Dewalt versus Ryobi Drill and Driver

Comparing Dewalt and Ryobi drills and drivers for your next project? Each have their supporters, but which is really better? Find out!

Lots of people out there tend to feel very strongly about their tool brand. For one reason or another, people choose a brand and then they back it up like their life depends on it.

But is that brand really the best?

For instance, Ryobi tools always seem to get a bad rep amongst construction workers and fancy woodworkers. But truthfully, most of those people have never even used a Ryobi tool and they just say that because it’s more of a budget brand. They skip over the fact that Ryobi and Milwaukee are made by the same people with a lot of the same parts and these people often will say Milwaukee is great.

Dewalt, on the other hand, has a more historic reputation as being a tough brand and one that “real men” can use. But just because your buddy uses it and says it’s the best, does that mean it is?

I’ve been using Ryobi and Dewalt tools for a long time and honestly, I’ve never really had a problem with either. Some are a little better than the other at certain things, but not as good at other things.

But if you’re new to DIY or woodworking, it’s usually best to pick one line of power hand tools and stick with it so you can use their batteries interchangeably with their other tools. So which one should you start out with- Dewalt, or Ryobi?

Which drill is better- Dewalt or Ryobi?

For this post, I’m comparing the Dewalt and Ryobi drills and drivers. Each of these brands comes with a drill and driver combo package with batteries. It’s typically the first starter set for most people and it’s very easy to compare.

Some of my comparisons are about their actual performance and some about how they feel and look. When reading my review, take the good and the bad, think about what might be important to you, and make your own decision about what to get!

Shop each here on Amazon:

• Dewalt Drill and Driver Combo
• Ryobi Drill and Driver Combo

Shop each here at Home Depot:

• Dewalt Drill and Driver Combo
• Ryobi Drill and Driver Combo

Specs

Honestly, I’m not really a specs kind of guy. The technical aspects of a tool, like voltage, speed, RPM, etc, aren’t really what I look for in a tool I want to know how a tool actually feels and operates in my hands.

I say this all the time- I don’t believe that a tool makes projects good or bad, it’s the creator. You can make wonderful projects with hand tools or the highest priced power tools on the market.

However, for the purposes of this comparison, I’ll point out that the Ryobi runs on 18v batteries and the Dewalt runs on 20v. I haven’t noticed an different in that amount of voltage and it really seems to be more of the amp power of the battery compared to the voltage that has an impact.

The other technical aspect I’ll point out is that the Dewalt drill and driver are slightly lighter and smaller than the Ryobi ones. This usually won’t matter overall, but over time, it could be physically easier to use the smaller Dewalts.

Check out all my tool reviews and comparisons here!

Hand comfort

So in terms of hand comfort, both drills come with a rubberized grip on the handle, making it easy to hold and not slip. As I pointed out in the specs, the Dewalt is slightly lighter and smaller than the Ryobi ones. If you are someone with smaller hands, this could come into play on your ease of use.

I don’t think that the size and weight make a significant difference overall. But one other thing that impacts weight is the size of the battery. Bigger batteries for each brand weigh a lot more than the smaller ones, so that’s where you’ll see more of a difference.

Sound test

The sound test for me was testing how the motor inside each sounds. The Dewalt drill and driver both sounded like they were humming at a higher rate. They do have a higher RPM than the Ryobi, so that makes sense.

To me, how tools sound indicates how the motor is operating inside and whether it sounds cheap or not. I don’t think that either of these sounded cheap. The driver on both the Dewalt and the Ryobi sounds better than the drill, but that’s to be expected.

Driving screws

Now we’re to the operational tests. The first was how the Dewalt and Ryobi Drivers drove screws into wood. Honestly, if anyone tells you there’s a significant difference- they are lying.

Both the Ryobi and Dewalt drivers can push a long screw into a thick piece of wood very quickly and easily with no pre-drilled holes. I did several in a row for each and they came out at the same speed.

I even used my Ryobi driver to drive long bolts when I built our slide off our back deck a few years ago, and there were no issues with that there.

Drilling holes

Drilling holes with the Dewalt and Ryobi drills is honestly where I saw the biggest difference. For the record, I was using Dewalt branded drill bits, which are my favorite, but drill bits aren’t more compatible with one drill over another.

When using smaller, skinnier drill bits, like 1/8″ bits, I notice no real discernible difference in how they both operate.

But when it comes to bigger drill bits, like 1/2″, the Dewalt does a significantly better job drilling. The Ryobi drill always gets jammed up as it pushes into and through the wood and I have a hard time getting it out. The Dewalt had no issue with the thicker drill bit and pushed it through.

Having the drill maintain its speed drilling through the wood also results in less tear out on the underside of the board. The Ryobi was slow and jammed and created lots of shards, whereas the Dewalt pushed right through with no issue.

Batteries

Both Dewalt and Ryobi operate on a single battery system, meaning their batteries can operate all of their hand power tools interchangeably. To me, this is key to making your decision on what drill or driver to get, because you’ll probably get all your hand power tools in the same line going forward.

However, I prefer the Ryobi battery installation compared to Dewalt for two reasons. The first is that Ryobi has a pole style battery, meaning the pole on the battery slides up into the handle of the drill and snaps into place, meaning you can also do it one handed if you’re holding something with your other.

The second reason I prefer Ryobi batteries is because they are actually safer in my opinion. When installing the Dewalt battery, when you slide it into the base of the drill, the release switch actually gets pushed down, so if your hand is pushing the battery in from the front, your skin gets pinched. So you need to grip it from the sides to slide it in.

Overall, I just thing the Ryobi batteries are smoother and easier.

Additional tools

Final consideration is what other tools work on the same batteries for Dewalt and Ryobi. At first, Dewalt had a lot more tools that worked on their line of battery, but now Ryobi offers a ton as well, both claiming over 300 products.

Both brands have all the standard tools that you would want to work on your battery, including a sander, jig saw, circular saw, nail gun and more. Ryobi batteries also work on some of their outdoor tools.

Check out my review of some Ryobi outdoor tools here!

Currently, I use a Dewalt table saw and Dewalt scroll saw, while I have a Ryobi miter saw and used to use a Ryobi table saw. Even with these, the difference to me is mostly in the user, although the Ryobi table saw was much lower quality than the Dewalt, which is why I upgraded, but the Dewalt is also much more expensive.

Conclusion- which is better- Dewalt or Ryobi?

So in conclusion, which is better- Dewalt or Ryobi drills and drivers? Honestly, I think it depends on your needs. If you are a homeowner that likes to do DIY projects and doesn’t want to spend a ton of money on your tools, absolutely I think you should go with Ryobi. They are great tools, especially for their price point.

If you want to spend a little more money on what is considered a “higher quality” product, then you definitely should go with Dewalt. They are probably going to last longer overall, but I’ve also been using many Ryobi tools for 10 years.

In my opinion, pick a set of tools and go all in on that brand, but there is absolutely nothing wrong with Ryobi, I don’t care what anyone says.