Thanks for all the good advice. The "Ryobi shaming" was a joke, but you guys did get me thinking.
I hate cheap tools (not saying Ryobi is junk) and hate buying something and then being disappointed.
JHZR2's advice was spot on; there is no rust in Silicon Valley. What got me going was helping a young friend on her 2015 F-150's brake job.
My DeWalt was way overmatched on the 150# lug nuts. And it is bulky and heavy.
Jeff,
I had a whole line of the blue Ryobi at home with NiCad batteries! They served me well for years, but when the batteries went, it was time for an upgrade.
I went full bore into Ridgid simply for the lifetime battery agreements. Register the tools and batteries, lifetime warranty. Cant ask for much more than that! I now own the sawzall, drill, hammer drill, oscillating tool, 1.4 impact driver, and 1.2" mid tq impact. The mid TQ is 1/2" drive, rated at like 425 ft./lb, and has done very well for me. But there came a time when it struggled, and I was just waiting for a reason to upgrade! (Ridgid now has a 1/2" drive high TQ impact available!!)
I purchased the Milwaukee high TQ model, 1400 ft/lb of nut busting tq, $299 on sale with a single 5ah Li battery and charger and case. I brought this to work at the dealership, and ise it daily. It does an excellent job, go days between battery changes, and is very stout!! Highly recommended
One other thought though......Ive got a co-worker with an Earthquake from Harbor freight, and that thing isnt far behind my Milwaukee!! So if you just tinker a little, no hardcore mechanical work, dont be afraid of Earthquake or Bauer for that matter. Ive used them as well, very good equipment!