I am in the process of buying beginner power tools. To start off with, looking for cordless drill/impact driver kit, cordless recip. saw, corded circ. saw, corded orbital sander, and corded jig saw. I am having a hard time deciding between the two. I hear PC has always been a good brand name but ryobi has come along way to be a decent brand. I know there are way better brands but I'm just a beginner diy and not in the market for professional/commercial grade brands. Any input would be appreciated.

Because you are planning to buy many tools - it is worth your time and money to choose a good brand in the beginning. Once you get into a brand and the battery size/voltage, you won't want to change later.

I haven't owned Ryobi cordless, but in general I am unimpressed with their overall build quality. I have had long life and great service from my Dewalt 18V tools - drill/driver, circular saw, and reciprocating. The set was originally nicad - and I have had them long enough that I replaced the nicads with li-ion (which requires a new charger).

Home Depot's better brand to consider is Ridgid. I have a corded pad sander and it is excellent.

Recently though I bought a PC 20V oscillating tool to replace an awful Craftsman 12V oscillating tool given as a gift. I had a gift card and bought a PC 20V drill. The drill makes my Dewalt look and (especially) feel like a dinosaur.

I have never had Ryobi tools that lasted. Think of them as being somewhat "disposable." I burned up a Ryobi drill in less than a week.

A cordless drill is something you will probably use more than any other tool in your arsenal. You want quality. Trust me and all the others who will no doubt chime in when we say buying quality tools is worth the investment. You can spend $200 once or $150 twice is the way I look at it.

I also happen to be a fan of DeWalt tools. They are durable, long-lasting and reasonably priced. Home Depot has a DeWalt drill and impact driver set for $199.

One of my first purchases was a Porter Cable circular saw about 5 years ago. I've used the hell out of that thing, and it has held up.

While I do agree that you should go with quality first, you also have to consider how much the tool will be used. I have a Ryobi jig saw that was cheap, and it feels that way. I got it because I had a gift card that would cover the cost, and I only use it sparingly.

I use my impact drill more than any other tool I have. I ended up buying Milwaukee tools, but from the two you listed, I would go with PC. I don't hear good things about Ryobi. As the poster above said though, if you are only planning on using the tools once every few months, then go with the cheap set. They will last a long time. If you plan on using the tools every day, or every weekend, go with higher quality than Ryobi.

If this was 20 years ago, I would say PC hands down for everything. Not now (except their sanders are still pretty good). I switched over a few years ago to Bosch and have been very happy. You just have to look at the individual tools you are buying and do your research. Bosch and Dewalt in my opinion.

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If this was 20 years ago, I would say PC hands down for everything. Not now (except their sanders are still pretty good). I switched over a few years ago to Bosch and have been very happy. You just have to look at the individual tools you are buying and do your research. Bosch and Dewalt in my opinion.

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My dad has a bunch of PC tools that are 20+ years old and they are solid.

You should go to pawn shops if you want to find high quality tools for a lower price. I've done that with some success on a few occasions.

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Because you are planning to buy many tools - it is worth your time and money to choose a good brand in the beginning. Once you get into a brand and the battery size/voltage, you won't want to change later...

Home Depot's better brand to consider is Ridgid. I have a corded pad sander and it is excellent.

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+1

My dad and I both have the Rigid circular saw, and we both love it. Put a GOOD blade on it, buy a quality straight edge, and you'll be surprised what you can do with it. I also have the pad sander, and again, excellent.

My cordless drill is a Black & Decker Li-Po that my in-laws got me for Christmas. It's been a great drill, goes a really long time between charges.

Corded drill and corded jigsaw are DeWalt (presents from the wife, God bless her). Obviously quality there.

Or the rare find at garage sale.

I passed the garage sale on the way to the store for a couple of items, and stopped by on the way back. I was about 10 minutes too late to get a Makita 10 inch miter saw for $30. Kick myself everyday for not stopping when my gut said to stop.

I was able to get a palm sander, sharpshooter shovel, 2 heavy duty tow chains, and a few other items for $10.

Ryobi is junk

Ridgid for the drills


http://m.homedepot.com/p/RIDGID-X4-18-Volt-Hyper-Lithium-Ion-Cordless-Drill-and-Impact-Driver-Combo-Kit-3-Tool-with-Radio-R9601/203810442/

Makita for the corded saw

http://m.homedepot.com/p/Makita-15-Amp-7-1-4-in-Circular-Saw-5007F/202873973/

This year I've gotten the Porter Cable 20V LI drill, impact driver, circular saw (bigger blade than many), jigsaw, reciprocating saw and oscillating tool. I have no complaints about any of them. I've given them quite a bit of use already, including replacing my fence. Are they pro grade? I doubt it, but for a homeowner these are more than adequate (unless you've got a lot of money burning a hole in your pocket).
I looked at the Ryobi before getting these as well as other brands. For me, these were the clear bang-for-buck winner.

Porter Cable and Delta Merged, B&D owned Dewalt, Stanley ate them all (among others) and moved production to China or Cheaper. Most of their current stuff should be considered Disposable, a step above Harbor freight. Before the Lithium stuff Ryobi was as bad as HF, now probably as good a B&D but no better. I love my Rigid Cordless tools, with lifetime warranty batteries. Have had good luck with Makita and Hitachi. Have a luggable Craftsman table saw, not great but very handy.
You need to apply your budget based on usage. Buy great tools that you use all the time, buy ok tools for occasional use and disposable tools for things you are going to use once. I have Rigid Drill press, bench grinder, drills and Impact. Hitach miter saw, Delta band saw. I bought a $80 tile saw for a one time project at HF and sold for almost that when done. Will buy another if I have to have one again. Would have rented but it would have cost more since I wanted to take my time.
Love the maker space concept. Access to stuff that one cannot justify for themselves but indispensable when needed. Have a friend working on starting one in CS.

Don't know if they still do but ridgid used to warrenty the batteries for life.

Personally, I have never worn out a tool before I replaced it because the battery went to ****.

Thanks for all the input. I never thought about Ridgid and after going back and researching, I think these are the tools for me. They may be a tad more expensive than Ryobi and PC but cheaper than the higher end tools. Plus, you can not ignore the lifetime warranty, especially on the batteries.

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You need to apply your budget based on usage. Buy great tools that you use all the time, buy ok tools for occasional use and disposable tools for things you are going to use once.

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Home Depot had a fantastic deal on the Dewalt 20 volt lithium ion max. Come with hammer drill, impact driver, circular saw, reciprocating saw, and a flash light. You also get two batteries included. I have used several brands in my time building homes. Dewalt is the only brand I will buy. They last the longest and work as advertised. The bundle is not much more than Ryobi or PC, and well worth the extra money. Do yourself a favor and buy dewalt now.

Another vote for rigid. I think they have a lifetime warranty on their batteries too!

I've always had good luck with Ryobi tools, but if I were in your position, I'd likely look to buy Dewalt or Rigid.