18volt tool sets at Home Depot $169-199 or less (AMD version)

[rondeemc]

I needed to replace my old Makita's that had gotten tired but was reluctent to pay the $450 - 550 for Dewalt's and Milwaukee sets. Noticed that HD had lowered the price of their Ryobi set from $199 to $169 (or less with tradein). This included a drill/driver, recip saw, circular saw (small), flashlight, hard case, and charger with two batteries. Started talking to people in the checkout line that was buying them and getting positive comments from repeat buyers. One builder was buying another three and loved them. Says his crews are rough on tools and that these were almost as good as pro brands at 1/2 to 1/3 the cost.

They also have a set that includes all of the above plus a dustvac for $199

Another set include a miter saw with stand/case and a third battery for $399

So far I am very satisfied with their performance and it great to have a cordless circular and recip saw. Battery charges in about an hour.

The units carry a two year warranty.

Right now there is a 10% off if you have an old powertool to trade in.

 

[dew042]

i don't mean to crap, but here is my experience: sawzall is useless. the circular saw is next to useless and the batteries take about 1.5-2hrs to charge if you are lucky. i am a carpenter and i can attest you'd be better served buying good tools. the batteries do not last long.

the milwaukee drill i picked up after my run in with ryobi runs a drill for a full work day of constant use.

the drill and light are the only good reason to get this: is $169 a good price for a drill and light?

dew.

 

[roamerr]

I have the Ryobi. I agree thge sawzall is junk. The circular saw is great for 2x4's and plywood. The drill is fantastic. The flashlight is , well, a flashlight.

Great value for $169.

I just built a 10 x 12 storage building using only my ryobi's.

 

[alm99]

I saw this the other day too. I was interested, but would like a little more feedback on them. I don't have any power tools other than a ryobi small volt drill to do basic stuff around the house

 

[OldPro]

I've got the 4 piece set and I love it. I suppose it I were a professional, it would be worth it to upgrade to an Old Milwaukee or DeWalt set (DeWalt, currently $466 for the same kit). However, as a home do-it-yourselfer, it's worth every penny. The Drill is a full 1/2" drill. The Circular saw takes a 5.5" blade instead of the 6.5" blade the expensive 18v cordless saws do, but still works well on all small stuff and even straight 9- degree cuts through 2X4's. And I used the recipricating saw for all kinds of things. We used it to remove my brothers patio door (so we could replace it with a new slider), I used it to cut off a 1 1/2 inch pipe the previous home owner had left cemented into the ground, I even bought a pruning blade for it and use it for clearing out saplings and stuff. (I also cut a four inch branch out of a tree with it, and it worked - but next time I'll use a chain saw for that!). Even the flashlight is a lot more useful than I thought. When you add the battery, the light will stand up by itself. The light head actually swivels so you can adjust the angle of the light and it gives off a lot of light. I used it last time I had to work in my attic. It was wonderful not to have to drag the cord from the trouble light around behind me.

Not to diss dew042, I'm sure your viewpoint may well be different if your a professional and you're going to be using these tools 8 - 10 hours a day, 5 or 6 days a week. At the same time, if your job depends on it, that $400 - $600 tab for the higher end tools is justifiable. I work in an office and use these tools when I have a project at home or at the lake cottage - for me they are well worth the $199 (now only $169!!) we paid for them.

 

[Mac]

I have th 14.4v version of the drill and circular saw and have no complaints. I am not a professional contractor so don't use it everyday but for weekend projects and the like, more than meets my needs. Drill has plenty of torque. The circular saw will cut 2X4 but it is better suited to 1X's and trim work. If you have a lot of saw work, any quality 7 1/2 corded electric is the only way to go. May not be DeWalt or Milwaukee quality but cost a lot less and definitely better than B&D or Skil.

I would agree with others here that the sawzall is probably a throw away.

Nice thing about Ryobi, HD backs everything with a 2 year in-store warranty.

Correction - the 14.4v drill is only 3/8".

 

[knightc2]

I've got the 4 piece set and I love it. I suppose it I were a professional, it would be worth it to upgrade to an Old Milwaukee or DeWalt set

Old Milwaukee? The professionals choice... Beer and power tools, what combo.

 

[grillmasterP]

If you can find the 4pc Milwaukee 18volt cordless tools sets (not the 5pc w/jobsite readio) - they were selling for 299 (4.99 - 40%) during the summerat Home Depot. You might be lucky and find a store where someone returned them (i picked up two at the time and returned one of them)

I absolutely love the Milwaukee cordless Sawzall - haven't used the the circular saw yet
I thought about buying the Ryobi for my father though- Do they still have the 10% off power tool with trade in - that may sweeten this deal

 

[sixpackdate]

I have used and tossed a few different cordless tools. I have an 18V dewalt kit kit that came with a 1/2" hammer drill, a circular saw, two batteries and a case which were factory refurbed for a little over a couple hundred bucks a year ago. I am impressed with their battery charging system, which really holds up. The hammer drill will snap your wrist if you use it wrong, and will drill and drive tapcons into concrete for almost 4 hours with continuous usage. If your really going to use a sawzall, get a corded milwalkee or porter, and you can cut anything with the right blades.

Check out IPStool.com once and a while for factory demo deals. Buy good tools and sell them or pass them on to your kids.

 

[rondeemc]

The drill and flashlight are great. One thing I like on the drill is the built in levels. It also has storage for two screw bits (included) and a small magnetic area to hold screws. The circular saw does well on plywood and 2x4's but eats up the batteries. It is also a little smaller blade wise then the Mil's and De's. The recip saw has been great for cutting through the roof to install skylights or the soffit (I hate masonite) to install vents. Also used it to finish off some to the rough edges in the attic overlooked by the framers. Not as strong as my corded but very handy.

I know the higher priced units are better quality but I can't justify the difference for personal use. Especially when you can get the set for the 10% off by either trading in a tool or by getting their credit card (think there is a minimum purchase). I wonder if you can stack the two???????????????

And the hard case in my opinion is much better then the soft canvas bag that comes with some sets although it takes up more space.

I think instead of going the $199 route which includes a vacuum I would get the $169 set and the standalone vacuum. That give you a third battery and an extra charger for only $19 more not counting the discount.

My charge times have been consistently under 1 hour when I bother to take notice.

 

[ctk1981]

My old man had a ryobi for years (12v) before the charger itself crapped out on him. Served him good though. Bought him a makita 14.4V for a replacement.

He works out to a Gypsum quarry and they have gone through everything. Makita, Dewault, Milwaukee, etc. Lately they have been buying bosch equipment and that has held up abou the best so far for them. Regardless, they trash everything out there anyways.

 

[alm99]

its either I get this or a new video card for my computer...hmmm...what to do? How long till my Radeon 32mb DDR won't perform well enough with the latest games?

 

[rondeemc]

At least they don't upgrade the voltage capacity every 6 months on these so you feel like you are behind the curve and need to upgrade

 

[alm99]

Originally posted by: rondeemc
At least they don't upgrade the voltage capacity every 6 months on these so you feel like you are behind the curve and need to upgrade

So you're saying get the tools, eh?

 

[Bob151]

Originally posted by: rondeemc
Noticed that HD had lowered the price of their Ryobi set from $199 to $169 (or less with tradein). This included a drill/driver, recip saw, circular saw (small), flashlight, hard case, and charger with two batteries.

$169 for all those cordless 18Volt tools? I paid almost half that for a corded recip saw.

Good deal.

 

[tvarad]

Believe it or not but www.softwareandstuff.com has a bunch of cordless tools for dirt cheap. I have been to their store and checked them out. They are not at the Makita/DeWalt leve and obviously they are not for the die-hard professional but at those prices you can replace them every year. Batteries are NICAD not NIMH.

 

[rondeemc]

So you're saying get the tools, eh?

If you go the Ryobi route instead of Milwaukee you can buy a new video card an still be under the cost of the Milwaukee set alone.

Isn't rationalization a wonderful thing.............


They have other sets there if you don't want/need the combination I listed above. Drill and circular saw for around $99 before discount but I believe it is a 14.4 volt.

 

[alm99]

I went to Home Depot last night and saw they will have the 10% trade in until Nov 3rd. I just bought a 6v Ryobi drill a few months ago for ~$20 just to put up pictures, light drilling around the house. I would trade that in, but its so new, that the 10% would be $16 so its not worth it that end.

Where was the $19 vaccumm? Is it Ryobi and the same type of 18v battery as the kit?

 

[rondeemc]

Sorry to confuse you on the vacuum.
They have a set with vacuum, drill, saw, recip, charger, light, and two batteries for $199
or you can buy the $169 set and the $49 vacuum and for only $19 more then the above have an extra charger and battery.

Have you considered siqning up for their credit card to get the 10% off?

This offer expires on November 3, 2002. This offer is valid and redeemable for a 10% discount on a single purchase on your Home Depot Consumer Credit Card Account at The Home Depot, Home Depot Landscape Supply, The Home Depot Floor Store and EXPO Design Center U.S. stores.

 

[gwells]

if you need a cheap tool for the trade in but don't have one, look for a yard sale, or even better, and estate sale with tools. you can find some crap power tool and pay $5 for it and trade that in. or maybe even convince them to give you one that doesn't work for $1 or free.

 

[fixedbyjohn]

One and All, The best deal for the people that already have the 18v systems is the Hand Held Vacuum for $49.99, this comes with a battery and a charger, THROW the VAC away Keep the rest, the 18v batteries are $59.99

 

[alm99]

Originally posted by: rondeemc
Sorry to confuse you on the vacuum.
They have a set with vacuum, drill, saw, recip, charger, light, and two batteries for $199
or you can buy the $169 set and the $49 vacuum and for only $19 more then the above have an extra charger and battery.

Have you considered siqning up for their credit card to get the 10% off?

This offer expires on November 3, 2002. This offer is valid and redeemable for a 10% discount on a single purchase on your Home Depot Consumer Credit Card Account at The Home Depot, Home Depot Landscape Supply, The Home Depot Floor Store and EXPO Design Center U.S. stores.

only thing is that my wife and I live in an apt, and since I don't have a garage or somewhere to work on projects, that kinda defeats the purpose of getting them. Although I could see myself using them more often in a year or so

 

[rondeemc]

Tools out Video In

Now which one to buy

Good luck

 

[LDegrelle]

There's a deal available on Home Depot online that has the Ryobi 18v Super Combo Kit for $199 with everything listed above PLUS a free Jigsaw. Internet only. And I dont believe there is anyway to get the 10% off for the trade-in or the Home Depot card.

I would love to get the separate charger and battery, but I am really tempted by the Jigsaw.

After talking to the online customer service rep he said that the Jigsaw is CORDED and NOT cordless. I called the folks at Ryobi and they say it is model number JS048 - the better of their two models. It is 4-amp and is the "Orbital Action." The cheapest I saw it for was $80.

Here is a review on it.

SKU for the package is 200706

Delivery is 4-6 weeks

Hope this helps