Ryobi 5 Speed Bench EDP2521L

Good Handyman Drill – I've had my EDP2521L drill for about 7 years or so and overall it has been pretty good. I use it most weekends. I regularly drill 3mm RHS steel and 10 mm flat bar with drills up to 13mm without problems provided I use cutting oil. The coil spring broke a couple of years ago but installing a tension spring overcame the problem. As with all keyed… Read more

chucks, they don't last for ever and as soon as I learn how to remove the chuck, I'll replace it with a keyless one.

Understand its limits – No problem with assembly and works fine. Note--understand the size and limitations of the drill, I use it on small jobs and cannot fault it. Belts did need adjusting from new but all in all acceptable for the price. Keep the price in mind.

Total crap – Just bought one of these RDP 102l model at Bunnings first one didn't switch on took it back tried another before leaving put it together now this one is blowing heaps of smoke out the motor. Will have to go back in the morning probably to get money back for these Chinese crap.

Only able do drill small holes in steel – I have had this drill for about 2 years. It does not have enough power to drill holes in steel above 7 mm easily. With huge patience you can just drill a 9 mm hole. There is not enough torque to twist the drill bit. I have the machine set for slowest speed and the belt is tight to prevent slippage, the electric motor just stops. I have… Read more

chatted to the very knowledgeable guy at Bunnings; he suggested the drill bits were not sharp enough. I have tried new drill bits but the result is not any better. I note that Bunnings no longer sell this model, but I think its replacement is probably no better. The best thing a big retailer like Bunnings could do is to stop selling junk to maintain its reputation.

Absolute Rubbish – Purchased the drill to do a couple of little jobs. Drill started smoking after 18 months of very little use, maybe 3 times. Tried contacting Ryobi 3 times about this and they don't bother to respond, which is the most frustrating part. Customer service is non existent. I would never purchase another Ryobi product. You are much better off to spend a little bit more and get a better product.

Budget Drill with Budget Quality – I think I have had this drill for about 10 years and subjected it to diy handyman use. The chuck gave up a couple of years ago and replaced with a replacement (non Ryobi) chuck. The various measurement markings for depth & angle are only close not perfect - not a big deal for a non professional but do not expect professional accuracy. If you select the correct speed by adjusting the belts you can get through nearly any handyman/hobby task.

Ryobi 5-speed Benchtop Drill Press – In the ten years or so I've owned this, the only thing I've had to replace is the coil spring which automatically raises the chuck to its original position. I'm not sure why this snapped but its been working ever since. The replacement was only a few dollars from Bunnings. However, a few years into its use, it did simply stop working, or… Read more

should I say stopped starting. After pulling apart the quill assembly and cleaning it all down from the dust accumulated in there and regreasing it, it worked fine. To this day, I'm still not sure why it wouldn't start again, whether it was a thermal overload or there was too much resistance in the quill assembly to spin freely. In the end though, we got it back up and running and saved buying a new one.

Changing the speeds is fairly easy, you just have to remember to bring the motor in to provide enough slack in the belt.

Probably the most annoying thing with this is that each of the three handles are attached by a thread on the end of the rod. With vibration, these handles regularly come loose and fall off. But, it's nothing a few dollars of epoxy wouldn't fix. Some of the more expensive brands have a one-piece handle (made of plastic) and this would have been much better.

Raising and lowering the table can require a bit of force "wobbling" it back and forth, but then it is much quicker than the modern rack and pinion system, so it's not a big deal. However, you do need to ensure the table is "wobbled" back into the centre position to ensure the drill goes through the centre hole, as I forgot to do one day, so this aspect can become quite annoying.

I've never used the laser sight; most of my work is already marked out with either a pencil or centre punch before drilling so I can't comment on it, but it does seem a bit gimmicky.

You only get what you pay for – For drilling small holes this bench drill is good. It has never let me down. The thing only has a 1/3 hp motor so never overload it . The drill is all noisey as hell . If the motor was rubber mounted and the the press spline was machined to a higher tolerance the machine would be much quieter .If you grab the chuck and shake it there is a bit… Read more

of play in it that can not be adjusted out , typical of low cost drills.

The laser center light is absolutely useless and does not do do anything useful, it is mounted at an angle to the drills vertical axis and every time the chuck is moved up and down of course the center laser line is going to move .

If i wanted a better drill it would cost a lot more . such as the "Seige mini drill" sold by 'Carbatech' in Aus.

The machine does what i want it to do I don't need great precision so i am happy.

Alan Monro Cheap and does the Job