What Comes In Ryobi's 12-Tool Combo Kit And Is It A Good Value?

The Ryobi timeline reveals a long and storied history behind the tool giant, with its exploits dating all the way back to late 1943. Throughout the decades, the brand has delved into all kinds of tool varieties, providing customers with reliable products at competitive prices. As a result, it's now among the biggest power tool manufacturers in the game today and shows no sign of slowing down. After all, with such an impressive catalog to its name, odds are it will continue to drum up business going forward as more folks decide to give it a shot.

One of the best things about Ryobi's tool offerings is that there's a little something for everyone, regardless of their needs. Carpentry, landscaping, general DIY-ing, and a whole lot more can be done using Ryobi tools alone. One could argue the tools are so good that even Ryobi's haters can't help but love them. To help out those who are on the opposite end of the spectrum, still figuring out what they need in their tool arsenal generally, Ryobi has come up with a pretty impressive set: the Ryobi 12-tool combo kit, featuring a host of different products. So, what exactly is in this combo kit, and is it worth the money? 

To say that the Ryobi 12-tool combo kit gets you ready for most jobs you could imagine and has some tools that appeal to both pros and novices alike would be an understatement. Starting with the additional pack-ins, which don't count toward that 12 tool total, this set comes with two tool bags, a battery charger, one 18-volt 1.5Ah battery, and two 18-volt 4.0Ah batteries. Moving on to the comparatively smaller tools, the kit includes a 1/2-inch drill, a 1/4-inch impact driver, a 1/2-inch impact wrench, a random orbit sander, and an LED light. From here, we see just how many sizable tools Ryobi managed to pack into this set.

Rounding out this set are some more job-specific products. There's a jigsaw, a multi-tool, a reciprocating saw, and a 4 1/2-inch grinder, as well as a 5 1/2-inch circular saw, a 7 1/4-inch miter saw, and an 18-gauge brad nailer. Unsurprisingly, considering all that comes in this convenient package, Ryobi isn't giving these sets away for cheap. Over on the Home Depot website, they're listed at a whopping $799. The listing on the site also claims that if one were to go about trying to acquire all of these pieces on their own, the bill would surpass $1,330 with ease.

This is either a marketing tactic to get folks interested in forking over the cash for this Ryobi set, or it's encouragement for customers so they truly know how much money they're saving with it. 

No matter how you slice it, $799 is a lot of money to drop all at once, even on tools. Based on what all of the elements in the Ryobi 12-tool set cost on their own through Home Depot, is the value there?

The 1/2-inch drill regularly costs $59, with the 1/4-inch impact driver running $59 as well and the 1/2-inch impact wrench costing $139. Those three tools alone combine to a $257 price tag, but we're nowhere near done yet. The random orbit sander is $59.97, the LED light is $29.97, the jigsaw is $69, and the multi-tool is $79. This brings us up to $494.94, and the addition of the $118.97 reciprocating saw, the $59.97 4 1/2-inch grinder, the $59.97 5 1/2-inch circular saw, the $149 7 1/4-inch miter saw, and the $139 18-gauge brad nailer driving the total to $1,021.85.

Even without the contributions from the batteries, bags, and charger to the price total, these Ryobi tools have exceeded the $799 kit price and then some. Therefore, it's safe to say that what you get for the price is definitely reasonable compared to hunting down each piece on its own. Of course, there's no shame in doing so if this set isn't your speed. It comes with loads of handy tools and equipment, but if you don't need all of it, then picking and choosing to save a bit of money and space in your tool area is a good idea.

While it might not be for everyone, purely based on price and the varied selection within, there's an undeniable value to this Ryobi 12-tool set.