🤷 Are there really haters?
Best tool is the one that gets the job done (ideally while keeping all your fingers).
I agree. But yes. Some people really seem to despise "inferior" brands.
I’m just all in on the Ryobi battery walled garden. I swear they make everything that will take one.
Right?
I love having the right tool for the job. And having one single battery type that runs all of them.
I bought a set of Ryobi tools back when they were NiCad. I still have the tools with new batteries plus more tools.
They all work well except for the cheap weed eater I bought for $20. It is so weak it doesn't bother the carpel tunnel in my wrist.
Yeah I heard they made a promise back in the day or something, that they wouldn't change the battery dimensions. Hence you still have the old school "stalk".
Which I really admire, but I'm currently looking for a tool ecosystem for at home, and it makes me lean away from them for some reason. No real logical reason, as I absolutely love the wide range of diy tools they have.
I seem to recall Dewalt making that promise, right before they changed the battery.
It also looks like there are adapters from Dewalt (battery) to Ryobi (tool), so that might open your options a bit.
Oh is that right?
Admittedly I havent really looked into Dewalt tools before as my father uses Makita tools, and so I naturally grew up around them, but Dewalt's lines seems to be a bit confusing? Or have I got that completely wrong.
Confusing how? I'm no expert, but the vast majority of their lineup is the 20v Max (Which is really 18v, but they had to rebrand to reduce confusion from their old 18v system). They also have an ultra-portable line of 12v, and some heavy-duty 60v stuff, but those are the exceptions.
A bigger concern are reports of declining Dewalt quality. Still fine for a DIYer, and likely better than Ryobi, but I'd think twice if I was using them professionally.
And I have to amend my previous statement - There are plenty of adapters out there if you're willing to do some 3d printing. There's nothing particularly special about Milwaukee vs Ryobi vs Dewalt 18v batteries, you just have to match specs and connectors. But Dewalt->Ryobi is the only one I could readily find pre-made.
Again, I am probably wrong as I haven't really looked at Dewalt with a lot of intent, but there seems to be a lot of different buzz words? Flex, XR, Atomic, Powerstack? Also there seems to be a few different voltages, or are they moving all of their 18v tools to 20v now.
I know Makita has a few lines as well, but here (in New Zealand), its basically 18V or 40V systems. But then obviously you've got some complexity with Makita as well, where you double up on batteries to make them 36V and 80V etc.
Oh is there quite a lot of talk around decrease in Dewalt quality? I've always considered them to be pretty top notch stuff.
I think most of that is the exception. From what I can see, Powerstack is a marketing name for their newer and "better" battery, and is completely compatible and replaceable with their standard 20V line. XR is a similar story. Since their "20V Max" is really 18v with a new coat of marketing (No, really), their lineup was already compatible. They just had to put a different connector on it. Atomic is a line of tools (smaller), and are also primarily the same 20v
As for the 12v, 60v, Flex, and whatever else - unless you need a very wide variety in your tool collection, you'll probably just be using the standard 20v line. Everything is labeled as 20v Max, which works quite well for ensuring compatibility.
As for quality, I'm not an expert on the subject. There are certainly still plenty of fans out there, and it seems to be one of the better brands regardless of any complaints. It's what I standardized on recently as a DIYer. But it may not be quite as professional-grade as it used to be.
Makita is also a good brand, and I wouldn't object to that either.
haha thats actually laughable how they rebranded the 18v to 20v. Thanks for that info, good to know👍
Got a great 5 pack and jigsaw, all brushless, for like $300 total at Home Depot during the memorial day sale. My first "tool kit". I'm hoping they hold up for a couple years!
I've got Ryobi stuff I've beat up for the better part of a decade. They are great tools overall! A couple stinkers too of course.
Same for Harbor Freight. Great tools for light duty use, but if you're doing big jobs frequently, spring for something better.
I've had a HF drill since 2005 and it only recently died. It can probably be fixed since it seems the trigger just wore out, but I got 18 years of use from it for like $15.
There are 2 schools of thought, and both are situationally relevant.
Buy the 2nd last tool you will ever need.
IE, buy light duty. If it breaks and you've been using it a lot, you will likely know what features you want, how much to spend etc on the replacement. At which point you buy a more suitable tool.
Buy once, cry once.
If you are spending $200 on a tool, and the $300 is better, maybe just buy the $300 one.
Certainly more applicable to when you already use similar tools, and you need another.
I bought early into the Dewalt system based on people saying Buy Once Cry Once. But the problem is that it locks you into the ecosystem and batteries. Then even if I want a relatively light-duty cordless tool, I’m sort of forced to always go to Dewalt.
If you’re relatively new to DIY work and similar, I do recommend the first philosophy.
That's another reason I like the Ryobi lineup. I started out with one of their basic drill combos.
But as I pickup bigger and bigger projects, I can upgrade to their Brushless and HP models, still using the same battery.
I don't hate Ryobi I just prefer other tools. Milwaukee 12v are amazing for lightweight battery tools. They punch above their weight in a small light package.
When it comes to anything else heavy duty I just prefer corded tools. I have a Ryobi corded hammer drill and it's great.
I had a Ryobi battery mower and it went back to the store the same day. I replaced it with EGO.
That's fair. I have heard some serious issues with their mowers.
not every company makes a perfect tool for every market. Ryobi has some good ones, I am sure the Milwaukee 18v is good too but once im at that level of power I just get a corded tool, it costs less and its more reliable plus the batters are not $300 each.
Tbf if you wait for a deal you can get Ryobi batteries for really cheap... During Ryobi Days I got 4 9ah batteries for like a hundred bucks.
This is a guess, but if you see a lot of gatekeeping on instagram - it's completely marketing crap. I notice the anti-ryobi posts (advertisements) often and it's ridiculous.
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