ZRP230, Certainly better than a..

Overall Rating4.674.674.674.674.67

Certainly better than a drill however…

I originally purchased the driver to sink 3in wood screws into the door frame when installing a striker plate. Anyone who has tried to drive a screw with a drill knows the pleasure of the bit jumping and stripping the screw. This tool sent those screws home with absolutely no problem. You do have to be aware of over-torque. Impact drivers will drive a screw or bolt into next week if you’re not careful. I took this tool with me on a furniture installation job. We had to build beds for 14 dorm rooms. I had my Ryobi, my partner used his DeWalt. The Ryobi performed very well however, it ran out of juice long before the DeWalt. The good news is the Ryobi fully recharged in about 30min, whereas my buddy told me it takes his DeWalt 2hrs to re-up. If you are using this tool for an occasional weekend project, I highly recommend, but if you’re looking for a strong performer with power to burn…like most things in life, spend the extra $$$. Hope this helps.

Update (5/19/2012): This item is currently on sale here for the lowest price I’ve seen.

The featured review for this product, Factory-Reconditioned Ryobi ZRP230 One+ Impact Driver Bare Tool Tools & Hardware, was written by Diddley Doo.

The average rating for this item is 4.7 out of 5 stars, according to 3 reviews.

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Reviews (3)

Campbell T. Peters

March 4th, 2010 at 12:26 pm    


Overall Rating55555

fantastic - 10 times better than a drill
i was initially skeptical/reluctant to buy an impact driver at first, but it came free with a combo-pack purchase, so figured i’d take a chance.
this really is sensational - it is 10 times better and easier at driving screws than a similar cordless drill, and has so much torque it will outperform most medium duty corded drills too. driving 4″ screws into seasoned hardwood is not a problem!
it is lighter and more compact than a similar drill, so better for awkward spaces. it has an LED which comes on when you press the trigger, which is surprisingly useful (especially in dark corners).
my only complaint is a small one: i wish it had a magnetic plate on the bottom of the handle (like some of ryobi’s drills) to hold extra screws.
i have been using this consistently for over three years now (at least a couple of hours per week), and performance is still as it was when new. it has withstood numerous good drops, and battery power/life has not waned.
(in case you don’t know, this is used only for driving screws/bolts - it cannot be used for drilling.)


S. Adams

March 9th, 2010 at 7:42 am    


Overall Rating55555

Impact Driving is SO much better!
I bought this driver a few weeks ago and have only used it a few times (maybe an hour), but I’m incredibly impressed so far. I’m a wannabe/DIY guy that just came off a older dead DeWalt drill. And I’ve been seeing DeWalt and Makita impact drivers on home improvement TV shows for quite some time now and thought it’d be a “neat” thing - but it’s so much more than that. For driving screws this is hands down a superior way to a standard corded or cordless drill. It can drive screws like nobody’s business! It doesn’t have a clutch like a typical drill, so it’s not for finesse work, but the variable speed trigger make the clutch unnecessary in all of the cases I’ve come across so far.

One reviewer mentioned that you can not use this to drill holes, but I’ve found that to be untrue. I used a hex shank twist drill bit in this driver and went straight through light gauge metal than through old hard 2×4 wood without any hesitation. Sure, it doesn’t have a typical chuck so you can’t just use any drill bit, but it works great for me.

My only complaints are minor and pale in comparison to how happy I am with the driver: the LED light is handy, but it varies in brightness with how hard you pull the trigger - so lightly starting a screw into a delicate surface gives you almost no light. Other drivers leave the light on after you use it also, which I’d love to see on this driver. And the even more minor complaint is that the “chuck” comes from the factory with a bit of grease or something on it that continues to come off on my fingers when changing bits. Very minor, and I’m sure it’s to protect the metal from corrosion.

Even though I haven’t had any experience with the Ryobi brand, this tool feels like it will hold up nicely compared to the usual suspects. If not, I can buy another one and still have spent less that buying one of the yellow or black/blue brands


Diddley Doo

March 11th, 2010 at 5:50 pm    


Overall Rating44444

Certainly better than a drill however…
Rated 4 stars.


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