Ryobi make decent tools and when I started my woodworking journey it seemed like the logical place to start. Mid to high range quality in the hobby sector, while still being somewhat affordable.
The Ryobi 18v one plus range has many decent tools that mostly have you covered. For the most part, Ryobi tools work well enough to get the job done.
Ryobi though isn’t without it’s quirks. Quality is somewhat lacking. While the tools might be fully functional they’re somewhat entry level-ish and lacking in features. I know that’s a generalization but take my random orbital sander for example – The Ryobi one has no speed selection and after about half a year of use, it’s making some interesting noises but it still works. Then there’s the trim router, which does a decent enough job, but can only accept 6mm bits and the spanner for the bit adjustment broke and it’s never been comfortable to use.
Next point worth discussion are accessories. Ryobi once again offer a very basic spread of accessories which are either average quality or non existent. Never amazing or stellar. Bosch on the other hand offer a much wider range of accessories and consumables and the quality is far higher.
And last but not least is the battery form factor, while this has never been a glaring issue for me, the Ryobi battery size and shape is the same as it was when it first hit the market, so it’s quite a bit larger than other brands as technology has scaled down.
Why I no longer recommend Ryobi
It is not that Ryobi tools are terrible, in fact on the whole they’re pretty good and most of their core tools will end up serving you well. It’s just that Bosch and specifically Bosch blue tools are simply better and either cost the same or slightly more.
It’s a misconception that Ryobi tools are cheaper. They’re not.
The battery line investment problem
Unless you have an unlimited budget, it’s a good idea to pick a battery line and stick with that. The reason is when you need a new tool, the cost is heavily reduced if you already have existing batteries for those tools.
In many cases, the battery costs more than the tool, and you will need a way to charge those batteries too.
Because of this and only because of this, I would always recommend bypassing an inferior brand from the get go.
Bosch isn’t that expensive compared to other manufacturers and still gives you incredible quality and longevity in the tools you use.
Michael's Techbox 