Tool Box Buzz

Ryobi ONE+ Li-ion Drill and Impact Driver Kit #P882

The first part of January the Ryobi ONE+ Li-ion Drill and Impact Driver Kit showed up at my door step. At the time it was listed for $150 and the similar RIDGID kit was only $29 more. My initial impression was that the cost difference wasn’t enough to justify the difference in features between the two. Now a month later the RIDGID kit is $200 and the Ryobi is now listed at $129. Now we’re talking. Over the last month I’ve put this kit through all sort of drilling and driving applications to figure out what it can take and if it’s worth the money.

Li-Ion technology

First thing to note about this kit is that it includes 2 li-ion batteries and new charger. It’s part of Ryobi’s strategy to make Ni-Cd a thing of the past. The new batteries last 20% longer and weigh 45% less than their Ni-Cd counter part. That’s a big deal. Charge time was right around 30 minutes.

1-1/2″ forstner into oak proved to be no problem

Specifications and Features for Drill/Driver

• No Load Speed: 0-440/0-1,600
• Chuck Size: ½ in.
• 24 position clutch
• 2-Speed Transmission
• Bubble Level

Specifications and Features for Impact Driver

• No Load Speeds:     0-2,600 RPM
• Torque:     1,500 in. lbs
• Chuck:       ¼ in. hex 
• Socket adapter
• On-board bit storage

Evaluation and Performance

Like many of my reviews I like to put the tools in extreme situations to see how they handle. I was still working on my stair project while testing this combo kit but finally on the newels, handrails, and balusters. The nature of the floor framing necessitated the use of 16″ lag bolts to secure the newels to the floor. This involved a series of holes and bits better suited for a drill press or low-speed Hole Hog. The toughest hole used a 1-1/2″ forstner bit to bore down 2″ deep in the oak newel. The Ryobi didn’t have any issues. I just had to use the variable speed trigger to match the suggested RPM for the bit.

The impact driver faired just as well in testing. I didn’t have any impact heavy projects going at the time so I just set up a little jig to see how many 5″ long 3/8″ diameter lag bolts it could drive on a full charge. It dropped in 8 bolts easily, I removed them, rotated the jig and drove another 5 more. I was pretty impressed with 13 lag bolts. Neither the battery nor the  driver got too warm either.

Improvements

One thing with this set that could be improved is to get rid of the magnetic trays and put LEDs in its place. On the impact driver when the under heavy load the impact mechanism would vibrate loose anything on the magnetic tray so it was pretty useless. An LED in that space would be a much welcomed addition.

Where to Buy

The Ryobi ONE+ Li-ion Drill and Impact Driver Kit can be found in any Home Depot store or online at HomeDepot.com. The kit contains the drill/driver, impact driver, two batteries, and a charger in a well sorted Ryobi green tool bag. At $129 it’s a great deal.

• Ryobi ONE+ Li-ion Drill and Impact Driver Kit

1 Comment

1. VK Johnson

   February 18, 2013 at 1:24 pm

   Usually, that’s correct, Steve… It’s just easier to buy new in the moment when you need the tool now…

   Reply

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