Okay, it’s been a while. I’m sorry. The summer is here and, even though the weather has been sucking large in Toronto, I do find it hard to sit down and write when it’s warm outside and a new bike constantly calls my name.  Even one month into a municipal workers strike that has garbage collection at a stand still. Yep, it stinks in some parts of this fine city.  I’d love to see a post on unions by the Trini! Do they work?  I don’t think so.

But I digest.

good enough to eat!

As you may know by know I’ve been renovating my basement.  A complete gut and rebuild job.  Not being a contractor, i.e. I don’t do this for other people, I don’t have a need for heavy-duty top-of-the-line power tools.  As you also may know, I do splurge (justifiably so) once in a while.  In this case we’re talking about excellent bang for the buck.

Ryobi tools are the house brand of Home Depot.  They’re made by the same company that makes Milwaukee tools and Hoover vacuums! Ryobi is a step above Black & Decker in quality, and a cut below Ridgid or Makita.  It’s very good stuff, and very durable.  Ryobi has practically rebuilt The Bastard’s house and I’ve not had a tool break on me yet!

I started a few years back with a giant 18V NiCd kit that contained two batteries, a charger, a circular saw, reciprocating saw, drill and flashlight.  Everything I needed, but I was getting sick of replacing the batteries every year or so. NiCd technology is older than I am and it still sucks.  Good thing Lithium Ion technology batteries are becoming affordable!  So last Christmas The Irish Wife bought me a new Ryobi drill kit.  It included two standard capacity lithium batteries, a charger, drill and impact driver in a really funky high visibility green colour.  I already had the boring-blue impact driver and, truth be told, I use this particular tool more than just about anything.  If you’re still driving screws with a drill stop now! Run, don’t walk, to your local hardware store and get an impact driver. It will save your life. Seriously.

The drills are great. Light weight but rugged, and ergonomically correct.  I.e. the forward/reverse button works as you’d expect. Push it left for forward, right for reverse… etc.  What can I say about a couple of drills.  They drive stuff into, and poke holes through, stuff.  It’s the power source that matters.

you want fries with that combo?

Lithium definitely lasts a lot longer!  I get about the same run time out of a standard cap Lithium battery as I do out of a full size NiCd. Lithium batteries don’t drain like NiCd’s do. They deliver about the same amount of power throughout their drain cycle whereas a NiCd is a steady progression of slower drilling and dimmer lights until it finally dies a slow and agonizing death.

With all that I’d still go for the full capacity Lithium batteries.  They cost a bit more (about $120 each) but they seem to last FOREVER!  Seriously, I drove about 250 #8×3″ wood screws into studs with the impact gun, then threw the battery into the recip saw and made a few cuts through 2×4′s before it finally kicked it.

One thing that is particularly awesome about Ryobi cordless tools, and other manufacturers are following suit, is that their One+ 18V system works across the entire One+ 18V line of tools!  The new charger even charges both types of battery!

So, if you’re reaching for that Ridgid kit at twice the price and don’t need to use the tool every day in a harsh environment, check out the Ryobi kit instead.  You’ll save where it counts without sacrificing much in performance and quality.