I’ve had the same Milwaukee drill/driver I bought back in 2010 for all these years. I’ve bought one extra battery along the way and it has held up extremely well, but is getting a little long in the tooth. I’m just a typical weekend warrior using my tools as needed. The drill/driver probably comes out for something a couple times a month.

I want to start buying some more cordless power tools, especially a cordless 3/8 ratchet and an impact wrench and started looking around. I’m pretty much between Bauer or Ryobi.

Any thoughts?

Not trying to change your mind, but I've been happy with all my DeWalt 20V stuff. I'm up to five tools now.

Of your choices, go with Ryobi. Supported by Home Depot. Large selection of tools powered by same battery, very large consumer base.

HF quality for power tools is usually miss or miss. For disposable single use, use HF, if you want something to last 10 hrs or more go elsewhere

Ryobi has served me extremely well for the last 15 years. I'd choose them again for my light home use.

Ryobi has been solid for me for about a decade.

Every year, usually around now-ish (May or June), Home Depot will have "Ryobi Days", where tools are discounted and they typically have some sort of BOGO or Buy 2 Batteries Get a Tool Free deal going on. Should be happening any week now.

If it's a tool that you're going to be using routinely, it's worth investing in one of their upper tier models with a brushless motor, rather than the cheaper lower tier brushed motor models.

And once you have enough spare batteries, you can start buying just the bare tools, with no battery included, to save $40-$50.

Ryobi has been my 18V go to for l5 years with lots of tools and batteries. Even eBay knock off batteries.
Only had 1 battery issue and an air inflator issue. Ryobi handled the warranty replacement with ease. I am a weekend warrior as well.

Ryobi always has sales come Father’s Day and usually has a very nice starter kit for around $300.

For 12V stuff I have Milwaukee

I'm a 20v DeWalt guy. I get it, though. Important to go with something with battery consistency.

I have a garage full of Ryobi tools but I’m starting to buy Milwaukee impact drivers, even for some drilling needs. It started with a 3/8” mid torque impact wrench for lug nuts on my truck.

For us weekend warriors, any of the well known brands are probably good to go.

I have a garage full of 18V Ryobi, but I've noticed recently that many of my newer Ryobi tools are a little pricey. Don't get me wrong, I love that they've never changed the battery form factor and in 24 years of ownership I've only broke my drill from '00. However, these prices are out of whack:

4 gallon sprayer for inorganics - $99 Bauer and $159 Ryobi.

1 gallon sprayer for organics - $49.99 Bauer and $64.97 Ryobi

battery - $67.99 Bauer 5 Ah and $119 Ryobi 4 Ah

Right angle drill - $39.99 Bauer and $79.99

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Ego is the anesthesia that deadens the pain of stupidity

DISCLAIMER: These are the author's own personal views and do not represent the views of the author's employer.

Ryobi given those choices with your usage requirements. I was a residential building superintendent for a couple of years. For heavy use, it was Milwaukee or DeWalt. For interior use, specifically by the carpenters, Ryobi was quite common. Definitely go brushless, spend more up front to save in the long run.

Some advantages of Ryobi:

1. More Home Depot’s around than HF
2. Ryobi offers a larger lineup of tools for their battery system. Remember just because you don’t see it at the store doesn’t mean it can’t be ordered online

After the battery packs of my old Dewalt Cordless Drill crapped out, I picked up a Masterforce 20V at my local Menards on a Black Friday sale. I've had it a few years and am extremely happy with it. It's definitely better than the old Dewalt, but that's because the technology has improved.

I'm weekend warrior type too - projects around the house and such, not every day heavy use.

Ryobi's ratchet's battery location looks awkward compared to the Bauer.

They both look huge compared to the Milwaukee.

I just can't really justify paying Milwaukee money for something I use so infrequently.

I like the fact Ryobi has used the same battery form for decades.

I have all dewalt xr and flexbolt, easily more than 15 tools and 20+ batterries. I wish 5 years ago I had chosen ryobi.

Cheaper tools that do the same work.

quote:

Originally posted by KevH:
Ryobi's ratchet's battery location looks awkward compared to the Bauer.

They both look huge compared to the Milwaukee.

I just can't really justify paying Milwaukee money for something I use so infrequently.

I like the fact Ryobi has used the same battery form for decades.

This is the ONE exception I've made for new purchases... I sought out a used 12v Milwaukee ratchet as the Ryobi ones just looked poorly designed to actually use.

I have a bauer drill I bought because I needed a pole saw & it was only about $5 more to get a drill & small battery vs buying just the charger (saw needed a 5AH battery too). I figured I could use it around the house.
I do, but it's not that great. Trigger feels weird, it smells like china when the motor spins & it clunks & clacks in a weird way.

Ryobi 18Vhas been good for me for a 1/2" impact (It has been VERY good for 1/2 the price of MW/DW/Bosch/etc), hedge trimmer, sprayer, and a few other specialty tools but I avoided the drill because they all just felt cheap. I recently burned up the motor of my bosch hammer drill & I bought the bullet & replaced it (minus the hammer function) and it is light years ahead of the bauer in power, ergo and just feels like a better tool, 7x the price notwithstanding. Plus the closest HD is 1hr away, so HF wins for cheap tools that I don't have.

For light duty use, I'd look at the 12V line of milwaukee/bosch/dewalt (in that order). I bought into the bosch 12v something like 15 years ago & the drill & impact driver are still my most used power tools. I think I've had 1 battery die in that time.... I use the 12v impact for car use all the time - 1/4, 3/8/ even 1/2 impact adapters. The right-angle drill (that is 0-90* adjustable) is also handy in weird spots. The interchangeable head driver has overtaken the drill as my small-kit grab for things like changing outlets or hanging pictures on a wall, etc.

Milwaukee has more 12v tools, Dewalt is a larger form factor - that's the reason for my ranking.
The bosch/milwaukee 12v drills & impact drivers are so much smaller than the 18v cousins.

We have been very happy with our 20V DeWalt stuff. It's lightweight, powerful, durable, and there are tons of options across the platform. It's ergonomic, and honestly not that much heavier than the 12v Makita stuff I upgraded from. Batteries charge quickly, and are available everywhere. I actually just finished putting in a new fence with mine yesterday....260 slats, and I went though about 12 lbs of decking screws plus a bunch of 3" construction screws for the crossmembers. Zero complaints.

Makita's 12v bare tools kept showing up on the HD clearance endcap so I have a bunch of those and have been happy with each one. Main reason is because you can get into tighter spots with them.

I bought an 18v Milwaukee 1/2" hammer drill/impact combo nearly 10 years ago for a house we were re-doing and they've been great.

Lately it's been Ryobi 18v because of the Ryobi Days promotion mentioned above. The 10" cordless chainsaw is amazing and has more than paid for itself.

I have no issue with buying HF corded tools. I personally would not buy their cordless stuff unless I plan to use it up in only a few years. I’m married to Makita at home. We use Milwaukee at work. Both are great and worth the price due to longevity unless you overdue it, the tool will let you know if that’s the case. I think sticking to one brand across your entire tool kit is the way to go. Makita, Milwaukee, Dewalt all have a huge line of tools with good odds of replacement parts and batteries for years to come.

Always thought the Bauer and Ryobi were lower end products.
If a good dollar for dollar value for you then act accordingly.
Others seem better quality to me like DeWalt, Milwaukee, Makita, Bosch or others like Festool.
But the key for me on battery operated devices is the interchangeability of batteries among devices.
With Milwaukee ~ I have both 12v and 18v and multiple devices depending on the job at hand.
Of course if only considering one device then anything could work depending on how if applies to your job and if prices favorably.

Between the 2, I would go ryobi. HF stuff is for one-time use, or if working over water. I use Milwaukee professionally at work, because for mechanics, they have the best coverage of my needs. One of my employees has ryobi, and while reliable, he prefers the power and ergonomics of my tools. He is in the process of switching. If you are just looking for typical home-improvement type tools, you may want to consider Ridgid as well. I believe they have a lifetime battery warranty, which really ends up being most of your investment.