Ryobi cordless power tools
Cordless power tool in Tools & making
Affordable cordless tools that are good enough for most non-professional jobs, last for decades, and use batteries that still work years later. Caveat: may not hold up to heavy professional use.
Affordable cordless tools that are good enough for most non-professional jobs, last for decades, and use batteries that still work years later. Caveat: may not hold up to heavy professional use.
13 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 11
- criticize it
- 2
- approval share
- 85%
Recommended in 3 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 11 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 5.5 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 3 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Good enough for non-professional use
“Ryobi isn't the best quality, but it is generally good enough and cheaper.”
Comment from 15 May 2026 in “Power Tools Got Worse on Purpose. Who Owns DeWalt, Craftsman, and Milwaukee?” “Ryobi is fine for just about anything a non-professional will need”
Comment from 15 May 2026 in “Power Tools Got Worse on Purpose. Who Owns DeWalt, Craftsman, and Milwaukee?” “Ryobi make mostly good tools though.”
Comment from 15 May 2026 in “Power Tools Got Worse on Purpose. Who Owns DeWalt, Craftsman, and Milwaukee?” Good tools overall
“Great tools really. I wish they'd bite the bullet and change the battery.”
Comment from 16 May 2026 in “Power Tools Got Worse on Purpose. Who Owns DeWalt, Craftsman, and Milwaukee?” “Ryobi make mostly good tools though.”
Comment from 15 May 2026 in “Power Tools Got Worse on Purpose. Who Owns DeWalt, Craftsman, and Milwaukee?” Lasts decades, batteries stay compatible
“A Ryobi tool will realistically last for the many decades you need it for and do everything you ask of it.”
Comment from 15 May 2026 in “Power Tools Got Worse on Purpose. Who Owns DeWalt, Craftsman, and Milwaukee?” “I have some Ryobi tools that are over 20 years old and they work with batteries sold in stores today.”
Comment from 30 Jan 2026 in “Ode to the AA Battery” Fair quality for the price
“Ryobi isn't the best quality, but it is generally good enough and cheaper.”
Comment from 15 May 2026 in “Power Tools Got Worse on Purpose. Who Owns DeWalt, Craftsman, and Milwaukee?” “reasonably fine for the price”
Comment from 15 May 2026 in “Power Tools Got Worse on Purpose. Who Owns DeWalt, Craftsman, and Milwaukee?”
What people said
12 of the 13 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“Great tools really. I wish they'd bite the bullet and change the battery.”
“how completely competitive a brand like Ryobi has gotten is also a near miracle”
“If you buy their brushless line, you can add a few decent tools to your lineup while using the cheap stuff for everything else.”
“They feel and sound terrible and don't perform well at all.”
“Ryobi is fine for just about anything a non-professional will need”
“Ryobi isn't the best quality, but it is generally good enough and cheaper.”
“A Ryobi is not bad, if it fills your needs, but might not be enough for heavy use.”
“A Ryobi tool will realistically last for the many decades you need it for and do everything you ask of it.”
“Ryobi make mostly good tools though.”
“comes with a 5 year warranty which is 2 years more than ryobi”
“reasonably fine for the price”
“I have some Ryobi tools that are over 20 years old and they work with batteries sold in stores today.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.