REASONS TO BUY
Fantastic drilling and driving performance
Good 2 Ah battery life
REASONS TO AVOID
On the heavier side
Slower battery charging
Light shuts off after ten seconds
Ryobi ONE+ HP 18V Brushless Cordless Kit Review
A solid drill that would be a welcome to addition to your Ryobi tool army
The Ryobi ONE+ HP 18V exhibited solid performance in our evaluations.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
By Ross Patton ⋅ Senior Review Editor ⋅ July 20, 2022
RELATED: The Best Drills of 2025
Our Verdict
Part of the Ryobi ONE family of cordless tools, this model is a high-performance drill that scored near the top of the pack in nearly all of our assessments and evaluations. This model shreds with a hole saw, has no problem with paddle bits, and pierces through 16-gauge thick metal with ease. If you're in the market for an economic and reliable tool family, the Ryobi ONE will not disappoint. If you already own tools that use this battery and charger, you can score quite the deal by purchasing the “tool-only” package.
Our Analysis and Test Results
This particular kit includes a carrying case.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Drilling
Drilling is the most important function of a drill, and the Ryobi ONE+ HP 18V excels at it. When it came to cutting a 5" hole in a solid core door, the Ryobi ONE+ HP 18V got it done in 20 seconds. Considering that the average time for this test was more than a minute, this is fantastic timing.
The Ryobi brand is one of our favorites.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Using a ¼" bit, it punched through the 16-gauge sheet metal in about a second. When we bumped the bit size up to ½", it took between 4 and 5 seconds to drill a hole, which is phenomenal.
The Ryobi ONE+ HP 18V has no problem sawing holes in a solid wooden door.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
When we used a 1" paddle bit with the Ryobi ONE+ HP 18V, it started strong but slowed about halfway through the 2" x 12" board. However, when we turned the drill down to a lower gear, it had no problem with this style of bit. Overall, the Ryobi ONE+ HP 18V showed some of the strongest results that we've seen to date.
We drilled dozens of holes with a 1" paddle to test each model.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Driving
Many people also use drills for driving screws and sinking fasteners, and once again, the HP 18V performed this task better than almost any other drill in our lineup.
We loved the driving abilities of the Ryobi.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Our team all agreed that the HP 18V was great for driving deck screws. We found that this tool makes it easy to quickly and easily sink screws, the fasteners are easy to get to the perfect flush, and the trigger has great speed control. When we used this model for driving a ½" x 5" lag screw, it was able to get the hex cap most of the way to the wood on the first try, leaving about ¼" of a gap. After a few more trigger pulls, the Ryobi completed the job.
The Ryobi One was able to drive in most of the 5-inch lag screws during our testing.
Credit: Austin Palmer
Battery Life
Starting with a full battery and working until it was fully drained, the Ryobi was one of the top-performing models for battery life. It was able to get through a little more than seven total sets of our battery test before dying. The most efficient drills make it through about 10 sets on average.
This model lost a few charge time points; it took the battery 63 minutes to get back up to 100% on the charger.
We recorded the charging time for each battery so that you can see the full range in this line up.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Convenience
This model's convenience features include an LED light just above the battery that illuminates your work area, a 24-position clutch, and a belt clip that can be attached on either side of the device to make it easily accessible from the storage location of your choice.
Should You Buy the Ryobi ONE+ HP 18V?
The HP 18V would make a great addition to your cordless power tool collection. It checks off all the boxes on the list of things that most people would want out of a drill. If you already own Ryobi tools and are in the market for a drill, this model is the only way to go. By buying the “tool-only” option, you are significantly reducing the overall cost of buying this drill.
What Other Drill Should You Consider?
Although we love the Ryobi ONE+ HP 18V, there are a few drills that may be better suited for your needs. If you require the absolute best of the best, the Milwaukee M18 Fuel 1/2" Drill Driver outperformed this model in every metric and has a similar cost, especially if you can find it on sale or already own Milwaukee Fuel batteries. For those looking for a light & compact 12-volt model, the Bosch 12V Max Drill/Driver showed some commendable results but hardly takes up any storage room. If you want an affordable model with a solid performance from a brand you can trust, check out the Craftsman V20 CMCD700C1.
—Ross Patton
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