't a technical marvel but has absolutely saved my wrist on a few jobs. I was on the fence about the power brush but use it a TON around the house. The battery hot glue gun is also more useful than I thought it would be.

I made a 10 amp 18v corded adapter I can use with all the tools when power is available and I don't want to fry the battery. I also made an adapter so I can USB charge off my batteries if the power goes out or something (they make those but I had the parts).

But I've never had issues. It is worth researching each tool though. They tend to have tiers even within the brand (18v vs the HP+ line). The sawzall in that starter kit is... cute. It "works" in the strictest sense of the word. The little circular saw is similar, but there's a lot more use cases for a lightweight, low-profile circ saw; I love mine. The impact drivers/drills always did right by me. The battery powered chop saw is pretty great (I love that I can just slap a battery on it for a few cuts or use my adapter).

All in all, from what I've heard the issue isn't usually performance it's durability. That being said, it's not like I baby my tools, I just don't use the same tool everyday like a contractor might. IMO it's a great brand for a ton of people. I think they're fine for home improvement, just maybe not building a house.

They’re Home Depot exclusive in a lot of markets.

It wouldn’t surprise me if they didn’t hold up more than a couple years if you were using them 40+ hours a week on commercial jobs for years on end, but for weekend home use? I’ve had my basic drill for like idk 10 years now and it still works as good as the day I bought it. I have a handful of Ryobi tools and recently picked up the bottom tier Ryobi 40v mower and have been nothing but impressed. I’ve done a lot of mowing of tall, wet grass the last few weeks and the thing just works.