Ryobi has launched their next-generation 18V One+ HP brushless cordless power tools, featuring a drill, hammer drill, impact driver, circular saw, and reciprocating saw.
Ryobi says these 5 new Gen 2 additions are the most powerful tools they offer. All of the new tools are said to deliver their best performance when powered with Ryobi’s more premium 18V 4Ah batteries.
A quick look at the power and speed specs for the 5 new tools shows that Ryobi isn’t exaggerating.
The 18V One+ HP line wasn’t Ryobi’s first attempt at cordless power tools with brushless motors. Compared to the earlier tools, the HP line of tools featured – in my experience – much more compact form factors.
To me, Ryobi’s 18V HP cordless power tools delivered amply power while making some sacrifices for the sake of size and weight savings. It seems that Ryobi has reversed course and is focusing again on squeezing as much power and performance as they can into the new 18V HP Gen 2 models.
Ryobi 18V Gen 2 Brushless Drill and Hammer Drill
The new brushless drills deliver up to 850 in-lbs max torque and have a 2-speed gearbox with 0-700 and 0-2150 RPM speed settings.
Ryobi’s claims of these models being 45% faster and delivering 65% more torque are in comparison to one of their more basic cordless drills (PCL206 drill, PCL220 hammer drill).
Looking at their existing 18V One+ HP cordless drill kit (PSBDD02K2), the new models deliver 26% faster speed and 89% more torque. It’s uncertain as to whether the Gen 2 models will be replacing Ryobi’s existing HP brushless cordless power tools.
Features include a 1/2″ metal chuck, 24 position clutch, base-mounted LED worklight.
The kits come with a charger and 4Ah High Performance battery.
Ryobi Gen 2 Brushless Impact Driver
The new Gen 2 18V HP brushless impact driver also boasts impressive specs – up to 2300 in-lbs max torque and 3400 RPM max speed.
It also has 4 operating modes with 3 speed settings and an assist mode.
Just going by the specs, this looks like it could be one of the highest performing cordless impact drivers on the market.
Ryobi 18V Gen 2 Brushless Circular Saw
The new Ryobi 18V HP Gen 2 brushless circular saw features a 7-1/4″ blade size.
Ryobi boasts that this is their most powerful circular saw ever. They say it delivers “3X faster cutting” than their PCL500 circular saw, which has an entry-level price and much smaller blade size.
Features include up to 5000 RPM speed, 0-56° bevel shoe adjustment, die cast metal upper guard, max cutting depth of up to 2-9/16″ at 0°, and a rafter hook.
Ryobi says it delivers the best performance with an 18V 4Ah High Performance EDGE (tabless) battery.
Here’s a quick side by side comparison between Gen 1 and Gen 2 models. From what I can tell, there’s a bump up in max speed, which could contribute to faster cutting performance, and several design differences including the addition of a rafter hook.
Ryobi 18V Gen 2 Brushless Reciprocating Saw
The new Gen 2 reciprocating saw features a 1-1/4″ stroke length and 3200 SPM max speed.
They say it delivers 2X faster cutting compared to their PCL515 recip saw, a brushed motor model at entry level pricing.
Spec-wise, there’s not much difference compared to Ryobi’s other 18V HP brushless reciprocating saw, PBLRS01B, which also has a 1-1/4″ stroke length and 3200 SPM max speed.
The Gen 1 model is priced at $129 right now (tool-only), and the Gen 2 model will be $139. It looks like $10 gets you a different blade release level and a rafter hook.
Whereas the older model advertised “over 380 cuts per charge” with a 9Ah battery, the new model says you can get “up to 470 cuts per charge” when cutting through 2×4 white pine with a 12Ah battery.
Pricing
- Drill kit (PBLDD02K1) – $159
- Hammer drill kit (PBLHM102K1) – $179
- Hammer drill tool-only (PBLHM102B) – $129
- Impact Driver tool-only (PBLID04B) – $129
- Circular Saw tool-only (PBLCS302B) – $139
- Reciprocating Saw tool-only (PBLRS02B) – $139
Availability
All of these tools will be available exclusively at Home Depot. They will be available starting in March 2025.
Discussion
Ryobi’s 18V HP line of brushless power tools previously seemed centered around high performance in a compact form factor, with a couple of full-size tools mixed in, such as with the reciprocating saw.
It seems like the new push is towards top power and performance.
At this time, Ryobi has not made any announcement as to whether the Gen 2 tools are an expansion or if they will be replacing some of their existing 18V HP brushless power tools, but the official description of this being a “Gen II” launch carries a lot of implications.
