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- HOTNESS UNHOT
Home Depot has the Ryobi 18-Volt P855 Combo Kit for $49 with free shipping. Includes an 18-volt two speed drill, dual-filter hand vacuum, and flashlight. Excellent user reviews.
$49
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Does not include the standard Coke and fries to make it a real combo deal...
Yeah, as low-end tools go, Ryobi really aren't low-end. They're not as light or compact as some of the Makita and Hitachi offerings, but they're dirt cheap, and astonishingly durable. I've never had one fail.
That being said, this combo is a bit of a stinker. The vac is lots better than a dustbuster, but still nearly useless. And the flashlight... meh. Useful but unremarkable. It's not a bad deal, especially for someone who already owns some tools and is looking to add another battery and charger. Pay just a little more, and get tools with 'em? That's cool.
But if you're just starting out as a home DIYer and need a base toolkit, look for the combo that gets you the drill, recip saw, circular saw, and whatever else. Roughly twice the price, but many times the functionality. It comes with two batteries, which will save you lots of time and frustration.
Home Depot use to offer a Ryobi 18v drill, circular saw, and battery and charger for $49. The flashlight and vacuum are filler crap. I found a used Ryobi radio that uses the same 18v battery at a thrift store. The radio is probably a lot more useful that the flashlight or vacuum...
Could be worth it for another battery, the vac and flashlight. I mean to supplement an existing set you already own.
A user review mentions the vac is improved from one he bought a couple years ago. Battery has to be worth $30, and the flashlight looks like a good candidate for an LED mod (3W LED and driver from DX.COM are around $10, add your own cut-down heatsink from an old PC), though the charger is reviewed as the slow/dumb/trickle type.
They could add some value to their combos if they'd include a slide-on plate PSU for the battery that produces 2A/5V with a USB port for powering and charging things. Making such an adapter is routine electronically but DIY molding a mating plate casing w/connectors that fits well/reliabily on the battery and doesn't look ghetto is another.
I have many Ryobi 18V tools. Not contractor grade but great for homeowners. Gone through many batteries but never had a tool fail! You can switch from NiCad to lithium ion at any time and are a huge improvement. Especially with the vacuum that may sit for long periods of time between uses and then be nearly dead from leak down when you go to use it. The Craftsman 19.2 ones are also made by Ryobi. Sears has better sales than Home Depot so might be a better bet. Not sure if they have the lithium Ion conversion capability though.
^ yes the Craftsman C3 19.2V series has Li-Ion packs and charger(s) upgradability.
Ryobi isn't actually the manufacturer, it's TTI which makes Ryobi, Craftsman, CEG, Milwaukee, Homelite, Hoover, Dirt Devil, and maybe a few others by now.