MAKING AN INSTANT IMPACT WHAT’S IT LIKE?

Ryobi’s multi-purpose tool will prove useful both for the home DIYER and the serious mechanic, says Matt Allan

● Price: £82 (body only)

WHAT IS IT? A battery-powered cordless impact driver for home mechanics and other Diyers. The R 18 I W 3-0 has an 18 V motor, three speed settings, Tri-be am LED light sat the head, and an impact mechanism that aims to reduce the vibration felt through the unit.

Ryobi’s business model is to sell you a single batter y and charger that can then be used across multiple tools, making the tools cheaper than those that come with a new batter y ever y time.

That means the £82 price is just for the tool, with the battery( priced from around) and charger costing extrabetween £40 and £75 for the battery depending on capacity and around £50 for the charger. An ideal companion for the occasional ga ra get inktorque can cope with some serious tasks.

The three bright LED lights around the drive bit area real help when working on dark and hard-to-see parts of a car and the ½-inch drive means it’ll take all the most common sockets used in the workshop.

As with other One+ products, the initial price if you are buying the tool, battery and charg-er to ge ther seems pretty steep but if you have other Ryobi tools or plan to get them, it is a decent choice.