Best Rechargeable Tools

[cruisesailor]

What is the best brand of rechargeable tools for use in the corrosive environment of a sailboat on the ocean. I currently have Ryobi 18 volt set. The most used is the standard drill and then the 5-1/4" circular saw. But the handiest of them is the angle drill for tight spaces and since there are few straight lines on a boat the sabre-saw is real handy as well. They also have a new (again) 18 volt miter saw that uses a 7-1/4" blade with the recommendation of using their lithium battery.
Does anyone know how the Ryobi brand holds up compared to any of the others?

Thanks and Happy Sailing To All,

cruisesailor

[blt2ski]

I have DeWalts personally. For my use, construction they seem to hold up better than Ryobi. BUT< that is not to say Ryobi does not build or make a good bang for the buck tool. I do have a few Ryobi items, but prefer the dewalt stuff, as I can move batteries from one to another tool, charger etc. Most of my stuff is 18V, but do have a smaller sized 12V drill to go with the 18V. The 18 being the work horse, the 12v when in tighter spots etc.

marty

[MarkSF]

I would say one thing which is that the Lithium batteries are a great improvement on the old NiMH ones. My NiMH-powered drill was always flat after having been left for a few weeks, while my new Lithium one keeps a charge for ages and will work when you need it.

[bljones]

I like Ryobi tools, they are good all-purpose homeowners tools. As blt said, they are a little light- duty for daily contractor use, but for general boat repair and maintenance Ryobi tools are just fine. However, any power tool will be useless on a boat if it is not stored properly. Keep your power tools in a waterproof bag with a container of silica gel, and give the surfaces a spritz of boeshield from time to time.

[adanguy]

Lithium batteries are an improvement to the old batteries

[LinekinBayCD]

I don't have any experience with Ryobi tools. No makes as far as I know have any special anti corrosive qualities. Have always used Makita's. A little expensive but well made. Some of the 9v's have lasted 15+ years. Now have a Makita 18v lithium and a set of Porter Cable recharables, drill, sawsall, circular saw and light. Well made but maybe a hair under the Makita.

[arf145]

I agree with the others re: the virtues of lithium batts in rechargeable power tools. Lithium vs. NiMh or NiCd is more important to me than make.

Don't know if any tool has a leg up when fighting corrosion. I've left my little Makita driver/drill on board for the last year and it works fine.

[Boatsmith]

Makita is my favorite. I too have 9,6v drills that are 15 years old and still working. Ryobis are disposable tools in my opinion. I used my 90 degree Ryobi drill under salt water one night and it still worked for several weeks thereafter.But it got the job done and earned it's keep.

[eherlihy]

I have a Milwaukee 28V system; 2 speed Hammer Drill, Flashlight, Circular saw, Reciprocating Saw (I am surprised at how often I use this), and Impact driver. The 28V tools are heavy, but they go on forever. The batteries have a TEST button, which lights a set of LEDs to tell you their state of charge. When the batteries do run down, they're back up to full power in under an hour.

That said, I usually use a 18V Black & Decker cordless drill for drilling/screwing projects because it is lighter and smaller (to fit in cramped spaces). The batteries are NiCd, and they take several hours to reach a recharge, and they drain quickly.

It's good to have both options.

[SlowButSteady]

I've used a Craftsman cordless drill (14.4V NiCD) on my boat for years. I figure that I can always find a Sears, or OSH, to get parts and/or warrantee service, and I don't use it nearly enough to justify the expense of a really nice high-end brand. Also, I got a nice 12V recharger, so I don't have to worry about hooking up the shore power, or using an inverter, to charge up the batteries. Besides, no warrantee I know of will cover the saltwater dunking that is bound to happen sooner or later.