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Re:Power tool manufacturers and who owns them by zrobotics on Tuesday May 19, 2020 @09:29AM (#23234649)
Honestly for hobby use I would definitely recommend ryobi. Reason being, they haven't changed their battery design in absolute ages. So, you can take a old drill that was originally ni-cad and use brand new batteries without an adapter. They have updated battery chemistry, so obviously you need to change chargers when you get new batteries, but at least you don't need to re-buy all your tools as well.

They definitely aren't pro-grade, but I've put fairly heavy use on mine over the last 9 years and the only tool that failed was a flashlight. Wore out 3 batteries that I took good care of, but buying $200 in batteries & charger is way better than $1k in batteries+tools.

The only real problem is they look cheap, so if you are into showing off then that is a negative.

I used Dewalt tools at my last mechanic job, and I honestly didn't think they were better enough to justify the price (2-3x ryobi). I haven't used makita, but the Dewalt drills would only survive 2-3 5 foot falls onto concrete, and the chucks were really crappy. My ryobi drill has survived probably 5 falls of the same type, and is still functional. The only real complaint I have is that the plastic absorbs grease, so if you use them in automotive/machine shop environments they start to look really grungy.

Re:Power tool manufacturers and who owns them by cosmie on Wednesday May 20, 2020 @12:47PM (#23249013)
Also a happy Ryobi user. Even more so after I stumbled on [1] from Slickdeals; they rotate through a ton of Ryobi stock (factory blemished and refurbished) and I haven't ran into any duds yet. Between that site and frequent Home Depot specials, I've been able to build out a solid kit for far less than I expected.

I'm sure other brands funnel factory rejects and refurbs somewhere, as well. But I'm not sure where that is.

[1] https://www.directtoolsoutlet.com/

Re:Power tool manufacturers and who owns them by AuryGlenz on Wednesday May 20, 2020 @02:33AM (#23243909)
My rule of thumb is midrange for battery powered tools, and more expensive for corded tools that I expect to last me a lifetime. I went with Ryobi for the former and I’m really happy with them. I’ve had one battery go bad, but otherwise no issues at all and I love the variety of tools. In addition to the normal set you’d expect we have a pump for our hot tub, a tire inflator, and a handheld vacuum.