I got one of those 18v. Ryobi kits for Xmas a couple of years ago- even has
a 10" chainsaw in it of all things, which works surprisingly well for the
size limbs it can accommodate. I had a center limb blow down out of a tree
onto the shoulder of the road out front a few weeks ago and made short work
out of clearing it with the thing. My neighbor, a welder/roofer and tool
snob was watching me and was impressed that a cordless could work that well.
So was I, frankly- I didn't really think that I'd get it done without going
for the big saw.

My brother used his kit in building a large deck out front and everything
held up well- he used the sawzall to cut the ends off a bunch of 1/2" bolts
and do the trimming and it worked out fine.

I wouldn't try to earn a living with these tools, but the only problem I've
had yet is a screw fell out of the jigsaw. Big deal.

I dunno if it makes any difference but I'm one of those guys that reads the
manuals to everything, even if I'm sure I know what they're gonna say. I've
found that doing the little things helps keep the tools alive longer. I
don't just use 'em and throw 'em on a shelf for next time.

The batteries keep a pretty good charge if you maintain them properly, but
the saws of course can drain them down pretty well in a shorter time than
the other tools- it helps that they give you two batteries, 'cause they are
expensive. I'd say from my experience that they're worth the money for the
occasional user/homeowner, if you take care of them properly.

Cya,
Robert

----- Original Message -----
From: "John Bange" <jbange@GMAIL.COM>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Saturday, August 27, 2005 9:09 AM
Subject: WTB: Dash Metal Panel for below windshield...1990 2.1

> ps. anyone bought a good cordless sawzall?

Gotten surprisingly good service out of a Ryobi we picked up for cheap at
Home Depot as part of one of their multi-tool packs (flashlight, circular
saw, drill, sawzall, plus a few batteries). Our Dewalt one is better though.
It's on its 3rd year of pretty heavy use and still works quite well. The
Dewalt was like $250 by itself, though, and the Ryobi pack was like $200 for
EVERYTHING. Normally we buy Dewalt, but we had a couple guys on the crew who
had a habit of losing and breaking things so we figured they would lose the
Ryobi stuff before it had a chance to wear out!