The Ryobi P517 moves further into the professional entry-level category and is a win for serious home DIYers, but it doesn’t get to the point where we’re talking about premium wireless models. This is great for maintainers and casual users. However, presenters who need to use it all day will turn to more advanced options. You get a lot of pro-level features, and despite being over the $100 mark, the brushless motor provides extra performance and durability.
You can find the Ryobi P517 One+ 18V brushless reciprocating saw for sale at Home Depot. That’s right, another brushless starter. Ryobi is constantly releasing a range of brushless tools that are better suited to those looking for an inexpensive tool that does the job well. Of course, DIY enthusiasts are still a big target, and these brushless models improve performance for the more serious men and women.
Editor’s Note: This review was originally published in November 2017. It has been updated to reflect the performance of the saw in our latest personal review.
A hot topic in town is Ryobi packing a reciprocating saw with a brushless motor. The benefits are well documented and pretty close to what we want from a professional grade cordless reciprocating saw in today’s market.
The Ryobi Brushless Reciprocating Saw has orbital action, which is great news. Just a few years ago, only the Ridgid Gen5X had a wireless track, but things are changing.
The switch itself is a bit odd. You will notice it next to the blade lock. Just flip the tab and rotate it to the desired icon – orbital or straight cut.
Speaking of blades, a new feature is the blade lock, which makes it easy to change the blade. When you open the lock, a two-stage mechanism keeps it open. Flip it over with your thumb to secure the blade and you’re ready to go.
In practice, there were several cases when my blade was not installed correctly, and the lock did not close completely. The good thing is that it’s really noticeable when it happens, so you won’t put the blade on the tree when it’s not properly locked (unless you’re really paying attention). When you release the lock, if you tilt the saw down, the blade will fall, so you don’t run the risk of getting burned.
The P517 also features a micro-textured Ryobi Gripzone finish. This is quite convenient, and this, of course, is not surprising. However, Ryobi’s handle grows and bends a little. It follows the shape of your hand noticeably better than the traditional Ryobi pen.
If you’ve read many of my reviews, you know that I’ve been looking for rafters or strap hooks for most of my power tools. The Ryobi P517 does not have them in the traditional sense. The space between the battery and motor is actually perfect for double stuff instead of rafter hooks. This is similar to what Skil does with their brushless models.
Swivel base plate allows you to adjust the cutting depth. The handle has a hex wrench that can be used to loosen and adjust the shoe. We definitely prefer the toolless options, but using a hex wrench is better than not being able to adjust the shoe at all.
Ryobi’s brushless reciprocating saw with 1-1/8″ stroke and 3200 strokes per minute is definitely the right fit for professional-grade paper work. The proof, however, is in the pudding.
We usually use carbide reciprocating cutting blades. However, it is not necessarily the best choice when cutting bare wood. If you’re cutting with the Ryobi P517, an aggressive, low TPI blade is the way to go. When you have metal in the mix, stick with higher TPI carbide inserts.
But when you need to cut wood with embedded nails or demonstrate a cocktail mix, bimetal is not a logical choice. It comes with carbide pins built into the wood blade and I noticed that the cutting speed was a bit slower than some of the good saws we use.
So we compared it to other similarly designed cordless reciprocating saws (we tested the cordless premium models separately). In our studded wood tests, the P517 was the slowest, averaging 16.16 seconds to make a 2 x 10 cut. The average time for the rest of the group was about 10.5 seconds, so the difference is noticeable.
Metal cutting is a similar story. Ryobi’s average of 7.00 seconds was several seconds below the group average of 5.00 seconds. For rebar #5, its force at 13.38 seconds was nearly 4 seconds below the group average.
At first glance, these figures are not very attractive, but let’s put some perspective. First, the saw had no cutting problems and we didn’t think it was in danger of overheating. It’s just slower. It’s also an improvement over previous Ryobi wireless models. In fact, we don’t expect Prosumer and DIY models to keep up with Milwaukee and Makita, so these results aren’t a surprise.
AMZN_ASSOC_PLATION = “ADUNIT0″; AMZN_ASSOC_SEARCH_BAR = “真” ； AMZN_ASSOC_TRACKING_ID = “Проторев-20″; AMZN_ASSOC_AD_MODE = “手动”; AMZN_ASSOC_AD_TYPE = “智能”; = “e5b3209544ec178ba2a5e072ec0fa1c1″ amzn_assoc_asins = “B07MWLL2MM,B01M69K91R,B00BD5G3SY,B00FUQPFVS”;
The shockproof handle is a nice addition. This is great for preventing gelatinous hands when you can lean on the material you are cutting. Overall, this is an improvement over the previous generation Ryobi. It just doesn’t lead to where the best players are.
There have been reports that the taller blade can cut into the shroud above the shaft. We took a close look at our Lenox and Diablo blades (both 1″ high). In both standard and reverse positions, the blade approaches but doesn’t actually hit anything there. However, the locking tab of the blade has not changed much. There may be legal issues with some blades.
The Ryobi P517 is on the smaller and lighter side of the scale. It is only 17.5 inches long and weighs just 5.8 pounds without tools. In our comparison review, we tested it with a 9.0 Ah battery and placed it in the middle of the package to add weight.
We recommend pairing it with an HP 3.0 Ah battery for watch mode or an HP 6.0 Ah battery for extended use, providing the best balance of size and performance.
If you are one of the millions of people who use the Ryobi One+ product, you can easily buy the P517 for $119. This is lower than any other simple tool we’ve tested in this course.
However, there is currently no deluxe option. If you need to add that, you can get a charger and two 3.0Ah batteries for $149.
The Ryobi P517 moves further into the professional entry-level category and is a win for serious home DIYers, but it doesn’t get to the point where we’re talking about premium wireless models.
This is great for maintainers and casual users. However, presenters who need to use it all day will turn to more advanced options. You get a lot of pro-level features, and despite being over the $100 mark, the brushless motor provides extra performance and durability.
On the clock, Kenny delves into the practical limitations and comparative differences of various instruments. His faith and love for his family is his priority after work, and you’re usually in the kitchen, biking (he’s a triathlete) or taking people out on a day’s fishing in Tampa Bay.
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Well, my worst fears have indeed come true and what they said about the lampshade and its placement was confirmed by me. This happens when my blade slips out of the cut and hits the tip of the blade against a hard surface, which causes impact and injury to the blade and the plastic part of the body, but the plastic guard and plastic lantern break. My flashlights still work, but the damage has been done. I reinforced this area with a piece of metal and a lot of JB Weld. Not sure what it is… read more »
Kenny Kohler. I have read in several reviews that they destroyed the flashlights with blades due to where they were installed. Any ideas? this is true? Or have you heard or read about it? I’m thinking about buying a P517, but some negative reviews make me doubt.
Ahem, what do you think the hex key next to the battery and the screws on the pad are for if the pad isn’t properly adjusted? True, the adjustment range is very small (about 2/3 inch?), and they hope to fix this in the next (P518?) version. I also hope they end up moving to brighter LEDs as the ones they use now are quite weak, especially with a tool that uses multiple amps to operate but seems to be only 0.5 watts. If they use…Read More »
New Zealand now has 4 brushless tool sets… a circular saw… a drill and impact tool… and an angle grinder… a reciprocating saw would be nice, but it would be a 5 tool set… looking forward to looking forward to your review 10 inch chainsaw without brushes…
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