Ryobi deals at HD or Milwaukee
#11
I went to Home Depot to look at batteries for my Milwaukee M18 tools. I have a drill and driver that get frequent use in garage and drill and Hackzall (small sawzall) that stay in the truck and get regular use. Garage tools are probably 7 years old. Maybe 5 for those in truck. Have been happy with them. Batteries just aren't lasting as long so time to replace. But that is not what the thread title implies....

For $280 I can get 4 new MP4 batteries. (Current are CP3...lower power - 4 of those would be 360.)
OR
For not much more with the current deals I can get new Ryobi tools and batteries (deals started today, which I didn't know about until I saw them in store "buy this kit and pick 2 extra tools - I would just need to buy 2 more batteries for $80).

Ryobi batteries are also not as expensive for future replacements. Tools would also be brushless.

Is Milwaukee that much better than Ryobi??? I've thought so, but I'm second guessing.

Or...are the Milwaukee XC5 batteries on Ebay for $36 legit ($99 at HD)???
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#12
Just to add to your decision making process and not helping you at all!.

Ridgid brushless tools are also available for similar deals at HD. Best part is everything Ridgid including batteries are covered by a Lifetime Service agreement.
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#13
(11-01-2018, 08:26 PM)Vijay Wrote: Just to add to your decision making process and not helping you at all!.

Ridgid brushless tools are also available for similar deals at HD. Best part is everything Ridgid including batteries are covered by a Lifetime Service agreement.
Is Ridgid better than Ryobi, not as good as Milwaukee?
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#14
(11-01-2018, 11:13 PM)JosephP Wrote: Is Ridgid better than Ryobi, not as good as Milwaukee?

I think that is about right. But the lifetime service agreement with Ridgid is nothing to sneeze at. The Milwaukee has a 5 year warrantee but I dont know if batteries are covered, and the Ryobi has a 3 year warrantee.  Again dont know about batteries.
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#15
(11-01-2018, 11:27 PM)Vijay Wrote: I think that is about right. But the lifetime service agreement with Ridgid is nothing to sneeze at. The Milwaukee has a 5 year warrantee but I dont know if batteries are covered, and the Ryobi has a 3 year warrantee.  Again dont know about batteries.

I think we are getting to the point with battery operated power tools that they are becoming somewhat commoditized, in the sense that the primary limiting factor against long term use (again, for most mundane uses, i.e., general use in a hobbyist shop, DIY, etc, as opposed to specialized commercial work) appears to be battery degradation, at least from my perspective.  I've tossed a number of perfectly fine drills because I didn't want to invest $100 in new batteries. The replacement cost of batteries, when weighed against the possibility of mechanical failure of the drill itself, which may be 5 or 6 years old when you need to replace the batteries, is slowly leading me to take advantage of the Ridgid/Home Depot lifetime deal for my next round of drills.  I honestly don't know how Ridgid can offer this, likely because people simply don't take advantage of/or don't want the hassle of dealing with trying to actually make a claim under the warranty, so just pitch them.  There also are some additional steps to be taken to nail down the warranty that can trip you up, and then you would be wise to save receipts, etc. for the eventual proof of purchase inquiry upon making a claim. I can handle all of that (not much trouble for me).  Plus, I can see making warranty claims to be a bit of sport, that will keep me mentally acute (I'm contemplating retirement) in my dotage!! 

So it comes down to how much power, features, ergonomics, etc. does one lose going with the Ridgid?  And will that make any meaningful difference in "normal" as opposed to commercial use?  Right now I'm set with my last round of drills, went with Bosch, but in a few years I'll have to make this decision, and by then it very well may be that Ridgid decides to discontinue the warranty program.
Credo Elvem ipsum etiam vivere
Non impediti ratione cogitationis
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#16
I feel like the liion batteries last long enough that I don't take that into consideration much when buying tools. I already have so many batteries I don't know where all of them came from.  I would probably go with Milwaukee.  But  they are made by the same company as Ryobi.

Only thing that I wish I had done differently is that I bought a combo tool that came with 2 1.2ah batteries.  I could have gotten one that came with a single 3ah battery, and I think that was a better idea.  I have used the small batteries when light weight or that extra inch of tool length made a difference. They go flat really quickly though, and don't have a charge indicator.

I noticed that Dewalt was having deals on batteries for a while, now they are back up to previous shocking prices. I was wondering if that had anything to do with their Chinese competitors, but I see you can still get 2x5ah batteries on amazon for about $60. I have a pair of Chinese 5ah batteries that haven't given me any problems.  I bought them back when the only tool I had that used them was my weed whacker, and 1 pack wasn't quite enough to get through the yard
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#17
(11-02-2018, 12:56 PM)EricU Wrote: I feel like the liion batteries last long enough that I don't take that into consideration much when buying tools. I already have so many batteries I don't know where all of them came from.  I would probably go with Milwaukee.  But  they are made by the same company as Ryobi.

Only thing that I wish I had done differently is that I bought a combo tool that came with 2 1.2ah batteries.  I could have gotten one that came with a single 3ah battery, and I think that was a better idea.  I have used the small batteries when light weight or that extra inch of tool length made a difference. They go flat really quickly though, and don't have a charge indicator.  

I noticed that Dewalt was having deals on batteries for a while, now they are back up to previous shocking prices. I was wondering if that had anything to do with their Chinese competitors, but I see you can still get 2x5ah batteries on amazon for about $60. I have a pair of Chinese 5ah batteries that haven't given me any problems.  I bought them back when the only tool I had that used them was my weed whacker, and 1 pack wasn't quite enough to get through the yard

How do you like the Dewalt weed wacker?  Thought about getting one in a combo deal with blower around the fourth of July.  I passed and wished I would have.  If it reappears I would jump on it.
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#18
I really like it.  We have 1/3 of an acre, but most of the border needs to be whacked. I never did it when I had a gas string trimmer, but now it's easy.  I got it on sale, it was about the same cost as they normally charge for the 5ah battery that came with it.
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#19
How big of an upgrade is brushless?

Is a new Ryobi or Rigid brushless drill better than an old Milwaukee?

Maybe I'm leaning towards Rigid now with the battery guarantee.  They have a drill/driver combo for $200 with a free tool bonus.  I can get 2 of those (need 2 drills, 2 sets of batteries, 2 chargers).  One bonus would be the reciprocating saw, and an oscillating multitool with the other.  

So instead of spending $300-$400 on 4 Milwaukee batteries (depending on what size...the Rigid one are 4 Ah which would put me over $400 with Milwaukee 4 Ah), I'd spend $400 to have a drill and driver both with more torque than my existing, they'd be brushless which should make the batteries last longer, plus a bonus multi-tool.

I've been very happy with the Milwaukee tools, but I'm wavering!
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#20
Regardless of brand I would grab the regular, cheaper brushed kit. Aside from price, the brushed motors are electrically simpler and more robust (and easier to fix if one was so inclined to do so themselves). The difference in torque and battery life between the two is negligible outside of a laboratory test and marketing boardroom. You'd be hard-pressed to notice a difference in real world home use. Plus modern chargers are quick and since most kits come with two batteries extra run time is just a squeeze and a slap away. Under constant assembly use, you'd get a few minutes more out of a brushless tool, but in that environment the more robust nature of a brushed system is preferred (all the extra mosfets CPUs and small wire solder joints needed to make a brushless motor increase the likelihood of tool failure from drops, vibration, water ingress which cheaper tools/product lines will forgo additional protection for in order to meet their price point).

Now I'm not knocking brushless at all, I have some of my own. For the typical user though it's not worth the premium over standard brushed told. In the future this will likely change and cease being true, it's simply the law of technological progression.

Now for which brand? Well if you must buy a TTI product (the Hong Kong conglomerate that owns Ryobi, AEG or Ridgid as they're branded under license here in North America, and Milwaukee) and you only need basic hand tools (the large variety of specialised tools is where Milwaukee shines) then I'd suggest Ridgid, for no other reason than the LSA which will allow you to get free battery replacements if you go through the process to register your kit/tools (which is no more difficult than saving your receipt, following instructions and entering serial numbers).

Ryobi hand tools are plenty good for the money. The usual home owner/DIY'er won't want for more. And for that same user the Milwaukee just isn't worth the premium in my opinion. Overall quality is a bit better but not quite as good as they used to be built to.

For the record I put myself through school working tool rental at Home Depot and we got all the tool returns and warranty claims. We also handled the service and repair for Ridgid and others. Most common brands we saw were DeWalt and Ryobi cordless. DeWalt by design, Ryobi because the shear number sold. Plenty of well used Ridgid stuff came in too, usually older battery replacements and sometimes a drill or impact driver for trigger replacement. The Milwaukee stuff that I saw (brushless btw) always needed the complete electric works replaced and was comparatively more expensive than any of the other brands to fix.

Last year I bought a Ridgid 5 piece tool kit with two bonus tools as part of the Black Friday promotion. I got the angle grinder and impact wrench (both brushless as it so happens). The tools have all served me well, but if it wasn't for the LSA and the ability to get new batteries when they inevitably go bad, I'd have gone with the similarly if not same priced 5 tool Makita kit that was running the same promotion. Makita was what the rental department rented, and I always found them to be built well.
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