I was a little worried about installing the blade after reading a couple of reviews. But it was amazingly easy. Took about 1 minute. Works great ru-vid.comUgkxjpBI8OOeUXib_iT7UomCrQ-uauwZJ62c . Cuts easily and is perfect for pocket cuts I needed to make for replacing some old deck boards.
Same here. I make my living as a general handyman and have nearly a dozen blue Ryobi 18v that have been in continuous use, some for over 25 years. I've had to replace batteries but only had one tool die in that entire time.
2020 and no good news...until this! SO glad to get my set of power tools back! I was afraid to order the new batteries, and the old yellow ones are not easy to find. Thank you for this helpful video.
The blue tools work very well with the new batteries. My dad has an old drill and vacuum that used nicd batteries. The batteries are dead, but the tools work perfectly when coupled with new batteries. Hats off to ryobi for committing to making all 18 volt tools and batteries compatible!
I noticed the lithium batteries will not fit into the older chargers due to a notch that cut into the base of the older batteries to match up with a ridge in the charger. I got the tools for free, but by the time I buy a new battery AND charger I'll be out $70 minimum.
@@PRODEVE6 Not sure what you mean by this comment. You cannot charge a lithium battery on a NiCad battery charger. That is not electrically or physically possible.
@@fbnmndz Get the latest generation of chinese made junk engineered to break or catch fire with thinner plastic that will shatter to pieces if you drop it? Yeah okay dude. I have a 30 year old Makita cordless, one of the first ones they made, and it's better than anything Makita makes today. The only downside is it is so huge it can't be used in tight spots. It's become my yardwork drill for things outside the house.
Great video. I had the old blue yellow Ryobi tools but retired them almost 4 years ago and stored them. I found them again and was curious about if the new lithium batteries would work and good to know they do. Now they are back in service...the older ones still work very well!!! Thank you!
Ty for the video, recently in my shed going thru old boxes i had, have a bunch of the old blue tools. Good to know new batteries will woek on the old tools. Like you said almost like finding new power tools without having to buy new ones. again ty so much.
I guess Ryobi's campaign advertising the "1 Plus" Lithium battery system as being able to work in all of the 18V tools they have ever produced, and that they will continue to develop new tools based the the original 18V battery profile for the life of the line, got missed by a few people!!
Ryobi rocks! I went with the Ryobi One system after a couple of other systems proved disappointing. I Have had these tools for 1 year now and I am very happy with my green tools, BUT,, I love my blue tools that I find for $5 at yard sales and thrift shops, I have 3 drills a circular saw a fan a vacuum a caulking gun (very cool!) And a chainsaw for just $15. Every tool I have bought used has worked perfectly and do not seem inferior to the green tools in any way. The Ryobi One green is a strong value leader but coupled with the batteries working for the blue tools as well,,, UNBEATABLE VALUE!
Thanks for posting this. Just came back from the hardware store, where they were not that sure and directing me to the internet. I have a blue combo pack and another drill which I bought at the time for the two new batteries to run all the tools. But now they are failing. So glad I have this option. and will go with the P108 suggestion, if I can get the same or comparable here in Australia. Cheers
Almost got rid of my old blue Ryobi tools due to the poor battery performance of the original G0440 18.0v batteries. Perhaps I’ll give new batteries a try. Thank you for the video.
You blue tools and yellow batteries look new. You're lucky. All of mine, purchased in 2006, look beaten up. My yellow batteries won't hold charge anymore.
QUESTION: Excellent video, question is: are the RYOBI 18+ HP series batteries too much for my blue tools and eventually burn them up. I know 18v is 18v but I keep seeing HP has more power, I was interested in the information being presented at time of about 4:07 but it was cut out, it seemed to be heading to what information I wanted, but it left me hanging. Buying new RYOBI tools may be only brushless in the future and may need HP batteries for peak performance over the non HP Batteries. If any knows or has a direction to find this information, it would be greatly appreciated. I continue to use my blue tools until the burial end, put available money towards tools I do not have, or need to replace deceased tools. I do not want the batteries to be the death of my blue tools. Basically. I do not want to kill my stock transmission with an HP engine. Thank you for any guidance or direction.
The HP tech is the electronics where the battery can communicate with the tool and only releases more power if the tools tells it to. the blue tools do not communicate with the batteries so the typical work of the battery will be used. or you can buy the regular batteries
I bought me a Ryobi p340 Oscillating multi tool & I first bought a 2 ah battery & it works good. Then I found 2 5 ah & 2 6 ah Batterys for $ 65.99 So I figured why spend $65.99 when I can get the 6 ah for no more then What 5 ah Batterys cost chose the 6 ah Batterys for $72. 99 $7.00 difference big deal
Here are 5 bullet points summarizing the video: • Demonstrating how old Ryobi power tools with NiCad batteries perform poorly compared to using the new lithium-ion batteries • NiCad battery (1.7Ah) was only able to make a single cut through a 2x8 piece of wood on a circular saw before dying • With a new 4Ah lithium-ion battery, the same circular saw had enough power to make multiple cuts easily • Tested other tools like a jigsaw and angle grinder which worked well with the new lithium battery • Encourages viewers to revive their old Ryobi tools by purchasing new lithium batteries instead of replacing the tools
The video provides some useful details on which batteries to buy if you want to revive your old Ryobi tools: • For the best performance, it recommends buying the 4Ah P108 lithium-ion battery pack. This allowed the tools to work at full power. • The video states that the higher capacity 6Ah HP batteries don't provide any additional benefit for these older brushed motor tools compared to the 4Ah pack. The HP batteries are more intelligent for brushless tools. • It suggests avoiding the smaller 3Ah batteries, as the 4Ah gives longer runtime. • While more expensive upfront, investing in a few 4Ah lithium-ion battery packs and a charger can essentially give you a set of "new" revived tools for a fraction of the cost of replacing everything. So in summary, the 4Ah P108 lithium-ion battery packs are highlighted as the best value option to breathe new life into old NiCad Ryobi tool sets and get performance comparable to modern tools. A couple battery packs plus a charger is a cost-effective way to reuse those old tools.
hey guys i have some old blue 18v tools and some green as well. also a 12v drill iv'e had for decades when the original nicad batteries i bought a li on pack with 22.4 Ah & i 1.5 Ah (BPL-1820 The old grey & black ones)& charger, i also bought 1 x 5Ah & 1 x 2.5Ah green pack. since the old 2.4 batteries were getting kinda tired. Since i hate ( mean too) to chuck away a tool that wont run because a battery is dead 1 found out that a 14.4 li on battery (with minor surgery to the drill) not only can run the 12v drill but the charger will also charge a 14.4 v battery. now i am trying to upgrade the 2.4's to 4 or 5 Ah re pack . can this be done?
Well when you think for a moment. Even if you were to use a 6 or a 9AH batter from the HP line. All it really is just longer runtime or extended runtime. I know I'm using a 9AH in a hybrid fan the small one actually and it last me 15-16 hours on high settings. Imagine if I were to leave it on low settings with a 9ah it would be probably a day or two on low settings to drain it down completely. And that is not a brushless tool. but a brushed fan.
I never got a year out of my old blue tools the Ni Cad batteries were junk .I could only cut about two pieces of trim molding with the circular saw and the battery was dead. Sorry but I'll stick with Dewalt.
I’m a female and I have the Typ I yellow battery 18.0v now I can’t get the batteries to charge idk if it the battery or the charger how will I know what I need Because my tools are everything to me I’m the handy Andy in my place please let me know ASAP I need my drill and saw Thank you
WCSD Thanks for your comment. If you mean will lithium batteries charge in the Nicad charger most likely no unless it specifies on the charger. The newer chargers do charge all Ryobi battery types (nicad, lithium, lithium+) as specified on the charger.
I agree with profound Odyssey. I think Ryobi even mentioned that the older nicad charger. Since it is not really rated for it. While on the other hand the newer intelliport. Both the grey and the green will charge all three since they are dual chemistry. Meaning they are capable of charging both nicad, and the lithium and the lithium plus. Plus they mark it on the top that it's for all three.
Profound Odyssey thank you for the video, I have a blue ryobi sawzall with no battery, could you re state the spec for which battery works with it -or should I just bring it down to the store?
@@mrjumpsmash1 No problemo. What I think will happen if you charge new batteries with old charger: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-HU8gvF6WCIk.html
Any new Ryobi battery will work with the old tools. Even the HP batteries will but would be a waste of money unless you want a battery larger than 4ah.
I have a old Ryobi power drill but I can't fit any of the new ryobi batteries in it. It won't fit in all the way, preventing me from knowing if it still works
@@bread-gz3rl 100 percent sure. Because I had a old 18v nicad battery that fits in it. But the battery no longer works. But no big deal. I just threw it in the trash. I have plenty of new brushless Ryobi drills.
how would a battery stop a motor from spinning? the nicad battery DID NOT stop the motor magically/smartly/dumbly? from spinning. what happened was you didnt pull the guard up and it snagged on the cutting piece and you took your finger off the trigger acting like the blade had bogged down and didnt want to spin. somehow though the same saw with the same blade magically works better when the new battery is on (especially when you remember to use the guard which you acted like you didnt remember during the first cuts with the old battery but you lazed out and didnt so you can "prove" to us that those old batteries make tools not work somehow even though it does). putting a new battery on a car doesnt give you a new motor its still the same motor and still has the same power. your "theory" as to how a battery can make a saw bog down makes little sense. i can understand it might make the saw slower but it sounded exactly the same with both batteries so i doubt the battery somehow makes the motor weaker while still retaining the same speed. i cant say for sure as i am no engineer and actually have quite very little experience with tools and motors in general seeing as i dont drive but i think every viewer here could easily come to the same conclusion as if they had taken the time to go back between clips of you cutting and determine it was user error and not the saws fault. we all hate ryobi it seems like the fun thing to do. i mean the things look like cubscout grade nickelodeon slime zombie hunter junk (now anyway) but a still working battery cant be that bad as to make a tool not work even though it does work? somewhat contradicting to say the least
finally finished watching passed the comparison and sad to see you not test any of the other tools for magic/dumb power loss with the nicad. wonder why. funny how people brag about the batteries for the tools oh yeah my batteries are smart they talk to the tool. how? what do they say? Bob recip saw: hey jim. Jim 4a battery: yeah? Bob: its hot. Jim: ok
TARDO You some how have taken personal offense to something you don’t understand. The very basic fact is the lithium batteries store more power in a smaller physical size What you noticed in the video were the ni-cad batteries didn’t have sufficient power to rotate the motor which was spinning the saw blade to cut the wood, since the lithium batteries were able to supply sufficient power to spin the blade in order to cut through the wood. It’s not user error or “magic” just simple science. If you would like to understand more, research battery ampere ratings and comparisons. And next time before you comment you may want to process your thoughts a little more and state them as facts, you made your self look foolish in front of thousands of people. Thanks for watching!
TARDO one more point, it was was moot to test ni-cad on any other tools seeing that they were drained and the point of the video was the performance of the lithium batteries being used on older tools.
Being a retired female I can’t afford a lot. Came across a case of blue tools at a yard sale for practically nothing. Tried my new Ryobi drill battery in all of them and they ALL worked! I’m so happy! I will still buy the newer tools one at a time as I can afford them. I love Ryobi!
@@livefreeandtoolon I just got a One+ series drill and flashlight with charger and 2 batteries all in their little case at goodwill for $14. As I suspected the NiCAD batteries are dead as a doornail. I would have not expected a company like Ryobi to re-use the same battery molds from 20 years ago for the new tools. Mostly every time you buy a tool they deliberately make the batteries not cross-compatible.
In South Africa we have the navy blue ryobi products. we dont have the yellow/greenish ones. I again like the yellow/greenish. We also gave a dark green coloured ryobys i think the differerance is proffesional vs home use. But over all ryobi over here does not have a very good name. People prefer stanley, dewalt or makita.
@@Mailmartinviljoen so it´s like bosch green and bosch blue. makita is great but they skimp on built quality here in europe, japanese made makita´s are rock solid
@@Humbulla93 Yep example: www.makro.co.za/sys-master/images/hac/ha6/8910529658910/silo-MIN_356476_EAA_large I'm not sure where south african suppliers source Makita from but the one I have is awesome and much better than my ryobi . But then again it was also 3 times the price. However as of late Makita entered the entry level market and there is a clear distinction on build quality on their new range of products. Not a good move IMO. I guess they are getting greedy now and focus on quality is an after thought.
Picked up a pretty much new blue sawzall with a fully working nicad and charger for 45$. Put a 4AH HP in it and Holy hell it goes through trees like nothing.
Very cool. I've had a set of blue Ryobi tools since my dad bought them for me as a Christmas present probably 15 years ago. I've recently been wondering if the new lithium batteries would work instead of buying rebuilt nicad batteries and now I've got my answer. Thanks for this video. 🤙
When I brought my mom the new green 18v chainsaw, she told me she threw the old blue 4 tool combo away because the batteries would not take a charge 😑 DANG mom , you call me every day.. you could have said something.. uggg. 😏
I will always use Ryobi, they have upgraded over the years but have never changed the battery design. I don’t think any other manufacturer can say that.
I bought many blue tools years ago and worked them hard...in their day they worked well ..I have a few of them still and use them regularly with the 4 amp batteries ..🇨🇦
I went a bit different route. Recently acquired a few Makita LXT 18V Li-tools, and found some battery mounts on ebay for those batteries. So far I've converted a Ryobi 18V saw, Craftsman 12V drill, Craftsman 18V sawzall, no-name saber/ jig saw as well as a Craftsman 90 angle drill, and made an adapter for the old long handle Makita 9V to make use of an angle drill and mini sawzall So now all these tools operate on the Makita 18V Li batteries. I'm 75, and doubt these will be obsolete by the time I am unable or worse
I have that old blue circ saw. Even with the 4ah lithium battery, it is PAINFULLY slow to make cuts with. The drill and demo saw are pretty good. I'm hesitant to get a new one. Are the newer ryobi circ saws any good?
I had a couple of those blue sets laying around for years. A few years back I dropped my green ryobi 5 1/2 circular saw that came in combo kit and it broke. I've been using the blue ones paired with lithium batteries and a Diablo blades ever since. I discovered the blade makes a huge difference as well, the included house blades are junk.
Great video content, thanks for the info! I had thrown away my old yellow nicad batteries and wasn't sure if I should trash the old tools too. I just ordered a P117 refurbished charger (after watching your video) and will also purchase the P108 as recommended in order to give my tools a new life! The old blue drill, circular saw, and rotary tool always worked great and served me well until the yellow nicads quit holding a charge.
Old video, I know, but I just got the new 4ah battery kit and a Diablo blade for my blue ryobi saw. I was about to throw it away cause it wouldn’t cut a 2x4, and within a day I was chopping up 2x6 pressure treated and used it to build a deck.
I've got a few old Ryobi tools that take 14.4v, not even sure if they are NiCad or NiMh (but def not lithium) as its not printed on the batteries, tool, or charger anywhere. The existing batteries I have are on their last legs and it doesn't seem to make much financial sense to replace them with more basically obsolete non-lithium batteries. Any idea if the newer batteries would work on those tools?
I’ve been using my Ryobi blue tools with the lithium batteries since they first came out a number of years ago! I bought 3 and a charger, they are I think only 2.4 amp hr batteries but with 3 I am able to work continuously with one in the tool, backup and one in the charger! I’ve had no failures with all tools and batteries still working perfectly at 100%! Unlike other manufacturers who switched to “slide on batteries” meaning you could NOT upgrade your battery technology, Ryobi have stuck with the “Plug in” format allowing us to continue using older perfectly good tools with the latest batteries! Thank you Ryobi 👍👍👍!
Awesome video & EXACTLY the question/issue I was hoping to learn about/gain clarity on. I acquired the identical “Blue Gen” 1/2” Drill & an identical Saw to the model you tested 1st, bundled w/ 2 of those identical P100 Nicad batteries, charger, & a large heavy duty(-ish) Blue Ryobi canvass duffel/transport/tool carrier approx 5-6 years ago. Drill was always adequate but unimpressive, saw only used handful of times, & 2 batteries rapidly declined to ~25% original runtime & a full drain idle on a shelf 24 hrs after a full charge. The “saving grace was having 2 batteries, as I could just hot swap them off the charger every 15 min, & that workaround afforded me all day use of the drill without compromise via time (never had to wait for the “on deck” battery/had no down time other than the time for the swap) or performance. (The drill ran without any discernible drop off in speed or torque in that “rapid swap” workflow. Last month I jumped on a deal for the new (lime green) Gen impact driver, 2 (1.5’s) batteries, charger, and a flimsy joke of a “soft” case in a bundle for $38 after tax. I quickly noticed that the old Nicad batteries fit the new driver, & the new sleeker & smaller likewise did the dame on the old drill & saw. I was hesitant to even try at 1st, but eventually did (of course) & was more than pleasantly surprised that they even powered & ran (all tools worked with either battery chemistries/versions). When I realized the drill & saw both ran better than perhaps they ever had (on the absolute smallest “base” 1.5 lithium no less, though I had zero knowledge of Ryobi’s battery lineup at that time) I felt just like you described, as if I’d “won” 2 additional free tools as a result. This video gives me the desired confirmation & confidence in the compatibility, and I am now hunting for a good deal on 1-2 of the larger lithiums, &/or testing some of the 3rd party lithium options, as that route has been a boon in multiple products/instances previously. (Non-OEM inkjet ink or cartridge refills, photography equipment from non manufacturer batteries, chargers, lenses to flash, lighting, light stands, tripods & virtually everything in between, and everything imaginable in the computer, tablet, & smart phone accessory/component markets, to name a few of the most dramatically discounted in equal or even superior designs, features, &/or performance) I see no reason why a robust 3rd party market wouldn’t fare as well in the straightforward realm of power tool batteries, and I’ve already located multiple offerings that I plan on researching imminently. All that aside, finding a RU-vid video that quite thoroughly covered the EXACT topic, in which the tools/products discussed, demoed, & even tested are identical matches to my own, somehow feels like the biggest surprise “win” of the whole experience, one I hope many more “Blue Gen” Ryobi owners get to discover and enjoy. Cheers. not on charger identical to the one you demoed was afraid to “swap” the nicad Gen batteries &/or
thanks! just what I needed to know. I have the same pile of old Ryobi tools and lost the batteries. Picked up a new Ryobi hammer drill which included 2 lithium batteries and the charger, for the same price as just 2 batteries. it all works in the old saws. great
The whole reason I started buying Ryobi is that I was frustrated with other manufacturers who kept changing their battery designs so that when you went to buy a new tool, none of your old batteries would fit. Ryobi has continued to make all of their batteries backwards compatible and that alone has earned them my business. For stuff I really need to beat on, it's Milwaukee Fuel, but it's the same parent company now anyway. 😂
Yes, the batteries will act as a typical non hp 4ah battery since the blue tools do not have the ability to communicate with the battery. thanks for your comment.
I realized the new 18-volt lithium-ion batteries work in the old blue Ryobi tools, but my question is, will the old (Blue) Ryobi 18v Charger, charge the new 18v Lithium ion batteries if I invested in the new batteries... or do I also need to invest in one of the new chargers? Thank you, George Silver Hawk
I just bought all blue: impact driver, 3/8 drill, 1/2 drill, recip saw, circular saw, chainsaw, and 30 mins charger all for $100 even. Some people might say I overpaid or why get old tools but they all function and I'm totally happy with that purchase. I honestly wish the new tools were blue I hate the neon green
All my 30 year old blue Ryobi tools died not just from bad NiCd batteries. Those old blue tools and batteries were horrible, all dead within a few uses. Purchased two sets of each, evey the spare ones are dead. Trying to fix the drills, little spring loaded parts flew out across the room, couldn't put it back without a parts diagram. To be honest, all NiCd batteries were just bad even from mine Panasonic, Milwaukee and DeWalt tools.
Good video. Ryobi has a promotion now at Home Depot where if you buy the $99 battery kit which includes a charger and two 3aH batteries, ($99), you get a tool for free. I got the sawzall. I think Ryobi is smart to do this and especially to never change their 18v form factor. I have already found an older 18V drill slated to be thrown away, that works great with my new batteries. Cheers to Ryobi.
Wondering if this would apply to my older 12V/14.4V tools. They serve me well, except for the batteries. Any help would be appreciated. Good video and keep them coming!
If you have Ryobi tools and are still using NiMH batteries in them you have no idea what your tools should be doing. I haven't used a NiMH battery in at least 5 years. HD has so many offers on their Lithium batteries with free tools you should have nothing but them by this point. I think I have 12 of them and I only buy them when they are offered with free tools.
Got an old blue set of a drill, worklight, charger, and 2 nicad batteries for free off craigslist. The blue drill and light work great with my 4 amp lithiums. The nicads actually worked too after jolting them some. Will use them for camping flashlights or something. Lots of life left in these old ryobis
The old Ryobi tools weren’t terrible, but their batteries were. They’d start out fairly strong, but they only had a fraction of the lifespan of better batteries like DeWalts. The new lithium batteries seem pretty good. I’ve been using them for years now and have yet to have a single battery go bad.
This is how NiCad batteries work. They have a memory. If you use the battery you have to use it until dead, then recharge it. You can't use it partially and then charge it. You also have to keep them charged twice a month or they will decay in storage.
I got into Ryobi starting with the weed trimmer. Now I've got the blower, chainsaw, and palm router(green). Just picked up a blue drill at the thrift store, and found generic LiONs online. So far, no complaints, save for mother-in-law can't quite squeeze the release catches to swap batteries. She loves yard work, though, so it's still a win for us! Cheers ☘️
Like you said, the batteries were old, so whats the point of the video? If you were going to go through the effort of this whole video, maybe investing in a $40 nicad battery would have been good because all that has been demonstrated is that you replaced and battery with a new one. An FYI, I've got a new afternarket nicad battery for my Ryobi tools and my cordless circular saw can do quite a bit of work off it (I've got a newer yellow series).
svtcontour as I said in the video when the batteries were new they performed the same way, hints why I stopped using them... I look forward to your video demonstrating the quite a bit of work you do with your nicad I would like to see it. The point of the video was to show the lithium batteries are able to be used in the old tools.
I'm really surprised at the comments from people who didn't know the lithium batteries worked n the old blue tools. I currently have 5 of the blue. I just put the new batteries n them without a second thought 2 whether it was going 2 work. I just assumed it would. Also, I wanted 2 add, that when my circular saw and nicad battery were both new, the nicad ran it just fine. Is it going 2 work on a battery that can no longer hold a charge like apparently the ones u have? Of course not. So, I guess I missed ur point on that one.
I've thrown out three perfectly good cordless drills because the NiCads no longer held a charge. B&D Firestorm 12V (my first cordless drill), a 9.6V DeWalt, and a 14.4V Makita.
Well if you liked the tools, you were DUMB to throw them out. Do you throw away your TV Remote when the batteries die? No, you simply replace the batteries. So why the fuck wouldn't you do that with your power tools? DOH. PS: The Makita 14.4V were excellent - mine is still my favourite "go-to" drill, been running for many years on a cheap eBay NiMH battery pack.
I have the multi tool set from this generation - drill, saw zaw, saber saw, chain saw and flash light. Definitely was ecstatic when I discovered the rebirth of these tools with the new battery technology. I recommend that you get the Ryobi compatible off brand lithium batteries “Amazon’s prices are pretty good” I used both Ryobi proprietary and the off brand extensively and find the generic to be about 80% as good as the Ryobi for battery life and inferior build quality but at 1/2 the price and similar warranty they are a better value from my perspective.
Mildly unrelated, but I have an old blue Ryobi drill that has some battery corrosion in the part that connects to the battery. Is it salvageable? How do I remove it?
I have 18 year old blue tools and been using the new batteries for a while, however, that being said your old batteries are no good . Test is not valid since your saying it cant cut one cut. We all know that is not true if you had a good nicad battery otherwise nobody would have ever bought the blue tools.
You got to be kidding $99 battery for a old tools they got broshes after lots of use they Ned to be get new and Berings the battery won't lost anyway you can do one or two cuts and need charge I have a 20v old set I made a adapter corded Whit 26v work perfect I can cut all day Long no heat
I know some people that still use the old Ryobi blue with the new lithium batteries they work just fine did it work as well as brushless no did it work as well as the first generation green which was brushed yes or no depends if it's the first generation of that color which is 11 years old now a second generation I think use the 4 pole motor which gave it a little bit more power as far as my knowledge goes on Ryobi tools if you still got the old blue work light you can upgrade the bulb to LED and given New Life to it.
Your comment is totally unreadable. Do you understand PUNCTUATION? Sentences. Full stops (Periods). Commas. Paragraphs. These are used in English for a very good reason... so that other people can understand what the fuck you are blabbering about.
