12 Ryobi Home Improvement Tools Under $75 Worth Adding To Your Collection

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Spend a little too long perusing the shelves of your local home improvement retailer and it's all too easy to end up with a cart full of items and, as a result, a bigger bill than you bargained for. It's especially easy when you're a fan of a brand like Ryobi, which offers tools and accessories in a huge range of segments, from cleaning tools you might not have realized you needed to Link storage products to keep all of your new purchases in one place.

There's no guarantee that the products you purchase will end up being all that useful either, especially if they're among the Ryobi tools that most buyers would be better off steering clear of. Any brand will have a few items in its lineup that aren't as good as they're advertised to be, and Ryobi is no exception, but the good news is that there's a pretty reliable way to sort the duds from the bargains.

An army of reviewers on Home Depot's website have left their thoughts about all of their latest purchases, and tools that rack up a high number of consistently positive reviews are among the safest bets to spend your money on. These 12 home improvement tools from Ryobi all boast impressively high ratings, and since they're all under $75, they won't wreck your budget either.

One Ryobi tool that gets almost unanimously good reviews is its 18V One+ glue gun. It's available at Home Depot for $44.97 and comes with three glue sticks to get started. There's no battery or charger though, so anyone who doesn't already have those will have to purchase both separately.

A glue gun is potentially useful for a lot of different repair, crafting, and home improvement jobs. The Ryobi glue gun is even more useful than many of its rivals thanks to its available interchangeable nozzles, which are also sold separately.

According to the brand, it takes just three minutes to heat up once it's switched on. That makes this latest iteration of the tool just as quick as earlier ones, yet it's more compact than before. Just like Ryobi's older 18V One+ tools, the glue gun also comes with 3 years of warranty cover as standard, and Home Depot shoppers are able to return it hassle-free within 90 days of purchase.

While Ryobi's corded angle grinders have received more mixed feedback from buyers, the brand's 18V One+ 4-½ inch cordless angle grinder is consistently well liked. It retails in tool-only form for $59.97. Included with the tool is a side handle, as well as a grinding wheel and a guard to protect users from debris. The handle can be mounted in three different positions, making it more comfortable to use for a range of jobs.

The wrench that's needed to change accessories can be stored onboard the tool, while the guard can be adjusted with no tool necessary. Without a battery, the angle grinder weighs in at less than 4 lbs. Since it's part of Ryobi's 18V One+ system, it can be used with any of the brand's 18V interchangeable battery packs. Those battery packs range in size from small to ultra-high capacity, with Ryobi's range-topping 12Ah battery being overkill for all but a few tools. The angle grinder will still work even with a small battery pack, although some reviewers have reported that tackling larger tasks with the tool can quickly burn through batteries.

A sander is no good without sand paper, but Ryobi offers both its tool and its accompanying paper for under $75. The brand's 18V One+ 5 inch random orbit sander ships with a 7-piece assortment of sand paper, so the only things that buyers will need to purchase separately are batteries and a charger. Ryobi has made several generations of its cordless sander, and it says that this latest generation vibrates 40 percent less than the outgoing model.

It's still powerful though, reaching a maximum of 10,000 orbits per minute, and it isn't too heavy either, weighing 2.61 lbs. The tool also features a dust collection port to reduce mess, and it's compatible with hoses measuring 1-¼ inch & 1-⅞ inch. At a retail price of $65.74 including the sand paper assortment, the random orbit sander is one of the cheaper sanders in Ryobi's current range, but it's still more than capable of whipping rough surfaces into shape.

Another affordably priced bundle combines Ryobi's 4V ¼ inch screwdriver with a 2 inch diamond grit driving set. The set includes 12 bits, and two further bits come included with the tool itself. All in, the bundle is available for $34.94.

The advantage of buying a screwdriver from Ryobi's 4V line is that there's no need to buy a battery or charger separately. Instead, the battery is included with the tool, alongside a USB charging cable. The tradeoff, however, is that the battery isn't interchangeable, unlike the batteries in Ryobi's similarly affordable USB Lithium line.

That caveat hasn't deterred reviewers, who are generally very pleased with the tool and accompanying bit set. It helps that the tool is covered by a standard 2-year warranty, which seems generous given its affordable retail price. Buying a cordless screwdriver from a rival like Amazon might be cheaper, but it won't have as much warranty coverage.

There are a few tools that even the most novice DIYer will want to keep handy, and a cordless drill is one of them. Ryobi sells several, including the 18V One+ ½ inch drill/driver. It's far from the only Ryobi drill that's worth recommending, but it's powerful, well-reviewed, and reasonably priced. It's available without a battery or charger for $64.

The drill features a brushed motor rather than a brushless one, and buyers looking for maximum efficiency might want to consider Ryobi's brushless tool line instead. However, its brushless tools are also pricier, and in this case, its brushless ½ inch drill/driver is too expensive to fit within our $75 budget. Plus, the cheaper, brushed drill actually delivers more torque, offering 515 in-lbs compared to its brushless rival's 450 in-lbs of torque.

In most other regards, the drill is exactly what you'd expect from any Ryobi DIY essential. It's designed to be both easy to use and durable over the long run, and it's backed by 3 years of warranty cover in the unlikely event that something isn't quite right with the tool. Thousands of buyers have already left their thoughts about the tool on Home Depot's website, and the vast majority are satisfied with its capabilities.

Retailing for $59.97, the Ryobi 18V One+ one-handed reciprocating saw is cheaper than the brand's conventional reciprocating saw, but it might still be just as useful. It features a secure grip with a variable speed trigger to aid precision during one-handed use, with its motor able to reach a maximum of 3,000 strokes per minute.

Although Ryobi wasn't among the top-rated reciprocating saw brands in our comparison, reviewers are mostly happy with its performance. Out of the small minority of dissatisfied reviewers, several pointed to its quick-release blade change mechanism as the reason they weren't impressed. A handful of others noted that its performance wasn't at the level they expected. It's worth stressing here that these less positive reviews represent only a tiny fraction of the overall feedback, and besides, anyone who isn't satisfied can return their tool to Home Depot for up to 90 days.

It's far more likely that buyers will be keeping the saw around for the longer run. After all, Ryobi notes that it's designed to cut through a variety of materials, including drywall, wood, and plastic, and thanks to its compact proportions, it'll fit into workspaces where a conventional reciprocating saw wouldn't.

There are many common mistakes people make when soldering, and one of them is not getting a good enough tool for the job. Cheaping out on a tool without proper temperature control or a high enough maximum temperature will severely impact your ability to solder cleanly, but the Ryobi 18V One+ hybrid soldering station should be more than up to the task for most DIYers.

It's available from Home Depot for $62.99, and can run either on battery power or using a wall outlet. The soldering iron comes with a 3 foot cord for better maneuverability, while the maximum 900°F operating temperature is enough to tackle a range of tasks. The adjustable temperature dial lets users select temperatures between 300°F and 900°F.

Once the desired temperature is reached, the LED indicator light shows that the tool is ready to use. After the job is done, the included tip cleaning sponge can be used to keep the tip in optimal condition.

Most home improvement jobs generate some level of mess, and cleaning it up can be tricky. A shop vac might be able to get rid of most dirt and debris, but to really get surfaces clean, Ryobi's USB Lithium compact detail scrubber might be worth considering.

It comes with a pair of 2Ah batteries for added runtime, as well as a charging cable to keep both batteries fully charged. As a bonus, Ryobi also includes two additional scrubbing attachments alongside the standard scrubbing head. Plus, it's IPX7 rated against water ingress, and so can be temporarily submerged in water without damage.

Home Depot sells the scrubber kit for $64.94, a price that most reviewers agree is worth the money. For peace of mind, the kit also comes with a 2-year warranty. That's a year shorter than most 18V One+ tools, but still on par with other products in the USB Lithium range.

As well as being useful for home mechanics, a socket set should also be a handy addition to the toolkits of DIYers looking to take on home improvement jobs. While Ryobi's hand tools generally don't get as much attention as its power tools, the ¼ inch drive ratchet and socket set is a great reasonably-priced example. Home Depot bundles the set with a workshop marker for $30.25.

The set includes a mix of SAE and metric sockets, with 26 pieces included in total. Also included is a case to keep everything in one place. The ratchet and sockets are finished in chrome, giving them a premium look while also making them corrosion resistant. Many hand tool sets from premium brands come with a lifetime warranty, and Ryobi's ratchet and socket set is no different. That warranty won't reimburse you for any damage caused by regular usage, but it will ensure that any defects concerning the materials or construction of the tool are covered indefinitely.

Most DIYers know Ryobi for its varied range of cordless tools, but it still sells some corded ones too. The 5.5 Amp ⅜ inch compact drill/driver is one of those remaining corded tools, and it retails for $59.

Cordless tools are a more convenient option in terms of portability, but in order to use them for particularly long jobs, you'll either need to have an ultra-high capacity battery or several smaller batteries to hand. Neither option is cheap, especially if you have cordless tools from multiple brands, since virtually all major tool brands have their own proprietary battery packs. You could use a third-party battery adapter on a Ryobi cordless tool, but it comes with potential safety risks, so it's generally not advisable.

Relying on corded tools like Ryobi's ⅜-inch corded drill swerves that dilemma entirely. There's no compromise on power either, since the drill reaches a maximum of 1,600 rpm thanks to its 5.5 Amp motor. It's also covered by the same 3-year standard warranty as the brand's cordless 18V One+ power tools.

Tool bundles are a good way to save money compared to buying each tool individually, and Home Depot offers a plethora of different bundles for both its power tool and hand tool ranges. The 25 foot tape measure and 15 foot compact laser level bundle belongs in the latter camp, and it retails for $32.12.

A tape measure is essential for all kinds of home improvement jobs, and Ryobi says that this tape measure is great for working solo, since it can measure up to 13 feet without bending. It also comes with a wire clip that can attach to a belt or tool bag. The second tool in the pairing is the laser level, which features built-in push pins allowing it to be easily mounted to a wall. The laser level runs using AAA batteries, and Ryobi helpfully includes a pair of those with the tool.

Even when it makes a competitive tool, Ryobi doesn't rest on its laurels, and it continues making improvements. The brand claims that its 18V One+ corner cat finish sander vibrates 50% less than the older version of the tool, making it more comfortable to use for long periods. It's still just as competitively priced though, with a retail price of $56.44.

At no extra cost, Ryobi also includes a 9-piece sand paper set with the tool. The set features 60 grit, 120 grit, and 220 grit paper. Each piece can be attached to the tool using the onboard hook and loop system.

Just like all of the other 18V cordless tools here, the sander is sold in tool-only form, so buyers will need to have a battery and charger already in their tool kit. It's safe to assume that the vast majority of Ryobi fans will already have those accessories though, since the 18V One+ line has now expanded to encompass more than 300 products, including both compact and full-size versions of popular DIY tools.

Each tool included here should come in useful for various home improvement jobs, and each one has earned a high average rating from buyers at Home Depot. To qualify for inclusion, a tool needed to have an average rating of at least 4.5 out of five stars from at least 400 reviews at the time of writing.