YMMV $99.00 - RYOBI 18V ONE+ Starter Kit with (2) 4.0 Ah Batteries and Charger

Better than previous kit since this has the bag, but I'm not sure which revision battery is used

stocktrack link

i paid $50 for this a month or 2 ago..

kiasu wrote: ↑ i paid $50 for this a month or 2 ago..

Sick. Was it a store-specific clearance or anything?

Last clearance was at $78 before NY, not as good yet, but still good deal

Using stocktrack, $158 in 100 stores around me (Ontario)

AncasterRFD wrote: ↑ Using stocktrack, $158 in 100 stores around me (Ontario)

Yea, I wish stocktrack had the ability to show local price, but I don't think it's ever put online for Home Depot locations. It's more of a manager's discretion, and you don't know until you go instore, or order online and wait for your pickup receipt.

As in the other recent HD thread, the stock tracker prices may not be correct. I placed an order for these batteries for pickup - listed at $158 through to check out but ended up paying $60.48 when I got the confirmation email. Not sure if it'll get filled but might be worth a try for stores that have stock.

WHernandez06 wrote: ↑ As in the other recent HD thread, the stock tracker prices may not be correct. I placed an order for these batteries for pickup - listed at $158 through to check out but ended up paying $60.48 when I got the confirmation email. Not sure if it'll get filled but might be worth a try for stores that have stock.

Anyone had any luck getting an online order price matched with the lower price, after the email comes back at regular prices? Tried to do this out here in NS for Ridgid Caulking Gun, got email for $128 even though folks in Ontario were getting it as low as $35? Thanks in advance

These are the discontinued P197 batteries, not the newer PBP's. Buyer beware of batteries manufactured years ago and just sitting in warehouses.

Newer batteries look like these. https://www.ryobitools.com/products/details/33287199150

superfigz wrote: ↑ Better than previous kit since this has the bag, but I'm not sure which revision battery is used

stocktrack link

Nah its the same. Not sure who expired that thread. These can still be found.

home-depot-ryobi-starter-kit-67-20-store-ymmv-2504684/

smatts wrote: ↑ These are the discontinued P197 batteries, not the newer PBP's. Buyer beware of batteries manufactured years ago and just sitting in warehouses.

Newer batteries look like these. https://www.ryobitools.com/products/details/33287199150

I have the batteries from prev thread. Manufacturing date is 10th week of 2021. It's old series of batteries but don't think it makes any difference for a regular DYI use.

smatts wrote: ↑ These are the discontinued P197 batteries, not the newer PBP's. Buyer beware of batteries manufactured years ago and just sitting in warehouses.

Newer batteries look like these. https://www.ryobitools.com/products/details/33287199150

P197s are far superior to the newer PBP005s.

P197s use Sony Murata VTC4 cells with 30A discharge capability. PBP005s use cheese-donkey China cells of unknown quality/performance. I'd rather have "old" Murata cells "sitting in a warehouse" or store than the shitty cells in the newer Ryobi batts. Also the P197s you see in Canada aren't even that old, more than likely made in 2021.

https://www.reddit.com/r/ryobi/comments ... n_most_of/
https://www.reddit.com/r/ryobi/comments ... confusion/

This is actually the better kit of its kind. The P197s are perhaps the best non-HP 4.0 batts Ryobi has put out in our market. Better cells v. the old Samsungs with like 15A or whatever discharge in the P108s, and better than the "cheaped out" China-celled PBP005. Not to mention the build quality on the PBP005 is also cheaper, with no rubber overmolds/bumpers for protection.

Note that the reg price for the 2pk of P197s (P145) has a reg. price of $99, so this is a decent deal given you're getting the bag and charger for free essentially. However some have found this kit cheaper at some stores, as others have mentioned.

The earlier clearance on the first-gen HP batteries with the 6.0s involved was better than this, however; but I think those are all long gone. Plus the cheaper you can find this kit, the better the deal becomes

Bought this @ milton for $63.71 including tax

Was this recently?

ES_Revenge wrote: ↑ P197s are far superior to the newer PBP005s.

P197s use Sony Murata VTC4 cells with 30A discharge capability. PBP005s use cheese-donkey China cells of unknown quality/performance. I'd rather have "old" Murata cells "sitting in a warehouse" or store than the shitty cells in the newer Ryobi batts. Also the P197s you see in Canada aren't even that old, more than likely made in 2021.

The link you posted says:

"AFAIK, Ryobi started switching to 1500mah & 2000mah chinese cells from EVE energy in late 2019/early 2020 for their 18v 1.5 to 4Ah batteries."

and in the chart:

P197 4Ah 2P Sony VTC4 early 2019 or older, EVE or TenPower now

So if the batteries are marked 2020 or later, you're getting the Chinese cells.

CloudCover wrote: ↑ The link you posted says:

"AFAIK, Ryobi started switching to 1500mah & 2000mah chinese cells from EVE energy in late 2019/early 2020 for their 18v 1.5 to 4Ah batteries."

and in the chart:

P197 4Ah 2P Sony VTC4 early 2019 or older, EVE or TenPower now

So if the batteries are marked 2020 or later, you're getting the Chinese cells.

Negative ghostrider. I opened one of my SN CS2106... P197s, it has VTC4s in it. Just has to say "Product of Singapore, processing in China". If it just says "Made in China" and nothing else *then* it has EVE or other random China cells.

bg8055 wrote: ↑ The batteries I picked up say they are manufactured and assembled in China.

Looking into it even more, It seems it depends on production run more than manufacture date. I saw a bunch of P145 sets (P197 2pk) which were clearly China/China (Cells/Processing) batteries and had manufacturing dates older than my set (which I confirmed are Murata VTC4 via opening one of them and the fact that mine say "Singapore/China" on them).

After that I found a PSK003 kit and checked what it said on the box (since you can't see the batteries directly) and it actually says something along the lines that the batteries can be any of:
China/China
Singapore/China
Malaysia/China (think it was Malaysia, could have been another country)

So basically Ryobi knows they have different production runs and any can end up in the PSK003 kits by chance. I didn't bother buying the one PSK003 I saw (it wasn't labelled for clearance but could have been, I didn't scan it) because one that luck of the draw and two I already have more Ryobi ONE+ batts than I need lol.

bg8055 wrote: ↑ I don't know what the big deal is, Ryobi must have quality control measures in place and it comes with a 3 year warranty.

The big deal is the VTC4s in some P197s are premium cells, capable of pretty good discharge current. Not as good as say the VTC6s in the HP batteries, but basically better than any non-HP Ryobi battery produced to date. And with all the newer ones looking to be cheaped out, it makes these "Singapore/China" P197s the best standard Ryobi ONE+ batts you're ever going to find.

Quality control, no matter how good, doesn't change cheap China cells into more premium ones. Just not possible. And again by all accounts "quality control" is not the main focus or direction the newer non-HP batteries are going for Ryobi--they're merely cost cutting them.

All that said, while it's unfortunate you got the China/China ones with the cheap cells in there but at the price you can't really complain too much, esp. if one got the $50ish price on these. They will still work fine, though won't have as much output capability and may be shorter lived. Lot of people speculate the China cells are only going to last 3-5 years of use with good capacity and output remaining, while the better celled ones can last much longer. However it should be said that any cell can fail at any time, even premium ones. Nothing is a sure thing.