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Review of the Ryobi 18-Volt ONE+ Brushless Drywall Screw Gun

Tool Review of the Ryobi 18-Volt ONE+ Brushless Drywall Screw Gun.

*This post is sponsored by The Home Depot.

You’re probably reading this and thinking, ‘Timisha, what is heck is a drywall screw gun?’ and ‘ Why can’t I just use a drill when installing drywall?’ Well the short answer is, yes you can use a drill, but after you’ve tried out a drywall screw gun, like the Ryobi 18-Volt ONE+ Brushless Drywall Screw Gun, you’ll never consider using a regular drill or hammer and nail to install drywall again.

What is a Drywall Screw Gun?

A drywall screw gun is similar to a drill.  However the difference between a drywall screw gun and a drill is that a drywall screw gun is made specifically for driving screws into drywall.  It is a job specific tool with a specialized “nose” that holds a bit specifically sized for drywall screws. Unlike an impact driver, a drywall screw gun is meant to drive screws in at a high speed rather than a high torque.  An impact driver is designed to screw into material that is more difficult to drill in with a basic drill.  A drywall screw gun will designed to drive a screw down to the perfect depth right below the surface of the sheet of drywall.

How to set it up

The Ryobi 18-Volt ONE+ Brushless Drywall Screw Gun comes with the a belt clip and a PR2 Phillips bit and bit holder.

The belt clip can be attached to either side of the drill.

    

The screw gun is cordless, working with any of 18v batteries.  I recommend using the smaller battery to reduce the over all weight when in use.

Remove the nozzle or nose cone and it reveals a shank for installing the drill bit.  Push in the white plastic surround or collet and insert the bit, similar to installing a bit on an impact driver.

Push the screw bit into the bit holder.  

And replace the nose cone.

The Features

The base of the screw gun has a magnetic strip that allows you to place screws to it as you are screwing the screws in place.  This magnetic area holds very well.

The Ryobi 18-Volt ONE+ Brushless Drywall Screw Gun comes with a feature that conserves the battery while in use.  The QuietDrive eliminates the noise in between use and engages only when pressing and driving in the screw.

And you can lock this feature in place.

The LED Light highlights the work area.

 Just above the trigger for the drill is the switch for the screw direction.  To drive the screw in turn the switch to the side with the Ryobi label.  I also highlighted that area with a marker so not to forget.  If trying to screw the drywall screw with the switch in the wrong direction you can literally burn out the drill bit and create another headache.  So I recommend marking the directional arrow with a marker so that direction becomes easily identifiable.  

How the Ryobi 18-Volt ONE+ Brushless Drywall Screw Gun works.

The purpose of a drywall screw gun is to drive drywall screws at a high speed into drywall just below the surface of the drywall.  It stops with absolute perfection once it reaches the desired depth.

However, you don’t want screw gun to place the screw to deep within the drywall.

 

So by simply turning the nose cone to the right or left you can achieve the desired depth.

Ideally, you want the drywall screw to be just below the surface of the drywall sheet, so that when you run you fingers over the location there is no indentation that can pop through the drywall tape and or putty.

My favorite features of  the Ryobi 18-Volt ONE+ Brushless Drywall Screw Gun

  • The Ryobi 18-Volt ONE+ Brushless Drywall Screw Gun really does make the process of installing drywall move quickly.
  • The QuietDrive feature removes the unnecessary noise that can be a huge irritant.
  • I think want I love the most is that adjustment of the screw depth is so easy.

Things I didn’t like as much

  • For some reason, I had a hard time getting the drill bit in place.  Now, this could have just been me. But this was a minor thing and I was eventually able to load the drill bit properly.
  • When using a larger battery the gun weight got to me with prolonged usage above my head.  But look on the bright side, I don’t have to do arms that day in the gym  [icon name=”smile-o” class=”” unprefixed_class=””].

Is it worth buying a Drywall Screw Gun?

Yes and no. At the end of the day it all boils down to your budget and the job you are tackling.  The Ryobi 18-Volt ONE+ Brushless Drywall Screw Gun is designed for the avid DIYer. If you are installing drywall in a room or even just a wall of drywall, I would say this would make your the job a heck of a lot easier.  At this price point, it has features that used to be only available on the contractor grade tools.

Now, if you’re just patching a piece of drywall and have no plans of tackling any task that involves drywall, this is probably not the tool for you.

Check out my thoughts on other tools that could step up your DIY game.

 

Buy It Here - Ryobi 18-Volt ONE+ Brushless Drywall Screw Gun

I acknowledge that The Home Depot is partnering with me to participate in the ProSpective 2018 Campaign. As a part of the Program, I am receiving compensation in the form of products and services, for the purpose of promoting The Home Depot. All expressed opinions and experiences are my own words. My post complies with the Word Of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA) Ethics Code and applicable Federal Trade Commission guidelines.

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2 Comments

  1. I have my own wood working tools,I got tired of asking my husband to cut things for me.I started with a jigsaw and moved up to a miter saw.I am not a master craftsperson but if I want to build a bench or birdhouse I can without bothering him.I learned by watching him ang asking questions.The one tool I would love to learn is a router,Thanks for lessons.

    1. That is fantastic Faye! You are a ToolBox Diva! 💕I will work on a router tutorial 😉

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