Ryobi One+ Hammer Drill Initial Review

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There has been a little chatter on here about this drill due to its low price ($100-150) and high torque rating (750lb/in). The drill kit comes with drill, 1 x 4ah battery and charger along with a padded (insulated) carry case. Through home depot I got two more free 4ah batteries for a total of 3.

Initial thoughts: The drill feels solid and well built. It does not have a setting on the trigger where the rotating assembly is allowed to decelerate naturally so it always stops itself with an electronic brake. Not ideal, but still not a big deal as long as you allow it to slow down a little.

First uses: I paired the drill to a new 7" mora hand auger. Worth noting, the mora 7" is actually 7.5". Saturday I drilled 65 holes in 10" of ice... on 1 4ah battery... and it wasn't dead... safe to say I was impressed. Sunday I drilled probably 20 holes with a fresh battery, again without issue. As a small disclaimer, it was 50 degrees Friday and Saturday so the ice had presumably softened up slightly. I also never encountered weather below 20°F so the cold capabilities are yet to be seen.

Ultimately I'm extremely happy with my purchase and it's performance. I can post more observations after I use it for a while and get a better idea of how it handles cold and repetitive stress.

Tight lines

[wefishandflop]

I'm leaving a Mora on my drill setup because it's easy to sharpen and get parts for if needed. Not terribly heavy either. Thanks for the review!

[lefty2053]

Nice review, sounds like a winner.

[hardwater diehard]

Found this

https://www.amazon.com/Ryobi-Brushless-Hammer-Drill-P251/dp/B072KYNCVB/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1517272998&sr=8-3&keywords=ryobi+hammer+drill

[RapShack]

Thanks for the review, been looking at one of these for a bit now.

[wefishandflop]

I would have went with this drill if the local (or any regional) Home Depot would have had the drill and dual pack of batteries in stock at the same time when they were running their last promo.  Nothing in stock locally and nothing in stock online.  Looked to be a good drill. 

[32footsteps]

I will add to this review since it's the same drill I have been using. 

I picked it up with the "free tool" promotion and went with the additional batteries. Drill, charger, and three 4ah batteries for around $150. I won't complain about that. I was leaning towards other brands at first and the Ryobi wasn't anywhere on my radar. I didn't realize they had a 750lb hammer drill and stumbled onto it sort of by accident. Looked through the entire One+ line of tools and determined that the One+ line offered more compatible tools that my wife and I would use throughout the year than Rigid or Milwaukee.

I'm primarily turning a 6" Eskimo shaver bit but have used it on an 8" Mora. I have no complaints whatsoever about the drill's capabilities. The 8" Mora belonged to a guy fishing near me who was struggling to cut holes. I slapped his bit on my Clam Plate and it handled it fairly well...the one thing that did cause issues wasn't the drill, it was his auger having less than ideal blades. With sharp blades on that 8" bit this drill would've handled it with ease. With blades that needed to be replaced or touched up it had a few hiccups here and there. I have a 7" Lazer that I'll be using on it tomorrow. This 7" bit had paint chipping off of it and was starting to rust in a few spots so I needed to refinish it and paint the thing. I will still use the 6" Eskimo on it but I'm curious about the Lazer. That auger will be passed on to my brother with the hand crank.   

As stated above...I run it on a Clam Plate. The only draw back that I've found so far is that when setting it up on a Clam Plate you have to be careful to get it aligned correctly with the trigger mechanism on the plate itself. I didn't do this at first and the way the plate trigger was contacting the drill trigger caused the drill trigger to be pulled slightly down in terms of the way it is oriented to the drill. This meant the drill trigger was under stress any time it was used. On a cold day a few weeks back the drill trigger broke. Fortunately I was still within my return window so I returned it for a different drill. When setting the "new" one up I paid closer attention to this contact point and after a bit of trial and error got it to where the drill trigger is pushed directly in instead of being pushed in and pulled down. There is a tiny window of a sweet spot which you'll want to find so you don't bust that drill trigger off like I did...other than that I have no complaints. 

Battery life has been great. The first time I put mine to use I drilled around 80 or so holes through 8" of ice with the 6" shaver bit without stopping before the battery conked out. I might have been able to get more if I wouldn't have run it through the wringer. So with three batteries total that's a ton of holes with that bit. As is the case with any drill/auger combination, sharp blades are important and don't over burden the drill. If you want a larger hole get a bigger drill. If all you need is a 6" hole there's no reason to feel that the only drill that is an option is the 1200lb Milwaukee. 

Unless something dramatically changes I've been very pleased with this drill. If anyone is looking for a decent drill set up with a favorable price point it is definitely worth considering. If you already have Milwaukee or Rigid batteries (or any other brand) by all means stay within that family. If you don't have any cordless tools and are looking to build up an inventory of them don't overlook this one.

[wefishandflop]

Sort of to your point on building a family of tools the milwaukee hammer drill is my first milwaukee tool, came with two batteries and charger in the kit and a free extra one. I don't think I will need over 1 battery per fishing trip so I'm heavy in batteries and low in tools.  I'll probably get a circular saw at some point to replace my dewalt but my money would have went further with the Ryobi. Oh well.

[RapShack]

Got another one for the list.  With the 4Ah battery and an 8" Mora it drilled 8 holes through 12" and 7.5 through 23" for a grand total of approx. 270".  Grabbed a 5Ah knockoff which should get it up around 600" with an 8" bit for $160.

For performance it gets the job done but it struggles a tad with the thicker ice.  I did a test hole with my 5" and it screamed through almost 2 feet no problem.  With the 8" it ate through the 12" in seconds.  On the deeper holes it was prone to bogging once I got about 15" to 18" down, and sometimes it would skid and not cut.  I think it was caused by shavings buildup but not sure. 

Considering I didn't even expect this thing to work with the 8" I'm impressed.  I think it should be perfect for first ice up to a little over a foot.   Did some quick and dirty math and I think this setup would get over 1,000" with a 6".

[buz23]

Sort of to your point on building a family of tools the milwaukee hammer drill is my first milwaukee tool, came with two batteries and charger in the kit and a free extra one. I don't think I will need over 1 battery per fishing trip so I'm heavy in batteries and low in tools.  I'll probably get a circular saw at some point to replace my dewalt but my money would have went further with the Ryobi. Oh well.

I got the M18 brushless 7 1/4" circular saw and it is great.  Also bought a 18v jig saw (not brushless).  Its great to have the batteries and just buy bare tools.

[RapShack]

After reading on here about the 7" and 8" Mora using the same flights I picked up a set of 7" blades today to see how it did compared to the 8" and.....  it sucked.  The 7" blades fit on the flighting, and it will cut a hole, but it binds up constantly and murders the battery.  I think if I was to grind down the ends of the plates where the blades mount to get some more clearance it might work better.  Cut two holes like that and switched back to the 8" blades.

On the plus side the Enermall 5Ah knockoff I got from Amazon is legit.  It did 37 holes through 10" with the 8". 

I'd like to get my hands on an 8" Lazer or Silvertip and burn through a battery once just to see how it compares. 

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After using mine for a little longer I've discovered a few things.

1. The ryobi batteries don't like cold. 5°F or less and you will struggle to drill holes with a larger auger.

2. My buddy cracked his drill casing at the junction with the stability handle.

Both issues are significant, but I'm still shooting holes with ease as long as the batteries stay warm.

[dipNrip]

I never had issues with the battery. But with an 8” eskimosilveryip it contiually cuts out.
I’ll be returning it to Home Depot. Su

[lefty2053]

I have the Eskimo 6" Silvertip and they are very aggressive. Mine hooks at the bottom of the hole every time unless I go real slow at the bottom. 8" is pretty big also. That is why I use my Nero mini in the 7" which is 7 3/8" wide. I would like next year to buy the Nero Mini 6" auger only if I can find one.

[nkocak]

Has anyone used a drill set up with a gas auger bit?

I have been trying to research this but have had trouble finding some answers. I am looking between a clam plate with my eskimo gas auger bit or purchasing the eskimo pistol bit.

Any thoughts would be awesome, thanks!

[Gills-only]

The test will be cold temps, to see if batteries can stand the cold without putting them in a purse !!  They might be fine, but the 50* temps we have now they will all perform good

[hardwater diehard]

Has anyone used a drill set up with a gas auger bit?

I have been trying to research this but have had trouble finding some answers. I am looking between a clam plate with my eskimo gas auger bit or purchasing the eskimo pistol bit.

Any thoughts would be awesome, thanks!

A gas auger drill unit will not match up to the output shaft of the Clam Plate ..will be lots of slop due to the output shaft being smaller diameter .

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A gas auger drill unit will not match up to the output shaft of the Clam Plate ..will be lots of slop due to the output shaft being smaller diameter .

Strikemaster makes an adapter to run power augers in a 1/2" drill

[3300]

could do the freezer test on the batteries.

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could do the freezer test on the batteries.

No need to, the batteries don't like the cold. Need to keep them warm when its below 5-10°F.

[nkocak]

Thanks!

[Kevin23]

I have the same drill, only I already had the batteries and the lesser quality drills and tools already.. so I just bought the bare tool for $50 I think it was. So far so good with 6". Nothing like my buddy's fuel drill, that thing EATS ice. The green/gray 4ah are the batteries I have I believe, they work well. I used my basic drills with a 5" mora last year (turned 6" too just was a wristbreaker, so bought a clam plate this year) and it worked well all season.

I never had any batteries not work because of the cold, but I usually grab the batt and put it inside my shanty if its up, if not then just leave on the drill. I keep my extras wrapped in a towel in an old small cooler. I never needed a 2nd battery last season.

[Kevin23]

Oh and ryobi has TWO brushless hammer drills. One is a p251 and the other is a p214. The p251 has 750in/lb torque and the p214 has 600. Pretty sure home depot only sells the p214 kit now. The basic non-hammer drills have 310 and 340 I believe.

I was not able to find any p251 on home depot site, only this one which is the p214 https://www.homedepot.com/p/Ryobi-18-Volt-ONE-Lithium-Ion-Cordless-1-2-in-Hammer-Drill-Driver-with-2-1-5-Ah-Batteries-Charger-and-Bag-P1812/205754060

You can still get the p251 on amazon and ebay for around $50 (no batteries).

The new batteries are 6.0ah and I probably will be picking up a pack since a couple of mine are starting to wear down. https://www.homedepot.com/p/Ryobi-18-Volt-ONE-Lithium-Ion-6-0-Ah-LITHIUM-HP-High-Capacity-Battery-2-Pack-P164/305571990

[32footsteps]

Oh and ryobi has TWO brushless hammer drills. One is a p251 and the other is a p214. The p251 has 750in/lb torque and the p214 has 600. Pretty sure home depot only sells the p214 kit now. The basic non-hammer drills have 310 and 340 I believe.

I was not able to find any p251 on home depot site, only this one which is the p214 https://www.homedepot.com/p/Ryobi-18-Volt-ONE-Lithium-Ion-Cordless-1-2-in-Hammer-Drill-Driver-with-2-1-5-Ah-Batteries-Charger-and-Bag-P1812/205754060

You can still get the p251 on amazon and ebay for around $50 (no batteries).

The new batteries are 6.0ah and I probably will be picking up a pack since a couple of mine are starting to wear down. https://www.homedepot.com/p/Ryobi-18-Volt-ONE-Lithium-Ion-6-0-Ah-LITHIUM-HP-High-Capacity-Battery-2-Pack-P164/305571990

I’m going to correct you on a bunch of stuff because you are way, way, way off on some stuff here.

The p251 is the ONLY brushless hammer drill that Ryobi has. It has 750 pounds of torque and is most definitely still being sold by Home Depot. If you go to the HD website simply search “Ryobi brushless hammer drill.” You will have a crapload of hits for this drill. I just checked the site myself and every Home Depot within 300 miles of me has at least 10 of these in stock.

The p214 is the 600 pound BRUSHED hammer drill. Right on the specs page for this drill on the Home Depot website it says that it is brushed. I don’t know where you’re getting the idea that this one is brushless but it most certainly is not. I also don’t get where you think that the p251 is no longer being sold because it most certainly is. 

[Kevin23]

Well you didnt have to be a dick... But you are right. I just logged out of my home depot account, cleared my cookies, and now i see the p251 kits on home depots site. None available locally so it was filtering them out. When I asked the guy at home depot about the p251 a month or so back he said "we dont get those from ryobi anymore, just the p214 over there". And I still dont see any bare p251 hammer drills on their site, just the kits with battery, charger, and bag.

There is no way I would recommend the ryobi at $149.99. spend the extra and get a rigid or fuel. Or even the 20v dewalt. Much better tools. Its a working drill but having owned ryobi for a long time, in my experience they do not hold up past "homeowner repair" uses. I am fully ok with mine only lasting this one season for the $49.99 I paid. I will have a Milwaukee Fuel for next year.