The Ryobi P220 Hammer Drill : Get It Before It's Gone!
Written: Mar 19 '07
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Weighty, feels solid. Easy to use. Versatile.
Cons: It’s hefty, could be fatiguing. Notchy gear set. Chuck can slip.
The Bottom Line: My overall score was a toss up, I almost gave it a 5, read the review to find out why.
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| AVaddict's Full Review: Ryobi 18V 3-speed Cordless Hammer Drill P220 |
Product
The Ryobi P220 is part of the One+ line of tools from Ryobi. They are called this simply because it a whole line of products working off a single battery type. This is not particularly unique, most companies have adopted this approach and have varying names for it. This drill works off the 18v pack and is a three speed unit, with a keyless chuck, a 24 position clutch, with a 2nd hand and depth rod A battery is not included with this drill unless it is purchased in the form of a combo pack, and there were at least two at one time or another that had this drill in it. I purchased this drill a la carte, so all it came with was a plug in lanyard and the usual paperwork, accessories, and One+ catalog.
Just to put everything in perspective, from what I have been led to believe, this drill is no longer being made for the US market. I was told this by the fine folks at Home Depot and after a brief call to Ryobi, which was virtually pointless, it seems this may be the case. Supporting my theory is the fact that it is no longer even featured on their own website. Even further, it still seems to be present and strong only in Canadien and EU markets, although they look a little different. That aside, I got a very good deal on it at a larger sale Home Depot was having over Christmas. At only $90, I couldn’t be happier. The drill has performed as expected and based on my experience with at least 10 other Ryobi products (saws, drills, fasteners, sanders, vacuums, etc), I see no reason why it shouldn’t hold up well.
Use
This drill is not too light. This is not a bad thing, but may get fatiguing for some over the long haul, say, installing 600sqft of decking. I don’t mind this too much, but I am also a fairly large dude, so that should probably go without saying. I have used the drill both with and without the 2nd hand and I find that it gets it’s the way more than it helps, unless you are actually drilling masonry, stone, etc. in which case it is almost essential. I say this in direct comparison with their more basic 2 speed driver (P200, not the 210 or 211) that I use for most light to medium duty jobs, but of course it doesn’t have or need an extra handle. Again, by comparison, the P220 is only a little heavier.
As with my other Ryobi drills, having a 24 position clutch is a big advantage. Sure, I suppose a 12 position clutch would also be useful, but in this case more really is better as it allows very fine tuning of your drilling or driving needs. One note however, the clutch is there for driving, not making half inch holes six inches deep in high psi concrete. So far I have used this drill for just about anything. This ranges from lag bolts in 6x6s to drywall anchors to decking to making a series of 10mm drainage holes in an odd floating pad in my backyard. To be honest though, for driving things like lags, I prefer my Ryobi impact driver. The driving ability of this drill is exactly what you would expect of a 18v unit, whether Ryobi, Sears, or DeWalt. The battery lasts as long as the job allows, as some jobs simply won’t be as taxing in draw. Needless to say, dropping screws in a pine deck is not as energy intensive as drilling holes in concrete. At this point I am kind of neutral there. The charge isn’t suspiciously short, but nor is it so robust as to have me exclaim in a high pitched squeal, “My goodness, what long battery life you have!”
The drill comes with two bits which are fairly useless. Soft metal that strips quickly, but I have never bought a power tool with that type of accessory that was worth anything anyway. I generally use Bosch or Snap-On driver bits and for the most part I use Skil or Bosch drill bits. I find they last longest even without cryo-treatment, your experience may vary. The bottom line there though, is ANY brand of bit will work, regardless of what the salesman said, this of course with the exception of bits that are larger than the chucks maximum.
Since efficiency has a tremendous amount to do with the choice of bits, I will simplify this by saying that when all things are equal, in hammer drill mode, this unit performs admirably for something at this price point. It is not hard to spend $300+ on a hammer drill, so for a sub $100 tag, you really can’t go wrong here. Let me be clear though, this isn’t professional quality, though one certainly could use this on a jobsite, it is intended for the average homeowner. With that said, it is probably all the average homeowner will ever need, so, you ought to be pretty happy.
Ergonomically, this drill scores well with me too. I have average hands, not gargantuan meat paws, but hardly dainty either. Over the space of several hours, the space between my thumb and forefinger can start to ache a bit, but I also am not in construction, so this isn’t too surprising. Overall though, it fits well, and though heavy, is fairly well balanced and doesn’t have a tendency to swing out of your hand at the most minor release of grip. It is made with the same blue plastic Ryobi is known for with rubber overlays in all the right areas.
Conclusion
This is a very good hammer drill for the price. It’s definitely isn’t heavy duty, but it isn’t light duty by any means either. It is capable of drilling into masonry, stone, and concrete darn well up to about a half inch bore. It also does a very good job of other drilling needs, whether it be hardwood or MDF. It is reasonably comfortable and depending on the job, has a reasonable battery life. The batteries are well priced at $40/2pk and if you don’t already have a charger or didn’t get one as part of a kit, they can be picked up on the cheap as too. To some degree cheap is a relative term here, but when the overall versatility of their products are taken as a whole, it’s really not bad at all. To that I would only add, once you own your first Ryobi One+ cordless tool, you will probably end up buying more. I have had Ryobi in my stable for almost a decade. In fact, I still have my first 9.6V drill, and yes, it works just fine.
The only two downsides to this product are the chuck and the clutch on this particular drill. The chucks on Ryobi drills tend to slip with age, or even earlier on depending on a few things. It’s not a real big pain, cause I can get the chuck pretty tight with my hands, but with larger bits on tougher jobs, I have noticed this about all my Ryobi drills. It’d be nice if that weren’t the case, but it isn’t a deal breaker. The other thing about this drill that could be better is the “gear” or “torque” selection switch, whatever you prefer to call it, is a little finicky. I don’t have a problem with it locking up, or snapping into gear violently, but it is a little touchy. This is not common with my Ryobi drills, for most, a small drunken ferret could deal, in the dark, with a ten foot pole, so maybe this is just this particular unit and it will fail the next use after this review…….but I doubt it. Again, this is an issue I would prefer wasn’t, but it is not a deal breaker.
This is a stout little hammer drill the whole family will love, give it a shot.
Recommended:
Yes
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AVaddict
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Location: Texas
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