Ryobi cordless or store brand cordless tools ok for intermittent use?

While the Ryobi tools maybe be cheaper than Milwaukee M18 fuel tools long term they may be most costly. The reason I have had two Ryobi batteries fail to accept a charge. Have yet to have a Milwaukee M18 battery fail.

I have 20+ Milwaukee tools and 3 Ryobi tools. I only got Ryobi when Milwaukee did not have what I wanted.
 
Ryobi is a store brand - Home Depot's homeowner grade line from Chinese manufacturer TTI. TTI also makes Milwaukee for the high end of the market.

I wouldn't not recommend Ryobi to anybody for whom they fit the bill and the price is right. They're fine. I elected to go with Makita in both 12v and 18v varieties (there are tasks for which the 12v are superior).

I would definitely not recommend the other random store brands, or the random Chinese tools and knockoffs on Amazon. Who knows what kind of support will be available in the future, battery availability, etc.

jeff
 
Ryobi has been around forever and will be around forever. Store brands get discontinued and then you can’t warranty them or get batteries for them.

I’m all in on Ryobi. I love the line. Not a single issue or broken tool in 5 years. I just used a Ryobi 18V brushless chainsaw for 4 days straight trimming downed oaks after the last hurricane. That chainsaw is a beast …
 
I prefer Rigid as they seem to have a 5% quality lead when in my hands. My drills, impact and saw are all rigid 18. But ryobi has the outdoor tools cornered with both 18 and 40v offerings which rigid simply doesn’t offer. My first ryobi chainsaw and pole saw fell apart after a lot of use. The poke saw is still limping along; I’ve waited to figure out if I’ll go with the updated 18v or the full 40v saw. ryobi has so many accessories for their line, the weekend warrior, tailgater, camper and all-arounder is probably better served with their array of offerings.
 
Back when I worked for Black and Decker, (over 20 years ago), at a DeWalt manufacturing plant (before it closed down), B&D were making store brand power tools also, such as Craftsman and some european brand. Basically same DeWalt tool in a different shell.
TTI does a similar practice for Ridgid - it’s rebranded AEG, their European line. TTI has the rights to the Ryobi name for consumer use. The real Ryobi is a major robot maker in Japan, not as big as Fanuc or Kawasaki there but still a player.

I think Ryobi is the same as Walmart’s Hart brand but the batteries are “flat” vs the “stick” style Ryobi OnePlus system.
 
I have a small collection of the Ryobi One+ 18V. They have all been great. I also have several of the Craftsman V20 tools (including weed wacker/blower). They too have been great. I used a combination of both to rebuild my deck this summer. They were used hard, and never missed a beat. Build up your supply of extra batteries (including some 4ah ones) whatever you chose.
 
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