Ryobi has a new cordless 18V impact driver, the 1/4″ Brushed impact driver known as the P235 (baretool) and P235AK as a kit with two black/budget 1.5ah compact batteries and budget charger and bag for $99.
The new Ryobi 18V impact is powerful at a rated 1800 in-lbs torque although other than that it’s a very basic model with no fancy bells and whistles. It doesn’t have a spiffy new brushless motor as it’s still using older yet tried and true brushed motor and no multi-speeds here, just a single speed with variable speed trigger. It uses a a standard 1/4″ hex chuck that Ryobi mentions as being an auto-load chuck and includes an LED light just like all modern cordless tools. It has all the usual Ryobi amenities like magnetic mag tray and bit holder below the handle and the handle has the new slimmed down ergonomic grip with rib notches for your fingers.
Overall it looks like a great option for the Ryobi system if you’re not looking for a brushless model. The only thing holding this impact driver back is the bottom of the barrel batteries and charger that’s included in the kits. While the batteries aren’t that bad and at least you’re getting a compact lithium battery, the included batteries are their black/budget models that don’t have a fuel gauge to let you know how much runtime is left and the included budget charger is one of the slowest you can get in the Ryobi system.
This new Ryobi 18V impact driver can also be found in several combo kits as well such as the P1817 with drill driver, P1818 4 tool combo kit and P1819 6 tool combo kit.
A big thanks to DrewBHAM for spotting!
- Impact Driver: Weighs only 2.65 lbs. to prevent user fatigue while providing powerful speed and torque
- Impact Driver: Base has MAGTRAY Magnetic Bit Holder for carrying extra bits and hardware
- Impact Driver: 1/4 in. auto-load chuck for user convenience
- Impact Driver: Provides up to 3200 IPM
- Impact Driver: Powerful 1800 in./lbs. of torque for high-torque applications
- Batteries: Lithium-ion batteries resist drainage when not in use
- Batteries: Compact Lithium-Ion Batteries are compatible with all RYOBI 18-Volt ONE+ tools and chargers
- Charger: Compatible with all RYOBI ONE+ 18-Volt Lithium-Ion Batteries
- Part of the RYOBI ONE+ World’s Largest 18-Volt Tool System*
- 3-year manufacturer’s warranty
- Includes: (1) P235 1/4 in. Impact Driver with screwdriver bit, (2) P189 18-Volt ONE+ 1.5 Ah Compact Lithium-Ion Batteries, (1) P118B 18-Volt ONE+ Charger, tool bag, and operator’s manual
- *Stem Pack Style Battery
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These are now selling as bare tools for $30 or less, perfect for my needs as I already have an impact wrench for larger jobs. There was some confusion at first about this 235A model vs the prior 235 model, but they differ significantly besides both using a brushed motor. It isn’t even the same motor nor gear assembly. Granted I may be splitting hairs in this class of tool but they didn’t just slap an “A” on the end and paint the nose black, making me wonder why they reused the model # at all.
I’d have to have the old and new 235 models side by side to be sure but I think it is also smaller, LED light, a little more torque and RPM, probably in line with their higher capacity battery packs since the old P235 debut.