I have a 14.4 Ryobi drill. Has worked flawlessly for 5 years. I did have one
of the original 2 batteries die after about 3 years of use. Bought 2 more on
Ebay for the price of one at HD. Both still going strong. Just built a new
fence and had no problem driving 3 1/2 screws countersunk into 4x4s. Also
have Ryobi weedwacker with edger attachment. Mechanically it has been going
strong about 7 years with very little maintenance. It gets used year round
since I live in Central Florida. Only complaint is the wheel on the edger
wouldn't stay tight so height kept changing (JB Weld fixed that problem).
"MSH" jjd@jaacom wrote in message ...
I recently bought the Ryobi 18v set at HD, torn between that and a DeWalt
set, I couldn't resist the price. I have used Dewalt cordless previously
and
was quite impressed with the versatility of the saws and long life of the
batteries.

Within a week I had a problem with the Ryobi charger, an HD employee was
kind enough to just slip me a new one.

The batteries were not lasting well at all, but that seemed to get better
with use. Never did hold a charge like the Dewalts tho.

The Ryobi saw is a 5", barely(just) big enough to cut a 2x4. Seems there
are
fewer blade choices so prices are higher than the 6 inchers.

Last week I took the drill to a jobsite where I was tightening up a
squeeky
subfloor. My drill, with a fresh battery would not countersink the 3 1/2"
screws. I borrowed another workers Dewalt 18v and it sucked those screws
in
without a problem, in fact it had enough torque to twist the screw bit to
bits, so to speak...Clearly, the Dewalt has more torque and *seemed* to be
smoother running.

OK, so I figure, I got what I paid for and could live with it.
Well...today,
one of the batteries is dead. Flat dead and when I put it in the charger,
the red light is dimm, flickers and goes out. Charges the other battery
fine. I had been considering buying the cordless vacuum to so I'd have 3
batteries but at this point, I think its time to cut my losses and just
buy
a set of Dewalt. Price may be attractive, but you still get what you pay
for. In this case, I think I just got a toy.

M Hamlin