Ryobi rotary tool kit review

This type of control lets you work with metal, leather, wood, and glass, all with a high degree of precision and accuracy.

Typically, more delicate work like carving, polishing, and buffing uses speeds under 13, RPM. The same goes for using a wire brush.

When drilling, carving, routing, or otherwise cutting into materials like wood, hard metal, or even glass—you may want to max out your rotary speed. You may need to back down speeds for softer metals like copper, tin, and aluminum. Weighing less than one pound without the battery attached , and with cordless battery power, the Ryobi 18V Precision Rotary Tool can be taken anywhere. It even includes onboard accessory storage for easy organization and transportation. It comes with 12 accessories of its own, including:.

The PRTB also contains the motor in the actual rotary tool itself while the P uses a flexible shaft. The result is that the PRTB gives you a much larger tool in the hand.

Ergonomically, the higher-priced P gives you a lot more freedom of movement. Our recommendation comes on the heels of the way these tools work. If you plan to sit and carve, etch, or grind with these tools, the P gives you a much nicer experience with the lighter-weight tool. If, however, you only plan to do occasional work, then the PRTB might be difficult to pass up. You'll find Chris behind the scenes of almost everything Pro Tool Reviews produces.

When he doesn't have his hands on tools himself, he's often the man behind the camera lens making the rest of the team look good. In his free time, you might find Chris with his nose jammed in a book, or tearing out his remaining hair while watching Liverpool FC.

He enjoys his faith, family, friends, and the Oxford comma. Ryobi Cordless Polisher Packs the Action Pros Need In a Lightweight, Affordable Package Ryobi covers the Prosumer sector like no one else, offering performance and features that reach up to professional levels at a surprisingly affordable price. We got our hands on […]. My Cart. Check out our E-Design Services learn more.

Shop My Home learn more. Project Library see projects. Ryobi Rotary Tool Review. Posted on Aug 17, I must say, I was quite impressed. As a part of the program, I am receiving compensation in the form of products and services, for the purposes of promoting The Home Depot. All expressed opinions and experiences are my own.

I'm Ashley! Shop Shop Apparel Shop Plans. Other Articles. Home Office Tour. Read More. Posted on Feb 20, Mirrored Wall. Posted on Feb 02, Kitchen Renovation for Essential Worker. I am so excited to finally be sharing the Kitchen Renovation Posted on Aug 10, None of these tools were all that happy cutting shapes out of our thick piece of birch plywood using a spiral bit, though the Dremel put in one of the best showings for that test.

The motor brushes are replaceable, which will extend the life of the tool, and Dremel stands behind its rotary tool with a two-year warranty.

This little orange unit didn't shy away from the tough stuff like cutting the letter "E" or a circle out of plywood, or even drilling into cinderblock. The design has thoughtful touches and it comes with a storage bag and five accessories. Instead of fumbling about with a button and collet wrench, its shaft lock is a lever, leaving both hands free for tool changes. The collet itself was a tight fit with tools, which made it hard to separate the two when it came time to change. That should improve with some wear, but it led to some frustration during testing.

It's easy to take the RTX to work, though. Despite its big motor power, the RTX is compact, so it's easy to transport and it'll fit into some pretty tight spots. The speed selection knob at the back of the tool body is a little awkward to adjust during use, and the maximum speed is still fast at 30, rpm, but not the highest in the test.

The storage bag is less durable than the cases other tools come with, but the tool itself is backed by a two year warranty. The RTX is a good option for most people. It would be nice if it came with more tools or accessories, but its low price leaves plenty of room in the budget for getting what you need separately. Take everything we said about the Dremel and apply it to this cordless version. Easier carving, etching, or sanding tests were no problem, but the lower voltage provided by the compact battery made us question this tool's ability to stand up to our most challenging cutting tasks, but it rose to meet the challenge.

You get a nice case, the tool itself, a 12V MAX lithium-ion battery, charger, and selection of accessories. It's useful out-of-the-box, with no hidden additional purchases for battery or charger required, unlike some of the other options we tested.

Without a cord, the Dremel is also exceptionally portable and versatile. And there didn't seem to be a performance penalty for choosing the cordless tool, either. You get the same rpm speed range as our overall winner and it feels just as strong with a fully-charged battery. That said, additional batteries are available to keep you working. You'll pay more for a cordless rotary tool that can keep up with a corded model, but the Dremel is a high performer and a good value in kit form.

We used the rotary tools to polish tarnished metal and de-burr the edges of a newly cut piece of sheet metal. I'm Dan. I own a plus-year-old house and am stubborn enough to DIY as much as I can. That means I'm familiar with a lot of tools and my experience helps me figure out what's worthwhile and what's a gimmick.

I've spent decades building and fixing, from cars in the driveway, to plumbing in the basement, and recently a glass tile backsplash in the kitchen. I hope my experienced do-it-yourselfer perspective is helpful for you when you're trying to choose between the vast array of options out there. To find the strengths of each of our assembled products, we tested in two phases.

First, we tried some close-up work like carving a design into a piece of wood and sanding down the edges of a plank. We also used the rotary tools to polish up some tarnished metal and de-burr grinding smooth the edges of a newly cut piece of sheet metal.

A soft wood-like pine would also be a less difficult task, though the challenge there is to find the right speed for the tool so you don't scorch your work with an overheated bit. For the second phase of our test, we cut circles out of the same piece of birch plywood, etched designs into glass, and drilled into cinder blocks.

With the right bits, some tests, such as drilling into cinder blocks, were surprisingly easy. You may have trouble getting through mortar or cement, but something like old brick is softer than you'd think. These tasks, from the small stuff to the big challenges tested the full range of these tools power and ease-of-handling. For continuous cutting, like our "E," your best bet is a corded model to avoid abusing batteries or running out of a charge before you finish the task.

We found a surprising amount of similarity in design and performance among several of the tools, as well as stand out showings from our winners. A rotary tool spins at a high fixed or variable speed, and can be used for detailed work such as cutting, polishing, engraving, and even carving.

You can use them with drill bits and there are some accessories available to turn rotary tools into a sort of miniature drill press. There are many accessories and bits, and swapping accessories and attachments is easy and quick.

Most rotary tools fit in the palm of your hand, and the latest cordless rotary tools are highly portable but usually less powerful than any you'd plug in.

That will change as batteries and motors keep improving, and one of our top picks was a battery model with impressive performance.

Rotary tools have a lot of uses, from fine miniature details to speeding up a wallboard installation. A rotary tool isn't the same thing as a rotary drill or rotary hammer, two terms you may come across while searching for one of these.

Those are lower-speed, heavier-duty devices for different jobs including general carpentry and construction, masonry, and demolition. The wide range of tools and attachments available to accessorize a rotary tool can make your head spin. Every product we tried at least came with abrasive cutting discs. These are miniature versions of the bigger cut-off wheels used on angle grinders, and they'll chew through wood, metal, or plastic material.

Grinding attachments in a variety of shapes — conical, spherical, round, etc — are useful to sharpen things such as shears, lawnmower blades, or other metal shaping tasks. There are small wire brushes and soft polishing pads, too, for making things shiny.

Small drill bits, often made out of very hard material such as carbide are used for precise work in a variety of materials including metals, tough composites, and plastics. Stone and diamond grit tools can cut and shape glass and some rock and are available in a wide array of shapes and sizes. Spiral, or "Rotozip" after the tool that originally made them popular bits are used for cutting. We used some on our wood cutting tests, and drywall installers keep them handy to quickly trim pieces around electrical boxes or other detail cuts.

We even found a carbide bit for cleaning away grout for a kitchen tile installation happening at the same time as our testing. The attachments further adapt a rotary tool's set of capabilities. There are cutting guides that set a fixed depth-especially handy when cutting sheet materials.

Guides make it easy to use the tool as a router, along the edge of a piece of material, or cut a perfect circle several inches in diameter. Flex shafts allow a user to hang the motor and have very precise control over the bit. The possibilities for bits and attachments seem nearly endless, and it makes a rotary tool a very versatile purchase.

We've drawn attention to the speeds these tools are capable of throughout our review. That's because it's important for a rotary tool to be able to achieve both a very high rotational speed, but also have enough choices to run slower when necessary. High speed is suited for things such as drilling, especially with very small bits, while the higher speed may generate too much heat when carving or sanding. The ability to dial up the speed when necessary makes for cleaner work, because the tool has the power to cut and shape properly.

For people who use these tools as pet nail trimmers, for instance, too high a speed can actually hurt an animal.

Any polishing task should also start at the lowest speed setting and work up to something in the middle of the range. The wider the range of speeds is, the better matched your rotary tool will be to the task at hand.

It will be safer, too.