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Ryobi EID750RS Mains Drill
Friday 16 April 2010
Anthony Bailey tries out a mains drill
The new lime green and slate grey liveried power tools are slowly being released by Ryobi, so it is exciting waiting to see what comes next, like this mains power drill.
Although everyone wants powerful cordless drills, there still is a need for mains power. It gives a pretty unstoppable amount of welly and there are no worries about batteries running down just when you least need it.
All the grip surfaces here are covered in grippy rubber and most of the body is the new lime green colour, which is easy to find in a state of chaos but can get slightly grubby.
This is a single gear setting model, with a variable speed dial on the trigger. It has a lock-on button suitable for right-handed users and a LiveTool indicator that shows electric current is present.
On the top is a switchover lever from drill to hammer action. The chuck is tightened by hand and no key is required.
On test
This tool feels very comfortable to hold and not unduly heavy. The second grip is pretty essential for extra grip and accuracy too. The noise level is okay but it seems a little strange that the motor runs on after releasing the trigger, unlike cordless drills which stop almost instantaneously.
It performed perfectly for normal drilling but when used on hammer setting, the chuck came loose. Using the two-hand chuck grip, I struggled to tighten it enough to stop this happening.
The verdict
This is a handy tool around the home or workshop but the chuck was a struggle. When using it for masonry work the drill bit tended to work loose under the hammer action.
