On Wed, 3 Dec 2003 10:42:18 -0000, "IMM" wrote:
Ryobi is a brand, it's called, Ryobi.
Not in the same sense as Makita, Bosch, etc.
http://www.ryobi-group.co.jp/en/proj...ols/index.html
Your point being?
They are a lathe Japanese corporation, not a Chinese DIY outfit.
I don't think that they make lathes. Printing machines, but not
lathes. They are far from being large in japanese terms and in
power tools very small and apparently shrinking.
Ryobi position themselves with a range of predominantly DIY tools but
do not have a strong brand position.
Not in the UK. In some countries some brands have status, while in other
countries they do.
I suggest you read their annual report. In 2003 their power tool
sales fell by nealry 25% and they sold off their power tools
subsidiaries outside Japan.
Making them in Japan gives status and they must be introducing new products.
Not many do battery angle drills.
Like most companies, some production has moved to China. The issue
then becomes the effectiveness of the quality control.
Their sales of power tools were at
only around $200M which is small for what they are doing. This,
coupled with the financial data does not give a strong impression of
commitment to the power tools market. Their main business is
diecastings and printing machines.
A lot of what they make goes in rebadged form on the U.S. market,
where as I mentioned they only sell their own bramd through Home
Depot. Home Depot has a service arrangement worse than anything
one has seen in the UK and plays the numbers game just like most UK
sheds do with their own brand tools.
For example, Ryobi produces Sears Craftsman tool range, which has an
apalling reputation nowadays in the U.S.
Maybe that is what they sold off the overseas subs.
They sold off the subs, as stated in the annual report, because they
were losing money heavily. This raises a big question mark
concerning long term viability in the business area, certainly over
the support and maintenance.
The point is: Ryobi are a Mickey Mouse outfit and are not poor quality.
I wouldn't go as far as to describe them as a Mickey Mouse outfit, but
they are not, by their own positioning in the professional quality
market. Undoubtedly they are fit for purpose up to a point,.......
I have seen this attachment for sale in tool shops for £12
http://www.cumminstools.com/browse.cfm/4,132.html
I am sure that these are fine for what they are. However, the
dimensions of the gearbox appear to be a lot more than those of an
angle drill and may not fit into a small space which is where an angle
drill is often needed.
It is fine for the occasional drilling of say joists and the likes. I would
not use it for driving.
---
..andy
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