Harry wrote:

"Trent=A9" wrote in message=20
...

On Wed, 27 Oct 2004 07:58:37 -0400, "Harry"
wrote:

Ryobi and Skill are
brands, it's just that they are lower quality that others (DeWalt,=20
Makita,
etc.)


Lower quality? No. Simply different specs. Some are production
tools...some are handyman tools. Both are good quality...but within
their own realm.

Chicago Electric, Drill Master, etc. are imported, no-name, cheap
stuff that is named by each store that imports them.


No...that's not correct.

So, in terms of my
question, as to how they compare, the quality of these=20
store-named-imports
are lower qiality than the low-priced brand ones (Ryobi, Skill, etc.)=

RIght?


Wrong. Within their own right, the quality is good.

A good analogy...sailing. If yer going 5 miles along the Atlantic
coast, a 30 hp motor and the Queen Mary or similar super liner will
both get you there. One will cost more...and be over kill for the
task at hand. They will both have the quality to get the task
accomplished.

But if yer goin' from New York to England, the 30 hp motor probably
won't make it. The QUALITY will still be there...but will be
overshadowed by the enormous task at hand.

Enter into the equation...prejudice. Many folks are prejudiced as to
the tool and the retailer selling it.

An example? If I had a choice between a DeWalt & a Ryobi...I'd take
the Ryobi every time!


I'm so confused :-( I mean I understand the logic, and I understand=20
that part of this is personal preference, and all that, but from an=20
"amateur handyman's" stand point, let's see. If I needed a cordless=20
drill to have around for the ocasional use, an inexpensive 14.4 V=20
Chicago Electric would be fine. However, if later on I wanted to,=20
let's say, finish my basement, then I'd need to go out and buy a more=20
expensive model. Is that right? Or unless I use the cordless drill=20
on a daily basis, to make a living, then a cheaper model would be=20
O.K., even if I decide to do some bigger projects around the house?

Like someone else said in this thread, it'd be good if someone had=20
experience in long term use of many different models, so they could=20
give a comparative opinion. But, that is not a very common thing, so..=
=2E


Long term does not mean anything. It is the amount of use that
determines the life span of the tool.
You can buy a cheap tool, use it a few times a year to cut a few pieces
of wood, drill a few holes or drive a few screws, and it will probably
last as long as the most expensive tool.
My Ryobi 18v cordless is a few years old, and if I add up all the times
it was actually running, it would probably only add up to a couple of
hours. I probably pick it up no more than 10 or 12 times a year and use
it for a couple of minutes of actual running time. If you are using a
drill/driver for wood, it probably takes less than 5 seconds of running
time to drill a hole or drive a screw.
The biggest continuous job I did with my Ryobi drill was installing a
vinyl picket fence on 3 sides around my inground pool two years ago. The
fence consisted of 14 - 8' sections, screwed between 4x4 PT posts, and
included 2x3 studs that I slid into the hollow plastic fence rails for
added strength. Each 8' section required 4 hangers with 6 screws for
each hanger (2 to hold the hanger to the 4x4 post and 2 screws on either
side of the hanger to hold the rail), for a total of 24 screws per
section. Including the hardware for two gates, that's probably around
360 screws. At 5 seconds per screw, that's about 1800 seconds, or 30
minutes of actual running time ( I did have to replace the battery at
least a couple of times).




BTW, why would you take the Ryobi every time, if you had a choice=20
between a DeWalt and a Ryobi? I think I'm missing something.

Finally, I want to thank you, and every one else, for your thoughtful=20
comments.